Zelda Retrospective: Part V - Ocarina of Time - Day 1

I have arrived, my friends, at the game that started my love of Zelda. In fact, it was the game that probably started the love of many Zelda fans around the world. Many have called it the greatest game of all time, and I can often see why.

Let me be straight with you folks. I have played Ocarina of Time so many times that I have this game memorized. I don't need walkthroughs (unless I'm trying to find all 100 Gold Skulltulas, something I've yet to ever take the time to do) because my brain is its own walkthrough. This is a game that I always come back to. When I got a GameCube and my sister wanted my N64, I refused to give it up until I had ensured that I could play Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask via GameCube discs. I could give up the system, but I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to play the games any time I wanted.
Before I booted up the disc today, I was convinced that I wouldn't have much to say on the game. I can't make all kinds of jokes about my desperation at the game's difficulty, because Ocarina of Time has long since stopped being difficult for me. There's no longer a way for me to accurately gauge the game's difficulty. Also, since I've played the game all the way through before, I was afraid I'd have little to comment on because there was nothing new for me to experience.
So it surprised me that, when I started playing today, it felt as if I was playing with fresh eyes.
I guess having just played through the first Zelda game, trying to get through the second and failing, and then playing through A Link to the Past, I suddenly saw what this game might have seemed like to people who had played through the other Zelda games and then booted up Ocarina of Time for the first time in 1998. In comparison to the 2D originals, this game is simply breathtaking. It completely revamped the gameplay and came with a gorgeous presentation with far more detail and story to it than any Zelda game before.
I found myself realizing just how much more was put into this game than its predecessors. Many of the side characters began to take on personalities of their own, since they had more than just one or two lines of dialog through the whole game. The game takes time to establish exposition and makes you more fully understand why your quest is so important and what the stakes are.
The first time I ran out onto Hyrule Field and realized I had this huge open space to run around in without having screens scrolling over to the next area of the field was glorious. I simply felt that I was more free and unrestricted within the game world.
It really was like seeing with fresh eyes and I did not expect that feeling at all.
In any case, in the three hours I played today, I beat the first two dungeons, gathered about six heart pieces and killed off a fair amount of Gold Skulltulas and got the adult's wallet. Pretty good for three hours, but then, I know what I'm doing.

- Nate