I decided to switch up my reviewing scale slightly in this Review. I'll still be using the 10-point scale, but I'll be doing it with 0.5 increments, just because I think it's a little more accurate score-wise.
I decided to dedicate this Review to my favorite game of all time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. You'll quickly find out in this Review that I love this game to death, so be prepared to see some really high scores.
About the Game: This game was released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo by Nintendo. It's the third Zelda game released in the US and the first (and only) released for the Super Nintendo.
The Story: The game opens with a story about a war in Hyrule and the Golden Land. Basically, the Golden Land was sealed off with an evil entity named Ganon in it to prevent him from using the Golden Land for his own evil purposes. Years later, a mysterious wizard named Agahnim gains favor with the king and eventually betrays him and takes Princess Zelda captive. He plans to use her and other girls to open the gate to the Golden Land and free Ganon. The game starts with you (Link) receiving a telepathic message from Princess Zelda begging you to come free her. I refuse to give away anything else about the story (not that it's really full of twists and turns - Zelda games never really were much story-wise).
Now, to the scores:
Story: 7.5
There's not much to the story, but it does the job quite admirably. It gives you a pretty good backstory in the beginning, but it doesn't get much more detailed than that throughout the game. But if you're buying a Zelda game for the story, then you're not buying it for the right reasons.
Graphics: 8.5
I still think that this game holds up quite well compared to other games on the Super Nintendo. The graphics are bright and clean and maintain a smooth quality. There are no major graphical glitches to speak of and there was no slowdown or any of those other graphical problems that really hinder the gameplay.
Sound: 9.5
The sound effects are nice and varied and very well done, but that's not the reason I'm giving this such a high score. Basically, this game has one of the greatest scores a video game has ever had. I enjoy each and every song this game has to offer and I wish I could buy the soundtrack (this is one of the few games I would consider buying the soundtrack to, because they're so darn expensive). Favorite sound effect: Link's death; it just gets stuck in your head.
Items: 9.5
This game, as with every Zelda game, has a slew of inventive items. The best, in my opinion, is the Hookshot. If only someone invented something like that in real life! Just about every single item in this game is fun to use, from the Hookshot to the Bow and Arrow to the Fire Rod, and the game always comes up with inventive puzzles to make you think of creative ways to use these items.
Dungeons: 10
This is the big reason why this is my favorite game of all time. Link to the Past simply has some of the most creative and well designed dungeons ever made. The puzzles in these dungeons are some of the most inventive I've ever seen and do a great job of integrating the special items you find in the dungeons. The dungeons are fun, challenging, and they look fantastic. What more can you really ask for?
Bosses: 10
First of all, the bosses just look incredible in the game. A lot of them are huge and take up most of the screen. They're truly a sight to behold. They're also quite tough to beat. But no matter how tough the bosses become, they're always fun to fight. Personally, I had a blast fighting each boss and, especially with the Dark World bosses, each fight can become very tense quite quickly. The only thing that disappoints me is that you can't go back and fight each of the bosses after you beat them like in Majora's Mask.
Length: 9.0
This is quite a long game. Trust me, you won't be beating this in a few hours, especially if you want to go through every mini-quest in the game. The first time I beat it, it took me a couple of weeks, and the last time I beat it, it took me about four days, and I've become quite proficient at the game.
Replay Value: 8.5
Once you beat the game, there's not really that much to do. But I find that it's fun to go back and try to beat it and get everything without dieing; it's quite a challenge. In case you wanted to know, I still haven't done it, despite almost 11 years of experience with this game. Some games are just an ego bruiser with me.
Difficulty: 9.5
As I said before, this is a pretty hard game, but it never gets too hard. The answers to the puzzles always make sense and there are always logical ways to progress through the dungeons and beat the bosses. The first dungeon does a good job of getting you used to the gameplay and the rest of the game's difficulty is balanced just right, so that people who are new to Zelda and experienced Zelda players will all get a challenge out of this game.
Fun Factor: 10
Quite simply, the only way not have fun with this game is to be an evil old man who hates everything and everyone in the world. And even then, there's a chance that you can have fun with this game. Once you get started with this game, you just don't want to stop. You just want to go to the next dungeon and see what brillance arises from that level. It's hard to stop playing this game and when you beat it, you feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
Overall: 10
If you didn't see this coming, then you're blind. My favorite game of all time deserves no less than a ten and deserves no less than a full recommendation to each and every video gamer in the world. It's worth the money to buy it and it's not hard to find, seeing as you can buy the Gameboy Advance version (which, by the way, comes with Four Swords, a very enjoyable four-player Zelda game). The game looks great, sounds better, is totally fun, and will keep you begging for more. Now doesn't that sound good?
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