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http://forum.blackintel.org/general-discussion/slyfox-reviews-star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic/The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past has got to be my second favorite game ever, only behind
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
This game, which I will now just call ALttP, was the third game made in the Legend of Zelda series, made by Nintendo and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It was also released on the Gameboy Advance in 2002 along with Four Swords, a fun little multiplayer Zelda game, and in 2007 on the Wii Virtual Console. It is most likely the second most loved game in the series after Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Anyway, this series is very well known and is now 25 years old, with new games coming out every couple years or so.
The game is set in a fictional fantasy world, in the land of Hyrule to be specific, and you control a young boy named Link (you can choose your name, but Link is the canonical name) and go off to save the princess Zelda who asks you, using telepathy, to rescue her from the castle which is now controlled by an evil wizard called Agahnim. You don't need to know more than that as you go off on your adventure. There isn't much in terms of plot, but it serves its purpose, and its the gameplay and the world that draw you in.
Now, you could call this game a sandbox game in a way, as there there is a huge land to explore. There is a lot of variety here, always something new to see. Many parts are designed like puzzles, and it doesn't detract from any of the beauty. The 2D graphics still compare with those of today, in my opinion. You a free to go where you want for the most part, and there's nothing/no one to hold your hand along the way. There is so much satisfaction in discovering something new that you weren't even aware of. Also, this game introduced the whole concept of a parallel world in games, and man did Nintendo ever nail it.
The gameplay is extremely competent. There are a ton of puzzles, but they keep you moving and fighting all the while. There are a great deal of items, all fun to use, and a joy to discover. As with the land, there are many hidden objects and other things. You fight with sword and shield, for the most part, and enemies are pretty much all unique, and provide a challenge. Thought you've seen and got everything? Wrong! As I mentioned earlier, there is a parallel world that you get thrown into, and it's similar to the original world, but it also is very different, even better. It's hard to explain, check it out on YouTube or something.
The music... Is freaking awesome! Almost every piece is catchy. Despite the limitations of the hardware, the music is just pure epicness (whatever, I can use words that don't exist
).
This game serves as the basis of all the Zelda games that came after it, way more than the first one ever did. There's practically infinite replay value to be had, and it's the perfect difficulty. Just play this thing already!
Score upon release: 100%
Current score: 90%
Yeah, as usual, it's incomplete and unprofessional. Whatever.
Edit: I forgot to include the score, and I added the release date.
Edit 2: Added the re-releases.
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Topic: Slyfox Reviews: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Read 16739 times)