The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition

"Four games. Five quests. One Princess."

Very rarely do game companies package their games together in one delicious bundle that just screams ''buy me!'' The only ones that come to mind are the Street Fighter Hyper Edition (or whatever they're calling it) and the upcoming Megaman Anthology. Now Nintendo's put together their own anthology, consisting of the best of Zelda, which just happen to coincide with some of the best games of all time.

Graphics

From the spritely Hyrule of the original Zelda to the fully polygonal Majora's Mask, the graphics can be described in one word: varied. The original Zelda and Adventures of Link are both done in sprites, and what old sprites they are. AoL improves on the original Zelda somewhat, while Ocarina of Time is only dissimilar to Majora's Mask by the quality of the textures, and the fact that Majora's Mask has some minor slowdown in certain parts of the game. The slowdown is barely noticable, though, so don't pay it any mind.

Sound

Again, varied. All the music from the old NES titles has been brought over intact, while the scores from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask have made the transition nicely. The only downside is Majora's Mask doesn't make the transition without cost. There's a problem with the sound emulation, which Nintendo tells you right off the bat just so you know it's not your speakers. You might not even notice it unless you're an audiophile, but then, who isn't?

Gameplay

'Varied' is the word of the day, yet every Zelda game retains a similar feel. The original Legend of Zelda plays in a top-down perspective, with tons of hidden secrets, a huge overworld, and two quests to keep you busy. The second game, Adventures of Link, is something of a question mark. By many, it's considered to be the black sheep of the series (besides the godawful CD-i games). Adventures of Link plays in a side view, and is probably one of the more difficult games you'll ever play. It incorporates something of an RPG system, where Link gains XP for each monster killed. You can even find bags of XP (don't ask) that monsters will also randomly drop. When you gain enough XP, you can choose to increase your proficiency in either Attack, Life (defense), or Magic Power. This game also gives you a certain number of lives, which are a given considering you can die by falling down a bottomless pit. You also have the capability of using magic, and this is quite necessary, since there's no restorative hearts dropped by enemies. From a spell to jump higher to calling down lightning bolts to turning into a fairy (don't ask) you've got a wide variety of powers at your disposal.

Now a word on Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. I'll be doing more on Majora's Mask than Ocarina, because I can't imagine anyone would've missed Ocarina of Time after the N64 version and the bonus disc that came as a preorder giveaway, but if you've been living in a cave with no Internet access or electricity, here's a basic overview. Both games play in 3rd person 3D, and even after all this time, they still look pretty nice. Ocarina of Time has more stuff to do than the original Zelda and Adventures of Link combined, from horse racing to a fully-fledged fishing game to various archery games. The dungeons are intricate, challenging (especially the water temple) and the game is just plain fun.

Majora's Mask, on the other hand (and the same hand, really) retains the feel of Zelda, but in an entirely different setting. Taking place in the land of Termina, the villain in Majora's Mask is not Ganon, but rather the ever-present moon hanging low in the sky. In the space of 72 hours from the moment of your arrival, the moon will fall, destroy Clock Town and end the game. Termina is not just a faraway place, but an alternate dimension that contains all the folk of Ocarina of Time, but in different jobs and positions living in Clock Town and the outskirts of Termina. The 72-hour time limit set by the moon may seem confining, but it makes for some interesting gameplay. You can use the Ocarina of Time (from the previous game) to send yourself back to the beginning of the 72 hour period, thus giving yourself an infinite amount of time to complete the game.

On your side in Majora's Mask is a song to help slow time, bunny ears to let you move faster, and a host of masks that change you into a Deku Shrub, Goron, and Zora respectively. There are more songs you learn throughout the game, from the obligatory warp song to a tune that'll create clones of yourself. All these things make for powerful tools that will potentially save your ass and beat down the enemy.

The dungeons in Majora's Mask are sparse. Only four main dungeons, plus the final one make up the count. However, the 72 hours isn't just a time limit arbitrarily slapped on by Nintendo. Termina City is alive, and events take place depending on how you act. If you help a person in one day, they may not end up dead a day later. On the other hand, if you let a woman be mugged, that mugger will sell what she had to a black market dealer from which you can buy the pilfered goods. Everything is connected in Clock Town, and there's a lot to do.

Replay Value

Sheesh, where to start? Four games, five quests, one princess. The two NES games by themselves will help you knock away the hours, while Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask will put some big numbers up there. These games are the classics, both new and old, and there's no better place for them than on one handy little disc. The only thing missing is A Link to the Past, but get yourself a GBA Player and the cart and boom, you have all of Zelda on your Gamecube. Groovy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/03