Majora's Mask truly embodies the spirit of the Zelda series

So much has been said about Majora's Mask that it's easy to overlook what makes this game so great when it comes down to bare bones. One of this game's claims to fame is the "Ben Drowned" Creepypasta that plays off of the macabre and dark environment of the game. This game has such a large cult following (it's become even more apparent with the recent collector's editions of the game being sold out in 15 minutes or less) that the premise of the game almost gets drowned out (no puns intended) by all the hype. So, what is it about Majora's Mask that that makes it so popular?

Like Majora's Mask, the Wind Waker wasn't a fan favorite at first

If you think about it, Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker have a lot in common. They both were games that resulted in an upgrade in hardware (MM with the ExpansionPak and WW with the GameCube), and they both weren't well received by the Zelda fanbase at first. You can really tell that the developers were attempting to try something new with these titles. In Majora's Mask, they were able to add more detail and complexity to the overworld that was absent from Ocarina of Time. With Ocarina, the developers introduced the concept of the 3D Zelda game, but with Majora's Mask they perfected it. With The Wind Waker, I think the developers wanted to play with the idea of a more expressive Link and more dynamic overworld, hence the cell-shaded graphics. Both titles were hailed as being too different, and therefore fans steered away from them at first. However, they both eventually became huge hits and received/are receiving remakes. In my eyes, these games (Majora's Mask more specifically) embody the spirit of the series that was introduced in the original game.

The least popular Zelda titles are often the most different (excluding the original of course)

In the original Legend of Zelda game, there was very little direction, leaving the player to explore the world as they pleased. Granted, the Zelda games of today are way more linear than the original Legend of Zelda, but I think Majora's Mask is a more modern version of the original game without being being a direct sequel.
There are so many secrets to be discovered in Majora's Mask. The game itself is like one big puzzle, and it's up to the player to figure out where all the pieces go. That's much like how the original Legend of Zelda game is. In both games, the player acts as a detective trying to solve a mystery with very few clues along the way. Granted, many other Zelda games feature these elements, but in Majora's Mask and The Legend of Zelda, I feel like the exploration element is the most prominent.

There are 24 masks to collect in Majora's Mask, and 20 unique quests to get them

The developers of the upcoming Zelda game for Wii U claim that they're going back to basics. However, I think they already have in the form of Majora's Mask. The game is such a good example of what makes Zelda times great, both new and old. The time where that game was seen as taboo and too different is now gone. I think it's arguably one of the most popular Zelda games to date. Hopefully the upcoming remake will do it justice, but only time will tell. I'll be playing that game as soon as it comes out, so expect a post about by thoughts of the game! With this post thus ends my series of Majora's Mask posts.

If you're intertested in other things I've written about Majora's Mask, be sure to check out my top 5 hopes for Majora's Mask 3D, my theory about the story of Majora's Mask and what it means, the Majora's Mask easter egg in A Link Between Worlds, the classic dungeon theme easter egg in Majora's Mask and the Star Fox easter egg in Majora's Mask.

3 Days of Majora's Mask Love: Day #1 Dawn of a New Year

Majora's Mask 3D is coming in 2015!

Hello everyone! I thought I'd start out the new year with a blog post about a game that's all about new beginnings, and that game is The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. But first, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped make this blog grow; you know who you are! 2014 was a great year for me; I jumped back into the world of gaming by starting this blog, and I'm constantly overwhelmed and touched by the support and kindness I receive from the gaming community. It's because of you guys I decided to start this blog, and the reason I want to continue making content about games. I can't wait to see how this blog will grow in the coming years, and here's to a great 2014! Again, thank you so much; I can't say it enough.
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This post is the first of three posts I will be writing about the masterpiece that is The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. I'm overjoyed to say that we will indeed be getting a Majora's Mask remake in 2015. It's ironic to me that my first post of this year is about a game that was the topic of my very first post ever, which was speculating about whether to not we'd see a remake on the 3DS. I always knew in my heart that we'd eventually see a remake of the well loved, black sheep of the Zelda franchise; we just had to have faith it would happen...

Just have faith..

Of course, with every remake, there are changes to be made. We haven't gotten much word yet about how this remake will be different from the original game, so I thought I'd share my thoughts about what I hope to see in Majora's Mask 3D. Here are the 5 things I'd like to see implemented in the remake (beware of mild spoilers about the original game):

#1. Better controls/camera
Honestly, the things I struggled the most with in Majora's Mask were the controls and the camera—not the three day cycle or the toughness of the temples. Controlling the camera with the c-stick was a pain, especially with aiming. The camera would fall as soon as you moved an inch, and you would end up aiming wrongly or just miss entirely. The most frustrating experience I had in the game was in the first temple. Towards the end, you have to shoot an arrow through fire in order to light a beacon in a dark corner on the other side of the room, all while you're rotating on a moving pillar. It was hell. Pure hell. You have to be so precise, and I feel like the controls barely allow you to do that. Swimming in the game is so tough because to swim up, you have to move the stick down, and vice versa. I often found myself flopping and bouncing against the bottom of the ocean because the Zora form was a nightmare to control. There's one articular boss fight where the swimming controls and the camera are detrimental; I'm pretty sure veteran Majora's Mask players know what I'm talking about. Luckily, it seems as if we will indeed get better controls in the remake, seeing as Ocarina of Time 3D got improved controls and camera movement.

#2. More apparent objectives/straightforward temples
It's a well known fact that Majora's Mask is a lot like piecing together a complex puzzle. Pieces and parts of different storylines intertwine, and it is not made entirely apparent why or how—that's up to you to figure out. That's all well and good, being as that is probably my favorite aspect of the game, but there's an area of the game where it's barely apparent as to what you're supposed to do next. In the last area of the game, Ikana Valley, you're supposed to acquire the Mirror Shield (probably my favorite item in the game) in order to tackle the last temple. In order to do that, you must do an obligatory Bottom-Of-The-Well dungeon, but you need the following items:

* 5 Magic Beans
* 10 Deku Nuts
* 10 Bombs
* Fish
* Milk

In no way is it apparent that you need these things. If you go into the well without these items, you can't get the shield. So, you have to waste time (a precious commodity in Majora's Mask) to backtrack to get everything you need. I don't want a game to hold my hand, but when you have to be subjected to useless backtracking, I'd prefer a little warning to avoid it. Not to mention that those items are completely random quantities that make hardly any sense

Again, before you can complete the last temple, you need to learn a new song. In order to learn said song, you have to go through Ikana Castle, but you have to buy items in order to do so. You need a powder keg, which you have to do a side quest in order to buy, so you end up backtracking a lot. Also, the game doesn't let you know that you need to even go through the castle or even how to do so in the first place. There was hardly any direction during this last part of the game. Again, I don't need my hand held, but there needs to be direction in a game in order to move things forward. I don't usually use hints or walkthroughs when playing Zelda games because I prefer to figure things out myself. But with this particular area, I had to use a walkthrough. It was the only area in the game I couldn't figure out. So as a result, I'd like the remake to have more apparent (but not easier) objectives. 

On a slightly different note, I'd like it if the the temples were a bit more straightforward and forgiving. In almost every temple, if you make a small mistake, you lose progress. For example, in the cylindrical shaped Snowhead temple, if you fall, you have to backtrack and activate switches and pretty much jump though a bunch of hoops to get back to the top. In the Great Bay temple, the awful swimming controls can cause you to go in the wrong direction, which can cost you time since you have to turn around and go back. In the Ocarina of Time remake, Nintendo corrected a lot of the annoyances in the temples that were present in the original games, so I hope they'll do the same with Majora's Mask. I like how in Skyward Sword, once you reach a new part of an area or temple, you can open up a shortcut that can save you time if you need to leave and come back later. I think having shortcuts in the temples in Majora's Mask would make them a whole lot more enjoyable.  

Mirror shield, I love you, but you're such a major pain in the butt

#3. Good use of the touch screen

In both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, scrolling through menus to change and equip items can be a major pain, and can waste a lot of time. In Ocarina of Time 3D, they made the bottom screen of the 3DS the items menu, making it super easy to switch items. I hope they do the same for Majora's Mask 3D. I can see it now—being able to put on different masks with just a simple tap of the stylus...*sigh* I can't wait. 

#4. Loyalty to the original game while still improving upon it

Eiji Aonuma, the director of many of the Zelda games has said that they are making Majora's Mask 3D easier while still retaining its difficulty. While that is in a nutshell everything I want for this remake, I really hope they keep the complexity of the game intact. To me, asking for such a complex game to be simplified is like a double edged sword. Let me put it this way: there are points in the game where the complexity really helps the overall experience (like the storytelling), and there's places where it hinders it (no clear direction about what to do next in the last area of the game). I hope they improve upon the shortcomings while not harming what was good about the complexity in the original game. 

I also hope they improve upon a lot of the graphical parts of the game as well. For an N64 game, Majora's Mask looks pretty darn good, but there are parts where it's too dark, and the graphics can get grainy, making it hard to see and make things out. I'm sure they will improve upon this, but I hope they keep a lot of the original charm of the game too. Thanks to the ExpansionPak, Majora's Mask featured greater detail than its older brother, Ocarina of Time. I hope in the remake, they will keep all those little details, but still improve upon them. I'm also looking forward to a fleshed out soundtrack, which I'm sure won't disappoint.

The graphics on the 3DS look clearer and sharper—a welcome change!

#6. The collector's edition to be released in the U.S.

This is more of a personal preference, but it has been confirmed that Europe is getting a collector's edition of Majora's Mask 3D. Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game, if not my favorite game ever, so I'd like to have all of the goodies of the collectors edition. I'd also like to be able to purchase both Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time 3D together in some sort of pack. I've played and completed OOT 3D, but I don't actually own it, so it'd be nice to have both. Two birds with one stone, if you will.

Ugh, Nintendo, I want all the things!

So there you have it. There are all my hopes and dreams for the remake of one of my favorite games. Hopefully, 2015 will bring lots of gaming goodness besides Majora's Mask 3D, but I hope this remake will be as awesome as I think it'll be. I'd love to hear what you all think of the remake so far, so feel free to leave a comment. Also, be on the lookout for two more posts regarding this incredible game here in the coming weeks.

I hope you all have a very happy new year as well!

Getting a sneak peak at Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire through the special demo version

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are nearly upon us, and Game Freak has been kind enough to release a demo version!

When I got the email that I was chosen to receive the special demo version of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, I waited until my roommate was out of the room, and then began squealing and jumping up and down from excitement. The Gen 3 games are very near and dear to my heart, having been the first Pokemon games I ever played and completed on my own. Not to mention that I rarely ever win or receive anything special, so having the chance to play this demo was a welcome change. So, how does the game live up to expectations so far in terms of what has been presented in the demo?

When I started up the demo for the first time I was greeted with the familiar, yet distinctively different title theme from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. It's been polished up and remastered for the new games and it sounds great. Honestly, one of the main things I was looking forward to was listening to all the music from the Gen 3 games be beautifully re-orchestrated. I'm happy to report that the music I've heard so far (including the wild Pokemon battle theme, Team Aqua and Magma Admin Theme, and just the normal Team Aqua and Magma Theme) does indeed have all the trumpets that Hoenn is so famous for—and they sound even better than ever.

Doot doot. Hoenn still has all the trumpets

In the demo, you play as Orlando, a budding Pokemon trainer that gets to pal around with Steven Stone, an avid stone collector (go figure) by flying on the back of either Latios or Latias all across Hoenn.  You go an various adventures with him and complete different quests. The first quest the player is tasked with is to go catch a Pokemon that is capable of mega evolving. But alas, both Team Magma and Aqua are after this Pokemon as well, and it's your job to catch it before they do. You battle Team Aqua Admin Matt and Team Magma Admin Tabitha alongside Steven. He gives you a Mega Bracelet and Mega Stone before the battle that will allow you to mega evolve whichever starter Pokemon you chose at the beginning of the demo. I chose Grovyle because he's my dude, meaning that I got to experience the power of Mega Sceptile firsthand!

Help me, Orlando! You're my only hope!

What kind of a guy is named Tabitha?!

During the battle, Steven uses a shiny Metagross which he then mega evolves. He says after the battle that he someday may give the Pokemon to you, referencing the shiny Beldum distribution that will be going on when Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are released on the 21st of November.

You sure you want to give it up, Steven? Not sure I want it after you're done with it...O.o

After defeating the Admins, you then are able to go catch the Pokemon capable of mega evolving. As far as I know, for everyone besides Japan, that Pokemon will be Glalie. Japan gets to catch Steelix. I wasn't too keen on Glalie at first (I prefer its other evolution, Froslass) but after battling with it and mega evolving it, Glalie has grown on me. Its mega looks pretty terrifying to say the least, and it packs a decent punch. You can transfer the Glalie you caught to the full game once it releases as well.

Mega Glalie = nightmare fuel. It gains the ability Refrigerate when it mega evolves. I regret not naming the one I caught Snowball :(

After catching Glalie, the first quest of the demo is over, and the player is gifted with a short cutscene that shows off more artwork, features, and a glimpse of Rayquaza. However, your adventures in the special demo version don't stop there. There are other quests that the player can participate in. After your first quest is completed you return to Mossdeep City, and Steven gives you the other fully evolved starters with their respective mega stones, and you have the Glalie you caught to use in battle as well. The other quests involve fighting trainers, finding lost kids, and locating Shroomish on various islands. The more you play through these quests, the more characters you can meet and you'll receive more items from Steven that you can then transfer into the full game. For instance I received both heal and regular Pokeballs from him. Apparently, there's a hidden quest within the demo where Orlando and May go to an island to fight off either Team Magma or Aqua. You gain access to this quest after you complete the demo a few times, although your chances of encountering it are random.

I've had it up to here with you, Tabitha.

Overall,  I was pretty happy with what the demo offered. I was really impressed with how smooth the character moves (it's seriously grid-less now; get hyped!), the ability to sneak through tall grass, and how awesome it was to fly through the skies of Hoenn on Latios and Latias. I also like how they kept true to the original style of the games by keeping some of the same color schemes and just overall updating the style of the game by modernizing it. Everything overall just looks gorgeous. The user interfaces also have a Hoenn-y style to them, and it's a nice nod to the original games. During the demo, the "BuzzNav" occupies the lower screen and gives tips and hints to the player. I'm guessing that during the full game, there will be other  features of the PokeNav to use on the bottom screen.

I know some people have griped about how repetitive and boring the demo is, but the fact remains that it is indeed a demo and not the full game. I went into it with that in mind, and I think that it's pretty decent as far as demos go.  I would've liked to play as May, have a look at the contests, and maybe surf around a bit, but that's what the full game is for. That being said, I am so excited to play the full game when it is released and share my thoughts on it with you all! 

Hoenn's coming, get hyped

Daily Easter Egg #1: Majora's Mask in Link's House in A Link Between Worlds

Majora's Mask can be seen on the right wall in Link's house. You can even merge with the wall to "wear" it! Photo credit: ZeldaUniverse.net

Today's easter egg comes from a fairly new game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The interesting thing about this easter egg is not necessarily that it's there, but the connotation it apparently has. According to an interview done on Facebook, Eiji Aonuma (one of the producers of The Legend of Zelda) said that this easter egg shows that Nintendo hasn't forgotten about Link's adventures in Termina, and fans should play A Link Between Worlds to see what he means. Therefore many fans have assumed that this means that a 3DS remake is on the way. Of course, Aonuma said all that before the game was released, so he may have just been building up hype for the game so more people would buy it. As of now, after E3, no announcement of a remake has been made to much disappointment, but speculation still exists. Many still have faith that a remake will be released; hopefully we won't meet with a terrible fate and eventually get one.

(Source)

UPDATE! In a Nintendo Direct, it was announced that Majora's Mask 3D will be coming to the 3DS in Spring 2015. Looks like Aonuma was listening after all! See my 5 hopes for the game here.