Pandora's Box: The Ultimate GameCube Tier List

#18: The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition

Rating: E

Players: 1

Price Range: ~$63 USD

A compilation of games from the Legend of Zelda series.

This is a bit of a weird and forgotten game.

Let me explain.

You see, near the end of the GameCube's lifespan, the system was a flop. The PS2 and the Original Xbox, at least given the circumstances, sold a more impressive set of units than Nintendo's machine.

This left many unsold consoles in warehouses, so they reduced the price to a shockingly low $99 USD without sales tax to get rid of excess stock.

Those new systems were likely sold with this as a pack-in to entice buyers.

As such, that bundle-in title was this collection of Zelda games.

And...

Like the Mega Man collections, I'll go in-depth into each of the games when applicable and talk about inclusions and changes to the original games in this curious oddity.

First of all, this is a modestly expensive, and it is highly debatable if it is worth buying today, as the games in the collection are available on the Nintendo Switch Online service, however bad the subscription system is.

The games included are The Legend of Zelda, the original NES game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

First of all, I've already said my piece on Ocarina of Time, but to very brief in my thoughts if you haven't seen the entry in the C Tier, I think that Ocarina is a boring, bland, repetitive, and poorly designed mess that has no place in today's gaming landscape. Only a first-time player with no experience in 3D action-adventure games or Zelda games in general could have enjoyment in my opinion.

Outside of having bragging rights from completing a file on this version of Ocarina, I'm never playing this game ever again.

However, I have much more to say about the other games.

First of all, let's start with the first game in the series here, the original Zelda.

It is a special, but rather aged experience, but I will say it can give you something rather lost on video games today.

Many just hold your hand or flood your screen with objective markers, while the original Zelda game does not mess around and you have complete freedom to go wherever you want, even if it'll end up leading to your death.

But really, your enjoyment of the game depends on your exact mindset.

You are either the type of person who relies on a guide to solve the game's riddles and to have a map made for you through a Google search, or you play a game how it's meant to be at the time, all old bones and the limitations that come with.

Which way is better?

Well, I can't give you a definite answer, as I can't blame you for having either experience, as this is still an over thirty-year-old game at the end of the day.

Sure, you could pick apart many issues and not even have something as simple as a map that expands in Hyrule as you explore it, or you could just release modern day sensibilities and just enjoy the game as an experiment in discovery and old-school adventure.

The game doesn't tell you anything, but that's the point. You're meant to find it out yourself.

The controls feel very stiff and railroaded to the four-way grid, but so are the enemies.