Good game.
It has been a while since I've played a game, since I've been so busy with school and whatnot, but I decided I wanted to play a Nintendo game, and wanted it to be something on either the SNES or N64. So I picked Ocarina. I haven't played Ocarina since waaaaaaaaay back in the day when it came out and barely remember anything about it.
I just beat King Dodongo and am enjoying myself. Very reminiscent of A Link to the Past, but with its own unique atmosphere. I can see a ton of things that influenced Twilight Princess already and am not even Adult Link yet.
For the longest time, I haven't understood why people claim it is "the greatest game of all time" or even "the greatest Zelda game of all time." It just isn't either. Sure, it captures everything that has been standardized in the Zelda franchise, but I don't think that makes it the "best" in the franchise.
I personally have enjoyed A Link to the Past the most of all the main Zelda games I've played (still have to play through Majora's Mask, which will occur after Ocarina, depending on when I finish Ocarina). It's atmosphere is the best of them all, and the characters, worlds and bosses are just among the best.
Granted, Ocarina of Time is an amazing game, but it receives far too much praise for what it is. And really, the most common praise for Ocarina is Z-targeting... which I've found very unintuitive and extremely clunky so far. It might have something to do with being used to more modern forms of controls, but I think a lot of people haven't taken off their rose-tinted goggles and seen Z-targeting and Ocarina for what it really is: an amazing N64 game that is most definitely showing its age and is not the best game ever made, nor the best Zelda.
I do very much like the atmosphere in Ocarina, just not as much as A Link to the Past. And from what I've heard about Majora's Mask, I doubt I will enjoy Ocarina as much as that either.
Definitely a N64 game worth owning for anyone with the console.
