Expectations for the Zelda series reached unimaginable highs with the release of the Ocarina of Time. Nintendo's flagship game was met with approbation beyond the reach of anything that had gone before. Cries of “The best game ever” rang from all around, and even very recently, at a recent signing session held by the creative genius behind Nintendo, ¾ of everyone who attended brought with them that black and gold box, hoping to have it adorned with the signature of the game's creator. So when the N64 retired and the GameCube took over the roost the Zelda franchise once again hit the limelight, only this time for an altogether less positive reason. Critics, for what appeared to be nothing more that the game's visual diversion from its revered predecessor, slated it relentlessly, to quote an old saying, “you can't please all the people all the time”. Or perhaps you can…

Opinions, by definition, are a subjective thing. In the opinion of most people reading this the following game is an update of the greatest piece of electronic entertainment ever created. The “Master Quest”, as it has been dubbed, is “The Ocarina of Time” for those who have played the N64 masterpiece back onto the shelf, with a degree of rearrangement in the dungeons and altered item placement to avoid the re-release tag. Visually this game is very nearly identical to its predecessor, with minimal enhancements made to the resolution, resulting in less pixelation. Without being too critical it's certainly worth mentioning that the GameCube controller was not designed with recreating N64 gameplay as a high priority, therefore The Master Quest plays somewhat less intuitively than OOT. However, that's not to say this game is totally void of the instinctive link you have with… Erm, Link, for this minor imperfection you will still be enjoying by far the best gameplay the GameCube has to offer (as of yet).

None of the immersion of the original has been lost, and the deliciously playable mini games remain. That was, for me at least, part of the joy of the original, the way in which it delights and amazes long after you've banished Ganondorf. Like I've already said, alterations withstanding, you will be enjoying this game for the same reasons you enjoyed OOT; riding majestically over Hyrule field as a pink sun emerges from the misty Eastern Horizon, searching out every last one of the skulltullas scattered throughout the world, finally snagging that goddamn Hyrule Loach with the Sinking lure after battling with it for half an hour. When looking back at the Ocarina of time my response is always an emotional one, a mixture of wonder, awe and loneliness, the isolation you feel as you undergo this massive game alone. It's all still there, and it's the reason why this is more than a game to everyone who has played it, and has loved it. Perhaps they genuinely don't make them like they used to?

The biggest change has been made to the dungeon interiors; puzzles have been rearranged and even changed completely to please those desiring a taste of something different. Without wanting to give too much away, items that are necessary to progress through the dungeons are not only made redundant for that particular section, but are absent altogether, and can be found somewhere later on in the game when and where they are needed. Although this is novel it doesn't really affect the quality positively or negatively. What can be said for this game is that the average difficulty of the puzzles within the dungeons has been upped considerably. For a ballpark completion time you're looking at between 20 and 30 hours, depending on how well honed your puzzle solving skills are. To be perfectly blunt the appeal of this game lies not in its difficulty, but in its exploitation of the rose tinted spectacles well shall all be wearing when it finds its way onto the shelves. I can't imagine any semi-sentimental GameCube owner not breaking out into a nostalgic smile when they relive the timeless joys of the most superb human achievement since space travel. That could be the first exaggeration of this games quality to date… Meh, if you aren't looking forward to this you really don't have any idea, go and play with a yo-yo.