I was introduced to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask around the same time, thanks to that GameCube "Collector's Edition" bundle (also, both NES Zeldas). As a consequence, while I'm old enough that Ocarina could have easily rocked my world the way it did for many people who started on N64, it never had the chance to do so since Majora was right there with a far more compelling tone and suite of characters and equipment. Plus, it's petty, but the bottles actually looked like bottles and not weird icicle daggers; this was pretty important to me as a kid.
So Ocarina has never been a runaway favorite for me, but it is comfort food, very much a game that I come back to every now and again for a cozy playthrough. I think most people focus on the incredible bombast of going on a grand adventure in a big 3D world, with stuff like Hyrule Field and the cover of the main Zelda theme and later Epona being the main images that people had with the game. Personally I always find myself thinking about the game's tonality and quiet sequences. Sheik of all characters ends up being a favorite during revisits, not something I'd expect since I basically have no opinion on Smash Bros. Sheik. He (he?) always gives some sort of melancholy gravity to sequences between his theme and his pondering monologue whenever you run into him. The game always seems to be reaching for things much bigger than what it's able to present, like that line in the Shadow Temple about "Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred", or the nature of the skull children. I think it's that sense of mystery as well to places like the Forest Temple and the Spirit Temple that draws me in.
I hold what I think are the usual criticisms for Ocarina, save one - I never had an issue with Water Temple (I don't love it, but I think it's more a meme than an actual issue). Otherwise, Gold Skulltulas are kinda BS in this game, Dodongo's Cavern is pretty nothing, Jabu Jabu's a fun idea but also tends to be a lot of nothing, Ganon's Tower is a bit short for all its build-up (certainly no NES Death Mountain), boot swapping is dumb...
...oh, right, this is supposed to be a review of Ocarina of Time 3D. Boot swapping is no longer dumb (and the bottles don't look like daggers).
OoT 3D is that rare example of a perfect remake, at least in my book. Grezzo cleaned up what they absolutely had to but largely left the original game untouched, warts and all. I imagine some people might prefer the grungier look you had as a result of the N64's more limited color palette, or the rougher earlier models, but I dunno. The colors here feel less like it's brightening up the world and more like it's highlighting the danger. Like, it's colorful the way a poison dart frog is, rather than the way flowers are. I think a good compromise has been struck, too, with how the models have been updated. The humanoid peoples have been cleaned up a bit, the monsters have largely been left untouched where possible to retain some of that uncanny valley effect. Including Master Quest was very polite, and boss rematches are very welcome additions, as are the Sheikah Stones as an unobtrusive Superguide.
(And I like Ganon's green blood, sue me. The censorship is more iconic to me than the original. Anyway, Ganon still gets stabbed in the brain, which is the far more important bit if violence to preserve)
Ocarina's still not a favorite, but if I ever got my hands on the 3DS version again, I'd enjoy the revisit. Certainly faired better than a lot of Zelda remakes, in my opinion.
Tangential anecdote, but when the hell else am I going to be able to say it - I named the main character "Lincoln" for this playthrough, since that's what "Link" is usually short for. I also happened to be summoned for jury duty in the middle of this playthrough. I very vividly remember pausing in the middle of the Water Temple in one of the courthouse waiting rooms to watch one of those training videos they make everyone in the jury pool watch to hype you up and get you ready to arbitrate some case. Between the video talking about performing civic duties over images of the American flag as well as Lincoln, the Hero of Time, I felt exceedingly patriotic that day.
So Ocarina has never been a runaway favorite for me, but it is comfort food, very much a game that I come back to every now and again for a cozy playthrough. I think most people focus on the incredible bombast of going on a grand adventure in a big 3D world, with stuff like Hyrule Field and the cover of the main Zelda theme and later Epona being the main images that people had with the game. Personally I always find myself thinking about the game's tonality and quiet sequences. Sheik of all characters ends up being a favorite during revisits, not something I'd expect since I basically have no opinion on Smash Bros. Sheik. He (he?) always gives some sort of melancholy gravity to sequences between his theme and his pondering monologue whenever you run into him. The game always seems to be reaching for things much bigger than what it's able to present, like that line in the Shadow Temple about "Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred", or the nature of the skull children. I think it's that sense of mystery as well to places like the Forest Temple and the Spirit Temple that draws me in.
I hold what I think are the usual criticisms for Ocarina, save one - I never had an issue with Water Temple (I don't love it, but I think it's more a meme than an actual issue). Otherwise, Gold Skulltulas are kinda BS in this game, Dodongo's Cavern is pretty nothing, Jabu Jabu's a fun idea but also tends to be a lot of nothing, Ganon's Tower is a bit short for all its build-up (certainly no NES Death Mountain), boot swapping is dumb...
...oh, right, this is supposed to be a review of Ocarina of Time 3D. Boot swapping is no longer dumb (and the bottles don't look like daggers).
OoT 3D is that rare example of a perfect remake, at least in my book. Grezzo cleaned up what they absolutely had to but largely left the original game untouched, warts and all. I imagine some people might prefer the grungier look you had as a result of the N64's more limited color palette, or the rougher earlier models, but I dunno. The colors here feel less like it's brightening up the world and more like it's highlighting the danger. Like, it's colorful the way a poison dart frog is, rather than the way flowers are. I think a good compromise has been struck, too, with how the models have been updated. The humanoid peoples have been cleaned up a bit, the monsters have largely been left untouched where possible to retain some of that uncanny valley effect. Including Master Quest was very polite, and boss rematches are very welcome additions, as are the Sheikah Stones as an unobtrusive Superguide.
(And I like Ganon's green blood, sue me. The censorship is more iconic to me than the original. Anyway, Ganon still gets stabbed in the brain, which is the far more important bit if violence to preserve)
Ocarina's still not a favorite, but if I ever got my hands on the 3DS version again, I'd enjoy the revisit. Certainly faired better than a lot of Zelda remakes, in my opinion.
Tangential anecdote, but when the hell else am I going to be able to say it - I named the main character "Lincoln" for this playthrough, since that's what "Link" is usually short for. I also happened to be summoned for jury duty in the middle of this playthrough. I very vividly remember pausing in the middle of the Water Temple in one of the courthouse waiting rooms to watch one of those training videos they make everyone in the jury pool watch to hype you up and get you ready to arbitrate some case. Between the video talking about performing civic duties over images of the American flag as well as Lincoln, the Hero of Time, I felt exceedingly patriotic that day.