Oracle of Ages

Well, I'm done with it. Let me say, right off the bat, that this is one the greatest games I've ever played. Even compared to the other Zelda games, in my opinion, this is a great game. The game is puzzle after puzzle. This may sound like it gets repetitive, but it never did. The puzzles were the hardest, most intricate puzzles I had ever played through. They always kept me working, and never got me bored. The fighting portion of the game was relatively small, but I did not miss it. This is quite amazing, as I am an avid supporting of more, harder enemies. The bosses in the game were quite unique also. They were all VERY unique, in fact. Their weaknesses were very original, as well as their general appearances. For example, the first boss is a flame…inside a pumpkin…on top of a cloak. The different time periods were done very well, and they created a lot of interesting puzzles/side quests. There were also several areas very reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda, the classic, as well as several other games. This created a nice feeling of nostalgia at times. Another point that I enjoyed was the lack of long, boring speeches. Kapoara Gaboara (Okay, I can't spell his name) and Navi were nowhere to be seen. The plot was very involving, especially towards the end of the game. Of course, the game wasn't quite perfect. To begin with, the last dungeon…was awful. It was just a whole lot of running around in a vast area. The puzzles, especially after playing the rest of the game, seemed quite mediocre. The boss was boring, and the whole experience was a waste of my time. Also, just like in Link's Awakening, several Mario enemies were used. Nintendo's already overusing Mario, and this isn't helping. Also, it took away from the uniqueness of the series. These were really the only two flaws I found while playing through the game. As a whole, this game is, as I said before, awesome. I strongly urge all of you to go out and buy it…now!

~Daniel Rendleman