It's Dangerous to Go Alone!: February 2015

Monday, February 23, 2015

A Beginning

I’m getting ready to bring my original Zelda adventure to a close.

One of the coolest aspects was firing up the cart 20 years later and finding an old save of my dad’s on there.

Memories (He played the most on a borrowed cart)

My dad was the one who got me into gaming. Growing up we were an Intellivision family. I was still too young to really know what was going on, so I would sit on the orange shag carpet in our basement (not a lie) and watch my dad play.

My favorite game to watch him play was called Demon Attack. It’s basically a Phoenix clone with this ridiculous “mothership.”

Mothership!

It was awesome. I was hooked.

I remember when my dad and I went to a local Toys r Us one day and picked up a Nintendo Entertainment System. It was awesome. My mind was blown. By then, I was old enough to play along. My dad and I would play and our favorite game was Ice Hockey.

One day he brought home this game he got from a coworker called, The Legend of Zelda. He had maps with it to help him get through. I think he beat it. I was never good at Zelda. Sadly, that is the last game I ever remember him playing. He just ran out of time and interest.

Meanwhile, my love for video games would continue to grow into what it is today. Though we don’t play together anymore, it’s cool to know that one of those saves is still on the cart all these years later and relive just a few of those gaming memories.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Power + Reset

Congrats Lindsay and Blake! I’ve got some work to do.

Playing on the NES, I’m always nervous every time I start up the game.

OBEY!

Seriously, this is probably the scariest image in any game ever. Think about it. These days, saving is something we take for granted; it just works. At work, I save almost every line of text I write. But with The Legend of Zelda, saving was something new and fickle. If you didn’t hit start and restart, who knows what would happen. You just hoped the game was there when you came back. Thankfully, so far so good.

Anyway, I’m through the first four dungeons and have the best sword, all heart containers and blue ring.

OMG, Nazi Level! (not really)

I’ll try to make it through the rest and catch up!

The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda was one of the first games I had ever seen played on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I was over at my friends’ house, Evan and Ryan, and there I saw on their TV a little green hero swiping his sword at little red creatures who spat rocks at him. I was amazed! My “let me try” moment only lasted a few minutes before I had to leave and go home. I knew then that Zelda was a big deal.

I can’t remember how I got The Legend of Zelda; my best recollection is that my Mom got it used from someone at work, along with some other NES games. I already had Zelda II (more on that later), so I figured playing the first game would be just as fun. Playing Zelda was way easier than Zelda II and it had a simpler story. Save Zelda, got it.

I obsessed over The Legend of Zelda. At a young age, I was tired of being lost in dungeons, lost in the overworld, and forgetting where everything was, so I created a series of maps on graph paper to keep track of everything. My first try at being a video game cartographer.

Here are the results: (note the bad spelling and strange use of cursive)

The Overworld

Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Levels 6, 7, and 8

Level 9

Later, one day when I was “sick” and stayed home from school, I decided to play The Legend of Zelda all the way through and never dying. I was a bit tricky, but I remember finding the letter and buying healing potions first, then continuing the game as normal. It only took a few hours and some long pause breaks, but in the end, I did it.

Saving Zelda!!

Blake and Lindsay beat the game!

Lindsay and I just beat The Legend of Zelda tonight, our first of many games during our quest. We didn’t do it without dying, or all in one day, but we did have a lot of fun and spent some quality time with this legendary game. Next up, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link! Stay tuned and keep up with us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/632408553530348/

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Quest Begins

Thanks for allowing me to join you, Lindsay and Blake. I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve been excited about Zelda so I hope this helps reignite the spark. Like you, I am going to play all 17 games, but I’m also going to add BS Zelda and Link’s Crossbow Training to the list. Epic indeed!

When possible, I hope to play the games on their original consoles to up the nostalgia factor. I will try not to 100% but I can’t make any promises.

I should note, I started up last night on my NES and was super happy to see that the battery is still functional.

I managed to make it through the first two dungeons. Besides a wave of nostalgia, the first thing that came rushing back to me was how little I remembered.

I would remember where something was hidden, but not what was there. After cruising through the first dungeon (the map is smaller than I remember as a kid) I could not remember where the second dungeon was located. I quickly purchased the candle and got to burning the bushes and before long was in dungeon 8!

Oops. How did I get here?

I love that non-linearity to the game. It’s something the series really ditched until Link Between Worlds (I’ll try not to spoil anything since I know Lindsay and Blake haven’t played it yet).

Anyway, I eventually made it to the second dungeon and picked up my second triforce piece (and heard the awesome tune). I can’t wait to continue this epic quest.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone!

Late one night before a snow day, Lindsay and I were talking about our favorite video game, Zelda. Her favorite in the franchise is A Link to the Past and mine is Ocarina of Time. We then had a crazy idea; let’s play and beat all the Zelda games! Seems simple, right? But how to accomplish this quest? There are many factors that we needed to choose. Chronologically or by release? On original systems or virtual consoles? How many are there again? SEVENTEEN!?! This was going to be our Epic Zelda Quest!

First, we need to set some personal rules:

We’ll play them in the order of release, to see how the franchise evolved, controls changed, and how each game built upon concepts from the previous.
Playing them on virtual consoles will eliminate logistical issues, reduce cost, and provide a glitch-free gaming experience. Most of the games are available for download on the Wii/Wii U system, others on the portable 3DS.
We will only beat each game along the main storyline, not complete all of the game content. No second quests or finding all the gold skulltulas.
No spin-off Zelda games like Link’s Crossbow Training or Hyrule Warriors.
Remakes and additional content are optional, like the 3D versions of games or extra levels included in the purchase.
No time limit. Sorry, we’ll be playing casually and during free time. No gaming marathons here.
No guides, cheats, or codes. I may have to resort to a walkthrough, but I hope I can stay away.
Lindsay and I will share play time. I want to play the majority of the time, but Lindsay wants to play also, so we’ll team up to finish this quest. After all, it’s dangerous to go alone!

We want to include family and friends in our quest as well. If anyone else reading this blog wants to play all or some of the game with us, we will include your posts too! Also, I plan on starting a Facebook Group for smaller discussions. We’ll be sharing the moments of the games we love, the mechanics we hate, and an overall experience of the game after we beat the final boss.

Facebook Group: It's Dangerous to Go Alone!

Here is the list and order of titles we will be playing:

The Zelda games have played in important role in our gaming lives. It was one of the first games I had ever seen played on the Nintendo and mostly likely the one most played through my childhood. Lindsay has fond memories of playing Zelda with her father and wants to experience those feelings again. Please wish us luck on our quest and feel free ask us how we’re doing! Hyrule awaits!

The Quest Begins