Hello again! Well, seeing as this is my last semester at DigiPen, I have started applying for many video game developer jobs. As part of that, I get to write lots of stuff about video games, which is actually quite fun. My dream job right now is to work as a video game designer at Blizzard Entertainment. However, any job at Blizzard would be amazing, so I am applying for every position I qualify for. Seeing as I have some video game testing experience, I am applying for the testing internship there. As part of that, I had to write a video game analysis. I figured it would be cool to post that here. Here it is:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the greatest video games of all time. Ocarina of Time not only holds great feelings of nostalgia from previous games, but it also has amazing game play in its own right. From the first time the player lays eyes on Hyrule Castle to their first encounter with Ganondorf, Ocarina of time is teeming with characters and locations from previous games in the series. This gives the players a sense of nostalgia, a familiarity with the concepts being portrayed in the game. While previous Zelda games had only been in 2D, Ocarina of Time brought a whole new dimension to the Zelda series. Players got to enjoy the feeling of defeating their favorite Zelda enemies in 3D. The Nintendo 64 may be arcane to today’s standards, but when it first came out, Ocarina of Time had some pretty awesome graphics to back up the already amazing game play.
The best part of Ocarina of Time had to be the boss fights. With as many different items as were in the game, the developers could easily think up new and interesting mechanics, which gave the player a sense of accomplishment when they figured out how to use the different items to topple the boss. These mechanics were also used to create interesting dungeons, and were even use often in general game play. Admittedly, all the dungeons have the same recipe. This recipe is as follows: 1) Get a little ways into the dungeon. 2) Obtain some sort of new item, typically after a mini boss. 3) Find the boss key, typically obtained using the newfound item. 4) Defeat boss using the new item. Even though this recipe is used in most, if not all of the dungeons, the new mechanics that are created using the items, as well as figuring out locations that will eventually use an item that you have not yet obtained, was always a great deal of fun.
Another great part about Ocarina of Time is the many different characters that Zelda meets. From Zoras to Gorons, Link is constantly running into characters that Zelda players will never forget. Two good examples are Princess Ruto and Kaepora Gaebora, the helpful owl that helps Link on his path to defeating Ganondorf. I will never forget meeting Princess Ruto for the first time inside of the giant fish, Lord Jabu Jabu, or her telling Link that she would marry him after they both left the giant fish’s belly.
I, much like many gamers, will never forget the experience of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. From the amazingly fun boss mechanics to characters that make an impact on the player to the comedic attitude of many concepts in the game, Ocarina of Time is absolutely one of the best games of all time.
Paul Kankiewicz 