ocarina of time
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Top 5: Biggest Tear-Jerkers
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Top_5_Biggest_Nintendo_Tear_Jerkers'; The video games as art debate is a ridiculous sham. It seems that many who fall on the "games are not art" side have rarely or never played a video game, often a product of an older generation. If your only experience with video games is hearing news reports about 7 year olds beating up hookers in Grand Theft Auto, then of course your view will be ignorant and bigoted. But that doesn't give critical validity to start creating arguments against that with which you are very unfamiliar. I know surprisingly little about Somalian Islamic Literature, which is why I don't make inflammatory statements about it. To suggest that any video game is incapable of being art is remarkably narrow-minded. Television and movies choreograph all characters' actions and responses, leaving the viewer as a mere canvas on which the creator's views and reactions are imprinted. Though it's often that a viewer connects with a character and draws individual interpretations, their failures and triumphs can always be placed on the choices of the individual. With gaming, however, the connection can be just as deep, and to some, deeper. When our character fails, we grumble. When our character succeeds, we rejoice. Don't like the outcome? Well, then, you should've done things differently, dummy. While I'm not suggesting that games are better than film, they are simply different and arguably just as valid as high art. At a primitive level, it's not uncommon to punch the sofa in anger after failing a gaming objective. Just the same, it's nearly expected to vocalize with triumph after conquering the same obstacle. Emotional response does not automatically equal art, but creating something which vents one's senses and emotions and appeals to those of others certainly is. Different than stubbing your toe or finding 20 bucks in the street, gaming situations were carefully orchestrated to provide an experience which is dependent on the gamer to interpret. Why should emotions such as fear, love, and sadness be excluded from gaming? Making my way down from my soapbox, I'll say that perhaps the most intimate display of emotion is crying. Here's the Top 5 moments in gaming that seem to get me every time. SPOILER ALERT: I hate having something ruined just as much as you do, so I'm giving a fair warning right now. This list contains spoilers for several high profile Nintendo titles. None are from the Wii (excluding the Virtual Console), but I will say that the fifth item refers to the WiiWare-bound Cave Story. If you haven't played the game and plan on purchasing it (which you definitely should!), please skip to number four. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Top 5: Nintendo's Biggest Surprises
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_s_5_Biggest_Surprises_Throughout_History'; This week's press conference from Nintendo was like Reggie himself coming to your door, clutching a bouquet of awesome announcements, and saying "I'm sorry about E3." Indeed, I can't help but think that just one of the awesome titles announced in the past week could have prevented much of the animosity hurled at Nintendo following their ho-hum presentation at the summer exhibition. But then again, Nintendo has always been one to surprise us. They've made good moves and bad, interesting decisions coupled with utterly clueless assumptions, and made us wonder what the hell they were thinking while amazing us with what they're capable of. Here's the Top 5 biggest surprises unleashed by the Big N. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Flute Link performs at Otakon 08 with pestering Navi
Tossing aside the standard temporal ocarina for something a little more complex, a "Flute Link" cosplayer performed on stage at this year's Masquerade show at the Otakon 2008 in Baltimore, bringing Navi in tow. It's a great performance, although it's hard to tell when she's playing live and when it's pre-recorded (for demonstrationg of her live performance, we also embedded a video of Flute Link performing Tetris with an Otaku band.And for anyone who ever wished Navi would get her what for, keep watching until about the 4:25 mark. Video embedded after the break.[Via VG Cats]
Fairies are the most annoying ever
The chaps at GamesRadar have compiled a list of the most annoying female game characters of all time. It's a standard "Top Whatever" ranking, with seven (not six, not eight?) entries. For the most part, it seems to accurately summarize the worst characters in a few non-Nintendo games, but we're a bit shocked at number one.Navi, everyone's favorite helpful fairy from Ocarina of Time is deemed as the most annoying. The reasoning behind this is simple -- LISTEN! HEY! HEY! HEY! LISTEN! HEY! LISTEN! LISTEN! LISTEN! LISTEN! HEY! ... sound familiar? Sure, but was it really that bad? Some might call Navi's sweet little voice a siren song, other might want to smack the little insect with a giant flyswatter. What's your take on the pint-size companion?
Ocarina gets a spit-shine
Who needs all the "newness" of E3 when you can relive a masterpiece of days gone by? A team of modders went to the trouble of improving a selection of screenshots from Ocarina of Time, with sharp textures and ultra-high resolution. At the end of the day, these graphics are technically far behind most of the games released this generation(key word: most), but since we all lovingly play Ocarina of Time on a regular basis anyway, a sharp upgrade like this would be just what the doctor ordered.Check out the full set of new and improved screens here, with an ambient melody drifting over the flash page as you compare the original shots with high-res and cel-shaded versions.[Via Go Nintendo]
Zelda manga confirmed for North America
Turns out, the rumor is truth. Everyone looking to dive into Link's adventures in Hyrule, this time in paper form, rejoice. Well, you can celebrate if you live in North America. Everyone else, this tidbit of info doesn't really apply to you.But, we digress. Your hands will no longer need hold a controller or some kind of portable gaming device in order to experience Link and the happenings in his world. Word on the Hyrulian fields is that the manga will be available for your reading pleasure come this October.[Via Go Nintendo]
Today's most retro hack: Four-player Ocarina of Time
Take what many consider the greatest game of all time. Add multi-player support, which everyone knows makes any game better. What do you get. An even greaterest game of all time, of course, which is what this four-player Ocarina of Time hack could very well be.Okay, maybe we're overselling what is, at this point, just a video of an early, choppy test version the hack. But considering it comes from the same people that brought us the ability to play as Dark Link and fight an Arwing in Ocarina of Time, we have no doubt he'll be able to pull it off. Whether the final result turns out more like Four Swords Adventures or The Wand of Gamelon, though, is still anyone's guess.[Thanks Tanks]
Wii Warm Up: 2D remakes
Yesterday's popular video demonstration of how Super Mario Galaxy would look on the SNES made us wish there really were 2D remakes of the 3D games we love. Wouldn't it be totally rad if Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 was recreated as a top-down shooter in the style of Medal of Honor: Infiltrator (GBA)? Or if Super Paper Mario was, uh ... Okay, so that example doesn't work.What 3D titles, old and new, would you want to see turned into a 2D project?
Forty-eight hours of Zelda
Most Zelda fans can brag about beating Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Yet, how many of us can boast that we've beaten those four games in 48 straight hours? Probably none.Cameron Banga and his friends will soon have that right, though. They've made it their mission to not only trek through the four 3D Zelda games, but beat them in a 48 hour deadline (which expires tomorrow at 5PM CST). They are also showing their exploits to the world by webcasting the event here.So, are these guys gods among men or just in need of a new hobby? It's up to you to decide.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Galaxy back down to #2 in all-time rankings, we burn our copies
Super Mario Galaxy's recent appearance at the top of the Game Rankings all-time pile has come to a swift end. Previously, the Mario romp had former champ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time pinned against the ropes, thanks to an average review score that was just 0.3% higher than that of Zelda. But the fresh-faced pretender tired, and has now slipped back into second place, thanks to a recent flurry of new reviews. Will the plumber get another shot at the top spot? Barring a sudden deluge of perfect scores, probably not.On another note, it's nice to see the top three can all be played on the Wii.
Super Mario Galaxy sitting pretty as the #1 ranked game
Remember the days when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the top ranked game ever? Well, those days are over, and now Super Mario Galaxy reigns as the champion over at Game Rankings with its average score of 97.9%. That's right, it just barely squeaked by Ocarina by a 0.3% margin. Let it be known, however, that Ocarina is still first on Metacritic.Are you happy or sad to see Link trumped by Mario? We tend to not put enough stock in these combined rankings ourselves to care either way, but hey, maybe that's just us.[Thanks, Andres!]
Zelda Week: Playing favorites
With a franchise as long and storied as Zelda, it's likely that certain titles stand out over others for most gamers. Some people swear by Ocarina of Time, others laud Link to the Past, and some of us still hold the original as not only the best, but perhaps one of the greatest games of all time. We're going to give readers a chance to duke it out in honor of Zelda week -- slip into something comfortable and head past the break for the fight of a lifetime. We've split the franchise into console and handheld titles to make things interesting.Phantom Hourglass is not included -- so if you want to claim it is truly the greatest entry in the franchise, you'll have to do so in the comments. We have a feeling a few of you might just take up that challenge.Don't forget to head over and make your voice heard in our other current poll, as well -- we'll be discussing the results of that one next week!
Ocarina of Time warps onto Virtual Console this Monday
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is surely a game that needs no introduction.So, in closing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be available on the Wii's Virtual Console service this Monday as of 9AM Pacific Time. The chance to ride Epona, exact vengeance upon the Skull Kid, travel through time and hurl verbal atrocities at the Water Temple designers can be yours once again for the sum of 1,000 Wii points ($10, or more rupees than your current purse can hold). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Confirmed: Ocarina of Time on the VC this Monday
After this morning's news, we hoped that the U.S. would see The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Virtual Console soon, but we'd only prayed that it might come as soon as Monday. Those prayers, it seems, have been answered. For a mere $10, gamers will be able to relive -- and for some, experience for the first time -- one of the most acclaimed experiences in gaming history. We're counting down the seconds.[Thanks, vidGuy!]
VC Friday: Riots in the streets
Today's news: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time hits the Virtual Console in Europe, and every gamer in Japan and the U.S. shakes their fist and curses Nintendo. What a coup! It seems like things are really hot and cold for Europe when it comes to gaming. Usually, gamers have to pace around, waiting for games and systems that are months delayed, but when you guys get something early, it tends to be pretty awesome. So ... you downloading it today? OoT isn't cheap by VC standards, but is that much to pay for what many consider to be one of the best video games of all time?Today's releases: Kid Icarus -- NES -- 500 Wii points The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -- N64 -- 1000 Wii points
Metareview - Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube)
For Wii-less GameCube owners it's a no-brainer; you pro'ly been had your copy of Twilight Princess. But for those few Wii owners who are considering the GameCube edition, still unable to take decisive action, here are several takes on how the two versions match up:
Ocarina of Time adult Link collectible statue
First4Figures is back again, with another collectible statue based on the ever-so-popular Nintendo franchises of our youth. This time it's not the growth-hormone abusing Fierce Deity Link or the creepy Skull Kid, but the hunky all-AmericanHylian Ocarina of Time Link, adult version. Like the rest of F4F's offerings, this one doesn't come cheap. These aren't action figures you're going to be playing with, but collectible statues you're supposed to display. Think of it more like the collectible statues in Wind Waker, except you don't need to take pictures of people to get them ... and you don't have to find a sculptor's hidden underground lair.
