Grazza

Yeah, exactly. I'm sure they could recreate the OOT atmosphere if they wanted to. It does, after all, largely come down to a technical formula. One big help might be to stop having the camera so distant from Link - to stop having these near-overhead views. Thanks for doing that, Jonnas. I'm pleased with the Top 3 so far. Regarding Oracle of... personally, I would count them as either or both. If people have given two places to those games, they should have points each, of if they want to see it as one game, that also deserves points if it makes the difference between it entering the Top 3 or not.

I was thinking about OOT's dungeons the other day. There's something very real about them (and Majora's Mask's). Maybe it's the exact camera angles they used, but there's something particularly immersive about those two games. Even as I write this I can imagine myself in the higher levels of the Fire Temple, trying to figure out how to reach the top... Sometimes I think the one way they could truly recreate the magic in OOT and MM is to use the same character models (more polygons, but exactly the same proportions), the same music, same textures (but higher-res) etc. Now personally, I think they've already "beaten" Ocarina of Time with Wind Waker (and MM), but that might be a way to truly surpass it in the eyes of fans.

Good idea. Or is it possible to start a poll where you can vote for two or three? (I don't know, as I can't start polls.) Anyway, my Top 3 are: 1. Wind Waker 2. Majora's Mask 3. Ocarina of Time

Looking on the bright side, I really hope MotionPlus is added to this now. If any motion controls were included (eg. opening doors), this should make a big difference.

Exactly. I keep imagining the next Zelda designed as a series of "scenes". I hope I'm wrong. I just can't see this formula applied to Majora's Mask or Wind Waker, for example.

I replay modern games if I think I can complete them more efficiently (speed run etc) or want to set myself up better for the post-game. As for older games, yes, I think it's for nostalgia. I've actually stopped being affected by nostalgia in the past 5-10 years, and I tend not to find old games stimulating any more, even if I loved them at the time. That said, I still love Ocarina and Majora. Hopefull though there will be something that makes even them obsolete!

The Hint system is a good idea. The Digest mode has its merits, but I find it disconcerting to think that Zelda might be reduced to some sort of cartoon that plays itself. OK, I do admit Zelda games are too complicated for casual and even mainstream gamers (I use Emasher's definitions, because I agree with them). Part of me thinks it'd be good if everyone could see the whole game, but part of me thinks "Hey, they learn how to play Halo and Call of Duty. It's their loss if they can't be bothered to appreciate Zelda". There's no doubt it's a revolutionary idea, but when I think back to how I enjoyed previous Zeldas, with all the sidequests etc, it's hard to see how that could be turned into a linear "movie" that you can dip in and out of. If you chose to play the whole "Digest" mode (even though that would defeat the point), then hopefully that would be nothing like the full game (and yes, I do realise that's what "digest" means, but it's just a thought!)

I do actually think Four Swords Adventure is easily in the Top 10, but you're right, I wasn't going to pick it as my favourite! Yes indeed, getting into the action straight away is very important. Link to the Past was my first Zelda. I played every one since and thought they got better and better (apart from both Oracle of... games and Minish Cap) up to and including Wind Waker, which is thus my favourite. I've gushed about Wind Waker so many times, but I'll just say the graphics, music and atmosphere were perfect. With all the seafaring, never has a game been so tailor-made for me. It's also extremely progressive, with a vast array of mini-dungeons and challenges outside of the main dungeons. It's proof that, if Nintendo are too conservative with the formula now (as debated in the Zelda thread), they weren't just a few years ago. Yes, I agree. I think a great many DS games are negatively affected by the hardware. It's not really clear whether the DS should be treated like a SNES or N64. Developers very often treat it like an N64 and make a game with 3D graphics. However, in my opinion, the games are nowhere near as good as the N64's. The best aspect of Phantom Hourglass was using the touchscreen for arrows and cannonballs. Other than that, I don't think it had any particular flair. As a game in its own right, it's very good, as a Zelda game, it's OK and as a sequel to Wind Waker, it's very poor.

I picked up Final Fantasy IV the other day for £14.98. ShadowV7 pointed out a while ago it was this price in GameStation, but I only just found a shop that had some. I also noticed it is now the same price in GAME. PS - I never did get the "Onion Knight" job class in FFIII. From reading an FAQ, it's fairly laborious to obtain, plus I believe I've done all the big sidequests anyway.

People tend to be fans of things like musicians and games companies because they produce art, ie. something that's not strictly necessary and would by no means just appear due to market demand in other circumstances. Take Wind Waker on the GameCube, for example. It's an absolute work of genius, and we have Nintendo to thank entirely for producing it. If they hadn't made it, no one else would have either. A chilling thought!

Yes, that's a system I'd like to see too. There could be outlaws to hunt down, and it's more rewarding to capture them alive (like in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath). Also, Link could be skilled in unarmed combat, and you could set yourself the challenge of completing the game without ever using a weapon. I'd also like to see plenty of armour upgrades (automatic like in Wind Waker), especially the Power Bracelets (with lots of uses for them), so you get stronger and sturdier throughout the game.

That's an excellent idea. The more progress you make, the tougher the henchmen that get sent after you (alongside the earlier enemies, of course). As well as monsters roaming the fields, I'd also like to have enemies, even bosses and mini-bosses, that actively hunt you down. I did read all of Edjamakated's post and liked the ideas, especially about breaking away from the "dungeon" formula. It would be nice to have all sorts of buildings scattered around the overworld, some 1-room, some 5-room and some 20-room. Imagine a building in a town (church, tavern, anything) with no enemies, but one huge puzzle in the main room. You wouldn't get told to do this and it wouldn't be a "dungeon". It could just be a way to get an item, whether essential or optional. Regarding the idea of how much guidance you should get, I wouldn't like to go back to Zelda on the NES, because it's just too difficult, in my opinion. It's very frustrating if you just can't work out what to do. On the other hand, people do want to explore for themselves, so perhaps there could be some sort of "perfect hint" system, so that you can always find the quickest path to progressing the story if you want to. I'd love a more seamless overworld, where you get certain enemies that tend to hang around in the woods, yet will stray out to attack you if they see you. Another thing I really fancied is underground waterways that you can actually walk through at your own pace, with hidden dwellings and shops along the way. They would match up perfectly with the overworld and would just be an alternative route. Flight is also a must, as is Tingle! Imagine being up a mountain, judging where you want to go (even if it's miles off) and just gliding down and landing in the right place. The other thing I'm going to say isn't particularly helpful, but they need to think whatever they were thinking when they created Wind Waker. Seeing the "One Man Orchestra" version of WW's title theme reminded me of how utterly brilliant that game is. It's more than a game, it's an artistic vision, which is what they need to have again if they're ever going to surpass it. When I first played Wind Waker I thought "This is the best game ever", and I still think that. It gives me a strong feeling of "This game can't be beaten". I really want to have that feeling again, but it's a tall order. So, I hope the Zelda Team forget all the trappings of the series, and instead think up the perfect atmosphere and tone; then they should apply Zelda, Ganon and all the other Zelda elements. Zelda is not about an OOT-looking Link on a horse fighting an OOT-looking Ganondorf. It's about reincarnation. It's like Blackadder, I tell you!

The two that spring to mind are: Zelda II Metroid Prime They're just too difficult for me!

Last year I finished: ICO Shadow of the Colossus Okami Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy XII Dragon Quest VIII Can't remember if there were any others. Dragon Quest was the best, and took up most of my time, followed by Shadow of the Colossus. It was really the year I wanted to make sure I'd played all the best PS2 games before I move onto the current gen.

I took your advice to heart, darksnowman, and I'm really enjoying it again. Thanks!

Yeah, the characters are superb. I beat the Golden Dragon, by the way (which is the 4th), but I can't beat the Darksteel Dragon. I tried the critical hit method, but it looks like grinding to Level 65 is the only way to go!

Let's take it generation by generation: Gen: PlayStation vs N64 Best: Nintendo The N64 was phenomenal, pushing the boundaries in both graphics and controls. Gen: PS2 vs GameCube Best: Nintendo Nintendo were still the best, with masterpieces like Wind Waker. However, Sony created Team ICO to design two very artistic games (especially Shadow of the Colossus), and the PS2 did have all the best 3rd-party games, like Dragon Quest VIII! Gen: PS3 vs Wii Best: Sony For me, the most important thing is the games, followed by the hardware (which affects the quality of the games). The Wii will probably end up having all the best games (like Dragon Quest and Zelda) but, in my opinion, Sony's hardware this gen would allow those games to be better (obviously never going to happen with Nintendo exclusives, of course). Same goes for PSP vs DS. The DS is a pretty poor piece of hardware in terms of resolution, 3D capability and ergonomics (it gives me cramp), but it's an essential buy because it has (and will have) all the best games. Oh well.

I had a good play of this last night. Basically, I've got all the best items (including two Timbrels) you can buy, find or make and have completed Monster Arena Rank S (the Dragon Robe is good for Angelo). I've made about 22,000 tokens at the casino, but haven't been able to get the best items from the counter. I kitted my Hero out in Metal King Helm, Shield and Arnour. Now, though, he's got the Dragovian Helm and Armour. What happened last night is that I bumped into four Metal King Slimes and defeated three of them! I wasn't even looking for them! I had already beaten the Vermillion Dragon at Level 50, and last night defeated the Emerald Dragon at the same level. I was Level 51 by the time I fought the Silver Dragon. My Hero was KO'd, with no way to revive him, and everyone was running out of HP and MP. Yangus was the only real attacker left, he was running out of HP fast. Desperately, I had him use "Executioner". It missed twice, then was successful the 3rd time and defeated the Silver Dragon! EDIT - No idea why there's a "thumbs down" icon on this post. I didn't mean to put one.

You're right, darksnowman, I must remain open-minded about Dragon Quest IX. For some reason, I found Final Fantasy III a lot more refreshing than I've found Dragon Quest IV so far. I loved the job class system and didn't find there was any grinding at all for that (and hardly any in general). It was just that final stretch that could so easily have been frustrating if I'd failed. Other than that, I didn't actually find it too old skool (the post-game in DQVIII is really old skool!) I did expect DQIV to be quite primitive, technically, but I imagined more of the charm would be in place. Oh well, I'll still complete it and play V, VI, IX and X, it's just that after two or three days, it's not good enough to keep me playing it instead of the post-game in Dragon Quest VIII.

I started playing Dragon Quest IV on Christmas day and, to be honest, I'm not all that keen on it. I'm on Chapter 3 and it's OK, but there's no way I'd realise VIII was so great if I hadn't played it. I suppose that's what happens when you go from a PS2 game to a remake of a NES game! I do have my doubts about what the DS can do for this series. As with most DS games, the 3D is low-res and hard on the eye (the 2D screens are lovely though). I can't help but feel that the DS will make Dragon Quest IX a huge step back from VIII.

Yes indeed. I started playing Dragon Quest IV on Christmas Day, but it's not the same (Dragon Quest VIII is a good substitute though, if you like RPGs). I wanted to say something about the pacing, because I've played it through three times now and can do it in 22 hours. Twilight Princess is much more fun to rush through, and I actually like the quick pacing between later dungeons. (Wind Waker is about "smelling the roses", as that character tells you.) In my opinion, the three bits that ruin the pacing every playthrough are actually three dungeons that are too long and complicated: 1. Lakebed Temple 2. Sky Temple 3. Ice Mansion (to some extent)

I tend to think all three machines will converge rather than diversify. That is to say, I predict the "Aitch Wii" will be of similar power to the 360/PS3 and the Xbox 3/PS4 won't be a huge jump. This is because of heat, power, expense and just general efficiency. Microsoft knows what its customers want though, and the Xbox 3 at least will have to have a good reason for the loyal Xbox Live users to buy it and play "Halo 4" or "Call of Duty 6" online. For the Aitch Wii, I'd like MotionPlus (or better) in both the Nunchuk and Remote. I would like the motion control to be good enough so that it's not just about sharp movements. Hopefully accelerometers will improve, or it'll be a lot more gyroscope-based. Other than that, I'd be perfectly happy with more horsepower. I'm not so sure the casual market won't be won over by better graphics either. Nintendo have brand on their side now, and if they advertised Wii Sports 2 and Wii Fit 2, the public would see they have better graphics, better control, better Miis and are just better in general. I’m sure people will be ready to upgrade to a new console sometime or other, especially if they can use existing peripherals like the Balance Board.

Thanks Sheikah and Hellfire, I'll take that advice. I'm playing the game through again, so I will sacrifice both Sun Crowns. It does take a long time to replay, even when you know the game well. I find it harder to afford the latest equipment more than anything, especially for the Alchemy!

Indeed. I've got "My Three Golems", which form a mega-powerful Golem. Only trouble is, he keeps attacking the Metal Slime in Rank S and doesn't damage it. I think I need monsters with a sword or spear. Slightly off-topic, but would Dragon Ball Z be a good anime for those who like Dragon Quest?

Exactly. It feels like all those Japanese-only RPGS I used to read about in Super Play (SNES magazine) all those years ago. My tactic is to learn Dragon Soul (level 65), then use Fisticuffs. Before that, I'm using Spears for Lightning Thrust (ie. 50% chance of critical hit) and before that I'm using Metal Slash. Agh, the tactics!