Every day is the "End of the Week"

Everyone who's worth their gaming salt has a story to tell about their experience playing ocarina of time - good or bad. For me Ocarina of time was gifted to me by my older cousin, a hand me down of sorts. Seeing as I was new to Nintendo gaming I was absolutely wowed when in stead of jumping over obstacles, I had to solve puzzles to get through them, slaying monsters and grabbing items along the way. I was mesmerized by the whimsical characters and enchanting music. It took every bit of my skill to beat this epic adventure, and once I was done, I felt like I had truly accomplished something great. So how does the game of my dreams stand up fourteen years later?

Before we talk about the changes that took place- let's talk about what stayed the same. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is a third person action adventure game with a heavy emphasis on melee combat and puzzle solving. Link, a small boy from the forest town of Kokiri, would get the chance to travel over the vast meadows, dry deserts, cool caves, tall mountains and bustling towns of the kingdom of Hyrule. Through his travels he would meet a princess, become tangled in a web of conspiracy, betrayal, and legends, become and adult, learn of his fate as the hero of time, and ultimately save Hyrule from an over whelming evil force. However where the game really gets great is in it's Dungeons and Temples- the "levels" for ocarina. In each of these places you are tasked with exploring, and finding the dungeon's key Item, which could then be used to take down a monstrous boss, located in the last room. It wasn't as simple as that however: Our boy in green would have to take down the baddies that crawled about each room, using (what was revolutionary at the time) a new "Z - Targeting system" to strafe, block and attack his foes. The ease at which you could control Link is something few games of the time could muster. The perspective would shift to first person to do things like fire slingshots, arrows, and hookshots. Even if you didn't like the way the camera was situated, you could tap "Z" to shift the perspective directly behind Link. The controls were perfect, making traveling around Hyrule that much more fun, even after your journey was over. There were songs to learned, items to be found, traded and bought, people to talk to, and powers to get for your very own.

Ocarina of time isn't hailed as one of the greatest games for just it's story and control however. The game was backed by a whimsical soundtrack to compliment the game's fantasy feel. Tunes ranged from spikey and fun, to dark and ominous, to sometimes to somber and even uplifting. There wasn't a moment where you weren't being subconsciously psyched by the music into continuing your journey. Music was the name of the game, almost literally. Link would eventually acquire a little clay ocarina which he could use to play songs to differing results. The ocarina would become just as mighty an ally as your sword, as few dungeons could be completed before playing a few tunes. Some songs could change the weather, while others moved giant blocks. Some people needed to hear their favorite tune before they would help you, and you even learned a song to call your trusty steed: Epona. Notes had to be played manually, rather than just clicking a button from the item menu like in previous Zelda titles turning your N64 controller in a fully functional musical instrument. You could even write your own songs.

Fourteen years have passed, and Nintendo has released a newer, more powerful consoles. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, utilizes that leap in technology, but keeps things familiar. First of all, the game has received a beautiful new coat of paint: every last detail has been brought to a higher resolution, keeping the original game's artwork respectfully intact. Places that were once lacking certain details, (that the N64 simply couldn't handle) have been touched up here. Swaying patches of grass, fungus growing on trees, fur on animals, everything has been tweaked to look much better, and the 3D is the icing on the cake. Some will tell you that 3D is a gimmick, and that it will never make a difference in a game, and for some games that could be true. However depth in a Zelda game makes everything much easier- in a good way. Monsters I once had a tough time hitting, are so much easier to time my attacks against in 3D. You can easily gauge the distance between you and an object, making platforming woes a thing of the past. Not to mention it looks phenomenal. Ocarina of time 3D keeps the score from the original, which if we're all honest, never really needed to be updated. Not one song is missing or changed, or added.

I'd like to go on about how Grezzo improved the controls, but they've been left almost entirely in tact. The menus you once had to manually open and select items from, has been moved to the touch screen, making item management a much faster, and on the fly, experience. Lacking a set of (C) buttons, ocarina playing, and item using, are mapped to the face buttons and the two shoulder buttons. It can take some getting used to, but overall, playing the ocarina feels just as good as it did so many years ago. That's not to say nothing has been changed, however. Some items, like the iron and hover boots, have been updated so they can be activated on the fly, rather than in sub menu. Some menus have even been streamlined, like the ocarina sub menu.

Another addition includes the use of the 3DS's gyroscope. With it, you can have Link aim his slingshot, hookshot, boomerang, and bow using the fast and accurate motion controls. For those that don't want to or can't move their 3DS all over the place, the game still gives you the option to use the slider pad to aim, but not since Twilight Princess on the Wii has aiming in a Zelda game been so precise.

 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of time 3D is a must buy for any gamer. There is a reason this game was king so many years ago. With the inclusion of a remixed/ mirrored version of the game (master quest), which can be tackled after the first story is completed, and a boss rush mode, this game is worth your $49.99. I wholly recommend this game to anyone. Do not let this pass you by.

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