Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time really needs no introduction. Almost twenty years have passed since this game was released, and it still tops the charts of the best video games ever made and is still the highest rated game on Metacritic. Being the first Zelda in the 3D space, Ocarina of Time and its gameplay set the standards for future Zelda titles even to this day. The transition from 2D to 3D gameplay was a difficult task for many video game publishers, but Ocarina of Time nailed it perfectly. The lock on system quickly became an industry standard.

It wasn't just the gameplay that propelled the game to record holding acclaim, but the quest was larger and the world was huge, and you had two different time periods to transverse. It was the first game to feature the Zora and Goron clans, as well as the first to introduce Epona. It was also the first time Ganon was seen in human form as Ganondorf. All of this on a tiny - especially compared to the other consoles CD storage size - 32 megabit cartridge. Ocarina of Time had many challenges to face and not many thought it could top the greatness that was Link of the Past, but it surpassed all expectations.

Set in a large and open world, Ocarina of Time has child Link start off as a member of the Kokiri tribe, but as is quickly evident Link is much different from the other Kokiri. Suffering nightmares that are more like harbingers of the trouble that is coming to threaten his world, Link is awakened by a fairy that was sent by the Deku Tree to call the Hero to his aid - and start a journey that will see Link travel back and forwards through time to stop the evil that is taking over Hyrule.

Like Final Fantasy VII, Ocarina of Time was one of those games that brought in a large amount of new fans to the series. To this day it is still the best selling Zelda game for a single console, only being bested by Twilight Princess when combining both Wii and GameCube sales.

Ocarina of Time was not only a masterpiece, it was an experience. For me personally and I imagine others as well, Ocarina of Time - fittingly for a game based on time travel - changed our own futures. Zelda Xtreme started out as just an Ocarina of Time fan page and grew exponentially from there. A lot of personal elements can be traced back to this game and that makes it far more than just a game for me. Even though a lot of Ocarina of Time has been bested by more recent games in the series, Ocarina of Time still deserves its reputation as being the most impressive, innovative, and powerful entry in the long line of Zelda games.