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You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?

So it seems there are plenty of fans on this website, I wasn't aware that many others found this game so appealing, especially when stood next to its predecessor!

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

You know, I've thought the idea of this game sounded quite cool for some time. I'd really like to get around to it eventually, but I don't really see it happening in the foreseeable future, simply since my summer is cut a bit short and I already have a few games lined up.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

Quote (Blinge Odonata)

Ah. maybe not so unpopular then. Can you expand on the 'work of art' thing Sherick?

This actually is a great analysis for starters, worth the read.

http://www.zeldainformer.com/2010/10/the-m...joras-mask.html

This post has been edited by Sherick on 20th May 2011 20:06

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

Of all the games in the series, it's the most original and has one of the most compelling stories that I've witnessed from the series. Now, that comes from someone that's not a major fan of the series, but it's still a great game.

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Praise Be To Helix!

I have completed every single Zelda ever released and MM's my number one.
I really wish more people would play MM, considering how many have played OOT.

I am very much anticipating Skyward Sword and OOT3DS anyway.

Every one eh? what about four swords adventures for GC? did you have to use a link cable for that? because sod that..

Finishing every zelda is also on my to do list, but i think i've mentioned the teeth pulling experience that is Zelda II on here before. If you die on II do you keep your levels? because surely if one was to keep playing Link would be overleveled and the game would get easier?

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

I liked OoT more than MM because of the time limit in MM. It really is that simple.

I tried to like Majora's Mask. I really, honestly did. I remember being incredibly excited before my first playthrough, because I didn't really understand the premise and, well, it turned out to be really underwhelming. It just didn't give me that sense of wonder I had during LttP or OoT. The whole Groundhog's Day but with three days instead of one gimmick felt entirely, well, too gimmicky. It got stale fast and rather than force that sense of urgency I think they were hoping for, all I felt was dissatisfaction and frustration. I've gone back to the game a few times now, hoping that maybe I'll find some redeeming quality that I missed when I was younger. It hasn't happened, and so Majora's Mask remains my least favorite Zelda title thus far.

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Okay, but there was a goat!

Majora remains my favorite Zelda game in the entire series since I played through it. Why? Well, aside from being a game that is half made of side-quests (which is already awesome), the underlying philosophy of the game was just brilliant.

Majora seemed to me to be a statement about human nature in many ways. The biggest part of this was the idea that everyone wears masks- a concept played with by many great thinkers, but was most exhaustively written about by Nietzsche. Throughout the game, Link encounters tons of people who wish to be this or that, and sometimes after doing something for them, they remove their masks- in other words, they drop the facade in favor of modest thankfulness.

Just by way of mentioning another example in this vein, also recall the Garo, who will reveal secrets of their life after defeating their undead shells. Brilliant!

This is just skimming the surface, but man, do I love that game. This isn't even getting into things like music, atmosphere, and area/dungeon design!

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote (MogMaster @ 22nd May 2011 06:38)

Why? Well, aside from being a game that is half made of side-quests (which is already awesome)

Link encounters tons of people who wish to be this or that, and sometimes after doing something for them, they remove their masks- in other words, they drop the facade in favor of modest thankfulness.

Just by way of mentioning another example in this vein, also recall the Garo, who will reveal secrets of their life after defeating their undead shells. Brilliant!

Haha yeah. I found that so immersive as a kid - I'd play dungeons just to be able to get further with the sidequests and help people out/find out what was going on in their lives. The 3 day limit let them make such deep NPC's compared to other games at the time as they had their every action choreographed over a 3 day period.

The Anju-Kafei story arc is the pinnacle of this imo.

Quote

Link encounters tons of people who wish to be this or that, and sometimes after doing something for them, they remove their masks- in other words, they drop the facade in favor of modest thankfulness.

Just by way of mentioning another example in this vein, also recall the Garo, who will reveal secrets of their life after defeating their undead shells. Brilliant!

Ah! hadn't considered this before, wow.

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

Quote (MogMaster @ 22nd May 2011 02:38)

Majora remains my favorite Zelda game in the entire series since I played through it. Why? Well, aside from being a game that is half made of side-quests (which is already awesome), the underlying philosophy of the game was just brilliant.

Majora seemed to me to be a statement about human nature in many ways. The biggest part of this was the idea that everyone wears masks- a concept played with by many great thinkers, but was most exhaustively written about by Nietzsche. Throughout the game, Link encounters tons of people who wish to be this or that, and sometimes after doing something for them, they remove their masks- in other words, they drop the facade in favor of modest thankfulness.

Just by way of mentioning another example in this vein, also recall the Garo, who will reveal secrets of their life after defeating their undead shells. Brilliant!

This is just skimming the surface, but man, do I love that game. This isn't even getting into things like music, atmosphere, and area/dungeon design!

Seconded. When playing it I felt that it was the only LoZ game I've ever played that really made philosophical arguments, at least to that degree. The reason that FF is my favorite series is because every one (no matter the quality) seemed to do what this game did. I may actually agree with people that OoT, or even LttP are better games, but they don't seem to bring about questions like you stated MM does.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 22nd May 2011 21:54)

Quote (MogMaster @ 22nd May 2011 02:38)

Majora remains my favorite Zelda game in the entire series since I played through it. Why? Well, aside from being a game that is half made of side-quests (which is already awesome), the underlying philosophy of the game was just brilliant.

Majora seemed to me to be a statement about human nature in many ways. The biggest part of this was the idea that everyone wears masks- a concept played with by many great thinkers, but was most exhaustively written about by Nietzsche. Throughout the game, Link encounters tons of people who wish to be this or that, and sometimes after doing something for them, they remove their masks- in other words, they drop the facade in favor of modest thankfulness.

Just by way of mentioning another example in this vein, also recall the Garo, who will reveal secrets of their life after defeating their undead shells. Brilliant!

This is just skimming the surface, but man, do I love that game. This isn't even getting into things like music, atmosphere, and area/dungeon design!

Seconded. When playing it I felt that it was the only LoZ game I've ever played that really made philosophical arguments, at least to that degree. The reason that FF is my favorite series is because every one (no matter the quality) seemed to do what this game did. I may actually agree with people that OoT, or even LttP are better games, but they don't seem to bring about questions like you stated MM does.

Thirded. A another great example of the masks concept is the master swordsman guy who teaches you the various sword attacks. Throughout the three days, he brags about how he isn't afraid of the falling moon, and how he's going to "cut it in half" or whatever, while everyone else is preparing to flee Clock Town. After midnight on the Final Day, however, you can find him cowering in the backroom of his store-place, crying about how he doesn't want to die.

Also, for anyone who hasn't completed the Anju and Kafei sidequest, the ending is so touching that it more than makes up for it being difficult and tedious (and the fact that all the Couple's Mask does is get you a single Piece of Heart).


Anyway, Majora's Mask is not only my favorite Legend of Zelda game, it's also one of my favorite video games, period.

It's radically different from, say, Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past (incredibly good games themselves), and one article/analysis of it (if I can find it again, I'll post it) really summed up how I felt about it - it wasn't the sequencing, story, gameplay, or whatever that I loved - it was the atmosphere.

Throughout the entire game, no matter where you go, there's always the sense that there's something...off. Something out of synch. From Clock Town to Deku Palace to Stone Tower to Pinnacle Rock (which terrified the crap out of me when I was younger, and I've been a scuba diver for eight years. Go figure.), there's always the nagging feeling in the back of my mind saying, "...Something's wrong. Something is very wrong with this scenario." Majora's Mask resonates with the primal feelings - fear, paranoia, helplessness, and so on.

One example out of many is the Clock Town theme music. On the First Day, it's your typical town theme - simple, quaint, upbeat. By the Final Day, however, it's rushed, dissonant, and surprisingly unsettling, despite having the same base melody.


Also, this is somewhat secondary, but I really liked the large number of sidequests and whatnot compared to other LoZ games. Reminds me of the World of Ruin in FFVI.

This post has been edited by Insegredious on 23rd May 2011 01:08

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EGG TOSS
YOU CARRY
EAT A BAG
LEMON-DY
HEAD SAUCE
JIM CARREY
IN A BEAR
HEAVEN PEE
DAFFY-ROTH
- brentalfloss

Regarding the sword master and his mask of calm, another great example in this line is the postman. The post man lives his life on a schedule with a rigidity that would have given Kant a run for his money, at the end of it all it just turns out he wants to be free.

Or the Gormans who want to be Garo raiders but become totally ineffective and human in the face of their brothers mask- far from the undead shells they wish to be.

Just as an aside I'd like to add that the article Sherick posted is brilliant.

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Majora's Mask has been and always will be my all time favorite game in the LoZ series. I notice something new everytime I play the game it seems and its in my top 5 games of all time.

Something about the article Sherick posted doesn't sit well with me. Is it perhaps the writer's faith in the Majora story writers?

It's a great and insightful article truly, but I can't shake the feeling that the writer is clasping at straws. The evidence is a little shaky but that's okay - It doesn't try to be anything other than speculation. What annoys me is that the story writers for Nintendo WOULD DO WELL to listen to guys like this and try to leave more hints at interesting stories, or flat out improve the storytelling in their games rather than just recycle the same basic premise across the recent Zelda titles.
seems like asking for a lot I know.


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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

I didn't see that. The oddest part is the observations of Stone Tower, which seem the most out there, but when you actually look at it, its more unusual to think that the designers didn't have a concept in mind when designing it with as much detail in there, and as much as everything seemed to add up to something completely sensible. Plus it melds in perfectly with the overall themes and messages of the game at large.
Aside from that (and granted its been a while since I actually read the article) nothing else in there is beyond belief as to what the writers had intended. Ever since OoT we've seen that the Zelda folks really do put quite a lot of effort and brainpower into their games. Remember diehard Zelda fans used to (and still do honestly) be ridiculed for analyzing the games so thoroughly, only for future gens to show that they are pretty much right (see the Split Timeline Theory).

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

Speaking of the split timeline theory, another thing I find interesting is that in the timeline where Link defeats Ganon 7 years in the future, Termina is destroyed. I can't help but wonder how or if this will somehow play into the grand scheme somehow.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

There is no grand scheme!!

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

I didn't get very far into Majora's Mask. Several years ago, I started it, played around for an hour, never got into the first dungeon, put it down and never went back. I don't remember the specifics of why, but I do remember that game did something very wrong.
I do want to go back to it eventually, though. Just for the sake of not having any games I've paid money for but never really played.

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"I had to write four novels before they let me write comic books."
-Brad Meltzer

As a kid i never got the chance to play this game. However, recently, i picked it up and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I was thoroughly unimpressed.

I may be speaking only for myself here, but the bulk of the satisfaction i get from Zelda games comes from the dungeons, and solving the puzzles therein. I love walking into a new room, not knowing what to do. I poke around the room, seeing what I can interact with, and slowly I piece it all together until i finally figure it out. Hearing that little "you did it/you found a secret" chime makes me smile.

The problem with Majora's Mask is that it just won't let me do that. I'm an hour and a half into the game and so far i've done nothing but run errands. Remember that boring-ass side quest in Ocarina of Time where you run around Hyrule delivering items from one person to the next in order to get the Biggoron Sword? Or that one in Link's Awakening where you do the same thing and get rewarded with a Magnifying Glass? That's all I've done so far. The difference here is that instead of being rewarded with a useful item, I'm rewarded with the privilege of leaving Clock Town so I can begin the quest proper. So I head to the Swamp, and what am I immediately met with? Another goddamn errand to run. To hell with this game.

At the hour and a half mark in Ocarina, I would've gotten my sword and shield, headed into the Deku Tree, defeated Gohma, made my way to Hyrule Castle, and would probably be on my way to meet Princess Zelda.

This post has been edited by Malevolence on 28th May 2011 16:08

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moé in the streets, senpai in the sheets

oh yes, now you mention it, the games are slightly different aren't they!
...

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www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

Different is not bad, but boring is. And that's what Majora's Mask has been so far; boring.

I'm all for slow pacing. It gives you a chance to build up a story and gives me time to get to know the character(s). The problem is the story doesnt seem to be much more than "oh snap, the moon's falling. go find the 4 guys that'll stop it from falling." and there's nothing to learn about Link because he might as well be a cardboard cutout with a sword.

This post has been edited by Malevolence on 28th May 2011 21:35

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moé in the streets, senpai in the sheets

I love this GAME!!! but i am stuck heh heh.....

I really liked this game, but I got to like the second or third temple when I was small... I'm planning on actually finishing it one of these days.

Quote (Malevolence @ 28th May 2011 21:32)

there's nothing to learn about Link because he might as well be a cardboard cutout with a sword.

Hasn't Link always been a cardboard cutout with a sword?

--------------------

EGG TOSS
YOU CARRY
EAT A BAG
LEMON-DY
HEAD SAUCE
JIM CARREY
IN A BEAR
HEAVEN PEE
DAFFY-ROTH
- brentalfloss

Not in Wind Waker.

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

I loved Majora's Mask way more than Ocarina of Time.

By the way if Ocarina of Time has become much like Nintendo's Final Fantasy IV. But no one asks wheres the love for other Zelda Games or Nintendo games. I'd like to see Majora's Mask on the 3DS by the time I get one at least they have Star Fox 64 coming out. Only thing is Super Mario 64 appeared on the original DS so I know it ain't going to be on 3DS.

But to look at Majora's Mask in a good light you have to look at most if not all NPC's each one goes about they're everyday lives within the 3 days. If you check out what they are up too like stalking some of them like a crazed stalker you can figure out a lot and maybe even find new stuff you never would have found in the first place. You can also redo most events in the game with ease using items you've accumulated though out the game almost like new game plus in Chrono Trigger by going back to day one and repeat your favorite scenarios by just doing everything you did before. Maybe even find new ways to do stuff.

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

Finally if you collect all the Masks you can use Link in his most awesome form ever the Fierce Deity. Though I wish it wasn't just in boss battles.

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

Oh and not to mention being cheap with bombs by using the bomb mask while using the shield so you don't lose hearts. LOL!

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I treasure those who I love that love me in return. <3

Quote (Sherick @ 5th June 2011 19:29)

Not in Wind Waker.

Well, yeah, but he was a cardboard cutout in every Zelda game before Wind Waker.

--------------------

EGG TOSS
YOU CARRY
EAT A BAG
LEMON-DY
HEAD SAUCE
JIM CARREY
IN A BEAR
HEAVEN PEE
DAFFY-ROTH
- brentalfloss

I've never used the Fierce Diety mask at the final battle, just because it makes it way too easy. . _ .

R-R-R-R-REVIVAL

Anyway, I figured rather than start a new topic, this would be the one to post this in

http://www.terriblefate.com/

Dunno if anyone else saw this, but it's so god-damn good, I had to share. The next installment comes out Dec 21st 2013! I am so excite. Particularly, the last track, "Time's End" is really really really ridiculously good. /Zoolander

The whole thing though. You may recognize XprtNovice in the credits for a couple of the tracks. He did a bunch of excellent work on the FFVI OCRemix album, and everything I hear by him is basically made of win.

Edit

And here is an interview with the project creator, Theophany, at Zelda Informer.

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 20th August 2013 00:13

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way