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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons


Grazza

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Finished the second dungeon in 'Ages' earlier. Enjoying it a lot more than Link's Awakening, which I always end up getting bored with, and therefore have never completed. :indeed:

 

Link's Awakening is a fantastic game, the DX version is a tad better i believe than the original (probably due to the color and extra dungeon it had)

 

I might buy Ages later today. Ive never really been a Zelda person but I've been in the mood lately to play some more of the 2D ones so probably worth it at the reduced price.

 

Non-Zelda gamers exist!!!. Must be as rare as non-Call of Duty fans.

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Link's Awakening is the best 2D Zelda, in my opinion. It's simple, original and has a charm of its own. When you play it, you are in a fantasy world.

 

After a day of playing Oracle of Ages, I still like it but feel it's a bit too "fussy" to challenge Link's Awakening. This is due to the dual world mechanic (I know they're popular, like LttP's, but I prefer Zelda without them). It's also strange to see a game so influenced by Ocarina of Time (story- and character-wise), but built on a pre-OOT game engine! Still, it's always good to have more games based on Link's Awakening (mechanically).

 

It's rock hard too, by the way. I don't mind admitting I found the puzzles in the 2nd dungeon quite difficult, and I can't work out how to beat its boss either.

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Downloaded and about to play them....

 

wondering about it though, i still have them boxed with manuals, and in the back of each one is codes i obviously generated after completing each respectively.....should i just start each one with a linked game.......maybe that would make them too easy since *spoilers for a 2001 game* i'd get more items and the master sword

 

 

maybe next time, for now i'm restarting them! but i need to remember where to get the flutes for each animal, because a few times i've forgotten and got the default animal

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maybe next time, for now i'm restarting them! but i need to remember where to get the flutes for each animal, because a few times i've forgotten and got the default animal

 

You can get a flute from the 'dancing mini-game' in Seasons, I won't say anything else in case of spoilers, not sure if it's the one you're after though, but the mini-game is a hell of a lot of fun! :D

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One of the things I like about the 2D Zeldas/older Zeldas is that they have gameplay elements which don't necessarily match the story. If it's fun, it's in. I'm not saying newer Zeldas have gritty realism, but there generally has to be a reason for everything. The story has to make "sense" in a basic way.

 

I love the mounts! See, in Skyward Sword, they have to explain your Loftwing by saying you're part of a "Loftwing Academy" (or whatever it's called). In Oracle of Ages, however, they just say "Here's a kangaroo! Here's a dinosaur!"

 

Bring back mounts, and lots of them!

 

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but there generally has to be a reason for everything.

 

That's the problem with most games these days.

 

I remember playing Oracle of Seasons back when it was released. The thing you mentioned in the spoiler-box...it was amazing. It made me smile, and when I'll be able to play this game next weekend it will do the same again. I'm sure of it.

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I remember there being some exclusive items in the shop which were only available if the games were played on a Gameboy Advance. Are these items locked out of the Virtual Console versions?

Indeed they are, but they never did anything

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I remember there being some exclusive items in the shop which were only available if the games were played on a Gameboy Advance. Are these items locked out of the Virtual Console versions?

 

They aren't accessible normally on the 3DS release, but supposedly it's possible to get them by using a password from a GBC cartridge that has them unlocked, or by fiddling with the passwords in an editor...

 

Not that they actually do anything anyway :p

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In 2001, I bought either Oracle of Ages or Oracle of Seasons (can't remember which), played it for a bit, then sold it. It gave me a sort of "Games are a waste of time" feeling. I put this down to my low mood at the time, and assumed I'd be able to complete it nowadays.

 

Not necessarily.

 

I'm typing this because Oracle of Ages is really winding me up. I don't like to criticise a game unless it really gets on my nerves, but I've reached that state now with OoA. A few aspects I'm not enjoying:

 

* The overworld. It's just a nightmare to traverse, especially the mountain ranges. 2D Zeldas tend to have this type of complexity, but at least you are usually only thinking in three dimensions. What makes OoA so difficult is that you are constantly switching between the Past and Present as well. Go here, obtain this, travel to the Past, go there, give object to so-and-so etc...

 

* The dungeons. Actually, the dungeons are quite enjoyable, apart from how hard they are. I've done the 5th Dungeon and the puzzles were extremely difficult. Still, I managed it, I'm just not keen on the idea that there are at least three harder ones!

 

* The mini-games. Now this is what's really winding me up at the moment. I've reached a point where there are a lot of mini-games, none of which I'm particularly good at, so might miss out on the best items. The one that's really annoying me, though, is a rhythm game. I simply don't have rhythm! It frustrates me that rhythm is part of a Zelda game, because it's just a roadblock to me.

 

I normally complete a Zelda game in a week or two, but I think the Oracle games are going to be something that pester me for quite a while.

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The one that's really annoying me, though, is a rhythm game. I simply don't have rhythm! It frustrates me that rhythm is part of a Zelda game, because it's just a roadblock to me.

 

Me too, that Goron Dance mini game was so hard. Thankfully the Seasons version was much easier.

 

I think Ages is the harder game, maybe try out Seasons? Been a lot easier (abnd seemingly shorter) than I remembered.

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* The overworld. It's just a nightmare to traverse, especially the mountain ranges. 2D Zeldas tend to have this type of complexity, but at least you are usually only thinking in three dimensions. What makes OoA so difficult is that you are constantly switching between the Past and Present as well. Go here, obtain this, travel to the Past, go there, give object to so-and-so etc...

 

Why not use online maps then?

 

* The dungeons. Actually, the dungeons are quite enjoyable, apart from how hard they are. I've done the 5th Dungeon and the puzzles were extremely difficult. Still, I managed it, I'm just not keen on the idea that there are at least three harder ones!
I don't remember there being anything super difficult, and even if there is, you can always use gamefaqs if it gets too hard.

 

* The mini-games. Now this is what's really winding me up at the moment. I've reached a point where there are a lot of mini-games, none of which I'm particularly good at, so might miss out on the best items. The one that's really annoying me, though, is a rhythm game. I simply don't have rhythm! It frustrates me that rhythm is part of a Zelda game, because it's just a roadblock to me.
Yes, I cursed this bit as well. It's actually a quite hard rhythm game, no idea why they put in such a thing as a part of the main story. I did get through it eventually, but it was a total pain in the ass.
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Why not use online maps then?

 

I, for one, would rather not rely on outside influences to properly enjoy a game. I can't speak for Grazza, of course (especially since I love how OoA handles dual world system), but just saying.

 

@Grazza: Have you completed the dungeon with the 9 statue puzzle yet? That was the biggest headache in the game for me.

And truth be told, I think Seasons is more your type of Zelda than Ages.

 

I happen to love it when Zelda throws an actual challenge at me. Get me using my brain cells instead of simply following a pattern. Now that you mention it, most Ages' dungeons are like this (oh, that 7th Dungeon!), and I also love the Water Temple and the Eagle Tower from their respective games.

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I, for one, would rather not rely on outside influences to properly enjoy a game. I can't speak for Grazza, of course (especially since I love how OoA handles dual world system), but just saying.

 

I just can't be arsed to bash my head into a wall nowadays. If the game is being a cunt, I'll just get help and move on. Made a separate thread of this too, btw.

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Done it all now. Cheated the heck out of Restore Points!

 

I think Ages is the harder game, maybe try out Seasons? Been a lot easier (and seemingly shorter) than I remembered.

 

Have you completed the dungeon with the 9 statue puzzle yet? That was the biggest headache in the game for me.

And truth be told, I think Seasons is more your type of Zelda than Ages.

 

No, not done that yet.

 

I'm looking forward to getting the code from Ages, which hopefully might "enable" the best version of Seasons.

 

I happen to love it when Zelda throws an actual challenge at me. Get me using my brain cells instead of simply following a pattern. Now that you mention it, most Ages' dungeons are like this (oh, that 7th Dungeon!), and I also love the Water Temple and the Eagle Tower from their respective games.

 

I like those too. They are both about the dungeon as a whole (ie. changing the level). It's more the abstract puzzles I'm not keen on (eg. having to arrange blocks that move in unison).

 

Anyway, moan over! I've cheated now, done the mini-games, got the L-2 sword, so onto the next dungeon, Mermaid's Cave. I hope it's not full of those things I've been complaining about... ;)

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Well I'm always biased cos I played Seaons first, but I preferred it to Ages. Ages has a more dull feeling and look to it(by its virtue of theme/presentation) and I think they both have the rhythm game that takes quite some getting used to. However, I still insist that as a couplet, they're one of the best games ever. I'm gonna rock Ages first then Seasons myself this time, as I've always tended to go the other way round. It'll be...interesting. Need to get looking for the old guide we had too!

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I like those too. They are both about the dungeon as a whole (ie. changing the level). It's more the abstract puzzles I'm not keen on (eg. having to arrange blocks that move in unison).

 

That is the 9 statue puzzle :heh: I may have misremembered the number of statues, then.

 

The Mermaid Cave is a very interesting one. Back in the day, it was actually the first time I ever saw a Zelda dungeon (game belonged to a friend, a group of us were trying to beat that dungeon during recess). I'm curious as to what you'll think of it.

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Iirc, I found it a challenge but loved it. Whilst we had the official guide, I tried to avoid using it(I did love looking through it though) unless I really really really needed it. I just liked the artwork of the characters a lot in it really.

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That is the 9 statue puzzle :heh: I may have misremembered the number of statues, then.

 

There's one puzzle where you have to move two statues at the same time. Then there's a puzzle where you have to move nine blocks around a statue. When I saw that I thought "Give me a break...!" but I'm pleased to say I solved both without a guide. I'm not too proud to use a guide, it just tends to be something I do "the day after".

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The Mermaid Cave is a very interesting one. Back in the day, it was actually the first time I ever saw a Zelda dungeon (game belonged to a friend, a group of us were trying to beat that dungeon during recess). I'm curious as to what you'll think of it.

 

Completed it about an hour ago... I liked it. Didn't have any real problems and did it without cheats or walkthroughs!

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