tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post6573867236544459254..comments2024-03-28T04:44:28.648-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 353: The Legend of Zelda (1986)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37275993290951914442023-07-15T00:29:03.497-04:002023-07-15T00:29:03.497-04:00I don't know, I find the more archetypal weste...I don't know, I find the more archetypal western muscle-bound hero of the era a lot more embarrassing than Link, who I've always seen as a mostly genderless cipher with broader appeal. I guess I'm pretty sensitive to toxic masculinity though - I have years of lifting behind me and it seems to have painted a target on my back. For most of my life I seem to have been a magnet for other men wanting to pick fights.<br /><br />Joe P's encapsulation of what you get out of these games is illuminating, though. You want to imagine yourself in the role, and can't identify with the role of elf-boy. Fair enough. In hindsight I wonder why anybody is surprised you're generally not into these console games.<br /><br />Incidentally, if you think this rates a 4/5 for difficulty, the last 15% of Zelda II would be off your scale. Most of that game really clicks for me, but the last 7th is brutal. Romhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424138564206888866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62740074693385861072022-11-12T12:32:21.643-05:002022-11-12T12:32:21.643-05:00It's worth noting the game was to some degree ...It's worth noting the game was to some degree influenced by early Ultima and Black Onyx, according to Miyamoto himself (not sure I can linkhere but you can find a JP interview with subtitles on YT which I've named below). He wanted to turn that kind of experience into an action game like SMB, which is similar to how Adventure (2600) was conceived as a real-time, graphical version of CCA I think. <br /><br />Zelda no Video History of Zelda Documentary - 50m20sAlexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01706265396216929277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82327746555835200692022-10-27T00:42:31.695-04:002022-10-27T00:42:31.695-04:00The more I think about it, the more I feel like I ...The more I think about it, the more I feel like I may have accidentally been right on the money with the Wizardry comparison. <br /><br />Early Japanese computer releases used the same goofy, cartoony, dot-eyed McLean art in their manuals as their western counterparts. This was despite the Japanese releases of Wizardry games at the time generally giving their presentation a more serious and adult tone than the American originals. Most notably the artwork that was featured most in merchandise, separately-published bestiary books and such was the darker, more realistic monster redesigns by Jun Suemi.<br /><br />Now if we look at the manual for Legend of Zelda; most of the artwork, featuring the characters and explaining gameplay and such, is goofy, cartoony and dot-eyed, while the monster artwork in the bestiary is in a drastically darker and more realistic style. <br /><br />I wouldn't surprise me if the presentation in the Zelda manual is going for is either directly trying to emulate Wizardry, or is doing so indirectly through other Japanese fantasy media inspired by Wizardry. <br />Even the choice of dot-eyes itself may be meant to invoke more Western cartoon aesthetics. For example, MOTHER, an RPG for the same console used dot-eyes specifically for that purpose, tho in this case to invoke the style of Charles Schulz rather than McLean.Vargurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50064342504854443972022-10-26T14:30:47.153-04:002022-10-26T14:30:47.153-04:00Reading through these comments again I do wonder h...Reading through these comments again I do wonder how much of your idea of the game is based on their choice to use a cartoony art-style for the manual (as plenty of western games also did around this time, see the Wizardry manuals for example). And if your impressions may have swayed differently had they used for example the artwork Katsuya Terada drew for the first few Zelda games:<br />https://preview.redd.it/g0j0s833m8v11.jpg?auto=webp&s=3153f4e5414faf0054491f7574cda2d92de30407<br />https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/olliebarder/files/2018/06/zelda_lttp_terada-1200x731.jpg<br />https://goombastomp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Link-and-Zelda-concept-art-image-courtesy-of-Neoseeker-560x372.jpeg<br />https://cdn.staticneo.com/ca/linkdx_conceptart_pOu9q.jpg<br />https://preview.redd.it/g0j0s833m8v11.jpg?auto=webp&s=3153f4e5414faf0054491f7574cda2d92de30407<br />https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda_gamepedia_en/images/2/21/TLoZ_Link_Exploring_the_Underworld_Artwork.png/revision/latest?cb=20170323140654Vargurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84322372382475994772021-06-09T13:02:48.261-04:002021-06-09T13:02:48.261-04:00"And it was a PENDANT--an ankh pendant--not a..."And it was a PENDANT--an ankh pendant--not a "necklace." You bet your ass I wore it."<br /><br />LOL. When a man drops the mic. And then the mic lands hard on his own foot. Priceless.PCGamer77https://www.blogger.com/profile/08122947877268720963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49253976805208336882021-05-09T21:36:43.783-04:002021-05-09T21:36:43.783-04:00Heh, I gotta say that I didn't expect you to g...Heh, I gotta say that I didn't expect you to give the game this low of a score. I think you rated it lower than Deadly Towers. I do understand that you aren't looking for an action game though.<br /><br />To me this game is just perfect. (There are a lot of Zelda games I don't particularly care for. It's specifically this game I really like.) Back in the day I really liked arcade games, and I also liked the RPGs that I could play at my friends' houses. This game seemed like a perfect marriage of the two. The graphics don't bother me, but then again the wireframe graphics of Wizardry don't really bother me either. <br /><br />It is interesting to me what sort of experiences people are trying to get out of RPGs. I rarely, if ever, picture myself as the person being transported into the fantasy world (except Ultima where that is explicitly what happens). Instead I am more like an actor assuming a role. I conform myself more to the story and setting. I have to think that we are fundamentally trying to get something different out of RPGs, but ironically there are plenty of games we both end up liking anyway, like the gold box games.The_Liquid_Lasernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3618186514191032222020-12-30T02:50:29.876-05:002020-12-30T02:50:29.876-05:00"Why doesn't The Witcher have a cereal?&q..."Why doesn't The Witcher have a cereal?" Because it is a blatant plagiarization of Elric. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkiP64adGjYsishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18244255832924337168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42474056934104202732020-12-18T15:05:16.206-05:002020-12-18T15:05:16.206-05:00You need to relax. Lucky Star was a baffling examp...You need to relax. Lucky Star was a baffling example to use and the anime came out in spring of 2007. What was your point, exactly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60375372153045554812020-09-08T19:13:27.774-04:002020-09-08T19:13:27.774-04:00What are your thoughts on the berserk manga/anime ...What are your thoughts on the berserk manga/anime just based on the hero and demon appearance? I agree on those pokemon that they aren't cool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4904343667435790392020-07-24T16:50:33.572-04:002020-07-24T16:50:33.572-04:00-Adult fans are an anomaly
http://www.mweb.co.za/D...-Adult fans are an anomaly<br />http://www.mweb.co.za/DesktopModules/DigArticle/MediaHandler.ashx?portalid=20&moduleid=5259&mediaid=46529&width=665&height=400<br />(an image)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8196582029110187562020-05-04T21:00:00.504-04:002020-05-04T21:00:00.504-04:00I'll add my comment to the mass, why not.
Tha...I'll add my comment to the mass, why not.<br /><br />Thank you for this detailed opinion. I share it somewhat, I'm younger and focus more on action.<br />I started my gaming at ~9 with the entires like Doom 2 and Half-Life, later moving on to Gothic(2001) and Sacred(2004) by the time I was ~14. I fell in love with RPG genre.<br /><br />When the internet properly emerged in my life, I saw that, for some reason, online RPG is associated with teenagers saving the world - it felt like a downgrade, like why do people older than me like kiddy stuff? I had a Pokemon poster when I was a child, but that doesn't mean I want to play something like that today!<br /><br />You, and some of the commenters here, expressed what I feel as well very nicely.<br /><br />P.S.: I'd separate the topic of "dubing down" the stats aspect of RPGs, as it made way for great real-time gameplay in RPGs. Though the reasons they were are covered in other posts and comments.Esperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04800504294369759630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23764413743610858812020-03-08T04:30:23.893-04:002020-03-08T04:30:23.893-04:00Addict, I can absolutely relate to what you're...Addict, I can absolutely relate to what you're saying. When I first read about Zelda (3?) in the early 90s, it looked amazing. When I actually played a Zelda game a few years later, I found it boring, hard to control and somewhat 'uninteresting' (for the lack of a better word) in terms of game mechanics. It was pretty disappointing and I stopped playing after an hour, or so. I didn't bother to look at any of the later Zeldas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21415517436294288952020-02-27T22:57:11.085-05:002020-02-27T22:57:11.085-05:00Good summary. I would advise against Zelda II (in ...Good summary. I would advise against Zelda II (in case the thought crossed your mind). The graphics are more mature, so Link doesn't look like a young child anymore, but despite the new stats upgraded with experience from kills the action combat required is a step above. The design is such that you're expected to be maxed (or near max) right at about the final boss.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73250470582851833332020-02-25T17:42:46.914-05:002020-02-25T17:42:46.914-05:00Doesn't seem like a dick thing to say after th...Doesn't seem like a dick thing to say after the commenter called him a baby. Pretty reasonable actually. What's funny is I love Zelda, but have never had the patience to finish the original. Seems like he gave it a fair shot.Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86210621705239247962020-02-25T15:09:18.654-05:002020-02-25T15:09:18.654-05:00Late to the 300+ comment party, and the host has a...Late to the 300+ comment party, and the host has already left the building (and I'm just starting to read the discussion,) but Fingon's comment is a great reference for my own feelings on this. I mean, "I don't get Zelda or FF7, but I've watched 100 episodes of Pokemon in 4 languages" sounds completely crazy to me. But who am I to say? It seems obvious to me that there's no contest, but it's impossible to separate the power of my own nostalgia from the "objective" value of these games. Nothing anyone can say will remove the warm fuzzies I feel for Final Fantasy, and nothing Chet can say about Zelda should remove your own fuzzies. Because they're fuzzies, that's how they work. That's what makes games so great. By a lot of standards, most games fail at having any artistic value, but here we all are talking about how meaningful they are to us. So if someone doesn't have the same feelings as you... That should be a given, and it can't hurt you.Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26923009980669619222020-02-17T02:06:51.086-05:002020-02-17T02:06:51.086-05:00There's nothing sadder than an adult establish...There's nothing sadder than an adult establishing their maturity over children's entertainment with teenager's entertainment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12600854252289399302020-02-17T01:43:56.516-05:002020-02-17T01:43:56.516-05:00Zelda wasn't made for three year olds. Your in...Zelda wasn't made for three year olds. Your insistence on acting like the game that repeatedly stumped you was intended for literal toddlers is some weapons-grade condescension.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33587546700216429282020-02-17T01:21:22.844-05:002020-02-17T01:21:22.844-05:00> Oh, come on. That's not fair. Of course I...> Oh, come on. That's not fair. Of course I don't dislike you. We just don't understand each other about this topic. I'm sure we have lots of other things in common.<br /><br />I'm sure you didn't intend to write an article that routinely insults the people who enjoy the game, and intended to just critique the game itself on its own merits.<br /><br />I'm also sure Richard Garriott didn't intend for Ultima IX to be a tire fire of a game, and intended it to be a touching final send-off to the Avatar.<br /><br />Unfortunately, what we intend to produce and what we actually wind up producing are frequently two different things. Ultima IX was garbage, and this article is weirdly personally insulting toward people who like a game you don't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14856191315352787212020-02-17T01:12:51.170-05:002020-02-17T01:12:51.170-05:00> I get irked when people think they have the r...> I get irked when people think they have the right to tell me what to write about on my own blog.<br /><br />Maybe commenters wouldn't be so combative if your blog entry hadn't spent so much time mocking and deriding the people who enjoy the game. Criticizing the game itself is fair enough, god knows an early action RPG ain't gonna hold up for a lot of people, but the constant smug "I can't believe so-called ADULTS like this childish garbage, which is so much less mature than my preferred adolescent garbage" tone throughout is truly obnoxious.<br /><br />It's also legitimately the first time I've seen anything like that from you in the five years I've been reading this thing, so I'm hoping it was just an off day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2590492269583257622020-02-07T14:02:09.334-05:002020-02-07T14:02:09.334-05:00I'd rather have it the other way around I thin...I'd rather have it the other way around I think, I'm turning 30 this June already. Eatin' Cakesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42387163963475230122020-02-05T14:39:02.604-05:002020-02-05T14:39:02.604-05:00I just realized that there is a "Load more co...I just realized that there is a "Load more comments..." button. Sorry.Abacosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91004280205841771302020-02-05T08:55:24.341-05:002020-02-05T08:55:24.341-05:00Apparently, my previous comment got deleted. If it...Apparently, my previous comment got deleted. If it is because of something I wrote, I APOLOGIZE sincerely. I wonder what I wrote that was wrong. I thought I simply said that I expected Chester to dislike this game: it has both Japanese aesthetics and action-based combat.<br /><br />Well, there are plenty of role-playing games out there for all tastes: turn-based or action-based, made in Japan or in the West. No problem.<br /><br />Actually, before reading this post I belonged to that minority that considered the Legends of Zelda as role-playing games. Chester introduced the term "role-playing gam-ISH", and I think it is a perfect compromise. When I discovered this blog, Chester persuaded me that Western role-plyaing games are "not that ugly-looking after all; I could enjoy them if I manage to ignore the ugly Western graphics". I am sorry that Chester still thinks that of Japanese role-playing games.<br /><br />I never owned a manual for the NES role-playing games; controls are easy enough. I always assumed that the characters were "deformed" because they were seen in perspective from above; instead of "big head and small body", I saw a head hiding most of the body. The idea that NES role-playing games could be childish never hit me (actually, the NES port of Wizardry 1 is even superior to the original). I find the term "childish" quite annoying in this context. Exception: I tried some Pokemon game and found it quite childish and extremely boring.Abacoshttps://strategywiki.org/wiki/User:Abacosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2311476618004435442020-02-05T08:51:01.476-05:002020-02-05T08:51:01.476-05:00Apparently, my previous comment got deleted. If it...Apparently, my previous comment got deleted. If it is because of something I wrote, I APOLOGIZE sincerely. I wonder what I wrote that was wrong. I thought I simply said that I expected Chester to dislike this game: it has both Japanese aesthetics and action-based combat.<br /><br />Well, there are plenty of role-playing games out there for all tastes: turn-based or action-based, made in Japan or in the West. No problem.<br /><br />Actually, before reading this post I belonged to that minority that considered the Legends of Zelda as role-playing games. Chester introduced the term "role-playing gam-ISH", and I think it is a perfect compromise. When I discovered this blog, Chester persuaded me that Western role-plyaing games are "not that ugly-looking after all; I could enjoy them if I manage to ignore the ugly Western graphics". I am sorry that Chester still thinks that of Japanese role-playing games.<br /><br />I never owned a manual for the NES role-playing games; controls are easy enough. I always assumed that the characters were "deformed" because they were seen in perspective from above; instead of "big head and small body", I saw a head hiding most of the body. The idea that NES role-playing games could be childish never hit me (actually, the NES port of Wizardry 1 is even superior to the original). I find the term "childish" quite annoying in this context. Exception: I tried some Pokemon game and found it quite childish and extremely boring.Abacoshttps://strategywiki.org/wiki/User:Abacosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44274419106234662962020-02-04T22:30:22.536-05:002020-02-04T22:30:22.536-05:00This whole entry screams of "I wasted a ton o...This whole entry screams of "I wasted a ton of my life on a worthless pursuit and I desperately need someone to punch down on. At least I'm not the people who like those games." A rare miss, Chet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-15851041868262978432020-02-04T18:05:02.944-05:002020-02-04T18:05:02.944-05:00Definitely NOT an RPG, Zelda is an action/adventur...Definitely NOT an RPG, Zelda is an action/adventure game. One of my favorites, too. It's nice to read about someone playing it and giving their opinion.ima420rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07889119176460931015noreply@blogger.com