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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 5, 2010 15:16:29 GMT -5
In his latest episode, the Angry Video Game Nerd finally covers Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. I was surprised he hadn't featured this game a long time ago, as it seems like an obvious choice for an angry gamer like him to flip out over. But at the beginning of the video, he explains that despite it being one his most requested reviews, he actually thinks it's a pretty good game. (But, of course, he then proceeds to pick it apart in classc AVGN style.) Zelda II is easily Nintendo's most controversial Zelda game, and is even more of a black sheep than Majora's Mask. What do you guys think of it? For me, I like it. I appreciate that it tries something totally different (as many NES sequels did). And, of course, being a fan of hard games, I appreciate the steeper difficulty. Plus, I think it has excellent control, and the graphics are really good for 1988. However, I also admit that it suffers from some questionable design decisions, like having to restart at Zelda's room every time you lose, or even just the layout of some of the palaces. And I'm not too fond of the experience system, either. It's been 22 years since The Adventure of Link was originally released, and looking back on it now, it really adds interest to the overall Zelda legacy. Altho, I have to admit, I wasn't too crazy about it when I first played it back then. It was only years later when I really began to appreciate it, even tho parts of it haven't aged well. Also, it was the basis of inspiration for two of the CDi Zelda games, but...
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Post by Flip on Aug 5, 2010 16:26:05 GMT -5
This was growing up, and will be until the day I die, my favorite Zelda game. I think the underdog appeal is mostly what gets me, but it also has this old-school and irresistible charm that Zelda lost once it made the jump the 16bits. It was crude, it was still heavily based on just being something "fantasy" without making its own legendary tale, and, in all, it just fucking played awesome and kicked your ass HARD. Being the sequel to such a classic and well loved game and doing what it did was a bold and risky move, but I think that's what makes it so much better. I will gladly play Zelda II any day of the week, something I can't even say about Ocarina. And that's a fact.
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Post by 8bitretroshit on Aug 6, 2010 10:59:07 GMT -5
I played and almost finished Zelda II a year or two ago. My cousin was cleaning out his room of old junk and came across an old cartridge of Zelda II which I gladly took off his hands. Reconnected my dusty old NES and started a new adventure with DOPE* I'm not sure why, but despite having little to no interest in the first one or even OoT I spent hours a day playing Zelda II. I think it's because it's more about action and little to no puzzles compared to the later ones. Running around figuring out puzzles just ain't my thing. I found the 2d combat to be pretty fun, plus if I managed to get lost in a temple I could still earn EXP to level up so it wasn't a TOTAL waste of time. I also like how Zelda II's overworld is a big and mostly uninhabited world filled with monsters, which makes LttP's and OoT's overworld seem small and kinda crowded. I remember there was also a bit of freedom in the order you could tackle the dungeons. When I game over'd at a dungeon I decided to explore the overworld only to come across another accesible temple elsewhere. Never finished it though. Going through that lava cave to the last temple was bad enough so when I game over'd again by some huge slime I just shut off the game. No way I was going through that stupid cave again (though apparently it starts you off at the final dungeon again, should've been more patient ) Yeah there are some issues with the game, but the only one I really remember is the insane flashing when you die. Shit almost gave me a seizure. To this day I spent the longest time playing Zelda II than any other Zelda and it's my personal favorite of the bunch. *cause my real name didnt fit
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Post by parrothead on Aug 11, 2010 20:37:54 GMT -5
Zelda II was extremely difficult when I first played it. So difficult, it scared me as much as Geese Howard being scared of Wolfgang Krauser. I never could beat it until I noticed that you have to level up. While leveling up, I kept listening to the Bell Biv DeVoe song Poison (both vocal and karaoke versions) on an official cassette tape until I completely leveled up. After I beat the game, I kept listening to the credits BGM while eating three different lesser-known brand chocolate bars I was selling in high school (milk, caramel and crispy rice) without drinking any beverage with them to feel more pain.
Ganon's laugh from the localized English version was also used in the NES Punch-Out!! titles (Gold, Mike Tyson and Mr. Dream versions) for Soda Popinski's laughing voice. Mr. X's laugh in the NES version of Irem's Kung-Fu Master sounds similar, but it's different.
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Post by Fryguy64 on Aug 12, 2010 4:10:56 GMT -5
Zelda II was extremely difficult when I first played it. So difficult, it scared me as much as Geese Howard being scared of Wolfgang Krauser. I never could beat it until I noticed that you have to level up. While leveling up, I kept listening to the Bell Biv DeVoe song Poison (both vocal and karaoke versions) on an official cassette tape until I completely leveled up. After I beat the game, I kept listening to the credits BGM while eating three different lesser-known brand chocolate bars I was selling in high school (milk, caramel and crispy rice) without drinking any beverage with them to feel more pain. Parrot, I love you and all, but this might be the most mad thing you have ever said. There's so much detail of minor irrelevant details and so little about anything else that it paints a very strange picture in the mind... and not the image of nostalgic victory you were perhaps intending to portray. My stories, for example, go more like this: I beat the game, and my sense of achievement was quickly replaced by feeling washed out as I stared into the existential abyss, now my only form of escape was gone. Washed out, and sucking on a cigarette, I visibly deflated and re-evaluated my life. Actually... I'm not sure that's any better...
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Post by parrothead on Aug 12, 2010 17:43:43 GMT -5
Sounds pretty dramatic, FryGuy64, but after I posted my exact comment below the AVGN's review at GameTrailers/ScrewAttack, people gave my post about 15 thumbs up; however, I'm not sure if the thumbs up is the equivalent of laughing at me or not.
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Beau Skunk
Pikpik Carrot
Do a barrel roll!
Posts: 38
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Post by Beau Skunk on Sept 15, 2011 10:26:21 GMT -5
I'm honestly not much of a big fan of the AVGN, but it's nice to hear his review wasn't as biased as most of his tend to be. (I think he tears down to many decent games personally, and to many people hang on his every word, rather then try the games for themselves, and form their own opinions.) Zelda 2 was the second Zelda game I ever owned, (after Zelda 1) and personally regardless of it's flaws, (and how I got stuck on the second palace, and Death Mountain cave maze for literally years) I still liked the game regardless. Being the second game in the series, and the second Zelda one I played, I didn't care, or notice the differences it had from the original game. (It does have some simularities to, people forget.) While the game has some hard moments, the game actually got MUCH easier for me once I mastered the Punch-Out style of attacking/blocking high & low. (Wich while very simple control-wise was hard for some people to figure out.) Once you get used to that, the Iron Knuckle knights, and other enemies become a piece of cake, and it proved to be a fun fighting system to me. (The magic spells you learn also come in handy.) I've also found all of the hidden heart containers, and magic containers all by myself. (Though, my sister was the one who found the hammer.) Funny thing is, I got so good at it, I actually didn't get stuck in the palaces after the second one for to long. (Not even the Great Palace.) Overall, I felt the mix of side-scrolling areas, and overhead overworld exploration offered some cool opertunities. (Especially, when you found a tile on the map that was a secret side-scrolling area with something cool hidden there.) It also introduced some concepts still used in the Zelda series today such as the magic meter, exploring caves, town visiting, and doing favors for NPC townsfolk for rewards. I also kinda liked the (simpler) EXP point system, wich gave the game a more RPG-ish vibe to it. The only thing that honestly bothered me, was the fact once you use a 1up doll, (wich you can find in hidden areas, and one is hidden in the 6th palace, and 1 is in the Great Palace) when you replay after using one, it won't reappear in the area you found it. So if you do find one, don't grab it, and be sure to save it for later. (Though, personally I'm so cheap with them, I often end up never using them.) Overall, I feel Zelda 2 needs more love.
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Post by Fryguy64 on Sept 15, 2011 10:48:53 GMT -5
One of the big things I noticed with the arrival of the 3DS Ambassador Programme was an opinion shift on Zelda 2. Suddenly, loads of people had a copy and gave it a go, and it didn't get as much hate as I expected. In fact, everyone was quite keen on it.
In more than one case, I heard people say it's aged better than Zelda 1 as it's more obvious what you have to do.
I think a portion of this may have been down to the AVGN slamming the brakes on the hate for his viewers. He thinks it's a good game ("but holy fuck is it hard!") and so the most vocal commentator on bad NES games on the internet, in one fell swoop, placed it in the good pile.
I beat my NES Classics version just a couple of weeks before it was announced as arriving on 3DS. After beating it, I found myself enjoying it. Yes, it had problems, and some of those problems put me off playing through it before. But once you overcome them it's a very solid, enjoyable game.
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Beau Skunk
Pikpik Carrot
Do a barrel roll!
Posts: 38
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Post by Beau Skunk on Sept 18, 2011 13:38:48 GMT -5
Yeah, I felt Zelda 1 in some ways was harder, (especially in the "second quest," wich I still haven't beaten) especially with how well-hidden some dungeon enterances were. Zelda 2 you at least got clearer hints from NPC townsfolk to. Zelda 2 once you get used to how to block attacks with the shield it gets easier though. Nice to hear the internet "hate" for Zelda 2 is waning a bit. (Ironically, when it first came out, I hear it was always on Nintendo Power magazine's "best NES game" player's polls.) Even a friend of mine who previously hated the game, said he played it again, and now loves it.
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Post by Koopaul on Sept 18, 2011 21:50:56 GMT -5
Damn Parrot... That was psychedelic.
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Post by Fryguy64 on Sept 19, 2011 3:38:41 GMT -5
Zelda 1 was one of the first NES games I ever played. I made it as far as Aquamentus but I wasn't very familiar with games at that point, so I didn't progress any further. I tried it several more times over the years and never got very far, and then finally beat it in 2004 on the GBA with the aid of a FAQ while waiting for Minish Cap to come out. Then I tried the second quest, which remains unbeaten to this day I beat it for the second time last week, and Zelda II a few weeks before. And I have to concede - Zelda II feels more like a modern Zelda game than the original. I would also have to content this point from the first post: It's true that this is how it's perceived, but I actually find Majora's Mask way more of a black sheep now. As I've said, the ideas in Zelda II eventually filtered through to the rest of the series - combat, magic, learning new skills...
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Post by Wildcat on Sept 19, 2011 8:47:58 GMT -5
Zelda II's never clicked for me, myself. I suppose I could give it a second chance (yet again) since it's being discussed, but I predict that: A) Link's short range will antagonize me like it tends to, B) the world, despite being larger, will not appeal to me in the same fashion as the original, C) the sidescrolling aspect will bother me - I think that Zelda games should only do this as a distraction, not the main event.
We'll see, though - I've had a change of heart before.
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Post by Fryguy64 on Sept 19, 2011 10:46:59 GMT -5
Zelda II's never clicked for me, myself. I suppose I could give it a second chance (yet again) since it's being discussed You speak the words we have all spoken at one time or another. But like any game, you have to get used to the mechanics. They are a major hurdle, and one that took me a long time to get over. Once you do, it starts to resemble a Zelda game. The construction of the world, the dungeons and even the mechanics become recognisably Zelda. Now's as good a time as any to try it again! Everybody's giving it a go
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Beau Skunk
Pikpik Carrot
Do a barrel roll!
Posts: 38
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Post by Beau Skunk on Sept 19, 2011 16:51:18 GMT -5
To be honest, I didn't really have to get used to the whole "overhead world, then sidescrolling world" back and fourth thing, (wich confused some players) I just figured it out as I played it. In fact, looking back on it, the way when you leave the safety of the yellow road, (on the overworld segments) and enemy shadows come out to take you to a battle scene (if you come into contact with 'em) is actually no different then how most RPGs work. Only this one uses small sidescrolling areas where you have to fight a few enemies for EXP points, (or you can chose to avoid them, and leave the sidescrolling zone if you want) instead of using turn-based menu battles. So even if you're not a fan of RPGs, it should still prove, an amusing experience. (And personally, I felt the pacing of this game was much faster then the original NES "Final Fantasy 1") It was actually a pretty unique, and fun take on the whole RPG-ish battle system thing, and I wonder why no other game has tried it sence then. the sidescrolling aspect will bother me - I think that Zelda games should only do this as a distraction, not the main event. Actually, the common idea that this game is primerly a "sidescroller" is kinda a myth. Only the battle-segments, caves, towns, palaces, and hidden area tiles, (with hidden items) are the only sidescrolling parts. There's a huge overhead Hryule world map to explore, so there's just as much typical overhead Zelda gameplay as there are sidescrolling. (So it's kinda hard for me to consider this a sidescroller.) Even the side-scrolling dungeons & caves are cleverly designed, with keys, and items to find, so there's just as much exploring as any Zelda game out there. Also, nobody complained about the Gameboy/GBColor Zeldas having some side-scrolling segments to. (Though, they were pretty brief.) I think people are just afraid of the idea of a "sidescrolling" Zelda, because of those 3 notoriously bad CD-I Zelda games by Philips. (Though, one of them was a overhead-view game, and not much better, I hear.)
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Post by nocturnal YL on Sept 21, 2011 11:27:41 GMT -5
I FINALLY got the hammer! Here I come, Hyrule!
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