When I was younger, I wanted to play through all the Zelda games in order. Unfortunately, the only official Zelda timeline doesn't really allow for this, what with the split timeline thing and all. So I wrote my own timeline, placing all the games in one nice neat line ready to play through in some sort of order.
This was written years ago, so Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass. Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword aren't included. The DS games can be placed after Wind Waker and SS goes at the beginning of the timeline, but TP... that's a tricky one. Possibly after the two Oracle games?
Anyway, here's what I did. I might update this at some point (if I can be bothered).
-x-
According to legend, at the beginning of time the golden goddesses Din, Nayru
and Farore create the world of Hyrule and all the life forms in it. Before
departing for the heavens, they leave behind their gift to the world: the
Triforce, three golden triangles that can grant their holder's greatest wish. A
Golden Land begins to flourish around the Triforce's hiding-place, and the
Triforce beckons to people from the outside world, in hopes of finding somebody
worthy of its power.
The Hylia, the chosen people of the goddesses, settle in various parts of the
world, passing on their knowledge and magical lore to many people. 1000 years
after the goddesses visit, the kingdom of Hyrule is founded in the small land
south of Death Mountain. The Triforce is possibly used by these ancient people.
Over time, great sages, including Rauru, the Sage of Light, realize that the
Triforce poses a hazard if it falls into the wrong hands. They hide the Triforce
in the Golden Land, and seal the entrance. The Triforce now rests in the Temple
of Light in the middle of the Sacred Realm, and the entrance to the Sacred Realm
is sealed by the Master Sword, which rests in the Temple of Time in the kingdom
of Hyrule. After this has been done, the sages begin compiling the Book of
Mudora, which chronicles all the legends and myths in Hyrule. It is finally
completed almost 1000 years later.
By this time, after being so preoccupied with the Book of Mundora, not even
the Sages know where the Triforce is hidden. Lust for the Triforce's power is
strong, and the people of Hyrule, suspicious that one group or another is hiding
the Triforce, attack each other. Hyrule is engulfed by a fierce civil war.
The very first Link and Zelda are born in Hyrule. To escape the fires of the
war, Link's mother takes him to the forbidden forest, where she dies from
injuries sustained while fleeing. Following her dying wish, the Great Deku Tree
takes him in, and he is raised a Kokiri.
After many years, the King of Hyrule manages to cease the fighting, and a
time of peace takes effect as the King attempts to unite Hyrule. Ganondorf, the
King of the Gerudo thieves, secretly continues to search for the Triforce.
Events of Ocarina of Time - Link, now a young boy, leaves the
Kokiri Forest on a quest to stop Ganondorf's plot to enter the Sacred Realm.
Link opens the entrance to the Sacred Realm by drawing the Master Sword, but his
spirit is sealed away for seven years until he is old enough to be the Hero of
Time. Meanwhile, Ganondorf and his band of thieves enter the Sacred Realm.
Ganondorf gains the Triforce of Power, and uses it to become Mandrag Ganon, King
of the Enchanted Thieves. The Triforce of Wisdom goes to Princess Zelda, and the
Triforce of Courage goes to Link. As Ganon builds his power, Hyrule is consumed
by a great darkness.
While Link sleeps, Ganon takes the opportunity to conquer Hyrule and set
himself up as the Evil King of Hyrule. Upon awakening seven years later, Link
claims his birthright as the Hero of Time. Freeing the Sages, he defeats
Ganondorf. Ganondorf transforms into Ganon, but Link holds Ganon off long enough
for the Sages to seal him in the Sacred Realm. Zelda sends Link back in time,
hoping to alter the timeline and prevent Ganondorf's rule.
Having travelled back to the point where he first meets Zelda, Link warns her
of Ganon's intentions and sucessfully prevents him from entering the Sacred
Realm and gaining the Triforce. Having saved Hyrule, Link departs to find his
beloved friend Navi, taking the Triforce of Courage with him and leaving the
Triforce of Wisdom with Zelda. When he leaves Hyrule, the Triforce of Courage
splits apart and is scattered all over Hyrule. It is hidden carefully away in
numberous treasure chests.
Events of Majora's Mask - In the midst of his journey, Link
encounters a skull-mask wearing child, and after losing his Ocarina to the
child, chases him into the parallel world of Termina. He discovers that the moon
is going to crash into the world in three days time, but after recovering the
Ocarina of Time, Link finds that he can jump back to the point of time when he
first appeared in Termina. Using this ability, he saves Termina from the moon
and from the power of Majora's Mask, the entity that the child who stole his
Ocarina was wearing. After this, Link continues on his search for Navi.
While Link is away, the King of Hyrule orders the tainted Golden Land sealed,
but Ganon's army attacks the castle. As the Knights defend the Sages from
Ganon's monsters, the Seven Sages seal Ganon inside the Golden Land. This battle
comes to be known as the Imprisoning War in later centuries.
During this new period of peace, another great evil by the name of Vaati
besieged the land of Hyrule. Vaati could bend the wind to his will and used this
to kidnap any beautiful girls who caught his fancy. Many knights from the castle
and other brave men set out to subdue the sorcerer and rescue the girls, but
each one fell in turn to Vaati's awesome power. Just when all hope was lost, a
lone young boy, travelling with little but a sword at his side, given to him by
the mystical race called the Picori, appeared and mystically trapped the evil
sorcerer inside the blade of his sword. The people were so grateful to the young
boy and the Picori who empowered him that they began to hold a great festival in
their honour once a year. However, as time passed, the Picori soon became
nothing more then a legend.
Events of Four Swords Adventures - Hundereds of years later,
the current Princess Zelda of Hyrule, along with her great companion Link, were
out playing in the woods when they stumbled upon a holy shrine. Inside they
found the sword which contained Vaati and, not knowing the danger of their
actions, released him. Vaati, enraged at being caged for so long, kidnapped the
Princess and sealed Link inside the shrine. A mysterious voice appeared and
promted Link to take hold of the sword. Upon doing so, his body shattered into
four pieces, each forming a complete copy of him. With this, the four Links
reopened the shrine and rescued Princess Zelda, defeating Vaati once again. Once
the task was completed, the four Links returned to one, and he replaced the
sword in the shrine.
Events of The Minish Cap - Several years passed, and the time
came for the yearly celebration of the Picori. This year, however, was
different, for it was rumored that 'just once in every one hundered years, a
secret door opens and the Picori come to visit', and this was the hundered year
celebration. To commemorate the occasion, a sword-fighting tournament was held,
and the champion was a man who used the name of Vaati, believing it to empower
him after Zelda's ordeal. Although he defeats his challengers with ease, not a
single person knows the shadowy figure. As Link races to deliver Vaati with with
his prize - a sword - Vaati casts a vast spell upon the castle and turns
everyone within to stone.
Somehow, Link avoids sharing this fate, and vows to restore Princess Zelda
and the others to normal. Revisiting the shrine to reclaim the mysterious sword,
he also meets a talking hat by the name of Ezlo. Ezlo grants Link the power to
shrink in size, which allows Link to meet the Picori, where he discovers that
Vaati is in fact a wayward Picori. Using this knowledge, Link is able to defeat
Vaati and restore the castle to normal.
Hundereds of years pass, and Ganon's power is returned to him. He kills the
descendants of the seven sages, allowing him to escape from the Dark World back
into Hyrule. He covers Hyrule with darkness, and kills the sages who were giving
the Master Sword its power. Ganon builds a tower and an army in preparation to
take over Hyrule. The people wait for the Hero of Time to return, but he never
does.
Ganon's army attacks Hyrule Castle. In their last desperate hour, the people
of Hyrule pray to the gods. The gods decide to bury Hyrule under torrential
rains. The people of Hyrule are ordered to take refuge on mountaintops. The
Master Sword forms a seal freezing Hyrule in time, and keeping Ganon's power
sealed away. Hyrule, along with the doorway to the Picori, is buried at the
bottom of the ocean, and life begins anew on islands formed from Hyrule's
mountaintops. A piece of the Triforce of Wisdom is given to the descendants of
the Royal Family, and they are charged with guarding it. The King remains below,
waiting for a day when Hyrule can be revived, charged with finding a hero in
case Ganon is revived.
On Outset Island, Link, a boy unrelated to the Hero of Time is born. A girl
is also born to a great female pirate captain, and is named Tetra. 10 years
later, Ganon is revived once again, and is able to make a portal leading to the
surface world. Taking over the Forsaken Fortress, he sends his servants over the
ocean in search of the missing pieces of the Triforce.
Events of The Wind Waker - Link celebrates his coming-of-age,
but his younger sister Aryll is kidnapped by one of Ganondorf's servants,
confusing her for Tetra. Asking for help from Tetra's pirates, Link tries to
invade the Forsaken Fortress, but is thrown from the tower. A mysterious boat
rescues him, and leads him on a quest to get the Master Sword, the only blade
that can defeat Ganon. After collecting three pearls, and passing the test of
the gods, a portal appears, leading to the frozen world of Hyrule beneath the
waves. Link takes the Master Sword from Hyrule Castle, but this releases the
seal, unfreezing Hyrule and releasing Ganon's full power. Link saves his sister
with the help of the pirates, but the Master Sword has no effect on Ganondorf.
Tetra, the young female captain of the pirates, and Link are rescued and taken
to Hyrule. There, the King of Hyrule reveals that Tetra is actually Princess
Zelda, and gives her the rest of the Triforce of Wisdom. The King was the
guiding force behind the boat. He leads Link on a quest to return the power of
evil's bane to the Master Sword, and to find the hidden Triforce of Courage
shards.
Armed with these weapons, Link arrives back in Hyrule to discover that Zelda
has been kidnapped. Breaking Ganon's barrier around Hyrule Castle, he climbs
Ganon's Tower. At the top, Ganondorf is able to steal the other two pieces of
the Triforce from Link and Zelda. But before he can touch the united Triforce,
the King touches it and wishes for Hyrule to be buried under the waves for good.
Link and Zelda defeat Ganondorf, turning him to stone when Link sticks the
Master Sword in his head. But Hyrule is buried under water, and Link and Tetra
must now find a new land to call Hyrule.
All does not end well, however. After a great deal of time, Ganon is revived.
Since the Triforce was buried with Hyrule, Ganon finds all the pieces and claims
them for himself. But he is sealed away in the Dark World when seven new sages
are found. Several years after a new Link and Zelda are born, many disasters
suddenly plague the new Hyrule.
Events of A Link To The Past - Agahnim appears in Hyrule, stops
the disasters, and is made one of the King's top advisors. He secretly
overthrows the King, and begins sending the descendants of the Sages into the
Dark World, in a plot to free Ganon. Zelda contacts Link, the Legendary Hero,
telepathically. Link fights Agahnim, but Agahnim is able to break the Seven
Sages' Seal. Link goes on to save all of the maidens from the Dark World. He
completely destroys Ganon, and claims the united Triforce. Link uses the
Triforce to do much good.
Events of Link's Awakening - The people of Hyrule fear what
evils may arise from Ganon's ashes. Ever diligent, Link leaves on a journey of
enlightenment, that he might better protect Hyrule. After several months, Link's
journey now complete, he begins sailing back to Hyrule. However, a sudden squall
destroys his ship, and Link drifts to the island of Koholint. There he defeats
Nightmares to gather together eight Instruments and wake the Wind Fish. Koholint
Island disappears, and Link is left once again with the flotsam of his ship. He
drifts back to Hyrule, and the united Triforce is placed in the Hyrule Castle.
As it rests, it watches over Hyrule.
Centuries later, Twinrova masterminds a plot to revive Ganon. By sending Onox
to Holodrum and Veran to Labrynna, she plans to light the three flames of
Sorrow, Destruction, and Despair. This would bring Ganon's spirit back from the
beyond, and then Princess Zelda's body would be used to revive Ganon.
Events of Oracle Of Sages and Oracle Of Ages - The Triforce
sends the generation's Link on a mission to Holodrum. There, Link is able to
defeat Onox, saving Din, the Oracle of Seasons, but nonetheless the Flame of
Destruction is lit. After the Triforce sends Link to Labrynna, he prevents Veran
from destroying the land, but cannot prevent the Flames of Sorrow and Despair
from being lit. Princess Zelda travels alone to Labrynna to help Link. Twinrova
kidnaps her, planning to use her pure body to revive Ganon. Link rescues Zelda
by defeating Twinrova, but Twinrova sacrifices herself to revive the Evil King.
Link defeats Ganon, but Ganon is not banished from the world. After Ganon's
defeat, the King of Hyrule uses the Triforce to keep the peace and unite Hyrule.
Before he dies, he hides the Triforce of Courage, and seals it away with a
complex magical key. After his death, his son inherits only part of the
Triforce. An evil wizard, working with the prince, puts the prince's younger
sister, named Zelda, to sleep for refusing to tell them where the rest of the
Triforce is. The wizard dies casting this spell, and nobody can wake up Zelda.
The prince decrees that every princess in the royal line from then on shall be
named Zelda, so this tragedy would not be forgotten.
Many years pass, and Ganon's ashes wake up from their slumber. The world is
thrown into an Age of Chaos. Ganon sets himself up as Prince of Darkness, and
begins building an army of monsters. At this time, a new Link and Zelda are
born.
Events of The Legend Of Zelda - Ganon's army invades Hyrule and
steals the Triforce of Power. The current Zelda splits the Triforce of Wisdom
and hides the pieces in eight Underworld labyrinths, and Ganon kidnaps her.
Impa, Zelda's nursemaid, is sent to find a brave man to fight Ganon. She is
almost captured by Ganon's henchmen, but Link saves the day. Link travels
through eight underworld labyrinths to reunite the Triforce of Wisdom. Entering
Death Mountain and finding the Silver Arrows, he defeats Ganon and takes the
Triforce of Power from his ashes.
Events of The Adventure Of Link - Though Link defeated Ganon,
Hyrule does not have peace. Ganon's monsters roam the land, and Ganon's ashes
can be revived if Link is sacrificed, and his blood sprinkled on the ashes. Link
approaches his 16th birthday, and one day the Triforce symbol appears on his
hand. Concerned, he goes to see Impa, who tells him about the ancient Princess
Zelda, who is still under the sleeping spell. Link recovers the Triforce of
Courage from the Great Palace in the Valley of Death, and with the united
Triforce awakens Zelda from her ancient sleeping spell, finally bringing peace to
Hyrule.
-x-
So that's Ocarina Of Time, Majora's Mask, Four Swords (All
incarnations), The Minish Cap, The Wind Waker, A Link To The Past, Link's
Awakening, Oracle Of Sages, Oracle Of Ages, The (original) Legend Of Zelda and
Link's Adventure if you want to give it a play. Have fun, and if
possible play the Neverwinter Nights versions of the last two - it's a bit more
fun and a LOT prettier. The Legend
Of Zelda and Link's
Adventure. Note that the latter is not yet finished, but probably will be by
the time you finish all the others! Also, if you decide to play, you'll probably
want this
character, and don't forget to check out the notes at the bottom of the
page. Thanks to Neverwinter Vault (not linked - it's already got three of the
damn things) for those files, and trust me - they're great fun! Also, if you
finish every single game and still want more, check out Zelda Classic for another remake of the
original Zelda with support for hundereds of fan quests.
Ratchet & Clank 2 (Written Review)
Another written review, this time of the second Ratchet & Clank game. I'm having a hard time playing through this one, mostly because the game glitched out during my first run through challenge mode forcing me to start over if I wanted those sweet sweet trophies. Gah. Ah well, the review was already written, so I won't let it taint my opinion. Much.
While the first Ratchet and Clank title was
well received, it wasn’t a perfect game. One of the biggest criticisms levelled
at it was the lead character, who seemed too much like a teenager. Which is
ironic, since he actually was a
teenager. But there were other flaws as well, and so, when it came to making a
sequel, Insomniac took all of those remarks to heart and made a game that dealt
with nearly all of them.
Plot-wise, not much at all has been
happening for Ratchet and Clank. Nearly a year after their previous adventure
though, they’re suddenly plucked from their humdrum life and given a whole new
galaxy to save, courtesy of the CEO of MegaCorp, Mr Fizzwidget. Their task is
to recover a Protopet, a dangerous prototype stolen from MegaCorp that could cause
untold damage if not recovered. But neither the Protopet nor the thief are what
they seem…
Despite a strong start, the story quickly
unravels and ends up a complete mess. Though the title characters have evolved
and become more mature, the overall plot and the twists contained within make
little sense, and it’s obvious that one character in particular was forced into
the story at the last minute. As a result, the plot jumps all over the place
and it’s impossible to take seriously.
Fortunately, the humour that was evident in
the first game is back with a vengeance, covering up a lot of the plot’s
failings. From the title screen, with Ratchet actually playing his new and old adventures
(and a little Jak and Daxter as well), through to the random but brilliant
reappearance of the Plumber, the game builds upon the slightly silly style of
the first game and develops it into full-blown self-parody, with even the lead
characters making fun of the clichés that crop up.
Also vastly improved are the controls,
which, as well as being significantly tightened, make use of an all-new
strafing system. Though the first game did have something similar, it was rudimentary,
awkward to use and almost seemed like an afterthought. Here, it’s been much
better implemented, and it quickly becomes essential.
By holding down either L2 or R2, you can
move left and right along a straight line, jumping and shooting as you do so.
This makes the game feel much more refined, taking a step away from being a
platformer with shooting bits added to it. It now feels like a proper action
title, with all the benefits that brings, such as full-on combat arenas, where
skilled players can earn plenty of money.
Speaking of which, the weapons have
received an upgrade as well, with an even more inspired selection of death-dealing
devices to choose from. The Mini-Nuke Launcher, Lava Gun and Black Sheepinator
are some of the more memorable tools you’ll use to destroy everything in your
path, though you’ll also encounter some of the more entertaining guns from the
previous game as well.
Another major improvement made is that of health
and weapon upgrades. Each time you kill an enemy, the weapon you killed them
with will gain experience, as will you. Once a weapon accumulates enough XP, it
upgrades into a more powerful version of itself, and when you reach a similar
level, your maximum health will increase.
While this ability does add a certain
amount of tactical leeway to the game, it is somewhat hampered by the fact that
weapons and armour are incredibly expensive to purchase, forcing you to grind for ages if you want them all, and that they only level up the once,
or twice if you count the additional upgraded versions available in the
returning New Game + styled ‘Challenge Mode’.
As in the first game, Challenge Mode lets
you restart the game from the beginning with all your guns and money. But while
there was very little else to make you want to do so in the original game, making
use of the mode in Going Commando provides players with an actual challenge.
The enemies are tougher, there are additional weapon upgrades and there’s a
bolt multiplier, which increases when you kill enemies without taking damage.
The higher the multiplier, the more money you get. It’s a great way to really
add replayability to the game.
The Skill Points return as well, although
this time they’re much more forgiving - you may end up gaining some without
even realizing it. There’s other collectables as well, including some very well
hidden health upgrades and Platinum Bolts, but if you’re a dedicated explorer,
then chances are you’ll stumble across most of these as well.
Overall, Going Commando does almost
everything a good sequel should. With the exception of the absurd plot and the ludicrous prices of items, it’s a
drastic improvement upon the original game, and the additions do nothing but improve
the game further still.
Recommendation: Ratchet & Clank: Going
Commando is a great game, and thanks to the strafing system, is a huge
amount of fun to play. Almost all the improvements made from the original title
have been for the better, and if you get the chance to pick it up cheap, I
recommend that you do so.
Bottom
Line: If you can ignore the silly plot, there’s a
lot to like. Not the best of the PS2 Ratchet and Clank titles, but it’s
certainly entertaining nonetheless.
Ratchet & Clank (Written Review)
A written review of the first Ratchet & Clank game, which I wrote a couple of years ago (if I recall correctly). I did it in the same style as my review of Ben There, Dan That!, hence the Recommendation and Bottom Line at the end of it. I've made a few very minor tweaks to it, but otherwise this is exactly what I wrote back then. Enjoy!
-x-
Back in the days of the original
Playstation, a small company in Burbank, California made a name for themselves with a series of cutesy 3D platformers
featuring a purple dragon called Spyro. After three of these game though, the
developers decided that they wanted to make something more complex and mature.
So, breaking ties with their publisher, they started a new series based on the
premise of letting players “blow s*** up”.
That company was Insomniac Games, and their new series was Ratchet & Clank.
The first game in the now double-digit
sized series starts off with a malformed robot being created by an automated
machine. The little guy sees something he shouldn’t, and runs away with this
knowledge. During the ensuing chase, he crash lands his ship on the home planet
of Ratchet, a human/cat-like thing who dreams of escaping his backwater home
and exploring the universe. Naming the robot Clank, the two blast off and
travel to various worlds in an attempt to stop an insane businessman from
destroying the universe.
While the plot may be a little clichéd, the
game’s sense of self-parody makes it seem otherwise. Pretty much everything,
from the weapons to the characters, is treated with an almost childish sense of
humour, and even the plot twist that takes place halfway through the game is
handled in a rather light-hearted manner. The tone of the game is one of its
major strengths.
Another highlight is how impressive the
game looks, even by modern standards. The lead characters are exceptionally
well-rendered (with a few high-resolution textures excepted), the bad guys are very distinct & individual and the different worlds all feel
fully lived in. The levels really make use of the 3D revolution, with even the
backgrounds in the distance being fully modelled. Coupled with the layouts, the
numerous planets all feel exceptionally well designed, and there’s no shortage
of things to destroy as you make your way through them.
This leads nicely onto the best part of the
game - the huge variety of weapons. You start off with your melee wrench and a
glove that throws gloves, but before long you’re able to buy a decoy device, a
rocket launcher with projectiles you can actually pilot, a morph-o-ray that
turns enemies into chickens and the cunningly acronymic R.Y.N.O. While several
of these weapons have since been copied in other games, they still remain great
fun to use.
The majority of the game consists of,
literally, running around and blowing up anything that moves. There’s a good
helping of platforming action, both as Ratchet and Clank, and additional
sidequests in the form of hoverboard races and ship-to-ship battles, but in the
end it all boils down to running around, avoiding enemy projectiles and filling
the bad guys full of so much lead that they blow up in a shower of bolts, which
you collect with a satisfying metallic jangling sound.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that,
of course. It’s all done to a fairly professional shine, and the sheer variety
of weapons means that if the game feels a little repetitive, you can just
switch to a short-range weapon and engage the enemies up close and personal.
Unfortunately, while the core gameplay works well, when you actually play it,
you’ll find it isn’t as refined as it could be.
You’ll spend most of your time controlling
Ratchet, and compared to other 3D platformers, he feels a little stiff. His movement
speed is quite slow, and while he has a wide range of skills, they all feel a
little awkward to pull off, which means that the platforming aspect of the game
can be more of a challenge then it should be.
In combat, the core of the game, there are
problems as well. The lock-on system has trouble staying locked on to enemies
while you’re moving, meaning that you’ll have to constantly stop and aim at an
enemy, which can be frustrating in the middle of a fire-fight. And since the
camera can have trouble keeping up with you, occasionally you’ll find yourself
having to shoot at enemies you can’t see.
There are also other sections of the game,
such as the swimming or wall-walking areas, where the developer’s inexperience
with a two-legged main character really does show. Such sections slow the games
pace down to a crawl, and as you can’t really defend yourself while engaging in
such activities, players will undoubtedly find themselves dying several times
until they figure out how to compensate for the problems.
On the other hand, the game does have an
excellent way of ensuring that players keep playing it with the addition of a
New Game + system. By allowing gamers to restart the adventure while keeping
all the weapons and money they’d collected in their first playthrough, players
are given a helping hand to track down all the hidden bonuses that are locked
away. Whether it’s hidden collectables or unlockable skill points (essentially
a precursor to modern day achievements/trophies),
there’s a lot of bonus content for players to find.
As the first game in a series that’s been
going for ten years, it’s easy to look back at the original Ratchet
& Clank and criticize it for not having the same basic features that its
sequels do, like strafing or weapon upgrading. But if you take the game on its
own merits, then there’s still an awful lot to like.
Bottom Line: If you’ve played any of the other games in the series, this will seem like a massive step back. If not though, this is as good a place to start as any.
Chris Marsden has a strange craving for fried chicken.
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