Title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Platform: N64

Year: 1998

Final Vote Percentage: 55.56%

While easy arguments can be made for other Zelda games being better, it’s hard to debate the legacy, importance, and brilliance of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This might be one of the easier Hall of Fame games to induct because this landmark masterpiece helped set the bar for what was possible in 3D adventures. In a world where most early 3D games age terribly, this Nintendo-crafted game bucks the trend by actually enduring. That’s especially evident in the Ocarina of Time 3D remake that really just was a graphical upgrade with some UI tweaks.

But let’s go back to the beginning. In this case, that was 1995 at Nintendo Space World. Zelda’s 3D debut was first shown as a tech demo for the still unreleased Nintendo 64, featuring a clumsy 3D model of a throwback-style Link sword-fighting some metallic knight. The plan, initially, was to release this Zelda game for the 64DD disk-based peripheral, but in short order, that went to the side as the 64DD, in general, went sideways.

Since the game that would become Ocarina of Time was being developed at the same time as Super Mario 64, it required Shigeru Miyamoto to spread out responsibility, and Ocarina of Time’s directorial team is a veritable who’s who of current Nintendo legends. Current series producer Eiji Aonuma got his start on Ocarina of Time and current 3D Mario mastermind Yoshiaki Koizumi helped direct this title too.

Ocarina of Time went through many forms over its protracted 3+ year development. Miyamoto’s original vision was to make it a first-person game. At one point due to memory limitations, the idea was thrown around that Link would travel to worlds through paintings in Hyrule Castle similar to Mario 64. That idea led to the Phantom Ganon boss battle in the Forest Temple.

The original plan was to launch the game closer to the launch of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, but as is now common with major Zelda games, delays kept it on the sidelines. After much hand-wringing, Ocarina of Time finally launched on November 23, 1998 in North America.

The critical and fan acclaim was immediate, and as time wore on, Ocarina of Time carved its place in gaming history by routinely being cited as one of the greatest games ever made. It set the groundwork for everything 3D in Zelda for about 20 years. Part of its legacy was more swift, though. After its 1998 debut, two other projects started to be talked about: Ura Zelda and Zelda Gaiden. Ura Zelda was supposed to be a 64DD remix of the original game, adding in more challenge and enemies. However, due to delays and the failure of the 64DD, Ura Zelda never came out. Parts of it showed up in the eventual GameCube release of Ocarina of Time Master Quest. Zelda Gaiden eventually became Majora’s Mask, which may even join its predecessor in the Hall of Fame someday.

To this day, Ocarina of Time stands as a legendary game, one that, if you’re going to get into the world of Nintendo, is more or less required playing. Other Zeldas might do it better, but very few games were as masterful in redefining 3D video games as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And that is why it’s a first-ballot NWR Hall of Famer.