After two solid days of Zelda gaming, N-Europe is as confused as ever as to which title brings the greatest gaming to the fore. We personally feel that the two titles are just too different to compare. It's like comparing Mario 64 to Paper Mario, both feature jumping but that's about it. What we DO know is that it created a divide. Many loved Majora for it's brashness, fresh direction and dark tone whilst others loved OoT for its innovation, immense world and breaking the mould mantra. Whatever the result we've thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and so we are going to wuss out and say each title cannot ever be pitted against each other. They are both fabulous titles in their own right. But both are very different beings indeed!

In a leafy glade in the Kokiri forest, Sheik tells us that time passes and people change, yet like a rivers flow this never ends. And with those immortal lines I realised that this summed up my Ocarina of Time experience. Ocarina of Time is that river, truly because it never ends once experienced. Ocarina of Time is timeless. The trouble is that experiencing OoT is the easy part. But conveying its brilliance seems almost impossible with mere words.

We know we set ourselves a mammoth task covering both OoT and Majoras Mask over the last two days, yet we’ve done our best to bring a fair, balanced opinion from all available angles. Furthermore, many plusses and minus’ which we discovered are currently evident in the mass amount of opinion we’ve received from you the readers. Undoubtedly, general opinion seems to sway towards the Majoras Mask’s camp. Yet after many hours of gaming my heart has firmly settled on Ocarina of Time. The reasons? Read on. Yet don’t think for one minute this heart isn’t aching. Both titles are “best-ever” games afterall.

One of the main reasons I chose OoT is that everyone who has played it has a story to tell. Everyone has a memory, a moment in which electronic euphoria was all they felt. For those that experienced OoT when it launched, it was THE title to experience. OoT came at the right time and in that regard you could compare it to Citizen Kane, The Beatles or even to Pong. OoT came at a time when technology and artistic/technological ability were at the perfect balancing point. Ok, so perhaps it could be argued that Mario 64 broke the mould but OoT (like the Beatles with Elvis) took a formula and added more flavour, more variety, more depth and more originality (born from its imitation) than anyone could have previously thought possible. As everyone was trying to catch up with Mario 64, Nintendo struck again with Zelda.

Yet what still amazes me about OoT is its accomplishment. Few titles had ever claimed to try anything as vast - and few titles (before and after) ever succeeded. No, the astounding thing about OoT wasn’t its finely tuned “traditional” gameplay elements, it was the success of bringing something of such scope, of such magnitude and of such consistency to the gaming world and doing it first-time. And catching everyone’s imaginations at the same time? Breathtaking.

Additionally, the N64's Hyrule undoubtedly holds up today. Each “area” is nicely tucked away around the main field and yet each area is hinted at in equal measure. There is also enough depth to make all sections feel colossal whilst reminding you that you are only experiencing a small area of the map. Each section of Hyrule also has a fine selection of weird and wonderful characters. I just know that those who have played Ocarina will remember every character in every town. For all of Majoras Mask’s diary/time mechanics, even now I can’t remember half of the characters. Surprisingly, for this very impression, OoT feels more alive (to me) than Majoras Mask does.

The thing is, I could talk about OoT everyday and never tire of it. Not only can you save the world, you can fish in a quiet pond or watch the sunset carve out the moon. The world truly is believable. Yet what really pushes OoT into completeness are the adult tones etched within its cart. The juxtaposition of leaving the safehouse of Kokiri forest to battle the big-bad world is perfectly (and sensitively) handled. The concept of growing up and regaining a lost childhood to the emotional impact seven long years can bring on the player is also handled with integrity and emotion. And finally the concept of destiny is what runs through the entire story. Destiny IS what all Zelda titles are about so, to me, Ocarina of Time has it all. Heck, even using the actual controller as a makeshift instrument still reeks of greatness.

And yes, Majoras Mask, with those epic boss encounters and innovative groundhog-day plot device is still darker, fresher and more alive than most titles will ever be. But for me, Ocarina of Time will forever hold a special place in my heart. A game in which is still the videogame that captured a million hearts.

Normally it would have been more painful to go back to these games after having played the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, but seeing as this has been a week of N64 love, I barely noticed that I was playing some old games. A nice find!

First the Worst

Standard setter for every single game that has been released since, Ocarina of Time is the game everyone looks back on with the fondest of memories. And why not? Because there are all those stand out moments like stepping out into Hyrule Field for the first time, becoming sworn brothers with Darunia, and jumping the broken bridge with Epona, Ocarina is at the forefront of many Zelda players' minds. So how does it all hold up today?

It's still a kick ass game but...it seemed a bit more boring and less epic than my young self thought. The charm is still there (like waking Talon up from his slumber outside Hyrule Castle) but if you take your rose tinted glasses off, the games not as perfect as you would have yourself remember. I enjoyed making a return, growing from young fairyless Kokiri to the Hero of Time... but dare I say it was sort of boring in places? It was like I was trying too hard to like it and to relive that Christmas OoT came out. You can see why Ocarina of Time is still so highly regarded, but I found I had to force myself to replay and I don't think I could fully enjoy it. I always loved the scene where you see Link's opening dream get played out. You arrive at the draw bridge, it opens and Zelda flees. Then Ganondorf Dragmire rides out on his black steed and asks you what you saw. Its all played out in the rain, and was always THE turning point in the game for me. Everyone knows the gravity of this scene... but this time round it was all a bit boring. Not much happened and it was over before I knew it.

The other few moments I had time to experience were also lacking in that old magic. Maybe it was because I was trying to force myself through the game a bit...or maybe it's actually not as good as we remember?

You can take my ocarina, but you'll never take my freeeeeedom!

Majora's Mask had the hard task of following in Ocarina of Time's near perfect footsteps. Many thought (and still think) it failed miserably, but you have to wonder if they played the game much at all. It picks up with young Link and Epona finding their way into an alternative universe- Termina. Some Skull Kid wearing a mask takes the Ocarina of Time off Link and turns him into a Deku Scrub. You lose everything, including Epona, and are left in a new body that you've never controlled before and you have a new fairy companion who would rather not be your companion at all. (Ed: Not the most traditional start to a title then!)

From the very start, things are turned on their head. As the Deku Scrub, you make your way to Clock Town where you find everyone you knew from the Hyrule in OoT, except they all have different names and lifestyles. You find that all is not as it seems either because with the power of Majora's Mask, the Skull Kid has pulled the moon from orbit and it's set to crash into Termina in just three days time and obliterate everything.

Like Ocarina, its a weird one to go back to and try to experience in a short period of time. The graphics are absolutely fine as it uses the expansion pak. Furthermore, it's always good to return to Termina and see everyone again because MM is so much more alive than OoT. Everyone goes about their daily routines and it's up to you to learn where people go and what they do and manage your time accordingly. Add all the surrealness to that and it's a recipe for success! I think MM is my favourite Zelda to date but it's perhaps an acquired taste. I think Link's Awakening is fantastic too, and they are both surreal games, both set in alternative universes.

There's no doubt though that Fierce Deity Link wins this battle of the Zelda 64's!

I'll say it: OOT may have come first, but even so, I still think MM is the better game.

Ocarina of Time did the traditional Zelda as well as anyone would have expected, but if you think about the game, it really is just like ALTTP but in 3D. ALTTP had already given us different height levels on a single screen, so the transition to a fully 3D game shouldn't have been as taxing design wise (i.e. the overworld, both versions, the dungeons and even the story) because the foundations were clearly already in place. On a technical level though, at it's point of release, it was unmatched by any console effort.

Majoras Mask (via the expansion pak) really surpassed OOT on a technical level and in terms of it's design. The changes MM made to it's dungeon design, the three day cycle as well as the actual impact this had on all of the NPC’s and locations was innovation at its purest. The changes caused to the land due to completion of temples aswell as the masks and the changes they made to you and the NPCs meant MM was a massive innovation in 3D gameplay.

I really believe that you could probably have a real good go at converting both OOT/WW and TP to a 2D plane (and be quite successful), but MM was such a leap that was only possible because of the hardware it was on. For me, that's what marks it out as the definitive 3D Zelda title.

Plus the PAL MM box art is greatest box art ever!

I'm going to get a lot of stick for this, but I always thought Ocarina of Time was the weakest of the 3D Zelda's. As it's the "classic" Zelda by which all others are judged by (for some arbitrary reason), it's become generic in my mind, and, in a smiliar vein to Goldeneye, it does nothing special for me.

Majora's Mask is very different from Ocarina (and therefore the "classic" Zelda mould) as it's much darker, with a much more apparent threat - the friggin' moon! The giant, fierce moon! It never felt as much of a chore as Ocarina, a factor helped greatly by Link's alternative forms, with the Deku (and it's weird cuteness) standing out for me.

Overall, Ocarina and Majora's Mask represent the boundary between old, retro games and the newer generations. Whilst not entirely surprising as Majora's Mask came late into the N64's life, in my mind it marks the point at which game's stories couldn't just be "generic (or) copycat”. They had to be something more. Something more compelling than saving Zelda from the same old threat.

I actually prefer Ocarina of Time. Not only was it an incredible revolution, feeling fresher than any game would ever feel (only Mario 64 could compare), I loved the scale of the quest, the ‘instant classic’ characters, the music mechanics, villages and... well, everything really! Not much can be said about a game that, after ten years is still considered by many as the best game ever. Ocarina of Time is, to this day, still a breathtaking testament to near-perfect game design.

Majora's Mask, (despite everyone at the time saying it was a carbon copy of OOT) managed to inovate imensely on a lot of core OOT aspects. The most obvious being the mask mechanic which added a lot of variety to the gameplay and the innovative three-day limit which created a feeling of urgency. Coupled with the notebook, this allowed for incredible gameplay with a focus on sidequests and original story situations - giving both depth and spotlight to many characters.

That quirky, dark mood is also unparalleled and is something that completly stands out, feeling fresh to this day. It's a game that managed to innovate again by mixing together very odd and distinct elements into an incredibly cohesive experience.

Despite all of this, there isn't a lot of credit given to the game outside of the "informed" gaming world and none of the special attributes given to Link were ever seen again (in any game), for better or for worse. With that said, I still prefer Ocarina of Time, but there's no reason to pit both games together and say which one's the best, each title is a winner in my eyes!

With some interesting viewpoints given today we have to ask, would Majoras Mask be impossible in 2D? And did Majoras Mask pave the way for more mature story telling within the Zelda universe?

Join us tomorrow as we unveil our OOT vs MM impressions to the world. One day isn’t enough to save Termina and the girl!