What Makes Zelda Great - The Oracles

Alpha · March 23, 2009, 10:34:18 AM

For those of you who don't check the mainpage very often, I'm yet another series of articles: What Makes Zelda Great. Basically it's a retrospective focusing on one of the Zelda games at a time and looking to see what that game did better than the other titles of the series. Since I doubt my ability to think of every little thing that they did, I've decided to ask you guys why you think the games stand out from each other.

And as you can probably guess, considering which board this is being posted on, the next article focuses on the Oracle games. So let me ask you: what do you love about this pair of Zelda titles? What really stood out to you when you played them, and what did they do better than any other game in the series? What makes the Oracle games great?

Oh, and feel free to comment on both of them simultaneously or individually. Just do me a favor and make sure you remember which one you're talking about . . .

The Glamour Nazi · March 23, 2009, 10:48:59 AM

This is the games that got me into Zelda, first of all, the maps are big with lotsa side quests. The game has a lot of character development and the dungeons are both fun and challenging, true to the Zelda style, all around good games.

Uximadesk · March 23, 2009, 11:07:04 AM

What I remember very fondly were the three sidekicks you could choose, and how this extended the replay value of the games.
Speaking of which, I think these two are the titles with the most replay value in the whole series, from the previously mentioned sidekicks to the kid you can name and raise, the game exerience is slightly different every time you play, which make these titles unique in the series.

The Glamour Nazi · March 23, 2009, 11:24:36 AM

And the secrets, rings, and Link game.

All really good additions.

And in the case of the side kicks My favortie was always Dimitri.

Not sure if you knew this but the games focused on different things too, Action in seasons, and Puzzles in Ages.

Both really well established.

DW · March 31, 2009, 03:13:30 PM

The fact that you could link the two together to get an extra storyline was pretty awesome. It was, like, the first time Zelda became a social event.

Mysterious F. · April 05, 2009, 06:35:11 PM

While I was, for a little bit, favoring Twilight Princess, my favorite Zelda game(s) has practically always been the Oracles. I love Seasons because of how its changing seasons create artful, parallel worlds to each other. I love Seasons because its time travel gives it a complex narrative. And most of all, I enjoyed playing them more than any other Zelda games.

MagmarFire · April 05, 2009, 06:48:54 PM

I've only ever played Ages, unfortunately for me, but I do like that there are different villains instead of Ganon. The dude needs a break.

Mysterious F. · April 12, 2009, 04:41:41 PM

I also like how, because they have two seerate worlds with several connections to each other such as someone from Holodrum being chums with someone from Labrynna, it was the first, and quite possibly the only, Zelda game to emphasize there is more than the little, isolated world of Hyrule.

Hi no Seijin · April 13, 2009, 09:10:31 AM

Ages had time travel. Enough said right there.

Seasons had the Tarm Ruins, which had the best music in the game, in my opinion. And the sheer lack of information about the Ruins make it so mysterious; I would love if Nintendo came out with a Zelda game that explored Tarm's history.