Nothin' But Zelda

[bloodyrosemccoy]

So true.

The targeting is useful, yes. But I could do without her HOLLERING at me every few minutes while I go get me the Biggoron sword or go on a wild Poe chase.* For all they gave her attitude, Tatl’s much less of a nag. Another tally mark in Majora’s Mask’s favor.

In other news SKYWARD SWORD WANT BUT DAMMIT MUST WAIT TILL CHRISTMAS. Fortunately, I finally scored copies of the old LoZ Oracle games to play through while I wait--I always wanted to try those but never got around to it. I don’t get as immersed in the top-down 2D ones, but hey, they’re still fun.

Now if only I could find that old raspberry-pink brick that was my GameBoy Color. The GBA works fine, but I liked that eye-searing monstrosity.

I keep cruising the Zelda wikis (yes, there are two, and I hope they have knockdown dragouts) because the theories are fascinating. The end of Ocarina of Time always pissed me off because it made no sense, but the idea that it in fact has two endings splitting off down either leg of the Trousers of Time really resolves a lot.** I’m totally fine with the “Just a legend” theory, too--ask me sometime about my theory regarding superheroes and retellings!--but that still left OoT maddeningly unresolved. This clears it up nicely.

(Others do seem to share my theory that Telma is part Gerudo. Nobody is willing to share the idea idea that the Oocca are in fact horrible chicken-body-stealing parasites, though. That theory is just TOO COOL.)


*This playthrough marks the first time I actually kicked the ass of all the Big Poes and got the fourth freakin’ Empty Bottle. I think I’ve officially done EVERYTHING IN THAT GAME now.

**Also, I like that fans refer to the timeline including the dark Majora’s Mask and the sweeping Twilight Princess as the “child timeline” and the one including all the Toon Link games as the “adult timeline,” because that seems so counterintuitive.

Comments

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Amazingly, manual targeting using the gyro controls on the 3DS is pretty easy, easier than the joystick. I can hit keese from a pretty good distance most of the time, much farther away than Navi will target. You do have to make sure you're holding it about level when you press the item button, or else you'll be aiming down by looking at your crotch.

I also, completely by accident, beat the Water Temple without buying the blue tunic first. It's actually not all that hard: Link can hold his breath long enough that you can always get to rooms with air in time, even with combat, as long as you don't stand around underwater for extended periods.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

*grin* Impressive! I think Link's breath-holding length is related to the number of hearts you've collected (I know his heat tolerance is), so I'd be set--I love collecting heart pieces, which may be why Navi gives me such a hard time. On the other hand, on the original 64 first-edition cartridge I use I got into the habit of picking up the Zora tunic if for no other reason that than I liked Aveil's (the Gerudo who gives you the membership card) blue outfit best, and she always dresses to match your outfit. They took that glitch out pretty early in the game's production, but I still think Gerudo look best in blue. Yes, that is a silly reason.

I'm a pretty good shot with the joystick, although since the controllers are well-used it's starting to get a little more difficult at times. I'm curious to try the 3DS, though--it's on my Xmas list, for sure.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

That's true, I have been pretty agressive about picking up every heart container I could. That may have made a difference.

I say I did it by accident because I went in, beat the temple, then later went back and time and revisited Zora's Domain, went to the shop, saw the tunic and said "Oh, yeah. Oops." It'd actually been long enough since I last played through that it didn't even register on me that I usually didn't have a breath timer when I'd done it before.

I'm currently in the Gerudo fortress trying to rescue the last carpenter. And I can't find the idiot. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and check GameFAQs, which I was hoping I wouldn't have to do (I've beaten this before! I shouldn't need a damn walkthrough anymore!)

The 3DS also plays DS and DSi games (like New Super Mario Bros, which is a throwback in all the best ways), including access to the Nintendo eShop for downloadable content, which includes ports of lots of older games, so I got myself Super Mario Land 1 & 2, Zelda: Four Swords (the downloadable anniversary version unfortunately doesn't seem to have the complete Link To The Past like the original), Link's Awakening (never owned a pre-Advance Game Boy, so it's new for me), and some other stuff.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

I've currently got three different open tabs dedicated to trying to figure out what they hell actually happened in the Marathon series. I never managed to beat any of them*, but I loved the Universe and Story, and going over it all like this is just fascinating.

Plus I don't have to actually play through Colony Ship for Sale, Cheap :D

*I think I managed to beat a total of six levels between the three Games. On the easiest difficulty level. There's a reason I don't try to play Video Games anymore :P

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Obviously Telma is part-Gerudo. As for the Oocca, the series implies that they "evolved" from the Hylians who stayed up on the floating continent, so any explanation of their biology would be extremely creepy.
And now back to playing Skyward Sword.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I also feel that Telma's got a little bit of Crazy Great Fairy in here, mostly because I totally love Telma AND I totally love the Crazy Great Fairies.

The concept of "evolution" is a little fuzzy in the world of Zelda fans. Or, at least, a little speeded up.

I actually like the theory that they were the Hylians' pets--there's a whole explanation as to why this is plausible--you can read it, along with some other entertaining speculations, here. I was wondering if Skyward Sword would elaborate, BUT I HAVE TO WAIT.

Either way, the parasite theory amuses my brother and me greatly. We figure that when they mature, the Oocca steal the body of a chicken and attach themselves to it as the head. After all, Ooccoo's body looks like a chicken's, but with a creepy clawed stalk clamped over the top supporting her head--and her son is JUST A HEAD. We thought it added some entertaining weirdness to the story.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

Also, did you know someone put together a Hylian conlang? The original site is dead, but they have a facebook group here, though it doesn't seem to have taken off yet.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I wondered where that had gotten to. Thanks!