A Legend Returns (and practically makes my boyfriend weep with joy)

I came home the other night to a lovely air-conditioned house and was a bit annoyed to see the kitchen window slightly open. Why are we paying to air-condition the great outdoors? I wanted to ask my boyfriend. He’s almost as stingy with the utility bills as I am.

Then I saw the extension cord snaking across the kitchen counter and out the window.

I went out onto the back porch where I was promptly lick-attacked by 50 pounds of dog. I looked at the cord, following it with my eyes to Dan, hunched over the porch table and so intent on something that he hadn’t heard me or the pup.

“Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” for the Nintendo 3DS had arrived in the mail the day before. It turned out that the extension cord was there because he’d completely run down the battery on the 3DS and COULD NOT STOP PLAYING.

I was so stoked to get that box. The folks from Brand About Town know that my boyfriend is a HUGE fan of the Zelda series, and they chose to send me an early-release* copy of the classic game, re-made in 3-D for the new handheld.

Kids, it even came with an ocarina and a songbook with instructions on how to play the game theme music.

We have the Zelda games for the other Nintendo consoles (yes, we have an N64 and yes, we use it), and the one we usually play is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii. I wondered whether the fancy-pants 3D would make up for the fact that the new Zelda had to go on the comparatively small Nintendo 3DS screen instead of on a 52″ plasma TV. Would the experience measure up? Would it feel like a step backward, going to the small screen even with a spiffy effect?

It’s different. Awesome different.

If you’ve played any Zelda games before, this one will be comfortably familiar as far as the story and the way the game is set up – the practice sections, the levels, the tricks and so on. This is a remake of the original Ocarina of Time storyline, but playing it on a handheld and with 3D enabled is definitely a different experience.  The graphics grab you right from the beginning – like all of the games I’ve played on this system, it takes a bit for my eyes to adjust. But once they do, it really pulls you in! The 3D is smooth and you don’t really get any ghosting unless you move the screen the wrong way. That also takes a bit to get used to – holding it correctly, I mean – that’s the nature of the handheld and not a flaw in the game.

But you don’t have to hold it still – you can move the handheld to do things like aim your slingshot. Just keep your body in line and you’ll get the effects and good aim too.

I love the D-pad on the Nintendo 3DS, it makes your motions in any game so much more precise and flexible than the “+” pad on all the older game controllers. It’s a lot easier on the hands too, in my opinion. You can move pretty darned accurately in this game, which speeds up play a LOT. This is particularly good for me because I always get lost.

My boyfriend has played a lot further into the game than I have, and as a serious Zelda fan, he’s quite impressed. I never see him playing this on the Wii anymore. Also, after you beat the main game, it unlocks a second Master Quest so you can really go on and on with this.

In sum? This is the first “classic” Nintendo game that has been released for the 3DS, and it’s a fantastic way to kick it off. One of the big gaming community gripes when the 3DS launched was the lack of classic Nintendo titles with the launch – Mario, Donkey Kong, and of course Zelda. Well, gripe no more. They’ve delivered, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was obviously made by people who love and respect the classic game. I can’t wait to try the new Kid Icarus: Uprising that will hopefully be coming out sometime this year. As fun as the new games are,** the classic lines are what make Nintendo Nintendo, and I love that they’re keeping them on with both respect to the originals and slick updates for the new technology.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an ocarina to practice while my boyfriend saves Hyrule on our porch.

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* Yep, I got this a week before anyone else could buy it. Amazing.

** And I have some more of those to write about soon. Keep your seats.

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FTC Disclosure: This game was provided by the Brand About Town and Nintendo America. They like me to review and share my impressions, but I am not financially compensated for such writings, nor am I in any way limited in what I can and cannot say about the services/products provided.