"It's A Zelda Game, Should I Say Anymore"

Well it is late 2002 and I'm sitting here trying to think of a game to review. I want to pick a great game and also a game that hasn't been reviewed 100 times. So I check out Oracle of Ages which in my opinion, is one of the best Zelda games ever. Now Zelda is my favorite game series so when I went to play this one, when it came out, I knew it was going to be good the question was, how good..Here is how good

Controls-10

Miyamoto just has the ability to make the controls of his games, as close to perfect as you can get. If you have played Seasons then it is identical, and if you have played Links Awakening, then it is almost the exact same. The items are designed for easy use but many situations and puzzles that require them will be far from easy.

Gameplay-10

It is amazing, simply amazing. As with most of the newer Zelda games, there is plenty of Side quests for you to occupy your time on, as well as the main quest. The Dungeons are extremely well designed with many difficult puzzles. The mini-games are fun and also somewhat challenging and the bosses are very creative, but still with the Old Fashion Zelda flare that we have grown to love over the years.

Graphics-10

This game basically squeezes every single ounce of power that the GBC has. Nintendo teamed up with Capcom, who in my opinion, are the masters of 2D images. And you can tell that they had a hand in the games as you see the Cut Scenes and the smoothness of the actual graphics of the game. The special effects in the game, like when Link uses the time travel mechanism, are very impressive for a GBC game.

Sound-10

Not only does the music quality sound good, but it is actually a good soundtrack too. With the original Zelda theme being absent from Ocarina of Time, it was nice to have it back in both Majora's Mask and both of the Oracle games. And once again, the Sound Quality is probably about as good as you can get on the GBC, there is really nothing bad about this game.

Replay Value-10

Other than playing the 2nd quest in the first Zelda, replay value hasn't been very high with Zelda games, other then just, experiencing the greatness again. However, with the Oracle games, a new feature allows you to carry some special secrets from one Oracle game, to the other one. This is done with a password system, as you make your way through the game, you are given passwords that you can give to a person in the other game to get a present. It sounds rather complicated but, you will get the hang of it fairly easily. Also the Rings were a nice addition to the game. If I am not mistaken there are around 200 rings to get, and only by playing through both games and linking the two, can you even dream of collecting them all.

Final Thoughts

If you like Zelda games, then you should have already had this game. If you are new to the series and are backtracking, looking for the next one to play, don't pass it up, and if you have already played it, play it again...

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/02, Updated 10/24/02