The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

THE BAD:
Sometimes gets a little too challenging.

SUMMARY:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is my favourite Zelda game for the Gameboys at the moment. It's a really hard game to play through as there are quite a few dungeons and puzzles through out the game and many of them are very challenging. The game is quite long which is good. The graphics are quite good and in some cases can actually look 3D. There are a variety of places to go and all of them are pretty good with music to suit the theme. The demo that comes with it is on the same catridge as this and gives you a taste of what the four swords adventure is like.

Overall i'd say this is a VERY good game and well worth getting as it is fun and will last you a while.

THE BAD:
Sometimes a bit too dark

SUMMARY:
This game is actually two games in one. The first is a port of the SNES classic Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The second is a new multiplayer game Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

The ported game has good graphics and sounds. Link is quite noisy, which is a good thing. Graphically things can get a bit too dark at times but rarely obstructs gameplay.

The game sees a return to zeldas prime. It is indeed a tough game. Bosses are very tricky and will test you to your limits. Devious puzzles have been included as standard. Another good thing is that exploration actually pays off. Exploring rather than playing the main adventure sometimes results in a hidden item or powering up Link.

The items themselves are brilliant. Each have different uses and prove useful. The control system is excellent. Each button is used well and feels natural.

Now the multiplayer. The mix of co-operation and competition is fantastic. It means that tactics can change at any time. Unfortunately not only does each player require their own GBA but a version of the game each too. Also the multiplayer side is a bit short too.

Overall get this game. It is fantastic.

ALTERNATIVES:
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)
Classic NES Series: Legend of Zelda (GBA)

THE BAD:
The controls aren't perfect and the battle system needs a little work.

SUMMARY:
The latest installment in the Zelda series isn't as new as you might think. In fact, the original came out in 1992 for the SNES. If you have played the SNES version, this new release for the GBA has some small changes. The most noticeable changes are in the music and the graphics. However the storyline is EXACTLY the same. But this time around Nintendo has added a new multi-player adventure. This multi-player game is not only fun if you have a few friends to play it with, but it will also unlock some new features that you can use in the main game. Unfortunately, without Four Swords this game isn’t worth getting.

Just like in the original, the battle system is annoying. The worst part about it is if an enemy attacks you into corner, you will die before you get out of that corner. This is horrible when you are in a dungeon and have to start over from the beginning. That is usually when I turned my GBA off for a few hours.

Putting all of that aside, I still recommend this game to anybody who has a few friends to play it with. I give it a 4.5, but without the multi-player I would give it somewhere around a 3.5.

THE BAD:
If you don't care about multiplayer, you are essentially paying $30 for a 9 year old game, complete with truly lame graphics, and comparatively shallow gameplay. Moreover, by buying this game, GBA consumers are sending the message that we want cobwebbed old SNES shovelware instead of new and cutting edge designs.

SUMMARY:
Geez, owning a GB Advance is real frustrating. You have masterpieces like Golden Sun and Metroid Fusion, you have massive amounts of unplayable junk, and then you have the growing number of retro ports which are sort of fun in a simple cheesy way but hardly push the GBA design envelope, like Phantasy Star, Contra, and ... this.

Not to say that LTTP wasn't a great game back in 93. It was, and retains some play value to this day. But not $30 worth. The graphics and game play in comparison to Golden Sun or even Tomb Raider are a joke, and I really think Nintendo should have offered this as a budget title, though of course there are no such titles for GBA as of yet.

If you have a bunch of friends with GBs, link cables, and this cartridge, the 4 Swords game is worthwhile and makes the price more palatable. If you're like me and could care less about multiplayer, this is an overpriced waste. Also, the more copies of this that sell, the more that software designers will take the message of "ports of old SNES games will do for GBA" to heart. The GBA can do so much better in terms of graphics and depth that this is really a very damaging message to send and ensures a future of mediocrity for the GBA.

Its cheap and easy for developers to shovel out SNES ports, and unless gamers get pickier, and professional reviewers stop wallowing in nostalgia, this system will never develop. Its as if Playstation owners were barraged with nothing but Genesis ports, which consistently scored 9s and 10s in reviews and sold like hotcakers. The PS would never have had Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, or FF VII if Genesis ports were as well regarded by PS owners and critics as SNES ports are on GBA...

If Nintendo must do Zelda ports on GBA, why not Ocarina of Time? That might be a challenge of course, but why not do some work for the $30 a game that they're charging!