Before I start, please note this is my opinion. Don’t start flaming if you don’t agree please, everyone has different opinions.

I was thinking about my favourite games from a lot of popular games series the other day, and I realised that a lot of them do not actually follow the normal opinions of an average gamer. Here they are:

Final Fantasy – IX

Always has been my favourite… well since it was released. The story, characters and world I found incredible. No doubt VII was awesome, but it really didn’t entertain me as much as IX! The soundtrack I loved, the cinematics were great… in fact its hard to find anything bad with the game at all. The character progression, especially that of Vivi’s, was nothing short of brilliant.

The Legend Of Zelda – Wind Waker

I don’t know why, but as soon as I picked this game up, I knew it was epic. The boat, the islands, the amount of secrets, and the general size of the game was incredible for its time. I enjoyed the new graphics.. so what if they were cartoony?? I had a lot of fun on the N64 with Ocarina of Time, but not on the scale of Wind Waker

. To be honest, I think I preferred Majora’s Mask to Ocarina of Time. It offered a new style of gameplay. Wind Waker was one of the only things Nintendo managed to do right on the Gamecube!

Pokemon – Silver

Not too controversial. Many people usually say Red/Blue. I liked Silver. I’m not afraid to say it. The map was bigger, the number of creatures and bigger, and it was in colour. How can people say it wasn’t a better game, when it pretty much had the old game on it anyway!

Halo – 1 (Combat Evolved)

Forget the Multiplayer… it bores me. Story, you could not beat Halo: Combat Evolved. It had something Halo 2 and 3 didn’t, and I just don’t know what it was. It was something new. Exciting, and hadn’t been done before. The expectations for 2 and 3 were just so high that it was ruined for me. I would easily put Halo Wars, and ODST before 2 and 3. There are very few games that can call themselves system sellers, but Halo: Combat Evolved was one of them.

Grand Theft Auto – Vice City

If I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of GTA at all. I think the series is overhyped completely, as proven by GTA4. Vice City entertained me the longest out of all in the series, but it was by no means “epic”.

Super Mario – Sunshine

Call me crazy, but I loved Sunshine. Mario 64 was a great game, no doubt, but there was something about Sunshine. They new FLUDD machine fitted into the game great, as did the characters and enemies. I like the “Summery” feel to it… too many games these days are dark. If I’m being honest, I hated Mario Galaxy. I completed it, and did not feel compelled at all to go around and get all the stars after. The story didn’t deliver, neither did the new style of game play.

Mario Kart – Double Dash

Most people will say Wii, SNES or N64, I say Double Dash. It added a new element, a co-op experience to the game, which I liked. It never lost its single player appeal either though.

Call of Duty – 4: Modern Warfare

Surely this one is not controversial!! First, let me say that I have pretty much loved all games in the CoD series… even WaW. A lot of people criticise WaW for it’s slacky campaign, but I loved it. The problem was, it was never going to beat CoD4. Put it against the likes of other WW2 games, and it easily beats them. CoD4 was not over-hyped, so when it arrived, it was a huge surprise of just how good it was. The multiplayer offered a lot. The single player story was mint.

Tony Hawks – Pro Skater 3

One of my first PS2 games. Everything about this game kept me playing until the release of the 360. The soundtrack. The maps. And the different tasks. I loved it!

Splinter Cell – The Original

All Splinter Cells, after the original one were a let down. I’m hoping that Conviction will change this.

Mario Party – 2

This game entertained me for hours, and was the first true game that I could simultaneously have fun with 3 other friends. The mini-games were entertaining, and even with better graphics, newer Mario Party’s just have not appealed to me like 2 did.

Super Smash Bros. – 64

This game was so good, that I still play it even today. I own Super Smash Bros on the Gamecube and Wii, but there is one thing that makes this game better than them. Hyrule Castle! I loved that level, just not the remakes of it. The game is also a lot less complicated that it is today. The amount of characters on the Wii and Gamecube versions just simply clutter the screen. Simple is better!

Resident Evil – 4

This game truly showed the meaning of horror. Resident Evil 5 might be a good game, but there is no real fear in it. It’s predecessors were good games as well.

FIFA – 10

Before 09, I would have said 2003. But in the past couple of years, FIFA has upped its game (excuse the pun). The realism now is amazing. Online play is great, and there is nothing better than getting a load of mates around to have a tournament.

Star Wars – Rogue Squadron

I used to love this. I thought I was an X-Wing fighter pilot!! Not really, but it was that good. The missions were meaningful. The graphics were good. It took you into major battles in the Star Wars series. One of the best games of the N64.

Need for Speed – Underground 2

One of the best ever PS2 games, Underground 2 brought a new, fantastic free-roam to the NFS franchise. Recent Need for Speed games, in my opinion, just have not lived up to the experience I got from this game.

Guitar Hero – 3

This game has the best soundtrack out of all of them. There was nothing much new added to the game really. Guitar Hero is Guitar Hero after all.

It’s not uncommon for me, especially knowing how rarely I’m actually able to purchase new games, to go back to old titles and play them through again. If the game is a favourite, I might play it over a dozen times and get half decent at it, like with Banjo-Kazooie or with Donkey Kong Country. Other times I just try to see whether a great game holds up after my initial hype for it has settled. I hope to play through games like Bioshock and Resident Evil 4 again in this manner later to see whether they have held up for me, but this particular time I wanted to go back to another critically acclaimed game that many may see as the best of all time.

It's hard not to sit and pause on this screen when I play today

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time holds quite a few memories for me. I myself didn’t get an N64 for a long time after it was released, but I did get to see OoT at the time it was released. It was one of my first game experiences, and was really mesmerising and yet at the time I did not feel worthy of playing it myself – it was enough to sit back in awe watching someone else grasp the controls and explore its vast lands.

One of these situations would be in a shopping centre kiosk behind an older boy who seemed reluctant to give up the controller to anyone. I didn’t mind, even if he had lost himself in the Deku Tree and didn’t seem very good at games at all. The other occasion I got to see a bit more of the game, and was at a local holiday care centre since both my parents worked full time. I remember watching older kids of about eleven or twelve riding around Hyrule on Epona; I remember a really awesome looking boss fight with Twinrova in the Spirit Temple, and I remember the older kids sighing after the caretakers forced the controller on me during the Ganondorf fight since nobody was getting a fair turn. I didn’t want to play, watching was fine. It was just one of those games that had that sort of effect on you.

I didn’t play through the game myself until the rerelease on the Gamecube in 2003 packaged alongside Windwaker. Despite the graphics and some of the controls and gameplay mechanics being a little dated, it still played brilliantly and hooked me from beginning to end. There was a tonne of stuff to do in sidequests too, and while I completed a few of these, a lot of them went unfinished as I got distracted with playing newer titles from that year. I could never really conceive any true feelings for the game after giving it up prematurely – while it remained a favourite I never thought of it as highly as some of my other top games. It was a fantastic game, yes, but when others brought it up as the best game ever there was this strange sense of doubt in the back of my mind that I couldn’t shake. I needed to play it again with a fresh mind to know exactly what I thought of it.

Let’s jump back to the present again now, enough of this remeniscing bullshit. I’ve just beaten the Spirit Temple again and I’m trying to go back and collect the heart pieces and skultulas that I missed before, finish the sidequests I neglected. Truth be told, I’m having a blast, and while I’m shamed to admit I haven’t played enough of the Zelda games as I should have, this is my favourite by far. But then, if I take away my perception of favourite games and try and look at this objectively, it’s easy to see now why so many would consider this a contender for best game of all time. Ocarina of Time has been crafted really well, and if you’re able to look past a crude exterior in terms of appearance and controls today, if you take a chance to not be so shallow, you’ll see that everything here has held up brilliantly. Not only that, but it’s shaped a lot of the other titles developed today with its puzzles and mechanics, which at the time were a real leap.

While it’s not a top favourite for everyone, I think it’s really hard to hate Ocarina of Time completely unless you’re unable to appreciate classics in general or can’t appreciate multiple genres. I have talked to a couple who seem to have liked Majora’s Mask and despised OoT due to the lack of sidequests and things to do outside of the main story, which is a bit confusing. The game had a really powerful and gripping storyline, and the sidequests were really just afterthoughts which added to the overall experience, so if you’re looking for sidequests alone then this probably isn’t the right genre for you at all. But hey, I guess every game has to have a few haters, you can never please everyone.

I guess, in the end, it’s games and experiences like these that make you realise how influential Shigeru Miyamoto has been on the industry over the past three decades, and perhaps wonder what things are going to be like when he finally stops making them, whether that be from retirement (yeah, right) or finally passing on. Sure, there’s a lot of good designers out there able to make some top quality games, but I doubt we’ll ever uncover another personality that comes close to Mr Miyamoto, at least, not any time soon.

Por Barry Burton

Majora’s Mask é o segundo episódio mais controverso da série Zelda. Enquanto Zelda 2: Link’s Adventure para o NES alegremente carrega o selo de “ovelha negra” estampado em sua caixa (o que não o faz ser um jogo ruim, apenas “desviado”), a segunda aventura de Link no Nintendo 64 é visto ou como grande decepção ou como maravilhoso, quase um ame ou odeie. Talvez o maior fardo dele seja ter vindo logo depois de Ocarina of Time, que fez com que muitos esperassem uma “superação”, sem estarem preparados para algo “diferente”.

Pois é isso que Majora é: diferente. Para começar, não há Zelda no roteiro principal. Ela faz uma ponta (pontinha), mas apenas isso. Não há Ganon. Não há Hyrule. Há pouquíssimas dungeons. Apesar de muito disso ter sido feito no também excepcional Link’s Awakening para Game Boy Color, a diferença de proposta não era tão aparente. E isso nota-se nos primeiros minutos do game, quando você vê Link se transformando em um Deku Scrub – aqueles monstros-planta com cara triste que cospem sementes -, fazendo com que ele perca toda a sua pose de herói. Mas não é apenas na jogabilidade que se nota a diferença: o clima é totalmente sombrio; a transformação é pertubadora e dolorosa; as músicas são notavelmente melancólicas; o inimigo, Skull Kid, veste uma máscara assustadora e é perverso, mau, cruel, mesquinho, bem diferente do posudo e ambicioso Ganondorf. Até mesmo a fada que acompanha o herói não é mais a bondosa (e irritante) Navi, de Ocarina of Time, e sim Tatl, que é arrogante, provocadora e oportunista, além de ter um nome impronunciável.

Isso tudo ocorre no começo do jogo. Estava Link feliz da vida andando em Lost Woods à procura de alguém muito querido que havia ido embora (Navi?), quando de repente Skull Kid assusta sua égua Epona, fazendo com que Link caia e bata a cabeça, desmaiando. Revistando o garoto, o pequeno demônio da floresta encontra a Ocarina do Tempo, roubando-a para si. Link acorda e tenta pegá-la de volta, mas o Skull Kid é ágil e monta Epona, roubando dois valiosíssimos pertences do moleque-herói. Numa frustrada perseguição, Link acaba caindo em um buraco que parece não ter fim, mas tomou o caminho da esquerda para não entrar no País das Maravilhas. Pois antes tivesse entrado, já que o Skull Kid estava onde Link cai, preparando um terrível feitiço que transforma o simpático garoto em um também simpático, porém triste Deku Scrub. Após uma desavença entre as duas fadas-irmãs que acompanhavam Skull Kid, que foge rindo de sua travessura, Link consegue sair do buraco, com o já tradicional e muito bem implementado tutorial-resolva-pequenas-tarefas de jogos da Nintendo. No caminho, encontra um estranho vendedor de máscaras, que sabe muito mais do que aparenta. Ele lhe diz que você está em um mundo chamado Termina e que a máscara que o Skull Kid estava usando era a Máscara de Majora – um artefato demoníaco que deveria ter sido destruído há tempos. Ele também lhe fala algo bem pertinente: o mundo será destruído em três dias por um asteróide gigantesco (e com um rosto ameaçador) que está descendo vagarosamente graças ao Skull Kid, e você só tem esse tempo para resolver seus problemas. O que claramente é impossível.

Evitando spoilers, após finalmente recuperar sua Ocarina (que é um tanto diferente nas mãos do Deku Scrub), é dado a você o poder de voltar o tempo, exatamente no ponto em que pôs os pés pela primeira vez nesse bizarro mundo. O vendedor também usa – e lhe ensina – uma música com poderes curativos, que aplacam distúrbios na alma da pessoa que ouve, fazendo com que o feitiço do Skull Kid se materialize fisicamente em uma máscara. Enquanto muito interessante quando analisado dessa forma, do ponto de vista de “um jogador de Zelda” esse curto início é radicalmente diferente de todos os outros jogos da série, além de ser de certa forma difícil de se resolver, e infelizmente isso afastou muita gente dessa fantástica obra de arte.

Continue lendo após o pulo!

Esse prelúdio ilustra muito bem o restante do jogo. Todo o ambiente é opressivo, o jovem herói de Hyrule é desconhecido e visto com desprezo por muitos, não é um “salvador” ou “predestinado”, não tem seu trabalho reconhecido, é passado para trás com freqüência e, quando finalmente consegue a confiança de alguém, é obrigado a voltar no tempo e ver que todos o ignoram novamente. Link não é ninguém em Termina.

Falando em pessoas, esse é de longe o ponto mais interessante do jogo. Logo no prelúdio você consegue um livro chamado Bombers’ Notebook, no qual Link anota as pessoas que possuem problemas em Termina. Um interessantíssimo padrão de vida foi construído para todos os personagens nesses três dias, e o que você faz ou deixa de fazer com eles altera, às vezes drasticamente, todo o planejamento de vida deles. É uma adição muito bem realizada e por muitas vezes até poética, levando em conta que os personagens não “sabem” que você “sabe” o que vai acontecer com eles. Resolver essas tarefas lhe renderá máscaras, pedaços de coração e outros itens, em inúmeras sidequests. A bem da verdade, esse é o Zelda mais voltado às sidequests, e pode-se afirmar que 75% da diversão do jogo está em resolver as trocentas tarefas “inúteis”, porém muito bem encaixadas na trama, todas divertidas e nunca repetitivas, e garanto: algumas vão fundir sua cabeça de tão complicadas. Felizmente, quase nenhuma quest é absolutamente necessária para se fechar o jogo, mas deixá-las para trás é como comer só a massa do bolo, largando o recheio e a cobertura de lado.

O controle de Link é exatamente o mesmo que você encontrou em Ocarina of Time, com algumas perfumarias. Uma ampla gama de movimentos graças à adição dos engenhosos “botão de ação de contexto”, que lhe diz qual ação você pode realizar ao se apertar o botão “A” e o sistema de trava de mira, que permite que um inimigo nunca saia de sua vista, ao mesmo tempo que lhe oferece a opção de esquiva, corte lateral horizontal e outras coisas. Link agora é um astro de filme chinês, realizando cambalhotas e mortais ao saltar automaticamente de penhascos, mas isso é apenas legal, não afetando nada da jogabilidade, diretamente. Esta que continua um luxo, praticamente perfeita e servindo para as diversas opções de jogo, como cavalgar, atirar flechas, tirar fotos etc., sem nunca parecer que algo foi mal implementado.

As 24 máscaras cumprem um papel muito mais importante pra narrativa do que as vistas em Ocarina of Time. Muitas delas terão um papel secundário, tendo que ser usadas apenas uma vez ou duas para a resolução de algum puzzle, enquanto outras são interessantes adições na jogabilidade, como a que permite que Link se locomova duas vezes mais rápidas que o normal. Porém, três delas são de fundamental importância: as que lhe permitem tornar-se algumas das criaturas clássicas da série. Dessa forma, você pode ser o já citado Deku Scrub, que é fraco e vulnerável ao fogo, mas pode cuspir bolhas, “saltitar” na água e planar usando flores num controle um tanto estranho, mas eficiente; o Goron, a criatura que come pedras, é grande, forte, lerda e adora rolar no melhor estilo Sonic (e melhor mesmo, já que o controle de seu “spindash” é muito melhor resolvido que os do ouriço em jogos 3D); e o Zora, o ser aquático com cabeça de peixe que executa golpes ninja a lá Bruce Lee e possui uma incrível habilidade sob a água, em uma das mais espetaculares experiências de jogo que acontece quando se mergulha no mar de Termina (experimente nadar ao entardecer para se ter uma idéia… nunca nadar foi tão prazeroso em um jogo!). Detalhe para a impressionante expressão de agonia que link demonstra ao vestir uma dessas máscaras, com um grito assustador e um clima de desespero angustiante. Aliás, voltando ao assunto “tema sombrio”, vale ressaltar que há uma forma de deixar Link adulto. Porém, nunca antes ele pareceu tão agressivo ou maldoso. Dark Link que se cuide!

Um ponto que pode incomodar àlgumas pessoas é a reciclagem na cara dura de diversas faixas musicais e personagens inteiros de Ocarina of Time. Embora a animação e a textura de tudo ter melhorado bastante, não há como negar que seria melhor personagens totalmente novos, já que se trata de outro mundo. E as músicas adicionais não são muito impressionantes também, além de muitos temas serem repetidos à exaustão, apenas com arranjos diferentes. outro ponto é a quantidade limitada de dungeons, quatro, muito pequena se comparada aos anteriores que tinham uma média de nove. Tudo bem que elas estão entre as melhores dungeons da série, algumas dificílimas (Great Bay Temple), e outras, por falta de palavra melhor, geniais (Stone Tower Temple, talvez a melhor dungeon de todos os tempos). Os chefes também são muito bem trabalhados, possuem diversos ataques e alguns são bem difíceis de se combater, porém estão entre os maiores e mais bonitos já vistos. Inclusive o quarto deles chega a superar em tamanho alguns dos maiores colossi de Shadow of the Colossus – e você enfrenta dois AO MESMO TEMPO!

Talvez o único grande problema do jogo seja o seu sistema de save. Para tal, você deve tocar uma música que o faz voltar ao ponto em que entrou em Termina. Essa é a única forma de salvar seu progresso no jogo (existe um quicksave, mas este se apaga ao dar load game), e ela faz com que você perca todos os seus itens acumuláveis (bombas, flechas, dinheiro etc), podendo irritar o jogador algumas vezes, levando em conta que às vezes você está já no terceiro dia mas cometeu um erro ou simplesmente não vai conseguir passar da dungeon antes da destruição. É claro que isso é muito interessante sob o ponto de vista da história ou do clima opressor que o jogo oferece, mas realmente pode incomodar algumas vezes.

Não espere outro Ocarina of Time de Majora’s Mask. A mudança de direção do jogo de Miyamoto para Aounuma só enriqueceu a experiência de Zelda, que mudou drasticamente muitos aspectos da série, deixando-a bem mais opressiva, desafiadora, melancólica e sombria. Não que um seja melhor que o outro, mas é bom ver que a Nintendo não tem medo de mudar as fórmulas de suas franquias de vez em quando. Talvez a disparidade desse jogo com os outros seja muito maior que a de Wind Waker, que só teve seu visual diferenciado, enquanto a temática heróica se manteve. Majora’s Mask é um jogo incrivelmente profundo. Você irá imergir em Termina quando começar a descobrir a história única de cada personagem, quando souber que pode ajudar as pessoas ou não, e que Link não ganhará reconhecimento algum com isso. E adicionando um interessantíssimo adendo à série, pode-se controlar raças extremamente adversas ao já tradicional herói, seja com o gigante Goron, o esguio Zora ou o desajeitado Deku Scrub. A qualidade da série se mantém altíssima nesse incrível, embora não para todos, episódio da série.

Como ya lo había comentado anteriormente hace poco me encontré jugando esta joyita menos preciada llamada La leyenda de Zelda Majoras Mask .La verdad que es un juego espectacular desde que empieza, este te coloca exactamente después de La Leyenda de Zelda y la Ocarina del Tiempo, (desafortunados los que no lo han jugado esta hermosura de juego) pero ahora no es Zelda la princesa que esta en apuros de echo solo aparece un instante como de cinco segundos sino que esta vez es una mascara que se apodera de un Skull Kid (es uno de esos monitos raros que salía en el Ocarina en la parte del bosque de Saria), y el mal que esta mascara llamada Majoras posee se apodera del pobre Skull kid manipulándolo para que la luna caiga sobre la tierra y tu en el papel de Link tienes (como siempre) la responsabilidad de salvar al mundo en solo tres días OMG!.

Esta es la masca Majoras verdad que si da miedo...

Ya he terminado el juego una sola vez, pero claro que no al 100% (lo juge en la edición de colección para el Game Cube) este es un juego de bolas, demasiado enredado debido al poco tiempo que tienes para lograr hacer algo, esos malditos tres días que te dan son como una hora (cada día dura como 20 minutos aprox.) además de que cada que regresas el tiempo es como si no hubiera pasado nada WTF! , así que cada que terminas un templo, los cambios que hallas echo no se mantendrán después de regresar el tiempo, aun así esto también ofrece grandes oportunidades porque si de repente algo se te paso porque solo aparece a una hora especifica sabes que tienes otra oportunidad al regresar al primer día, también te ofrece las impresionantes transformaciones de Link en Deku, Goron y Zora (cada una más impresionante que la anterior).

OMG!!! Miren lo hermoso que es el cartucho y su caja!

Es una excelente recomendación para recordar la época del Nintendo 64

Esta canción fue la que me inspiro para escribir esto y casi me hace llorar =’(

Remember Majora’s Mask and the awesome starting story arc where Link is turned into a cute fire-fearing deku scrub? Well, David Cousens challenges you to increase your artistic skills by walking you through the step by step process of making this awesomeness. Word of warning though, this tutorial is not for beginners. If you don’t know your way around photoshop and have access to a drawing tablet, it’s probably futile to try following along, but it’s still a great piece of nostalgia and an excellent tuto.
Creating Broken Link

Che io possa divenire terra,
Che io possa divenire cielo,
Che io possa divenire la montagna,
Che io possa divenire il mare.
Che io possa crescere,
Allungando e allargando il mio corpo,
Fino a disperdermi nel Vuoto dell’Infinito.

A Majora’s Mask theory: Parallels in Love

By gliderpilotgirl and Love_of_Zelda

For most players that have played Majora’s Mask, they may have noticed that the world of Termina appears to be a parallel universe in sense, with similar characters with similar situations occurring. Link would come across a Goron leader by the name of Darmani, who though he was not a physical double, was in spirit quite similar to Ocarina of Time’s Darunia, the Sage of Fire. Another parallel was the character of OoT’s ranch girl Malon appeared to be split into two people, a younger version of her named Romani, and an adult version named Cremia. While not exact doubles, these people had eerie similarities to people the hero had already met.

Keeping that in mind, we must discuss the themes of Majora’s Mask. One of the most prominent and dare we say the main theme was friendship, with the plight of the Skull Kid possibly echoing the Hero of Time’s even though they were different people. Both were left alone, feeling abandoned and unable to fit in. But the theme of this theory is love. And when discussing love in MM, one needs to go no farther than the “heart” of the story, a couple named Anju and Kafei. In a cruel twist of fate, Kafei had been changed into a child, and victimized because of it. But he would not give up on his love, and when he completed his quest he returned to her in one of the most touching moments of the game, with our hero looking on.

But several things about this Kafei, who was in a sense a central character with many things in Termina revolving around him, caught our attention, and our theory is that in love, Kafei is the Link of the story.

In looks and situation, Kafei and Link are nothing alike. Kafei is the mayor’s son, and that position makes him likely a man of influence and wealth. Link is a lonely orphan from the forest, one who was hob-nobbing with the Princess until recently but is alone now, having left on a journey. But in the heart, we believe they are the same.

Starting off, the most striking similarity is their situation. Both have been turned into children but that is not who they are inside.

Both Children

We know with Kafei that his transformation was involuntary, a cruel action of the Skull Kid, but we can explore Link’s character and suggest he may not be happy with being a child either. His deeds and life established in OoT as a grown up are gone, erased by time when he was sent back. As Hyrule is at peace, he has lost his purpose as the hero at the outset of MM. The people who knew and trusted him in that future he has never met. Maybe he did again in the three months that preceded his trip to Termina (as the game info says) but we don’t know. It will never be the same undoubtedly. The non-canon manga, while different in some aspects did explore this facet of Link brilliantly, with him expressing sadness and then frustration at one point due to his childlike state. In another parallel in this manga, Link is in a sense given the same “gift” that the Skull Kid received, his heart’s desire. He can be an adult again through the Fierce Deity Mask, but Anju and Kafei fear for his safety, that he may become corrupted as well. Fortunately, unlike the Skull Kid, Link is able to control himself. Anyways, while not non-canon, we feel the manga did explore this well. Back to our original point, Kafei and Link are both turned into children and they are not necessarily happy about it. In fact, we feel this shared plight may have enhanced the bond between the player and the character.

At this point we would like to make a note: this has to do with perception and our interpretation, but when Kafei hands the pendant of memories to Link to take to Anju, this quote is displayed regarding Link:

“Though you may not understand these grown-up matters, you should probably take the pendant to Anju anyways.”

We do not believe this indicates Link is entirely ignorant of romantic feelings, but that he may not understand the specifics of not only courting rituals but what is really going on. In Ocarina of Time, he displayed what can be interpreted as the beginnings of romantic feelings towards Saria, and we know she returned them. Many other fans also feel the interaction between Link and Zelda in the ending of the game, and beginning of Majora’s Mask had feelings of a romantic nature passing between them. They just may be in a nascent stage, and will eventually grow into more. Leading into the next point:

The Love Interest:

Kafei obviously has Anju, and she is anxiously awaiting him. Link has also parted from a girl ( Zelda ) who showed obvious feelings for him, and our perception of the scene atop the Clock Tower indicates he most certainly returned them, but needed to leave anyways for his own personal journey. Nothing is stopping him from returning however. Note these words from Zelda:

“And I believe in my heart that a
day will come when I shall meet
you again…

Until that day comes, please…
Take this…“

At this point, she hands the Ocarina to Link to take on his journey. This quote here effectively states she knows on the inside that he will return. Zelda is a girl of remarkable insight, especially regarding the future. While her actions unknowingly caused the terrible future to occur, in OoT’s events, she was right on the money when it came to perceiving Ganondorf’s intentions. With Link whom she knows so much better, it wouldn’t be too hard to believe she could be right. Link is seen galloping towards the light in the last scene of MM, possibly indicating him exiting the forest and returning to Hyrule. In fact, the prologue of the game leads into the tale as if it is a story, one “held dearly by the Royal Family” indicating he did return to tell the tale, and was likely of great importance to them in the future.

The Memory Factor:

At one point, Kafei hands an object called “the pendant of memories” to Link to convey to Anju. Up until this point, he has worn it around his neck, indicating it may be of particular significance to him. Given its’ “memories” title, it has a connection to his past. His past with Anju is of significance, as it is mentioned later in the reunion as leading into this future of their relationship. Anyways, Kafei has a Pendant of Memories.

Link also has such an object; the Ocarina of Time. While it undoubtedly reminds him of the past in the adventure of OoT, the game makes a special point to tell us it reminds him of Zelda herself.
“You got the Ocarina of Time back! Princess Zelda gave you this
precious instrument.”

“…Suddenly, memories of Princess Zelda come rushing back to you…”

Seen in the info screen:

“This musical instrument is filled with memories of Princess Zelda.”

Lastly, the Song of Time has significance:

“This melody, lingering on the edges of your mind, is a song of
memories of Princess Zelda.”

If this is so, it would not be too much of a stretch to say throughout the game, Link was constantly reminded of her, as both the Ocarina and Song of Time were integral to the adventure. It wasn’t explored upon, but Kafei’s pendant could have a similar function, in being an ever present reminder of Anju.

Two small interesting facts not necessarily related to this point:
Sakon underestimated Kafei based on his childlike appearance and accosted him for his Wedding Mask This led into his mini-adventure, much like the theft of the Ocarina and Epona brought Link to Termina in the first place. That was also the result of some serious under-estimation, in part of the Skull Kid with Link.
A second interesting point is how Tatl reacts to Kafei in two places:

Well…You’re just careless. You’re like my partner…”

She is remarking on the similarity in actions; the second quote:

I don’t like him…But is there a choice? Should we help him?

One would imagine Tatl had similar things to say and thoughts about Link in the beginning, before she knew him and he proved himself a hero. Our point is she reacts the exact same way to both of them, adding to a sense of similarity.
But back to the romantic comparisons, and onto our next point:

The Third Member:

Few love stories are without a third member to create conflict, and the Terminian triangle has one in the character of Cremia, who appears in looks and situation to be the Adult version of Hyrule’s Malon. It is said by her sister Romani that Cremia is avoiding town because of her heartache at being passed over.

“Romani knows…My sister, Cremia, has someone in
town she likes…

But that person will get married the day of the carnival. It’s hard
for my sister…Going into town…”

This is obviously Kafei, and Cremia confirms it on the ride to town if you tag along.

“In town…I have a friend. Her name’s Anju…Anju…The day after tomorrow is her wedding.”

Leading into this previous statement, Cremia discusses her difficulties in managing the ranch by herself, implying the renewed discussion of her plight has brought back to her thoughts Kafei, who could solve them. Anju’s mother would later say this to Anju in an attempt to reassure her when Anju states her fear that Kafei has run off with Cremia.

“Besides, think about Cremia. She needs strength from a partner and
business support from Madame Aroma. If Kafei really has run off with
Cremia, she’ll get both. Please don’t be sad. How happy could
you possibly be…marrying a man who runs off when he’s about to be married?”

This established Cremia’s possible motives, that her love for Kafei may not be completely based on him as a person, but rather what he can provide for her.
In Ocarina of Time, the “marriage proposal” from Talon to Link was predicated on the same grounds, that Link would come help at the ranch when he grew up In Majora’s Mask, Romani likes Link and after he helps her, even goes so far as to say it’s decided he will come live with them and help out. But he leaves Termina at the end. Our overall point is that like Cremia, Malon back home in Hyrule may be the third member in a triangle with Link and Zelda, but is the one with possibly less pure motives. In that, we mean she is responding to Link as the “knight in shining armor” who can save her and her future, and not necessarily him as Link, the person. In MM, Cremia will give Link an affectionate hug, but it is in it’s nature a reward for the one who played hero, and she is now after the fact recognizing and responding to that and adult within. Does it go any deeper? Given how little she knows of Link as a person, we don’t believe so. She even refers to him as “boy” early in the ride, not even knowing his name. This is much like Malon and Romani choosing not to call Link by name ( which indicates who he really is ), but merely remarking on his outside appearance in their nicknames.

But what about Link? We know he enjoys the hug quite a bit, but how often does he get thanked like that? It’s difficult to tell whether the action or the girl is his focus. Given the lack of notable previous reciprocated romantic interest in Malon in OoT, ( and earlier in Romani and Cremia in MM) our view is that it’s the action.

Also, in the beginning of MM and a good deal of OoT, he showed indications of a deeper relationship with Zelda, like Kafei does with Anju.

The Reunion:

After all the toil of the sidequest, Link and Kafei together will finally recover Kafei’s Wedding Mask and he will go running back to Anju. When Link joins them, he can witness their reunion as they become a couple.
Here is the dialogue:

Anju: “I…I have met you before.

What a familiar scent. Long, long ago…Yes. We were still young.
We made a promise…Didn’t we? The masks of the sun and the moon…”

At this point I’d like to restate what Zelda said earlier:

Zelda: “that a day will come when I shall meet you again…” [emphasis ours]

This emphasizes a reunion. Carrying on with more dialogue:

Anju: “We were to exchange them on the day of the Carnival of Time…”

Kafei: “Anju…I’m sorry I was late.”

Anju: “…Welcome home.”

At this point, Kafei practically jumps into Anju’s arms and she embraces him. Tatl comments on Kafei being a child, but like Link, again, his appearance is not who he is.

The statement “Welcome home” also draws our attention, as it seems a little perculiar. Kafei has not really gone anywhere…but Link has.

One would imagine a reunion with Zelda would take a similar course. They may be much younger, and not the engaged adult couple that Anju and Kafei were, but we feel the spirit is the same. Zelda was the one to send him off, the one whom the game implied was special to the hero, as his journey was “personal and secret” yet he did not leave without seeing her. Logically, she’d also be the one to welcome him home. He may apologize for leaving in such an apathetic manner, and we have no doubt she would accept him anyways. Note that Zelda did not ask where he was going initially, merely stated he was leaving and set him free, believing in him and that he had a reason.

This interpretation of the future for Link and Zelda does veer close to the line of fan fiction, but we feel it is valid. Zelda represents home to Link, not only as the face of Hyrule (the ruler and representative) but a home to him personally. In the end of Ocarina of Time, Link is told to go home. Where does he go promptly? He returns to Zelda. We feel that when the Mask Salesman told him to go home, where home is for Link is clear.

In conclusion, Majora’s Mask was a game full of lessons. There were lessons for the hero about friendship through the Skull Kid, lessons in duty through Darmani and Skull Keeta, to lessons in family love through Cremia and Romani’s interaction as sisters. But we feel the lesson taught about love was through Kafei and Anju. Although Link may be too young at the time to truly appreciate it, we feel that the parallel between Anju and Kafei, and our main hero and heroine of the Legend of Zelda series here is clear.

You earn 1 point every time you spend 100 bells at Tom Nook’s store, and here is how many points you need for these items:

Bad bro ’stache: 2500 points
Bannana: 500 points
Hero’s cap,
Majora’s Mask,
or Samus Mast: 6,000 points
Hero’s clothes,
Varia suit,
or Wario Hat: 5,000 points
Kart: 10,000 points
Midna’s Mask: 6,500 points
Peach’s parasol:4,000 points
Toad hat: 3,000 points
Triple Shells: 800 points
Yoshi’s egg: 1,000 points

Credited to: NatorMVP

Also when, there is snow on the ground, there is a chance of finding two snow balls on the ground. And all you do is pick up one of them and make it bigger, then you put the smaller one on top of it. It will become a snowman, come to life, and will mail you a random piece of snowman furniture!

Call me stuck in the past but I will never get over the N64. Sure it might not have had the best graphics or most powerful processor, but the gaming console had games that you wanted to play again and again just because they were so well made. So today I was surfing the net thinking about one of the deeper games (Majora’s Mask) and googled it on a whim. Eventually one thing led to another and I discovered that some wonderfully bright person had created an emulator for the N64. I couldn’t believe it. Would I actually be able to play my favorite games without hauling around a bulky console and controllers with me? Sixtyforce worked wonderfully. I quickly downloaded a copy of Majora’s Mask (Which I found much easier than I was expecting in under two minutes) and fired the baby up. Instantly I was greeted by the tunes that are Zelda’s trademark. I briefly paused the game after several minutes of gaming to scribble this down. Now I’m off to continue. By the way I just thought about it, this is so convenient since I only have to minimize a window to return to whatever I was working on before I started gaming. Will definitely be using this in college……wonder if professors mind having Mario played in their class? Just joking

-JD

Virou hábito pra mim agora, ver vídeos de pianistas no YouTube. Até porque esse ano começei a fazer aula, aí fui naturalmente procurar na internet sobre pianistas e tal. Aí eu percebo que no YouTube tem MUITOS vídeos de músicos que interpretam músicas de filmes, games, animes, etc…

Ah, porque esse post se chama ouvido ninja? Porque grande parte desses músicos interpretam as músicas de ouvido, ou seja, sem partitura, apenas ouvem e improvisam no piano. Essa semana eu achei um vídeo desses no mínimo impressionante. O cara improvisou (duvido que tenha sido com partituras, mesmo não originais) no piano a trilha sonora INTEIRA do Zelda Majora’s Mask. Ele primeiro fez um trailer, com a música da intro do jogo:

Um tempo depois lançou 10 vídeos mais um dos créditos (com a música do final do jogo). Veja o relato presente na descrição dos vídeos:

This is a video I started out to create back in January. My goal was to make piano videos of EVERY song in the game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. With the skillful help and gracious time of Dekudude, me and him were able to put together and create this far fetched video.

Now! After about 7-8 months of long, hard work, the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Piano Collection video is finally finished! A ways back, I released a trailer giving you a sneak-peek as to what you would be seeing… but now, you can finally see the whole thing!

Piano Playing By: Frank DAngelo

Movie Made By: Dekudude

*Currently no mp3’s available*

——–

We decided to divide this massive video into 10 individual parts. The songs included in each part are as follows:

Trailer: (2:42) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGsX70…

- Title Demo

Part 1: (9:42) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpWV1G…

- Caverns

- Prologue

- Chase Theme

- Clock Tower

- Morning Song

- Clocktown Day 1

- Stock Pot Inn

- Great Fairy Fountain

- Get Magic Power (same as “get heart piece”)

Part 2: (9:17) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sNGdk…

- Rosa Sisters

- Trading Post

- Astral Observatory

- Get Big Item

- Zelda’s Lullaby

- Song of Time

- New Day

- Song of Healing (simple)

- Song of Healing (piano demo)

- Get a Mask

Part 3: (8:46) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suOOw8…

- Clocktown Day 2

- Mayor’s Office

- Termina Field

- Enemy Encounter

- Treasure Chest

- Get Small Item

- Southern Swamp Theme (Also is the Snowhead and Greatbay Theme)

Part 4: (10:35) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgnQVS…

- Magic Hag’s Potion Shop

- Inverted Song of Time (simple)

- Inverted Song of Time (full)

- Woods of Mystery

- Swamp Cruise

- The Deku Palace

- Sonata of Awakening (simple)

- Sonata of Awakening (full)

- Kaepora Gaebora

- Woodfall Opened

- Woodfall Temple

Part 5: (9:45) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh5jvH…

- Big Boss Battle

- Boss Defeated

- Oath to Order (simple)

- Oath to Order (full)

- Mini-game

- Playing a Game

- Song of Soaring (simple)

- Song of Soaring (full)

- Goron Shrine

- Goron Lullaby (simple)

- Goron Lullaby (full)

- Snowhead Temple

- Goron Racetrack

- Song of Frogs

Part 6: (10:11) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8EiX-…

- Romani Ranch

- Epona’s Song (simple)

- Remembered a Song

- Gorman Track

- Horse Race

- Aliens

- Event Clear

- Double Song of Time

- Wagon Ride

- Event Failure

- Guru Guru

- Bremen March

- Mikau’s Cry

- Event Failure 2

- Pirate’s Fortress

Part 7: (9:05) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHFIjI…

- Marine Research Lab

- New Wave Bossa Nova (simple)

- Zora Hall

- Death

- Zora Hall (continuation)

- Bass Practice

- Bass and Guitar Practice Music

- Evan’s Piano

- Play for Lulu (New Wave Bossa Nova *full*)

- Great Bay Temple

- The Mighty Training Center (Swordsman’s School)

- Keaton’s Quiz

Part 8: (9:43) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBAnpG…

- Milk Bar

- Ballad of the Wind Fish

- New Day

- Clock Town Day 3

- Ikana Canyon

- Song of Storms

- Sharp’s Death Symphony

- Music Box House

- The Ancient Castle of Ikana

- Elegy of Emptiness

- The Stone Tower

Part 9: (8:43) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq8TIr…

- The Inverted Stone Tower

- Mid Boss Battle

- Final 6 Hours

- Skull Kid

- Calling of the 4 Giants

- Tatl and Tael Reunite

- Puppet Disposal

Part 10: (5:58) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s875U_…

- Majora’s Mask

- Majora’s Incarnation

- Majora’s Wrath

- Termina Saved

- The Giants Depart

Credits: (5:57) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMssHu…

- The Ending Theme!

- The Movie’s Credits

———-

Over one hundred songs were played on the piano, and recorded, by me. It was no easy feat, but I got done nonetheless. Nearly EVERY SINGLE SONG in Majora’s Mask is in this video, including:

– The 4 temples

- Overworld themes

- Inside certain buildings

- Inside certain rooms

- Parts of some sidequests

The only songs that AREN’T in this video are:

Snowhead, Great Bay,

- These songs are the same as Woodfall, only with different instruments. On piano, they’re identical.

———-

Well, there you have it! Please enjoy this video, as the months of work that were put in to this were not fun at all, and were very stressful. Please rate AND comment!

Also, I would like to thank all my fans, and I would ask everyone else to check out my channel for more great videos. And, if you enjoy my videos, please subscribe! I will appreciate it very much.

Enjoy!

Digitally signed,

- Frank DAngelo and Dekudude

A soma das durações dos vídeos deu 100:24 (1h40)

Agora tem o porém. Os vídeos são extensos e numerosos, portanto não conseguem prender muito a atenção dos espectadores. Eu mesmo não vi todos, assim como muita gente, acredito. Essa é a minha explicação para o número não tão grande de vizualizações (comparando com outros vídeos de piano). Enfim, deixo meu parabéns aos criadores desse ambicioso projeto, que muitas pessoas desistiriam ou nem teriam coragem de começar.

Vou ficar feliz se um dia conseguir tocar metade disso aí. xD

Fui estudar piano o/