Nintendo I just completed the original Legend of Zelda

[Fizzzzle]

I had never played it before. The NES was before my time. I feel like going back and playing old games for some reason. The original Phantasy Star is next.

 

Honestly, for a game that came out 36 years ago, it holds up a lot better than you might think. There is no story to speak of, you just get plopped into the world and go do things. You rescue the princess in the end, but like... the game doesn't even tell you that that's what you're doing? You're just wandering around aimlessly whacking at monsters, for the most part. The controls are a bit messy, but it basically is a less refined version of A Link to the Past, so the gameplay still holds up.

 

How in the world they expected anyone to be able to beat this game without a guide is beyond me. The entrance to the final dungeon is literally a hidden door in a rock that you have to just *know* to bomb, or else just bomb every wall until you hit it. And that's how you beat the game. There's nothing in the game to even tell you it's there.

 

I would say "do not recommend," but honestly, if you ARE using a guide (highly recommended - without a guide, 75% of your playtime would be aimlessly wandering the overworld, trying to find entrances to things), you can 100% complete the game in like 5 hours. If you're ever bored on a Sundayd afternoon, go for it.

[ort]

You just had to call the Nintendo help line at 1-800-255-3700 for tips!

 

Or actually talk to other kids!

[Bacon]

Yeah, I beat it for the first time sometime shortly after I beat BOTW. I thought it sucked. Of course I did use a guide because I'm not willing to waste the amount of playing without one. 

 

On that note, I have played FF1 for the very first time. I'm about to beat it. What is crazy is how good/not bad a game this old is. It's very basic but it is amazing how much of the first FF has carried over after all these years. FF1 is a far better game than I thought it ever could be. And, you really don't need a guide. I did get lost after the Earth Cave dungeon cuz the dancer stopped giving out hints but once I got to Crescent Town or whatever everything else came naturally. 

 

FF1 isn't amazing by today's standard, but it ain't half bad and I'm surprised by that. FF2 is next on the Menu and I've been told it is worse so who knows. 

[Bloodporne]

I got hooked on the first Metroid some years back and actually beat it. I had a notepad and a pen next to me the whole time, drawing the map, pretty fun. But yeah, NES games haven't aged well for me despite playing them as a kid. My actual replay-nostalgia starts at 16-bit mostly.

[crispy4000]

Zelda 1 is still a much more beatable game than Zelda 2.

[XxEvil AshxX]

Now go do The Adventure of Link. No guide.

 

 

I'll wait.

[dualhunter]

There were often cryptic clues to where to go next, though many of those were found in hidden areas too. You haven't really finished it if you don't play it again with Zelda as your name.

 

The original Phantasy Star was great, but if you thought Zelda was bad, you'd better look up some maps for the dungeons (if not, get some graph paper or an excel file ready).

[number305]

3 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

I got hooked on the first Metroid some years back and actually beat it. I had a notepad and a pen next to me the whole time, drawing the map, pretty fun. But yeah, NES games haven't aged well for me despite playing them as a kid. My actual replay-nostalgia starts at 16-bit mostly.

 

Probably a different conversation - but for me 8 bit and 16 bit are fine.  The generation that is really hard to revisit is the PS1.  Those games are so blocky and blurry - and they still had not figured out 3d cameras... really hard to enjoy most of those games now.

[thedarkstark]

"It's dangerous to go alone ! Take this."

[BloodyHell]

My friends and I spent days in front of the tv bombing trees and walls. 

 

Most of us got mini guides in magazines often enough, but honestly, when we got stuck, it was word of mouth to find out what to do next. Call a friend who beat it, or who had the magazine with the correct guide for that game or area. 

 

Final Fantasy is one I figured out through trial and error. I beat the game at least once without the rat tail before discovering what it did. 

[XxEvil AshxX]

14 hours ago, number305 said:

 

Probably a different conversation - but for me 8 bit and 16 bit are fine.  The generation that is really hard to revisit is the PS1.  Those games are so blocky and blurry - and they still had not figured out 3d cameras... really hard to enjoy most of those games now.

 

They look pretty good on my Series S 

[Derek]

I hope I still have all of my dungeon drawings from the first game. I measured out each little rectangle (for each room), kept them in their own plastic page sheaths and had them in a binder. Wasn't there a dungeon shaped like a swatski?

 

Edit: 'Manji' sorry. Just googled it.