ZELDA MEMORIES: RETAIL, PUBLISHING, MEDIA, DEVELOPMENT Industry’s magic moments The UK games trade shares its favourite Legend of Zelda moments


MURRAY PANNELL


UK Marketing Director, Ubisoft


Thinking back on my first playthrough of The Legend of


Zelda: Ocarina of Time brings to mind a number of moments that left me in awe. From the first time I entered the Great Deku Tree as a small child to much later in the game when I leapt to freedom with Epona to escape from Lon Lon Ranch; rarely has a game captured so many charmed and emotive moments in a single experience. However, one moment stands out for me as one of the greatest in the history of video games. When I entered the Temple of Time to take hold of the Master Sword and left seven years later as the fully grown Hero of Time, words failed me for the first time ever whilst playing a game. As I took in the ruin and devastation that surrounded me where once a bustling and vibrant town market had stood, it occurred to me then that this game was something special. It is no surprise at all that the Zeldafranchise celebrates its 25th birthday when it is able to conjure up remarkable moments like this.


KEZA


MACDONALD UK Editor, IGN


Zelda is a series full of moments – picking just one is close to


impossible. But the descent into ancient Hyrule on the sea bed of Wind Waker’s brave new world is, for me, one of the most beautiful moments in gaming. When Hyrule Castle reanimates, rescued from its suspended animation when Link once again pulls the Master Sword from the stone, the sea comes


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rushing in, and in the end it’s all swept away – something that seemed to signal a new beginning for the Zeldaseries whilst also paying touching tribute to its iconic motifs.


JON ROOKE UK Marketing Director, THQ


So many to choose from but for me I think it would have to be the


first time that you get Epona in Twilight Princessand take a ride out over the fields. There’s not many games that get horses that right.


ANDREW THOMPSON Head of Games, Asda


My favourite Zeldamoment has to be the release of


Ocarina of Timeon the N64. I was working at HMV Birmingham High Street at the time, and not only was the game one of the greatest home console releases of all time, but is was a huge sales success. It came out late in December 1998, and I remember selling out all copies at £60. There was a huge shortfall in supply and I reckon we could have sold it for £100 and still sold out. What a game.


IAN


SHEPHERD CEO,


GAME Group My favourite Zelda


experience has – like many old fogey


gamers – been watching my kids play Ocarina of Time on 3DS so many years after I played it on the N64. Proof positive that great game design is timeless.


Ocarina of Time 3D is proof positive that great game design is timeless. Ian Shepherd, GAME Group


LAURA YATES Marketing Games Planner, HMV Personally I think the use of ‘Legend’ in its title couldn’t be


a more appropriate word to describe this game. For me Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 will always be my favourite version, though I never could quite nail Zelda’s Lullaby. Here’s to another 25 years.


I was working at HMV during Ocarina of Time. I remember selling out of copies at £60, but there was such a shortfall I could have sold it for £100. What a game. Andrew Thompson, Asda


STEVE HOGARTY Deputy Editor, Official Nintendo Magazine


Nabbing Epona from Lon Lon Ranch as


grown-up Link remains my favourite moment. Like being thrown the keys to your grandad’s battered old Fiesta, the horse represented unfettered freedom and the ability to easily explore the game world. Leaping the fence and giving a figurative two fingers to the corrupt ranchmaster was a real air-punching moment. Few moments in games have felt so immediately liberating.


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