Latest news with #OcarinaOfTime
Digital Trends
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
I have a big problem with how Nintendo has been treating collectibles
By the time I reached the fifth layer in Donkey Kong Bananza, I had already collected more bananas than there are Stars in the entirety of Mario 64. Without getting into exactly how long it takes to beat, that's a small fraction of the way through the game, with hundreds more bananas left to find. I am normally a completionist when it comes to collectibles in games, especially Nintendo franchises, but eventually found myself burnt out on chasing down all the stray bananas scattered through most of the levels. I would gladly take on the combat and puzzle-platforming challenges, but I was more enticed by the actual content of those challenges rather than the reward. It wasn't long before I simply ignored stray bananas buried in the earth or sitting atop a high perch. I could feel my inner child crying out for leaving these precious collectibles behind, but I realize now that Nintendo doesn't treat collectibles the way it once did, so neither should I. This new philosophy has infected almost all Nintendo franchises now, and I don't think I can stomach another Switch 2 game that makes collectibles feel so meaningless again. More isn't necessarily merrier Some of the most ingrained memories for me as a kid playing Ocarina of Time are when I found a precious piece of heart. These were typically tucked away in hidden areas or locked off as rewards for specific challenges. As always, collecting four would grant you a new heart container — perhaps the most meaningful upgrade in the game outside of equipment. They were rare, making each one feel meaningful to get, even if it wasn't the final one needed to get that new heart. The same can be said for Stars in Mario 64. Stages only had around 5 on average, and none of them were just lying around for me to pick up just for walking by. 120 sounds like a lot, but when each one presents a challenge to collect, they never feel less special to grab. Recommended Videos I imagine the excitement I felt each time I managed to snatch a new Star or root out a piece of heart as a kid is what set me on the path to becoming a completionist. But right at the launch of the Switch, Nintendo seemed to completely flip its approach to designing collectibles. Breath of the Wild was the canary in the coal mine, as it were, with 900 Korok seeds sprinkled around Hyrule. This was one of many design changes that going open-world necessitated for Zelda, and I don't think it was a poor one on its face. Yeah, it was the first time I decided early on that I wouldn't even attempt to 100% complete the game, but treated that absurdly high number as a kind of design failsafe — players who explored the world naturally would always have plenty to find no matter which direction their curiosity took them. I don't think it was necessarily made this way with the intention of most players feeling compelled to get them all, especially when you look at the joke of a final reward for getting all 900. The problem lies in the fact that this new more is more mentality surrounding collectibles wasn't contained to Zelda's open world games. Super Mario Odyssey was the first proper 3D Mario game since 3D World and inflated the number of collectibles from the usual 120-ish to around 300 on the higher end on a first playthrough, to 880 unique Moons. But Mario hadn't undergone a massive reinvention in the way Zelda had which made increasing the collectible count feel appropriate. To sell an amazing game very short, it is still a level-based platformer. The new levels are bigger, but they're not that big, and Moons still act as progression tools. Nintendo had to rework a lot of other aspects of a Mario game to make this change fit. Being kicked out of a level after collecting a Star or Moon was a long overdue upgrade, but Nintendo also had to cut the fanfare. Instead of a rewarding and celebratory animation as a reward for managing to get a Star, Odyssey pauses for as brief a time as possible to avoid interrupting the flow of gameplay. It's a better solution than keeping the longer animations, but a self-inflicted problem by cramming the game full of Moons. Without that struggle to find them or the feedback from the game cementing my achievement as something worthy of praise, collecting Moons started to feel only slightly more enticing than standard coins. How much could I care about them when I could literally buy a dozen from the shop in one go if I wanted? It makes perfect sense that Bananza treats its bananas this way after learning the Odyssey team was behind it. To its credit, Bananza does at least try to give bananas a different function than Stars and Moons by making them act as upgrade points for DK's stats and skills. But the core issue of importance remains. I'm still tripping over bananas and able to purchase them in batches at a shop. If bananas are meant to be the ultimate prize to chase, how come there are more of them than fossils? There's nothing wrong with taking this approach to collectibles. I think it made sense for Zelda, and I think it was a smart choice to try and shake up the platformer formula, even if it didn't land for me. What I don't want is for this to be the only approach Nintendo takes with platformers going forward. Go ahead and cram in tons of fossils, coins, and other supplemental collectibles if you want, but I need there to be at least one collectible that makes me feel excited to get again.
Digital Trends
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Horror games helped me face my real-life fears
All kids are scared of something, but I found myself sweating with fear as a child at even the most tame horror media. Even a trailer for a terrible horror film like The Tooth Fairy was enough to keep me up all night with the lights on. Even going down to the basement by myself during the day was a daunting task. Needless to say, horror games were about the last thing I was interested in. It was hard enough getting through the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, so a game designed to scare me from top to bottom? Not a chance. That all changed when I played an Xbox 360 demo of the horror shooter F.E.A.R. That game didn't cure my fears, but it showed me that they can be a safe place to practice going outside my comfort zone in life. Recommended Videos Fear itself Before entering high school, I couldn't understand what possible pleasure people got out of horror. Exaggerated stories of people not sleeping for days after watching The Ring or throwing the controller out of fright playing Resident Evil sounded about as far from an enjoyable experience as I could think of. To me, it appeared like people were willingly torturing themselves. So I stuck to what was familiar — comfortable. I didn't make the connection then, but see now that it wasn't horror I was really afraid of, it was change. Change can only be avoided for so long, of course. After my parents' divorce and starting high school, almost everything in my life had changed. But not my avoidance of horror. I dug deeper into whatever routines I could control until they eventually controlled me. Because I was so reluctant to try anything new, I quickly became isolated. Deep down, I knew it was irrational, but I got to the point where even speaking to new classmates was overwhelming. Granted, I was never a social butterfly before, but being with the same group of kids from kindergarten through middle school almost forces friendships. With those gone, I didn't have the skills to make new ones. What's worse, though, was that I was too afraid to learn them. One of the best features of the Xbox 360 for me was the demos. I loved the old demo discs I got with magazines in the PS2 era, but now I could download and play them anytime I wanted. For a kid with limited access to new games, it was invaluable. I don't know what made me stop on the demo for F.E.A.R. that day, much less what drove me to download it, but I will never forget playing it. The demo picks up in a vertical slice of an early mission where I moved my silent protagonist soldier through some dark and shadowy industrial parks. The lighting and sound made even the firefights startling, but being able to shoot back and trigger slo-mo let me push through like it was a regular FPS. And then I went into the sewer. Faced with a pitch-black tunnel, the game instructed me on how to turn on my flashlight, which somehow made the darkness only feel deeper and more menacing. I crawled forward, completely falling for the fakeout of a rat scurrying from a fallen barrel across the path, only to fall even harder when my light started to flicker and the shadow of a little girl slowly walked across my field of view. I paused, heart racing, but for some reason didn't want to stop. The sun was out, my sister was in the next room, and nothing could stop me from shutting the console off if it became too much. I had to walk away twice during that short demo to collect myself, but both times came back. There was something satisfying in feeling something so intensely, letting my body process it, and then going back for more. I eventually rented and purchased the full game, plus eased into more horror games and films to feel that discomfort — and overcome it — on my own terms. From there, very slowly, I was able to apply that same thinking into pushing out of my comfort zone in other areas of my life. Am I a social butterfly now? Far from it. Am I still routine-oriented? Extremely. But I'm not trapped by those things. I know I can deal with the discomfort of breaking out of the familiar and safe because, like in games, the fear itself is worse than any bad outcome. I will survive if I don't have lunch at exactly the same time as always, and when the person at Costco asks if I need to windows and doors and I reply 'Only if it comes with a house,' the worst they can do is not laugh (which they didn't). As an adult living by myself, if I don't push myself to do these things then no one will. Horror games give me that room to practice getting comfortable with the uncomfortable so I can at least fight to not end up a recluse.
Digital Trends
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Games weren't better when you were younger, you've just experienced more
Despite what you might believe, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time isn't the greatest game of all time. People often say games were better when we were younger, but that isn't the case. Ocarina of Time might be your favorite game of all time, and that's fine; it's mine, too. But it isn't inherently better because it's older or more original compared to the games of today. You've just seen a lot more. Recommended Videos When you're young, you have less experience — not just in gaming, but in everything. You aren't as familiar with storyline structure. You haven't seen a wide range of mechanics. The jump from 2D games to 3D games was huge, but graphics have improved in smaller and smaller increments since then. Your 100th ray-traced scene is a lot less impressive than exploring the castle in Super Mario 64 in three dimensions for the first time. In short, those games from back in the day that you view as perfect experiences? You're looking at them through rose-colored glasses. Bear with me, though. Just because your memory of a game is tinted with nostalgia doesn't make it any less valid or important. I have a clear, distinct memory of when I was roughly eleven years old. I'm walking down the street with a close friend on a crisp autumn morning. The sun is shining, and we're brimming with excitement over The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask's Goron Racetrack sequence and how much fun it was. It was a single-player game, experienced together. Watching videos of the course, it doesn't look anywhere near as good as I remember. The mechanics are clunky, and the N64 controller was better suited to being a home defense tool than a game controller. But to an eleven-year-old who had stayed up all night playing the game with his best friend? That experience is unforgettable and unbeatable. Ask yourself, is it the games that stand out so much to you, or the memories forged around those games? Final Fantasy VII is another example. It was the first JRPG I played that had an overworld map I could explore. Unlocking the Highwind and flying around the world absolutely blew my mind, and finding the secrets hidden around the map felt as rewarding as finding real-world treasure. Every day at recess, my friends and I would talk about what we found (and then we started trading notes on Chocobo breeding). I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my first playthrough of Pokémon Blue. No other gaming experience has quite enthralled me like the ten-hour binge I undertook with my first Charmander, pausing only long enough to replace the batteries in my Game Boy. It was a formative experience in my formative years — but there's no way I can argue that Pokémon Blue is a better game than later Pokémon titles. I wouldn't have the patience for its slow battle system today. And therein lies another key reason why older games seem better: Nostalgia tends to filter out the negative. Things annoyed you about your favorite games as a kid; you just don't remember them as clearly as you remember the positive memories. Social media also loves to talk about nostalgia without acknowledging the downsides. Again, to use Ocarina of Time as an example, I can name two parts of the game you likely despised: the Water Temple and anytime Kaepora Gaebora showed up to chat. Let's not even talk about how freakin' buggy some games could be back then (although, let's be honest: most Bethesda titles can still give them a run for their money today.) I don't write all of this to disparage Ocarina of Time. Like I said before, it's my favorite game, and the most influential thing I've ever played. It made me want to tell stories that left an impact on someone like Link's adventure did on me. Without that experience, I probably wouldn't be here writing this article. A young gamer today might get the same experience from Breath of the Wild that I did from Ocarina of Time, or from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that I did from Final Fantasy VII. My feelings on those games are the result of timing and circumstance, not some inherent magical quality that video games have since lost. Yes, there's a discussion to be had about a perceived lack of risk in games today versus yesteryear and the factors that surround the industry today, but there have been plenty of games launched in recent years that show the magic is alive and well. Clair Obscur is the most recent example that comes to mind (Sorry, Gio, I can't be normal about it). I began playing it to find out what all the hype was about, and I'll be honest: I expected a run-of-the-mill RPG. Not much surprises or impresses me these days, especially working in games journalism. So when its story, characters, and gameplay essentially reached through my TV screen and grabbed me by the throat, I was caught off guard. Clair Obscur has that special element in spades. A sort of je ne sais quoi, you might say. Every theory I had about the story? Wrong. At no point did I know what was coming next. The graphics and cinematic elements made me think of Final Fantasy VII in the best ways (the fixed-camera shots especially), and the music? Chef's kiss. Now that I've finished the game, optional sections and all, I still want more — and that doesn't happen often. But what also made it special was the interest my wife took in the game. She sat beside me and became just as invested in the story as I was, and we would discuss what we thought was going to happen long after I'd turned off the console. The experience is a precious memory. A single-player game, experienced together. It made me realize that every key memory I have about my favorite games involved other people, whether that was playing Majora's Mask with a childhood friend, battling for the top spot in Halo 2 clan tournaments, or spending too many tokens trying to beat each other's Dance Dance Revolution score at the arcade. Games haven't lost their magic, nor have they gotten worse over time. It's still there. You just have to look for it.
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
My unexpected Pride icon: Link from the Zelda games, a non-binary hero who helped me work out who I was
Growing up steeped in the aggressive gender stereotypes of the 1990s was a real trip for most queer millennials, but I think gamers had it especially hard. Almost all video game characters were hypermasculine military men, unrealistically curvaceous fantasy women wearing barely enough armour to cover their nipples, or cartoon animals. Most of these characters catered exclusively to straight teenage boys (or, I guess, furries); overt queer representation in games was pretty much nonexistent until the mid 2010s. Before that, we had to take what we could get. And what I had was Link, from The Legend of Zelda. Link is a boy, but he didn't really look like one. He wore a green tunic and a serious expression under a mop of blond hair. He is the adventurous, mostly silent hero of the Zelda games, unassuming and often vulnerable, but also resourceful, daring and handy with a sword. In most of the early Zelda games, he is a kid of about 10, but even when he grew into a teenager in 1998's Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, he didn't become a furious lump of muscle. He stayed androgynous, in his tunic and tights. As a kid, I would dress up like him for Halloween, carefully centre-parting my blond fringe. Link may officially be a boy, but for me he has always been a non-binary icon. As time has gone on and game graphics have evolved, Link has stayed somewhat gender-ambiguous. Gay guys and gender-fluid types alike appreciate his ageless twink energy. And given the total lack of thought that most game developers gave to players who weren't straight and male, I felt vindicated when I found out that this was intentional. In 2016, the Zelda series' producer Eiji Aonuma told Time magazine that the development team had experimented a little with Link's gender presentation over the years, but that he felt that the character's androgyny was part of who he was. '[Even] back during the Ocarina of Time days, I wanted Link to be gender neutral,' he said. 'I wanted the player to think: 'Maybe Link is a boy or a girl.' If you saw Link as a guy, he'd have more of a feminine touch. Or vice versa … I've always thought that for either female or male players, I wanted them to be able to relate to Link.' As it turns out, Link appeals perhaps most of all to those of us somewhere in between. In 2023, the tech blog io9 spoke to many transgender and non-binary people who saw something of themselves in Link: he has acquired a reputation as an egg-cracker, a fictional character who prompts a realisation about your own gender identity. Despite their outdated reputation as a pursuit for adolescent boys, video games have always been playgrounds for gender experimentation and expression. There are legions of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people who first started exploring their identity with customisable game characters in World of Warcraft, or gender-swapping themselves in The Sims – the digital equivalent of dressing up. Video games are the closest you can come to stepping into a new body for a bit and seeing how it feels. It is no surprise to me that a lot of queer people are drawn to video games. A 2024 survey by GLAAD found that 17% of gamers identify as LGBTQ+, a huge number compared with the general population. It may be because people who play games skew younger – 40 and below – but I also think it's because gender is all about play. What fun it is to mess with the rules, subvert people's expectations and create your own character. It is as empowering as any world-saving quest.
Digital Trends
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
The best reviewed game on every console
As gamers, we love to review and rank just about everything. We've ranked all the video game consoles, best controllers, and plenty more, but the most important thing is always the games. There's plenty of subjectivity in reviews, unlike looking at a more objective metric like the best selling games on each console, but thanks to aggregates like Metacritic, we can get a fairly reliable way to see what games stood above all others on their respective platforms. Sticking to the mainline consoles, and going back through the console generations as far as Metacritic tracks, here are the best reviewed games you can play on every console, plus some runners-up. Highest rated N64 game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – 99 We all knew Ocarina of Time was going to take the N64's top spot. This game is still one of the highest reviewed games of all time, after all. We're still in awe of how Nintendo could take Mario and Zelda into 3D and make it look effortless. Speaking of Mario, he's not even in the top three. Second place goes to Perfect Dark with a score of 97, GoldenEye 007 in third with 96, and Majora's Mask next with 95. Recommended Videos Highest rated Dreamcast game: SoulCalibur – 98 Sega's final system had a lot of problems, but one thing it did exceptionally well was emulate arcade games. This made it the best place to play fighting games, so it's no surprise that the first SoulCalibur managed to take the top slot. Looking lower, we see Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and NFL 2K1 tied with a 97, and the cult hit Jet Set Radio getting a well-earned 94. Highest rated PS1 game: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 – 98 Speaking of Tony Hawk, Pro Skater 2 scored one point higher on the PS1, which was more than it needed to come out on top. Tekken 3 and Gran Turismo lag a little behind with 96s, but Final Fantasy 9, Chrono Cross, and Metal Gear Solid all share a 94. Highest rated GameCube game: Metroid Prime – 97 The GameCube may not have sold all that well, but it had some massive hits. Metroid Prime is easily one of our favorites, and has one of the best remasters as well, so we're pleased to see it take the crown. However, it was a close race because Resident Evil 4, Twilight Princess, and Windwaker all fell just one point behind with a 96. The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition was a surprise to see at a 95, considering it was slightly rare. Highest rated Xbox game: Halo: Combat Evolved – 97 Just like we all knew, Orarina of Time would be the winner for the N64, there was no question Halo would be the best reviewed Xbox game. This title was the definition of a system seller and defined the Xbox brand for generations. Second place goes to the GTA Double Pack with a 96, and Halo 2 holds a 95. Highest rated PS2 game: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3/Grand Theft Auto 3 – 97 Our first tie goes to two similar yet incredibly different PS2 games. THPS 3 and GTA 3 are both foundational games within their genres and, in many ways, encapsulate almost everything we love about the PS2. Sadly, there are no RPGs in the top billings, but you do have Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 2 with 96s and San Andreas and Vice City tied with 95s. Highest rated Wii game: Super Mario Galaxy/Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 97 We have to wait until the Wii generation to finally get a Mario game in the top spot, but we don't just get one. Both the Galaxy games tie for the best reviewed game with 97s, though we personally think 2 should get the edge. Twilight Princess somehow scores lower on the Wii than GameCube with a 95, and our first indie game manages to show up with World of Goo earning a 94, beating out even Super Smash Bros. Brawl's 93. Highest rated Xbox 360 game: Grand Theft Auto 4 – 98 Seeing GTA 4 as the best reviewed Xbox 360 game isn't surprising until you remember that GTA 5 was also released on this generation. Granted, GTA 5 has a 97 so it wasn't far behind. Also earning 97s are BioShock, The Orange Box, and Mass Effect 2. That's a strong lineup if we've ever seen one. Highest rated PS3 game: Grand Theft Auto 4 – 98 Besides the Sony exclusives, the best PS3 games and 360 games are almost identical; GTA 4 has a 98, and GTA 5 got a 97. Uncharted 2 and Batman: Arkham City, however, are great to see tied with 96s just below the RockStar games. Highest rated Wii U game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 96 A lot of people probably forgot Breath of the Wild still came out on the Wii U, but those who played it there loved it almost as much as they did on the Switch. Super Mario 3D World feels a little low for second place with a 93, but it is nice to see Smash for Wii U and Rayman Legends get some love with 92s. Highest rated PS4 game: Red Dead Redemption 2/Grand Theft Auto 5 – 97 Get ready for us to repeat ourselves here, but RockStar just can't be stopped. GTA 5 managed to get a second 97 rating on PS4 alongside Red Dead Redemption 2. As many improvements as GTA got on newer hardware, we don't think it holds a candle to Red Dead. Tied for second are Persona 5 Royal and The Last of Us Remastered with scores of 95. The God of War reboot nips at their heels with a 94. Highest rated Xbox One game: Red Dead Redemption 2/Grand Theft Auto 5 – 97 There's nothing new to say for the top spots. We all know RDR 2 and GTA 5, whether they're on PS4 or Xbox One. Looking down the list, though, Metal Gear Solid 5 manages to take second place with a 95, and even cooler is Celeste and The Witcher 3 sharing 94s right below it. Highest rated Switch game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Super Mario Odyssey – 97 It feels so appropriate for the best reviewed Switch game to be a tie between Zelda and Mario. Each one pushed their respective genres further than ever and helped revive a lagging Nintendo after the Wii U days. A welcome surprise in second place is the underappreciated The House In Fata Morgana, plus the great sequel Tears of the Kingdom with 96s. Highest rated Xbox Series X/S game: Baldur's Gate 3 – 99 This is the first 99 we've seen since the N64, but we can't say we disagree. It is a little weird since Baldur's Gate 3 took so long to come to Xbox, but maybe that anticipation only helped its score. Either way, it beats out the likes of Elden Ring with a 96 (and Shadow of the Erdree with a 95), and Persona 5 Royal's 94. Highest rated PS5 game: Elden Ring/Baldur's Gate 3 – 96 We're a little puzzled why Baldur's Gate 3 got three points lower on PS5 than Xbox Series, but we don't mind it sharing the top spot with Elden Ring. These two RPGs, while very different, both push the boundaries of what RPGs are. We're overjoyed to see Astro Bot share second place with the likes of The Witcher 3: Complete Edition, Metaphor: Refantazio, and God of War: Ragnarok.
