Yesterday I went to Game Stop my favorite local video game retailer and upped the five dolors that I had reserving The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker for GameCube to fifteen and received my Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time for GameCube bonus disk.
Nintendo is giving a GameCube port of the N64 game to everyone who reserves The Wind Walker in time. This is super slick and brilliant marketing on their part. The commercial viability the N64 games are just about nil and it only took about a week to port the N64 game to the new hardware and since it is a disk there is no massive manufacturing cost associated with it unlike cartridges.
Also on the disk is some short movies of up coming Nintendo games and a copy of Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time Master Quest. This is an extra version of the game that appeared on the N64 DD Bulky drive in Japan only. It is essentially the cartridge N64 game but with the difficulty increased and the dungeons redesigned to make them much more of a challenge. So if you have already beaten the N64 game it might be worth checking out on the harder Master Quest version. Ocarina of Time was the best game of 1998 and is a true masterpiece by Shigeru Miyamoto. It proved that a 2d game can be moved into 3d hardware gracefully and successfully without getting rid of the same game play experience that made the 2d games great.
The Gamecube version is a straight port with minimum enhancements to the game. The text is crisper and the game is at twice the resolution of the N64 version. Also the game really works great on the Gamecube controller and you do not have to keep feeding the rumble pack batteries like you did in the N64 game. Nintendo actually wasn't planning on bring this disk out over here until fans found out about it on the Internet and started a campaign to let Nintendo of America know that they wanted it. It is a limited release and numbers are limited but they manufactured millions and if you act now you should have no problem getting one.
Even if you don't plan on picking up The Wind Walker Ocarina of Time is a joy to play on the Gamecube and would be worth the fifteen bucks. But since the demo of Wind Walker that I played looked just as fun I look forward to picking up Miyamoto's latest and adding it to my library. There are no enhancements to the textures or the polygonal models and the quest is exactly the same in normal mode. I would rank it only a 15% improvement over the N64 cartridge but that was a great game to begin with and the price was right. Gamestop also had a special deal where everyone who got the pre-order disk from them also got a free strategy guide for Ocarina of Time.
I just hope that Nintendo does something like this again with future games. Like a free disk of F-Zero 64 when you reserve F-Zero GC or Mario 64 with a reserve of Super Mario 128. Word!
I have to agree, it was definitely a smart marketing tactic on Nintendo's part. In the time since they announced they were going to be releasing the bonus disks stateside, we saw the reservations more than quadruple themselves. However, it will remain to be seen whether Wind Waker lives up to the title it made itself at E3. And, unfortunately for those just finding out about it, the guide was a first-come-first-serve, while supplies last, deal. And it was exclusive to GameStop.
Ever since I played the first Legend of Zelda game in 1987 I have never been disappointed by them. I think they are kept fresh by the fact that they don't crank one out every year.
You heard the 13 minute Legend of Zelda OC Remix by OneUp Studios?
I'd buy THAT for a dollar!
Any chance of Majora's Mask coming to Gamecube? It'd be awesome if it was included on Windwaker as a bonus.
Maybe they could release some more n64 games as valuepaks. Conker's Bad Fur Day or Perfect Dark would be nice.
Well I have both of those as N64 carts that I picked up from a used game store for very cheap. Around 15 for each of them. Majora Mask is around 30. Who knows but this promotion is really popular so it may inspire more N64 to Gamecube conversions. I think that Nintendo existing library of games in a huge advantage it has over Microsoft. Again the cool thing about the Gamecube disks is that there is no real major manufacturing cost like there is with cartridges. So they can be sold cheaper. You should read my piece called "How to Get Your Video Gaming Money's Worth"
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/000725.php
I didnt think that Master Quest was harder than OoT. The dungeons were just different not really harder. Although I'm still on the Shadow Temple and I'm not quite done yet.I actually thought the Water Temple in Master Quest was easier than the one in Ocarina. It's still one of the best games ever and easily the best pre-sale item ever though
Ok here's the deal i cant ge past the level in windwaker where you have to get in the wind and shadow temples.If you think im an idiot...........KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
You need more tips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zell this is a review not a guide. Here is a tip if you want to know how to play the game read the guides on http://www.gamefaqs.com/
Heres the deal guys I'm stuck in the shadow temple. In the legend of zelda master quest. The thing is, is that i used up my last key to go into a room that doesn't lead to nowhere. Now i dont have a key to go into the next room.
Links this is a review not a guide. Here is a tip if you want to know how to play the game read the guides on http://www.gamefaqs.com/
IVE WON WINDWAKE IN 4 DAYS EAYS PESY SO EASY I HEARD THERE A NUMBER 2 OF WINDWAKER AND O YEA I WON OCCORINA ASWELL 3 WEEKS HOPE UR ALL AS GOOD AS ME SEE YA AND BY THE WAY GANNONDORF RULZZZZZZZZZZZ
Your cap-lock key is stuck ass-munch.
The Zelda masterquest spin off was really a smart move by Nintendo. If anything, Nintendo has the advantage over Microsoft because of it's intense gaming library. Microsoft might have the tech, Nintendo's got tha goods!!!
Hey I think Nintendo has pretty good tech. I love my Gamecube and GBA SP.
Wew, somebody here really loves himself... (and yeah, you're Caps Lock is stuck)
Zelda the Wind Waker is a brilliant game, I didn't mind the pixel-shade whatever graphics, I taught is was cute:).
THIS GAME IS VERY BAD. I NEVER SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LUV Zelda: Windwaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im stuck on pupet Ganon as always. My sister is stuck on the wind temple. Lamer than me!
That came out wrong