Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

Anyone here a Zelda fan?

Several Zelda games out there.

Comments or opinions welcome here on ANY of the Zelda games!

Yep, I've been a fan of the series almost since it began. I even remember watching the old cartoon on TV. I just finished the latest game, Zelda: Twilight Princess a little while back. It was great, it felt a lot like playing some of the other games with just the right touch of totally new stuff.

I've played a few of them... not the older ones, but some of the more recent ones. What were they like before they went 3D?

I am the proud owner of Zelda 1 and 2 for NES, the rerelease of Link to the Past for GBA, a rerelease of Ocarina of Time for Gamecube and Wind Waker.

Of these, I'd have to say that that Link to the Past is my favorite followed by the first Zelda. All of the ones I've played have been thoroughly enjoyable, but I tend to prefer the older games. (Dunno why that is.)

As far as pre-3D Zelda goes, a lot of the common themes used in the later incarnations were established in the 2D titles. 1 and Link to the Past were in a top-down view and your sword had a projectile attack once you were at full health. In addition to using equipment to explore, you had to interact frequently with your environment, especially in Link to the Past. Many puzzles were solved by pulling levers, pushing blocks, and hitting switches as well as bombing suspicious backgrounds. Also, in the first one, you could voluntarily go throughout the game without ever getting a sword without having to perform a sequence break. (Why you would is a different matter. )

Zelda 2 was the "black sheep" if you will of the Zelda series. On the world map, it was also a top down view but you didn't attack and monster encounters visibly showed up on the the map. When you entered a town, a dungeon or an encounter, the game became a 2D sidescroller with small elements of growth for Link, such as the ability to upgrade life, attack power and magic capacity. Spells were a vital part of survival and combat techniques were more frequently learned.

Hope that helped.

All right, another Zelda fan. I have almost all of them too, except for a few released in the past few years. Link to the Past is definitely one of the best. I've replayed it more than any other game I own.

Great description of the early games. I want to add that during the first time playing Zelda 1, it's best to look at a walkthrough, manual, or map when getting started. That was a very early NES game, so it kind of throws you right in without any guidance. I didn't really enjoy it the first time I played it because it was a rental without a manual. I had no idea of where to go or what to do.

Thanks for the details. It sounds like the best place to start with the pre-3D games is Link to the Past. I will have to grab a copy of it sometime. I think the local Walmart still has it for the Game Boy.

There have been rumors of a movie for years, but I think that was just wishful thinking. I'm not sure how a movie would do. I'm sure it could be good with the right people behind it, but I don't know.

My favorite aspect of the games is the puzzle solving elements. They make you think a little bit in these games.

Has anyone got Phantom Hourglass, the newest game in the series yet? If so, what are your impressions of it? I'm hoping to get it sometime in the next few months, but I have to get a DS too.

Have and beat Phantom Hourglass, actually! ^_^

In all honesty, the game's really easy, except for the bosses. Wasn't really much of a fan of randomized prices for treasures (but still, easy Rupees), but I had a great time.

Oh, and one dungeon Link repeatedly visits is like Metal Gear Solid, if it were designed by Satan.