14/OCT/09

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The Legend of Zelda (NES)

GENERAL INFORMATION

GENRE/STYLE

Role-playing/Third-Person 2D Action RPG

RELEASE DATE

--/--/87

ESRB RATING

DEVELOPER

Nintendo Co. Ltd.

PUBLISHER

Nintendo of America, Inc.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON

Famicom Disk System, Wii, Game Boy Advance

TRAITS (member-attributed "LIKES")

THE SETTING #USES

PLAYING AS #USES

Link 139
Fantasy hero 10

PLAYING AGAINST #USES

Ganon 89
Evil 20
monsters 10

HOW IT'S PLAYED #USES

GENERAL TONE #USES

DESCRIPTION

A young, elfin hero embarks on a perilous quest to save a captured princess in the Legend of Zelda from Nintendo. The evil Ganon has abducted Princess Zelda to plunge the land of Hyrule into chaos and despair. You control a sword-swinging character named Link in an effort to rescue Zelda and restore Hyrule's glory. Only by collecting eight triangular fragments of the golden Triforce can Link unlock the path to Ganon. There's one small problem: dungeon-dwelling monsters fiercely guard each piece.

Viewed from an overhead perspective, the game involves traversing an outdoor overworld comprised of 128 screens. As Link journeys across mountains, forests, and other areas, he will confront creatures that sling arrows, shoot energy beams, leap towards him, and perform other attacks. Each hit takes away a portion of Link's health, initially represented by three hearts. Additional hearts can be earned throughout the adventure, and at full health, Link can use his sword like a projectile to slay enemies from afar.

In addition to his sword, Link is equipped with a shield that can be used to repel attacks. Both the sword and shield can be upgraded at certain points in the game after completing specific tasks. In order to win the game, you must venture into nine underworld mazes filled with traps and new enemy types. Bombs, maps, candles, boomerangs, water vials, keys, and other items will help you overcome the dangers in your path. The Legend of Zelda is the first NES cartridge to include battery-backed memory for saving progress. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The Legend of Zelda (NES)

GENRE/STYLE:

Role-playing/Third-Person 2D Action RPG
RELEASE DATE:

--/--/87
TOP TRAITS:

Link, Action-Adventure, Hyrule
DESCRIPTION:

A young, elfin hero embarks on a perilous quest to save a captured princess in the Legend of Zelda from Nintendo. The... more

players 217

followers 1

#897

POPULARITY: NES PLATFORM

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5 Most Influential Games by: ruijoel

“This is a list of the video games which influenced me most. This means they were very good games and in addition contributed something to the gamer I became or to the person I became. The list of 5...”

created 17/OCT/2009

Top 5 Influential Games by: mykalgaidin

“An interesting topic, and one I had to really think about. 30 + years of gaming makes for quite a large list of games played. Still, I'd have to put these games in my top five: 1. Pac-Man (Atari...”

created 08/OCT/2009

TheTot was the last to comment - about 1 month ago... show previous hide previous

“Final Fantasy will always be a classic because, obviously, it gave birth to an epic series - But that aside, I don't think I'll ever get more than five minutes into it. It's not the graphics, because I'm a *huge* retro gamer, I guess I don't know what it is. I've beaten two, and most of the rest - Even MYSTIC QUEST! Ewww lol. But something about the veeeery first one, just can't seem to get through it.”

My top 5! by: EarthboundX

“The first four are in no particular order. Super Mario Bros. What can I say? This is possible the first video game I ever played. I can remember getting up during the night when I was a kid, and...”

created 07/OCT/2009

KatrinaTheLamia was the last to comment - 25 days ago... show previous hide previous

“Wait? You like Earthbound? I never knew =D

*is shot*

Yeah, Earthbound is one of those games, that most people who have played it tended to love it.”

'Legend of Neil' and 'The Guild' by: Bonemane

“Any other watchers of these internet series around? How about "Dr.Horrible's Sing-a-long blog"?”

created 05/OCT/2009

DarthShadows was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I keep hearing about Dr. Horrible all the damned time, but never watched one.”

Bonemane was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@DarthShadows

You should watch it. Its got a couple stars in it, Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion also Felicia Day from 'The Guild' and 'Legend of Neil'!”

dowekeller was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I LOVE the guild, Codex is SO cute! What's the "Legend of Neil" (yeah, I could google it, but I'm lazy).”

Bonemane was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@dowekeller

Its a live action legend of zelda parody where a guy named Neil somehow ends up trapped in the game world of the original "Legend of Zelda" on the nes and has to play through the entire game. They do a good job with the costumes and keeping the parody as close to the real game as possible.”

dowekeller was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Thanks Bonemane, I think I'll catch both of these (if they're available free on the net.)”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I watch The Legend of Neil sometimes.”

Shademonger was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Doctor Horrible is a fantastic musical, it ended all too shortly. Between Dr. Horrible and Repo, Netflix has been the best investment of my money in a long time.”

dowekeller was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Legend of Neil was very funny, I love the fairy for obvious reasons relating to my adoration of Felicia Day, and the intro song is HILARIOUS!”

Orazul was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Was actually a fan of Felicia Day when she starred in House and it's free :) yes i have watched Dr. Horrible's sing along blog (Shademonger high-5 for using a good rental service no late fee's! down with the blockbuster! viva snail mail!)”

Wickit was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Dr. Horrible and The Guild are both fantastic.”

coffeenebula was the last to comment - 29 days ago...

“Watched the first few eps of The Guild a few weeks ago; need to finish them off! Neil sounds hilarious, will have to check that out. Thanks!”

KatrinaTheLamia was the last to comment - 24 days ago...

“Awesome. I will be checking out Legend of Neil.

No desire to check out the Guild, as I have no interest in WoW at the current time.

Ah, yes, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is awesome.

I also have been watching a certain amount of "Stupid Mario Brothers" as well.

I dunno, there is a fair amount of web made content, that while the budget is lower, generally is just as good as what is on Tv. Or in the case of Friends, 9001 times better XD”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - 24 days ago...

“@KatrinaTheLamia Hey, Friends was an awesome show. There was a monkey on it, and its name was Marcel. Awesome monkey. I mean show. OK, so I only liked the monkey...”

Bonemane was the last to comment - 18 days ago... show previous hide previous

“I can't wait to see new episodes. I have hardly been able to get to a computer since I moved.”

The Legend of Zelda (NES) by: Tjuhl

“15 years ago, a Link was a game character, not a web term. ;-o”

created 22/SEP/2009

Favorite Zelda games? by: PuyoDead

“So, out of curiosity, what is everyone favorite Zelda games in the series? I ask because I find it interesting how depending on age, people have certain ones they like the most. It seems like the...”

created 20/SEP/2009

Retodon8 was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Although I was introduced to Zelda through "A Link to the Past", I never actually got to play it myself, until around a few years ago through the magic of emulation. When I finally did, it was still as fun as it looked back then. :) I suppose it may not be your favourite kind of game, but I certainly can't see how anybody could claim this not to be a good game.

The first Zelda I played is Ocarina of Time. At the time I didn't recognize the elements from previous, 2D Zelda games, but I still loved it. I do like exploring, and the Zelda games' exploring means you can spend a lot of time playing, in a good way, since it keeps introducing new gameplay elements to keep things fresh.

Those two games are my favourites, since they are the original 2D and 3D games respectively, for me. Later games have been fun, but always build on the original games' formulas. There aren't as many new gameplay elements, although there are always a couple of actually new things introduced in every title. I'm not saying sticking to your roots is a bad thing (although I wouldn't mind a little bit more experimenting done to the series), but I have to limit myself to the original two games.

For simplicity's sake I call ALttP the original game, since it was for me, but of course I skipped over the true original, for the NES. I did give it a try, but it felt a little outdated, a little too repetitive, with graphics that didn't really do it for me. (I didn't play it for very long to be fair.) It seems like Zelda needed ALttP to perfect the formula. All later/future 2D Zelda games tend to resemble it more than the original Zelda.

OK, that's my two pence worth. :)”

cyasuey was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“A Link to the Past is my favorite. Started playing it when I was 6 years old, and still play it to this day.

There is something brilliant about the simplicity of the SNES graphics and audio of this game, creating a unique atmosphere.”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I also have to say that A Link to the Past is my favorite, but if you have a bunch of friends and GBAs it's hard to beat Four Swords Adventures.”

Spookty was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Uh, wow. I haven't even played much Zelda, since I grew up on Sega. I'd take recommendations, though.”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@Spookty It's hard to go wrong. Pick anything on that list of games and go for it, though I'll warn you that a lot of people hate The Adventure of Link. I like it fine, but it's not for everyone.”

Torinir was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“A Link to the Past is definitely my favourite as well.”

EarthboundX was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“It's really hard to decide, they're all so awesome.”

PuyoDead was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Yea, The Adventure of Link is just weird. It's the only side scroller in the series, and the only one in which you actually gain experience and level up (a very rough version of "leveling up" that is). It's not really a bad game, it just doesn't really feel like a Zelda game.

I still haven't finished MM. It's the only one I haven't beat in the whole series. I've came so close, so many times, and I just never finish. It's not because I get bored of it, it's my perfectionist kicking in. See, the whole bomber's notebook side quest stuff, the stray faeries, the extra weapons and such... I can't help but try to do everything. I have such a hard time finishing it -without- getting all that stuff, that I get sidetracked trying to do it all, and lose track of the main game. Someday I just need to go back and finish, regardless of what is missing.

I also suggest those that never tried Minish Cap to give it a shot. It's the closest thing to ALttP in the whole series. It's like if they took ALttP, gave it WW graphics/sound, and made it look just a little bit better. The story is a bit odd, and the side quest stuff is just as maddening in it as well, but it's very nice. Oh, and slight spoilier:

The last boss is a damn marathon, easily one of the most ridiculous in all the games.

Side note:
The CDi games don't count. Seriously, they're embarrassments.”

tekchip was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Ok I'll be the freak here. Minish Cap! I can't put my finger on it. I think the 2D throw back but with the bright sharper graphics of a newer game. That and while it might not have been quite as challenging as some other Zelda games but it presented enough challenge to be something to over come but still be fun. Style, music, game play. Seemed kind of Zen-ish in how it came together.”

Vice_Destroyer was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“For me, the two best Zeldas are The Ocarina of Time and A link to the past. Unfortunately, those are the only two that I have really taken the time out to finish. I have come to the conclusion that all the Zelda games essentially follow the same template. I really do feel as if I play the same game, from generation to generation.”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I have never even tried Minish Cap... My brother has it, but he lives in another state... I might be marathoning that game come Christmas time...”

EarthboundX was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Minish Cap is awesome! Classic Zelda right there.”

PuyoDead was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@Vice_Destroyer Yea, they're all pretty similar, with a few exceptions (AoL, MM). Generally, it's "go find a dungeon, find item, use it to finish the place, and find your way to the next. Repeat until done." But, The pace in which you get new items, and the extra optional stuff (sword upgrades, extra items, etc.) makes it a generally fun layout for me. Call me old fashioned, but I like the template they use. It's just one of those games that I'm fine with it staying generally the same, with an occasional stray. Kind of like Castlevania.”

mnightwind was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Ahh nostalgia.. Link to the Past has got to be my favorite.. I can still remember a young lil' mnightwind sneaking into the living room at night after everyone had gone to sleep to load this up on our newly purchased SNES. As it was late in the evening when we got it the folks wanted to watch TV and then it was sleep time as it was a school night. I hadn't even gotten to try the new SNES yet! I just had to load this up. I can still see the triforce spinning in on the initial splash screen as I sat in the dark with the volume turned way down.. good times :3”

PuyoDead was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@mnightwind Hah! No joke, I did the EXACT same thing. I'd get it from Blockbuster over the weekend (before buying it, which sucked, since I lost that save), and play it all night. Always at low volume, right in front of the TV, in hopes of nobody waking up and yelling at me for staying up all night.”

mnightwind was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@PuyoDead Yup! The ever present terror of a sleepy-eyed parent shuffling down the hallway to yell at me XD”

allaryin was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Mmm. Link to the Past has a lot of good memories for me. Then again, they all do. I remember watching the original Legend of Zelda commercial on TV. It haunts me. I purchased a used N64 (after the GCN was out) explicitly as a "Zelda machine". I tried to write a Zelda 2 clone in Turbo Pascal on my 286 :)

But Zelda 3 was the game I'd run home from school to alternate play with a friend for over a month solid. The only other game I had a similar experience with was 6 years later with FF7.”

mnightwind was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Oh wow.. I had forgotten the 'Zelda Rap' commercial XD Repressed memories activate!”

PuyoDead was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“How about this atrocity?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUAYO7Zyydk”

EarthboundX was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@PuyoDead I've seen that, hehe.

Makes me wonder what the lyrics would be in English.”

WILDMAMMOTH was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@PuyoDead That is disgusting.”

WildcatDave was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I'd have to say Link's Awakening, then Oracle of Seasons/Ages. I can't define the qualities that make me like it so much, but they're the only ones I've replayed from the start and beat each time. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask I've tried to get into several times but something about em just seemed to push me away. It's possible I just wasn't letting myself open up to the idea of a 3D Zelda.

LttP fits in third. The structure and design are flawless, but something or other would always hold me back from being able to beat it, usually some piece of hardware dying or no longer being available.”

justidroy was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I'm a Zelda fan from day one, and i played every game. 'A Link To The Past' is my all time favorite followed by 'Ocarina Of Time'. The original 'The Legend Of Zelda' fills my #3 spot.

It's really hard to create a top 3 because I like all the games in the series one by one. (Only the real Zelda games though, as @PuyoDead said the CDI games are a real embarrassment to the series.)

I'm really curious about how 'Spirit Tracks' will be. I really don't know if I like the train element though, but what the hell it's a Zelda game and Zelda games never disappoint.”

DarkLeviathan13 was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“My favorite is definitely Ocarina of Time, most likely because its the first one I ever played and spend so much time on it the first way through getting everything. It remains my favorite game all-time to this day, though i also like Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past.”

Araman was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I've played and completed most of the Zelda games, and I will have to say that my favorite is still Ocarina of Time with A Link to the Past and Links Awakening at a close second.”

Bradysto was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I've played nearly every Zelda Game out to date and I still think to this day, while I'll play any of them again in a heartbeat, the black sheep of Zelda II will always hold a place in my heart XD”

Narzack was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I'm going to have to go with Ocarina as my standout favorite, with Link's Awakening as my second favorite.”

xanquador was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“There are too many to pick out a favorite.
But when I think about it...

The Legend of Zelda is one op my tops.
Just because it is the first game in this awsome series.
I actually just begun with A Link to the Past, but I have read the comic and the story line is great.
Also one of my favorites is The Windwaker. The cell-shaded graphics are great and the "comics-look" disappears after a while playing. And I love to sail, so that's a plus for me :)
The rest of the series are pretty much on the third place.
Can't decide really :P”

ahippie was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Lets see...
I'm not a Zelda nut or anything but i have played a good amount of Zelda games to tell which one is my favorite and not. My favorite is the same as many others, A Link to the Past. I played it on my Gameboy Advance a while ago when the remake came out and it was AWSOME. Out of all of the Zelda games, 2D and 3D this one was the most fun for me. It had somewhat of a storyline, fun dungeons and cool items. The mirror world aspect was the fun part. Now a days i feel like some of the Zelda games are a little bit repetitive and overdone. Twilight Princess was fun but it was the same old and i got bored and stopped playing 3/4 of the way through. OoT was a fun game but my hatred for the ending scene of the game keeps it of my favorite Zelda games. I didn't like the first Zelda cause there was no plot and no directions in the game at all... I'm one of the few people who doesn't like OoT much and I'm also one of the only people who though Wind Waker was lots of fun...”

Soyle-sama was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“Once again, A Link to the Past. After that I'd say OoT or any number of the gameboy ones. But definitely ALttP above all”

Reiaze was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I'm with @WILDMAMMOTH. It's hard to go wrong with any of them.”

Soyle-sama was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“@ahippie windwaker WAS lots of fun :)”

mykalgaidin was the last to comment - about 1 month ago...

“I've played almost every game in the series (only missed Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons) and I'd have to give the nod to Twilight Princess. It took everything that had been done right in past games and gave it a good tweak. Variety was the name of the game, since you could be doing one thing, and just when you think "oh, God, here comes that X section" and then before you know it you're sumo wrestling an old rock man with old rock man nipples.

The original Legend of Zelda will always have a special place in my heart because it's the first game I ever beat, way back when in the mists of time, with lumbering form half-spotted moving slowly through the morning fog (1983 or thereabouts).”

Tanindigo was the last to comment - 26 days ago... show previous hide previous

“Probably Wind Waker is my favorite.For the handheld versions i would have to go with Awakening DX”

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Added by: monkeygrenade
Date: 15/SEP/2009
Views: 5
Votes: 0

created 15/SEP/2009

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Added by: monkeygrenade
Date: 15/SEP/2009
Views: 6
Votes: 0

created 15/SEP/2009

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Added by: monkeygrenade
Date: 14/SEP/2009
Views: 8
Votes: 0

created 14/SEP/2009

NES

“This is what we call a NES”

Added by: brimtastic
Date: 09/AUG/2009
Views: 11
Votes: 0

created 09/AUG/2009

The Legend of Zelda (NES) by: seija

“It's sacrilege to be a gamer and not have played any Zelda games. ”

created 09/JUL/2009

ZELDA.gif

Added by: bhive01
Date: 02/JUL/2009
Views: 12
Votes: 0

created 02/JUL/2009

The Legend of Zelda (NES) by: Vegeta

“I'm glad it started the franchise, but it was really hard, without giving proper instructions of what you need to do.”

created 16/JUN/2009

The Legend of Zelda (NES) by: Shadsy

“As with so many classic games, the series' basic elements are at play but overshadowed by dated controls and general clunkiness. Not the best, but the first.”

created 12/JUN/2009