Nintendo Adds 'Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time,' Other New Titles To Its Consoles

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By Michael Justin Allen Sexton
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Nintendo added some new content to its Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consoles, including one of the greatest games ever produced by Nintendo: The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time originally launched over 15 years ago for the Nintendo 64, but at the time the game was a smash hit. It received either perfect or nearly perfect scores from virtually every game review website and magazine in the world, and some claim it to be the best game ever made.

Given the game's reputation, and because video games are timeless in a way, it isn't surprising that Nintendo is re-releasing it on the Wii U Virtual Console. If anything, it is surprising that the company waited this long to do so, but given that it has been available on the Wii Virtual Console and the 3DS Virtual Console for a few years now, it is a little less surprising. Regardless, users will be happy to add this classic to their Wii U Virtual Console collection.

Nintendo pushed out a few other titles today, too. For the Wii U, PadaOne Games released a retro 16-bit side scroller called Roving Rogue, and TACS Games released a quadcopter simulator game called Quadcopter Pilot Challenge.

Over on the Nintendo 3DS, Koei Tecmo released a new entry in the popular "Samurai Warriors" series titled “Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3.” This game incorporates the battle system and challenge mode from “Samurai Warriors 4” with the best features from previous games in the series, and a storyline with multiple endings to create a new more original game in the series.

The Nintendo 3DS also gets a puzzle strategy game called Mercenaries Saga 2 by Circle Ent. The game looks reminiscent of 16-bit games on the SNES from years ago, with lots of similarities in overall look and design to Final Fantasy III.

Although these aren't major AAA titles and are reminiscent of the 1990s, that doesn't mean that they aren't solid video games. Many gamers today grew up playing games just like this, and sometimes we forget that high-definition graphics isn't synonymous with a good game.

At the end of the day, these games represent a solid effort by a game maker that the most important aspect of a game is to be entertaining, not visually stunning, and that's why a game from 1998 can still make for a good time today.

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Michael Justin Allen Sexton
Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • TheSecondPower
    Technically the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time is not a Virtual Console game. Instead it's a remastered game released as a full-fledged 3DS game with the cartridge and price to match.
    Reply
  • Darkk
    I remember when Nintendo 64 was first released Super Mario 64 became an instant hit. Biggest reason for that it took Nintendo several months to release new games. I was actually one of the lucky few that bought Nintendo 64 on launch day and Super Mario 64 were the first titles available at the time. Took it home and immediately started playing with it. I was actually very happy with the new system and game at the time. Kept me entertained for hours. Eventually new games became available.

    I think the Nintendo GameCube is what really opened up the platform. More games became available with better graphics and playability. I still have the GameCube and works. Once in awhile I'll play Monkey Ball 1 and 2 with it. Great game!
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    Remember the days when you'd buy a game, you'd drop it in your console, and it'd just start up right away and work perfectly?

    Yeah, that shit was awful. Glad games aren't like that anymore.
    Reply
  • Merry_Blind
    Remember the days when you'd buy a game, you'd drop it in your console, and it'd just start up right away and work perfectly?

    Yeah, that shit was awful. Glad games aren't like that anymore.

    Wii U is pretty much still like this though. Nintendo games barely ever have any updates since they work flawlessly on Day 1, and when they do, it's often very very small.
    Reply
  • This is cool! I used to play Ocarina Of Time a lot & it was very fun. I'd beat the game in a few days. I also remember cartridge tilting with this game. It'd be cool to do those glitches with the Wii U.
    Reply
  • jdwii
    Wii U is nothing like that anymore i had to do updates on every nintendo game i own
    Reply
  • Merry_Blind
    16198823 said:
    Wii U is nothing like that anymore i had to do updates on every nintendo game i own

    They're very small updates though, not gigs and gigs that take forever to download. Also, like I said, their games work flawlessly on Day 1 anyway, so if you want to play the game right after buying it, you can, you don't need to install any "day 1 patch" to prevent performance problems.
    Reply
  • jdwii
    16207937 said:
    16198823 said:
    Wii U is nothing like that anymore i had to do updates on every nintendo game i own

    They're very small updates though, not gigs and gigs that take forever to download. Also, like I said, their games work flawlessly on Day 1 anyway, so if you want to play the game right after buying it, you can, you don't need to install any "day 1 patch" to prevent performance problems.

    Well i agree about that
    Reply