http://culture.vg/forum/topic?f=17&t=3627void wrote:What do you guys think of the Zelda series? The only Zelda game reviewed on insomnia is Link to the Past, I think, in a one-minute review (***). I'm pretty sure Icy and others have berated other games in the series at some point.
I find this a little strange. Recap's reviews of Ys I and II, for example, are hosted on this site and both games get four stars. I played through Ys Book I (turbografx version) recently and thought it was quite similar to The Legend of Zelda. It has better graphics and the adventure is not so formulaic (i.e. the objectives and areas aren't so repetitive). On the other hand, the combat is much worse. Zelda I has much more variety in enemies, weapons, the ingenious weapon power-up/power-down mechanic, a well-balanced shop system which allows you to get new weapons just when things are getting a little stale, and challenging levels. Ys, on the other hand, has... well, running into stuff, checkpoints every couple of screens, bosses that can usually be defeated on the first try by mindlessly running about, and grinding.
So, while Ys definitely has the edge in graphics, story, and structure, I still think Zelda is the better game. The difference in combat and challenge is just too much to ignore.
When I first played Ocarina of Time, I was just a kid, and I thought it was the best game I had ever played. As I grew up, I was disappointed to see the series didn't really change much between iterations. Nonetheless, I still think there are a couple of games in this series that are quite good (Zelda I, OoT, MM, WW -- note that I haven't played them all). I'm surprised they seem to be so poorly received here compared to similar games like Ys.
Zombie Steve Jobs wrote:The best time I had with a Zelda game (like with many other Nintendo titles) was from watching OOT speed runs. (Both by hand and tool assisted.)
The various glitches and methods found by the players to finish the game ASAP were much more interesting than the content the developers intended to offer.
Guest wrote:The combat is less bullshit in Ys. There is no form of challenge to combat in any of the post-8-bit Zelda games either, but in Ys you can just run into an enemy and drag them with you which is a smoother, more satisfying experience than stopping to spam the attack button (or worse, the 3D Zelda sidestepping game).
Also, don't judge it all before playing through Book II. Book I on PC-Engine is pretty much just a tutorial to get you started, while Book II is the main game. Book II gives you magic, so that you can now shoot fireballs, throws you into narrow areas with large enemy groups that will rape you if you make a mistake among them (you'll bounce from one enemy to another and lose massive amounts of health doing so) and bosses are overall much more challenging. The last boss is no joke and puts any action moment in any Zelda to shame.
Oh, and there are no bullshit puzzles. Having puzzles isn't a bad thing, but in Zelda they can typically be solved at a glance, which just makes them annoying filler.
