Since I already have a review of this written up, and since I want to establish the format and method of my reviews, I decided to do an old game. I'll try to keep things relevant for the most part, though.
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Sometimes I wonder if the real reason I treasure this game is because of the nostalgic value it holds in my memory. It's one of the very first games I bought on my own, the first Zelda game I ever played, and perhaps in my memory I make it better than it really is.
But pause to consider that it consistently wins these polls for best game of all time again and again, forcing me to reconsider my first assessment. Upon its release it received almost universal acclaim, and has yet to be matched in its metacritic.com score of 99. It generated the first ever perfect score from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. But now, 11 years later, the game is still widely acknowledged as the best game ever, to date.
What distinguishes this game from the other top games from 1998, such as Starcraft, Half-Life, or Metal Gear Solid? These games are still well regarded, but they have all fallen down the list of best games of all time, pushed over by games such as Super Mario Galaxy and Resident Evil 4. Why, then, is LoZ: OoT able to retain the top spot year after year?
Part of the answer lies in the games ability to immerse the player in a world unlike any he has ever seen. Perhaps the openness of Hyrule pales in comparison to the wideness of Rockstar's San Andreas, and the characters lack the interaction complexity and intelligence of Bioware's latest RPG, but being able to explore the diverseness of a land that seems to be lost in time and watching it evolve when seven years suddenly are wiped away is an experience that not many games offer to the depth and honest to which does Ocarina of Time. Visiting Lake Hylia numerous times, and coming back to find that there is a secret dungeon hidden below the lake is practically mind-blowing, and the fact that there is a whole region of the map that isn't revealed until almost the end of the game lends the Gerudo Desert an air of mystery and excitement that elevates the game to a whole new level.
This game paved the way for all three-dimensional adventures to follow. Super Mario 64 introduced the 3D platformer and 3D camera and movement, but Zelda took it and ran. The control system was anything but frustrating, and the Z-targeting system let you face any direction you pleased, an innovation unheard of until then. The inclusion of an inspired, sweeping score composed by Koji Kondo wasn't just icing on the cake either, but capable of creating tear-jerking moments from campy ones.
Perhaps the most fantastic aspect of this game that kept me coming back for more was the extent to which there were hidden bonuses in every nook and cranny of the world. The player could beat the game without ever seeing a Big Poe, getting Biggoron's Sword, or planting the magic beans. However, each one of these sub-missions were rewarding if you chose to explore what they had to offer, and they opened up new avenues of play.
(Rated E for Everyone. Offensive content: Animated blood, frightening creatures/situations)
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