SNES - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Haiku-Review:

recall the adage -
keep in hand: Moon Pearls; don't turn
into a bunny

Additional Comments:

Having grown up with the NES, it is interesting to say that I managed to skip over the early games in the Zelda franchise without even so much as a wink of desire to play them. I know that's a pretty rare statement, but as I said in my post for the original Legend of Zelda, they just never really piqued my interest, especially since I was such a fan of games revolving around side-scrolling action. Then came along A Link to the Past, and my opinion of the Zelda games was completely uprooted. First it was the commercials. The "wow factor" tactics that the commercials utilized were incredibly effectual, and the stunning visuals just grabbed me. I still remember seeing those LTTP-style Hylian trees for the first time - their beauty just made you want to weep.

However, as amazing as those commercials were, I sadly did not come to own or play this game for a number of years. I guess their tactics were just an inch shy of perfection. Actually, with the arrival of Nintendo's shitbox - the Nintendo 64 - I jumped the fence without hesitation and became an avid consumer of Sony's new toy on the block, the PS1. With my dismay over the N64, I sort of lost touch with Nintendo's games, only bothering to play those favorites of my youth, such as Super Mario Bros. 3 or F-Zero. It wasn't until sometime in the late 90s, after discussing video games with a friend and mentioning how I had never played a Zelda game, he let me borrow A Link to the Past. As soon as I got home, I popped the game into my console and never looked back. Holy crap, I can't even begin to describe my initial impressions of the game - how incredible it was, how much fun it was...how...how much I couldn't believe this is what I was missing out on all those years. I spent every waking moment for the next three or four days trying to figure out puzzles, fighting Ganon's hordes of swarthy creatures and just generally exploring the beautiful Hylian countryside. My one and only trip up during that initial playthrough was when I had to dig up the ocarina. Somehow, I either missed or ignored the text explaining where I should dig, and ended up spending a few hours digging holes across all of Hyrule. Boy, did I feel like an idiot when I finally found it. Otherwise, discounting that single hitch, I managed the game rather easily on my first try and enjoyed every single minute of it; vaguely remembering the last time I had that much fun on an initial playthough of any game prior. And still to this day I'm not sure - SMB3 and Mega Man 3 are probably the only games I can genuinely think of in those regards.

Since that time, I've played and beaten LTTP numerous times and still love the game just as much. Interestingly, despite its "puzzle" mechanics, the puzzles never grow dull or tiresome. Although the solution is readily apparent, after years of play, I still enjoy figuring each and every puzzle out. Somehow, this game managed to make the puzzles timeless, which is definitely no easy feat. I can't explain how or why that is, but it certainly lends to its overall enthralling nature.

As far as the series is concerned, and out of those titles that I've actually put a concerted effort into playing, A Link to the Past is my second favorite of the series - just barely squeezed off the top step by Wind Waker. I know Wind Waker's a controversial pick, but for me, everything in that game is just spot on while managing to take a step back from the typical Zelda setting. But my thoughts on Wind Waker are for another time. However, despite being toppled by Wind Waker, the one element that I think LTTP managed to execute with absolute perfection is the item usage versus the overworld's puzzle architecture. True, most every game that followed LTTP handled overworld puzzles with near equal finesse, they never felt as genuine. To me, it seemed like the designers crafted LTTP's overworld with every single item in mind - knowing full well when items became available as well as when certain areas would/should become available. As such, they were able to create a complex overworld, as far as incorporating unique item puzzles, while still retaining an overall natural progression and feel throughout. Subsequent games, however, always felt like they had their overworlds designed first without any inclination as far as what might be included in the game outside of the common items seen throughout the franchise, like bombs or the hookshot. Then, once the game came into focus regarding the overall mechanics, the designers returned to the overworld and either modified small, congested areas in which they could place an item puzzle, or just outright tacked on an unnecessary element, thus discarding any sort of natural cohesion between landscape and puzzle.

And speaking of franchise comparisons, I know Ocarina of Time is often tagged as the most revolutionary of the Zelda games. Personally, beyond turning the series into a faux first person design, I disagree. Ok, there's more to it than that, and I admit that OoT did wonders for the series, but in my opinion, it was A Link to the Past that really set the stage for the fundamental mechanics of how a Zelda game should operate. Sure there's elements in LTTP that can trace their roots to the original Legend of Zelda, such as the boomerang or heart containers or the Master Sword etc., but I don't feel like they had any sort of inherent weight or meaning until LTTP came along. It's sort of hard to explain in words I guess, and I know my argument sounds hollow. Hmm, to put it another way: I sort of envision LoZ was created out of a mesh of random, undefined elements - sort of like a giant pile of "things," ie your dungeons, enemies, items, currency and so on. Basically, a lot of stuff that they eventually molded into a world, although rather haphazardly like a puzzle that doesn't quite fit together. Then came along Zelda II where it seems like they tried to remove that feeling of improvised creation, except they roughened up the edges around the rest of the game as a result - the puzzle pieces now fit, but for what purpose. With the third installment, suddenly everything just made sense. Everything had a clearly defined role and was well represented no matter where it appeared in the game. This is the big breakthrough that I think defined the series - not the eventual 360° total world interaction that OoT eventually introduced. I know it sounds odd to call that an innovation, or as I think of it, the innovation, but to me, this is the game that laid the proper groundwork for everything that was to follow - not the original LoZ and not OoT. Oh, and before anyone bothers bringing it up, no, my opinions of OoT are NOT influenced by my obvious hatred of the N64. Ocarina of Time is a fantastic game - it's the system that's a total letdown. In fact, I first played OoT on the GameCube with the Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition disc, so yea, the N64 never even had a chance to influence my impression of the game. Hell, I didn't even see the game until I bought the GameCube edition.

Anyways, enough quibbling over which is the best or which is the most revolutionary. It's all conjecture when you come down to the nitty gritty I suppose. But that doesn't stop me from stating my belief that A Link to the Past feels like a near perfect game, not just in the scope of the Zelda franchise or within the SNES library, but in the vast video gaming empire in general. From the ease and fluidity of the mechanics, to the beautifully drawn graphics, to the enchanting soundtrack and the intricate, yet solvable puzzle design, this game just nailed it.

And yea, as far as music, who wouldn't love the soundtrack? Whether it's the charming Kakariko Village, the ominous Cave, or the snooty Hyrule Castle, the music is finely crafted and an absolute joy to listen to. No matter the location, the soundtrack properly represents the involved emotion or intended atmosphere.

Nano...what?:

Chris Houlihan room what?

Rating: 5 bunnies out of 5

TG16 - Blazing Lazers

Haiku-Review:

accepting lasers
as an admirable weapon
is it possible?

Additional Comments:

Wait, so there's actually an STG that has a decent laser? Incredible, but it's true!

What's funny is that a while back Sven and I were joking about how in most platformers or STG's, lasers, though cool by admission, are just completely useless weapons. True, their power is typically unmatched by any other weapon, but their speed, range, or rate of fire is just atrocious. Our conversation stemmed from an opinionated afterthought regarding Contra III by another friend of mine who believed that the laser was by far the best weapon in the game. Well, for me, the laser is the one weapon in that game that I will deliberately go out of my way to avoid, as if it were the plague. There is nothing that will bring that game to a sudden, grinding halt like attaining the dreaded laser - might as well just jump off a cliff and start the game over. Now, maybe I'm being a little harsh by grossly stereotyping the mass assembly of light-emitted weaponry, but let's face it, there's a definite commonality going on here - a slow-firing burst of absolute power - and for fast paced games, it's a guaranteed failure. I don't know, is the trade-off for power really warranted? As someone who will always choose speed or maneuverability over brute strength; that's a big emphatic no. Basically, what we're dealing with here is the Bowser or DK of the shoot 'em up world.

So what's all this about a decent laser if you're so quick to slander the thing? Well, I have to admit, not all lasers are created equal. Somewhere out there is a game that managed to turn the laser into an absolute badass of a weapon, and that game's name is Blazing Lazers. Heck, it's in their name! This game rewrote the book on laser mechanics in an STG. Not only is it an amazing weapon, it's quite possibly the best weapon! (Or damn near close - I have to admit, I still prefer the spread shot, which I'll explain my reasons later on.) So how can this possibly be? STG's, especially space shooters, typically contain the same set of weaponry, so even if you've only ever played one - like an R-Type or Gradius, you're still able to ascertain what kind of weapons will be available: a basic single shot gun and/or rapid succession variety, some form of spread shot, a shield, an assist, and possibly some sort of homing missile. Did I forget anything? Oh yea, a laser - and don't forget the disgust. Ugh....

With most shooters, I will usually grab the spread shot or homing missile and refuse to budge an inch regarding alternate choices. However, with Blazing Lazers, once I understood the weapon and upgrade system, I found the laser to be the prime choice since it too has somewhat of a spread effect. Sure enough, the rate of fire was down compared to the other weapons, but the way the lasers snaked across the screen, the slow ROF was barely noticeable, especially when paired up with a couple of assists. And who doesn't like assists? Myself, I try to use them as much as possible, that is until I realized the benefit of the firepower enhancement. Holy shit! Coupled with the laser and you've got yourself one badass mother. Firepower will turn the laser into a homing snake of evisceration that contains at least twice the firepower of any other weapon in the game. However, it does come with it's limitations. Unfortunately, firepower will return your laser to a single beam; therefore removing the illusion of a decent rate of fire. Back to the drawing board. Or is it?

My personal opinion, or at least what I found worked the best: the firepower enhanced laser works best for the first half of the game while a firepowered enhanced spread shot worked best for the second half, especially the last two stages. Seriously, I wouldn't recommend using anything but the spread shot for the last two stages, which I didn't realize until my playthrough on Hard mode. And despite Hard being far more difficult than Normal, the last two stages were a cakewalk as I blazed through them with the spread shot. Actually, on my first playthrough which was on Normal, Area 8 just frustrated and confused me to no end. There are sooo many bubbles! And they are everywhere!! During my Hard playthrough, I eventually found that you can pretty much ride the right edge the entire time and avoid everything - well, almost the entire time, and besides, the later difficulties chose to prove me wrong. But as far as Area 9 is concerned, sit at the top of the screen with a full power spread shot and you're golden - no matter the difficulty setting.

Ok, so Areas 8 and 9 turned out to be easy once I figured them out. Areas 3, 5 and 7 on the other hand - goddamn! Those levels are brutal!! Now, a sort of self-imposed challenge I've always tried to abide by in STG's is to complete the game without using bombs. Of course, it never works, and this game is no different. In these three stages, I found myself spamming bombs like there was no tomorrow. Seriously, without the aid of bombs, I don't know how or if you can even fight your way through them. Fortunately, Areas 4 and 6 were well deserved breathers where I could stock any lost weapons or bombs. In fact, I completely strategized my latter playthroughs around this knowledge - all my war efforts being geared towards Areas 3, 5 and 7. And I knew that once I completed Area 7, the rest of the game was gravy.

As far as music, it's usually hit or miss when it comes to STG's. For me, Blazing Lazers came through and had a fairly good repertoire of music. Some of my favorites were Area 5, Area 6 and Area 8 (heh, Area 8's  music just added to the general kookiness that is Area 8). And hey, the Ending Theme's not too bad either.

And finally, as a TurboGrafx-16 game, what can I say? The game is fantastic. Not only, that, but the graphics were amazing. I know I keep promoting the system in a more than favorable light, but the system just keeps astounding me, even with its mediocre titles like Legendary Axe. I'm curious to see how Blazing Lazers compares to its Japanese counterpart, Gunhed, though from what I understand, there's really no difference at all. Either way, Hudson managed to make a brilliant game.

Nano-Rant:

There is something that really bothers me about this game though. The lack of difficulty modes. Seriously, what kind of STG decides to forgo difficulty modes? But wait, didn't you mention various difficulty modes in your above comments? Ok, you got me.

Let me explain. After my first playthrough, I was sort of left questioning as too whether or not I ran the full gambit of the game. I found it curious that there was no options screen upon startup, but figured it was one of those situations where a new difficulty will open up after you beat the current mode. Nope. Well, I'll be damned. But then I find out you can access a hidden menu by mashing the I and II buttons repeatedly while holding Mode (or whatever NEC calls the Select button - wait, is it actually called Select? I forget) where you can set the difficulty between Normal and Hard. But wait, there's more. Inside the secret menu, you can  mash the same set of buttons while highlighting one of the aforementioned modes to bring up another, yet harder, mode - but you've got to do so for both modes if you want both of the additional "bonus" modes.

What the hell? Why is the difficulty menu such a pain in the ass to find? I can understand if you had to mash a bunch of buttons on the opening screens to find a debug menu or access some sort of cheat, but to make the game harder? Maybe I'm missing something. But then, what I really want to know: why can't you just press Run to exit the difficulty menu? Why do I need to press a combination of buttons!? Sure, it's only two, but come on, this is totally unnecessary. After finding out how to access the menu, I spent five minutes mashing buttons just trying to get out. Arrghhh!!!!!

Rating: 4.5 floating brains out of 5