Home > Ocarina of Time During the Good Times
There's a pivotal time in everybody's life where they happen to encounter something so game-changing and thrillingly new, that it seems to literally change one's life for the better. We all know this feeling, or so I would assume! It could be said that these events would tend to take place a little later in life, but for me, it happened a little earlier. That completely unrivaled moment we've come to love; to cherish, to look back on and one day pass on to our children…that moment…when you first experienced the magic of the Legend of Zelda.
Can you feel the magic?
Any kid who'd been a fan of Nintendo their whole life could tell you that Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, and (at least for me) Super Godzilla offered hours of fun, laughs, broken controllers, or a way to enter another world altogether, however, no first gaming experience is more highly lauded than when a person first assumes the role of the Hero of Time. You're both surprised, and enlightened.
Being nine years old and having nothing to play but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Goldeneye could probably get old, am I right? It did for me. I beat the two games, and was forced to play Gold version repeatedly, adding to an agonizing boredom that could only be sated by that old standby: playing outside. Well, luckily for me, my Mom had some pretty interesting friends who lived across the street.
We are all kids at heart!
They were basically kids at heart, and were the rockabilly type, which was big in San Francisco during the late 90s and early 00s (relevance pending). That said; they were in possession of the stuff that mattered. Video games. When I went over there for the first time, I was introduced to Brandon, my Mother's friend's husband, who just so happened to be playing Ocarina of Time. I was instantly hypnotized as anybody could guess.
I plopped down on the couch next to him, ignoring my trademark shyness, and began to fire away with the questions. "What's this? WOAH! What's that? This game is huge!!!" You know, typical excited kid stuff. I remember watching him fight Bongo Bongo. That was what sold me completely. After a few more visits and some discussions about which system I had and what games I had with it, a trade was agreed upon, and there…standing before everybody…was a changed boy, NEI…a changed man!
WOAH! I'm Sold!
I took that game home and conquered it. I conquered it as a king conquers a foreign land! After the day I defeated Ganon and bid Navi a very reluctant farewell, I was forever in the service of the Goddesses, and my Zelda fandom had forever been cemented. All was well, and all was just.
It's enough to know that I'm newly appointed staff on a respectable Zelda site, but my excitement is easily matched by the feeling I felt on that fateful day. You aren't reading an article, you're reading a tribute. I love Zelda like a parent. It's probably the best babysitter of all time, even for adults like me. So if you know somebody who hasn't played the game, make it your duty to be the one to change their life forever.
