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One of the greatest and most influential games ever released

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 46 / 46
Date: June 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Released in the Stone Age of Video Games, this game stands as one of the most influential games ever released. Nintendo players quickly sent the message to Nintendo by making this one of the most played games released on the old NES, with this release staying in the top ten games as voted by Nintendo Power readers for several years. It would become the blueprint for RPG games, and its influence can be felt even now in the current game scene. Others would take this and see what they could do with it, and because of this game the RPG became an established genre, although this will always be the game that started it and stands at the beginning, casting a very long shadow over its descendants. But don't be mistaken, this RPG has some things that are very unlike its genre. Levels are not built up (this would be the next installment), and magic and that were not big concerns. Hearts were used instead of experience. But these would be incorporated in the other release, so even then Zelda has its hands on that as well.

So what is it about this game that so captured the imagination and the dollar of the average gamer? Well, one was the incredible depth of adventure that just permeated the entire thing. Released during a time when most games were side-scrollers, this set you in a world where you could explore and find items. There is the now standard item list, where you obtain items and use them to interact with the world about you. There are hidden dungeons that you must find, and you can burn bushes and push rocks, etc. It radically opened the power of the NES console up, and the gaming world would never be the same after this game.

To give a personal history, my brother and I got a Nintendo when it came out, playing all the standard games but somehow missing this one. Although I played it, it was only in 1999 that I sat down and, for the first time in my life, played through the entire game. It was amazing. We had got the Super NES counterpart when it came out in 1991, so I knew that by heart. This was just as great, although I still think the Super NES instatement, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST, is the best overall though I have not yet played the two new Gameboy releases. I'm sure they'll be great.

By today's standards, the graphics are absolutely terrible, and by the standards of the day, they were only average. But this proves only one thing: playability comes over a sleek looking graphical interface. And this game has that. Indeed, even now people call in asking Nintendo tips on this game. Considering the NES has been dead for several years that is something indeed. Of all things, this game desperately needs to be released on the Gameboy, packaged with the sequel ZELDA II: THE ADVENTURES OF LINK.

As far as story goes, it is nowhere near as complicated as the games that came after it. Essentially, Princess Zelda has been kidnapped and Link must regain the 8 pieces of Triforce to gain entrance to the ninth dungeon for the final showdown. Musically, there are only three tracks, one for the Overworld (the now famous Overworld Theme, commonly called the Legend of Zelda Theme, which this game's N64's counterpart has been criticized for ostracizing, the dungeon theme, and the ninth dungeon theme.) After he beats Gannon the first time, a second quest opens up, meaning yet a whole other adventure. The difficulty rating is greatly increased. I personally think they should have down this with SUPER MARIO BROTHERS II, the Japanese version, now known in the States as THE LOST LEVELS. It corresponds in difficulty to a second quest. But that is neither here or there. The great disappointment is that no one else took this to heart, and this is one feature that has not been a major influence on the RPG genre. The second quest so enriched the game, giving the gamer more for his/her dollar, and I wish they'd do second quests more.

As far as games go, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA's influence cannot be overestimated. Truly one of the giants of the Gaming Universe. This and SMB 3 are the best NES games by far. Lets hope they re-release it soon!

C L A S S I C

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: January 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Legend Of Zelda is an important milestone in video game history. It was the first of it's kind--it combined action/adventure with puzzles and some role-playing elements. Even nowadays, there STILL aren't too many games like this. I recently purchased this game and I must say that unlike many old video games who have lost their luster over the years, the Legend Of Zelda is still just as fun to me as it was when I was a kid. What else is there to say about this classic game? If you own an original NES, you MUST have this one!

A word of warning: If you're buying a used copy, I suggest getting a gray-colored one instead of a gold one. Yes, the gold ones look cooler and are the classic issue of the game, but they're so old that the internal memory (which stores your quest data) may be worn out. Get a gray copy just to be on the safe side.

still my favorite game of all time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: May 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

So many years after I first played the game on the Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda remains my favorite game of all time. Even after playing so many games, nothing really holds a candle to this 8 bit elf. The premise of the game is simple and very common. You play as Link and you are trying to rescue Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganon. To do this you must venture through 8 dungeons and collect pieces of the powerful Tri-Force. A simple story, yet this game is loads of fun. You begin with a wooden sword, but can upgrade twice to a more powerful sword (the White Sword, and the Master Sword). As you progress in the game, you acquire various items (a raft, whistle, candle, boomerang) that will held you conquer later dungeons. The idea behind this game is so basic, but it has produced some of the best games on any system (Zelda: A Link to the Past, Zelda: Ocarina of Time). Even considering how good some of the later games are, this one remains my favorite to play. When you conquer the game once, there is still a second world for you to play through. The layout of the world is the same, but the dungeons and some items are in different places, the dungeon layout is different, and the enemies are harder to defeat. A classic game, and my personal favorite game. I still play it.

The start of the Zelda series...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Legend of Zelda was released around 1986 in Japan, and 1987 in the U.S. This game was way ahead of its time, and here is why...

Legend of Zelda was one of the first games to have battery back-up memory which let you save your game. No more entering long passwords and making a small mistake when writing them down, which could lead to having to start over from the beginning. There are 3 files, so at least 3 people can keep a save file. The battery is supposed to go dead after 5 years or so, but if you take good care of the cartridge, it'll last a whole lot longer.

The Zelda's have always been about the gameplay, and the original certainly doesn't disappoint. You start out in front of a cave, where you'll find your first sword. From there, this excellent adventure game begins. There is an overworld, where you'll go around searching for dungeons, finding places to buy items, and getting stuff such as heart containers. The underworld, or the dungeons, are where you'll do most of the fighting. You move from room to room, getting keys, beating all the bad guys in a room, and finding clues from wisemen who are located in almost every dungeon. There are 9 dungeons in all, in addition to an item (or 2), a map, and a compass in each. Plus, at the end of each dungeon, you'll have a boss to deal with. You must first beat the first 8 dungeons to get into the 9th. At the end of these first 8 dungeons, you'll find a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom. Collect all 8 to enter the final dungeon to defeat Ganon and save Zelda. I think the challenge of this game is moderate on the 1st quest, and moderate to hard on the 2nd quest.

The story was also very advanced for its time. You're a young boy named Link. The evil Ganon has kidnapped Zelda, because she had in her possession the Triforce of Wisdom. However, before she was kidnapped, she broke the Triforce into 8 pieces and hid them, and she also sent her nursemaid, Impa, to find a hero who could save her. Impa was attacked by enemies, and Link saved her from them. From there, this great adventure starts. As mentioned before, you must go through the 8 dungeons, get all 8 pieces of the Triforce, then enter the 9th to fight Ganon and rescue the kidnapped Princess Zelda.

This is one of my favorite Zelda's, and one of the most fun games of all-time. It's very easy to just pick up and start playing, and it has VERY good replay value. You can even go through the quest a 2nd time after you beat it, but it's a whole lot tougher, and the dungeons are even different, including them being located in different places throughout the overworld.

I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys action/adventure games. Hint: If you want to start off on the 2nd quest without going through the 1st, enter your name as "ZELDA" at the beginning. But be warned: the 2nd quest is incredibly challenging compared to the 1st.

The legend is born

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: September 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Wow is this one incredible game! Of course its for regular Nintendo, the graphics are the poorest graphics since pong, but the challenge makes up for it. Zeldra introduced not a game, but an entire world to video game audiences as you the hero Link, must gather nine pieces of a statue, called the tri-force and then save princess Zelda in the biggest challenge against the evil Gannon! Each of the nine pieces of the tri-force is in nine palaces scattered across the world of Hyrule. This is also the first game to add more playability to it with a second quest, where everything is changed around and there are even new monsters in the second quest.

The one that started it all...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Yeah, this one is very old, but I'm surprised to see that only two people reviewed it and that they didn't even have it. I'm old and I have it, and you should go try to find a copy. It's very dated and doesn't hold up to today's game graphics, but man! This game was amazing when it came out. It's also pretty tough, and when you beat it, you get to play a second quest, which looks pretty much like the first one, only it's about five times harder than the first one! Get this one for a challenge. Or just get the new game boy oracle of seasons and ages. Those are the best zelda games of all time.

ain't what they used to be

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 16
Date: November 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

"3D doesn't not make a game better or worse, and too many games are jumping on the 3D wagon. Furthermore I can remember back in my days when video games didn't have ridiculously long names like Madden's NFL 2002, they had simple names, Football, Tennis, and Rad Racer." This is what I told my 6 year old cousin when he asked me, "Why are you playing Super Nintendo? It's not even 3D." It seemed funny to me how I'm 21 but was scolding him as if I were an old man talking about the good old days.
This sort of thing is comparable to an old school punk rock fan educating a young MTV kid, about how Blink182 and SUM41, can't hold a candle to Black Flag, or Minor Threat, wheras Zelda and Metroid would be the Black Flag and Minor Threat of video game consoles.
Gamers who have been playing since the nintendo 8 bit came out or even further back will play the games that come out today and say, "Yes the graphics are over whelming and the game has an intense plot, but it doesn't have the replay value or challenge of our games in the past." For instance the 1st Zelda on nintendo pits Link somewhere in the game and gives no storyline. You just walk around and have to figure out why your here. And even after you beat it you get to start over with Quest 2, which is harder and gives double the replay value.
And now I see these classic games at stores like Game Force being sold at low prices. While i'm not complaining about the cost, I just think its sad that these once popular games are just cast aside and forgotten. All I would like to see is more gaming companys looking at the classics before they release another filler game for these new game consoles, and using them to base what today's standards for video games should be.

One of the best video games ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

While I have not played an original NES game in a long, long time, I still cannot forget how wonderful it was to actually beat "The Legend Of Zelda" on my own five years after I had first played it. If you own an original NES but do not own this game, then you need to pay the $... (which is small beans considering it used to cost about $... back in its original 1987 release) and keep it in your NES for about two to three months until you defeat Ganon.
This game is incredible because of its immense challenge in all aspects. Perhaps the hardest part of this game is finding the nine dungeons (preferably in order) in which to defeat your main enemies to find the pieces of the Tri-Force. Besides your first "gift", a wooden sword, and believe me, it is a gift considering how difficult it is to find everything else, you will have to spend intricate time surveying every piece of land to truly be a Zelda genius.
The coolest part of this game is the musical score. The quick medieval music instantly drags you into the theme of the game and will keep you enthralled for a long time.
One little tip: when you eventually get into level 9, watch out for the room that will trap you in on all sides. Otherwise, you get no more help from me.
Peace and buy the game!

The best Zelda game of all time mainly cause its the easiest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The other Zelda games are fun but they arent for everyone.They can be very frustrating.Not this game though.Its the best.The light worlds and underworlds are all very well done and the graphics are still the best from the 8 bit Nintendo era. Link is the ultimate hero and I recommend this game because its not to easy and not too hard.A must have for a Zelda fan.

The Greatest Video Game of All-Time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the greatest game ever created on any console. With smooth and exciting game-play and catchy music The Legend of Zelda is highly addictive. It is simple to play yet challenging to master. All of the fun secrets and puzzles along with straight forward battling help propel this one to the top.

"Walk into the waterfall." -Old Woman

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