Topic: The Unofficial And Pre-Emptive Majora's Mask Retroactive Thread

[TrueNerd]

So I have taken Jonny's advice and started playing Majora's Mask. There's no official thread for it yet, so I started this cuz I'm selfish and I want to talk about it.


I have never played much of this game. This and Zelda II are the only Zelda games I haven't completed. Well, and the CD-i games but those don't count. In fact, I got through the first temple for the very first time a year and a half ago. Before that, I had only ever screwed around in Clock Town and dealt with the monkeys. And I had done that stuff probably a half dozen times.


Obviously, I had problems getting into this game. Nintendo intentionally makes this game initially off putting, or at least lets you know this is not a typical Zelda game. Right from the start, they take away your horse AND transform you into a deku scrub, a state in which you remain for the first hour of the game. It's a ballsy move. But really, the three day structure is what kept me from jumping in right away. I didn't understand how it worked or what saved and what reset when you go back to the first day, it was just confusing.


So here's my big protip for anyone playing this game for the first time: Play the inverted song of time as soon as you possibly can. This slows down time by half which takes a lot of pressure off and lets you figure things out. It also lets you kind of forget about the time thing and play the game like you would any Zelda game, if you want to. Can't recommend this enough.


So I'm starting this game from where I left off a year and a half ago, right after the first temple. I'm also playing this off the Zelda Collections GameCube disc cuz when I started this current play through I didn't have the Virtual Console version. I did snag it when Club Nintendo offered it for free, but I can't transfer my GameCube save to that version and I don't want to play that opening bit for what would probably be the eighth time. So I'm gonna rough it. So far the only bug I've encountered is an occasionally choppy frame rate and some weird audio tics. Hopefully that's as bad as it gets.


I have not yet gotten into the Bomber's Notebook stuff. I'm kind of not sure how or when I should or where to start? I know I want to so I can get all the masks so I can become Fierce Deity Link cuz that sounds awesome. That'll happen sometime.


I will say I love how involved the areas before the temples are. You do A LOT of stuff before getting to that first temple. I'm once again doing A LOT of stuff before getting to the second temple. Some people may not like that, but I think it's great. Also, I just got the Goron mask which lets you roll around and is unlike anything I've ever done in a Zelda game. Also kind of reminded me of Kameo, but, you know, good.


Some more overall thoughts on the game, Clock Town is great and dense, the moon is great and iconic for a reason, the art direction of the game overall is fantastic and better than OoT and also looks GREAT in progressive scan on a HDTV. I also really love the cutscenes of both this game and OoT. The shot selection used is so simple and classical. It's timeless stuff.


I'm excited to finally play this game the whole way through. Hopefully this thread just gets moved to become the official Retroactive thread, but I suppose it's quite possible it won't and I just wasted a lot of time writing out my thoughts on the topic. Jump in and join me with the time wasting!

[Spak-Spang]

I think this Zelda game is easily the most polarizing of the modern Zelda games.  I feel Zelda fans either love it or hate it.

I was never a big fan of this game.  I hated many aspects of it.  The Link transformations were scary to me, and the game felt needlessly dark with a gloom that was more intense than any Zelda game  before it.  It really made me feel the tension, which I know many gamers loved, but I couldn't get into it.

It seems most of the Zelda conventions were broken in this game, and that lead to many people raving about the games style, unique structure and everything...but I found it kinda boring and I felt like I was playing the game...because I had to play and finish a Zelda game. 

Now, there was some fun elements in the game.  Some of the boss battles were crazy fun and epic...and rolling around and swimming in your alternate forms was a blast.  But, as a whole it is not my favorite Zelda game...not a bad game...in fact it is a great game, but not my favorite Zelda game.

[MrPhishfood]

Its harder to get in to from your own expectations of what a Zelda game should be, but given the chance it really shines. As a young teenager that moon was very very creepy.

[lolmonade]

I want to like this game so badly.  By all accounts, I should, given that it's based on Zelda 64's engine and from what I heard the story seems like an interesting deviation from the typical story. 
 
I just haven't been able to get past the initial clock town sequence.  I get stuck, and my attention span goes awry. 
 
I'm going to try this game one last time for the sake of this retroactive, because I want to like it, and having some people to play and discuss it with I hope will keep me motivated to play it.

[MagicCow64]

I think this is easily the most emotionally affecting Zelda game. There were a few side stories I almost cried during, it gets so weird and poignant at points.

[TJ Spyke]

The whole time aspect of the game ruins it for me, and one of the reasons it is the worst 3D Zelda game IMO, and one of the worst Zelda games period. I have tried playing it on the N64 and on the GCN bonus disc.

[Pixelated Pixies]

Majora's Mask is awesome. That is all.

[Ian Sane]

You know how these days Nintendo wants to be all inclusive with stuff like the Super Guide?  Yeah, this game is the exact opposite of that.  The whole three day mechanic makes no real attempt to be accomodating.  This is a hardcore game with a concept only some people will enjoy.  It strives to be a great game on its own terms and does not give a **** if you don't like it.  I love it.

One thing that's cool is that it is tries to do a lot of unique ideas while still feeling like Zelda.  OoT, WW and TP are all great games but you really only need to play one of them to get the general gameplay experience of all three (and OoT deserves more credit for doing it first).  Not so with MM.  Nope, nothing plays quite like it.  You can't say you've experienced its general gameplay unless you have specifically played it.  In a perfect world every Nintendo sequel would be like this where it builds on the same general gameplay but does a unique enough twist to make it essential.  This could have just been OoT w/ Masks but it isn't.

I really like how there are only four dungeons.  For some people that would be a big flaw but in Zelda games I actually prefer the non-dungeon parts.  A dungeon heavy Zelda feels too much like sequential levels.  Zelda presents a world that I want to experience and MM requires that from you throughout the whole game.  A lot of Zelda games fall into dungeon-dungeon-dungeon towards the end of the game.  Plus MM has lots of dungeonesque areas.  I find the series has become so formal with its conventions.  Why should dungeons be so explicitly defined as such?  MM realistically has twice the "dungeons" it appears to have in terms of content, it just doesn't organize them so rigidly.

The one flaw in this game is that having a time limit for dungeons SUCKS.  This added way more stress to the process than I would have liked and a few times I went to Gamefaqs because it just didn't make sense to spin my wheels on a puzzle and risk having to do it all over again.  If there was some sort of magical time stop whenever you were in a dungeon that would have been great.  The three day thing works really well for the overworld but adds nothing but an annoying time limit to the dungeons.

Since this was Aonuma's first Zelda game and it is undoubtably the least accessible and user friendly Zelda game made under his watch I can only assume that Miyamoto did not care for it and insisted that later Zeldas be more conventional.  Unsurprisingly this is Aonuma's best Zelda by a longshot.  Despite its odd design it is a less controversial title than the others.  People either love or hate it.  But the later Zeldas get an even worse criticism: that of being merely okay.  Being a bland Zelda is much worse than a ballsy one that some people don't care for but is regarded as a masterpiece by those that do.

I think the Groundhog Day repeated time cycle idea would work really well if it was revisited in another Nintendo game that didn't have to meet the conventions or expectations of the Zelda franchise.  Realistically Nintendo could easily get a new franchise out of such an idea.

[ThePerm]

I want to like this game so badly.  By all accounts, I should, given that it's based on Zelda 64's engine and from what I heard the story seems like an interesting deviation from the typical story. 
 
I just haven't been able to get past the initial clock town sequence.  I get stuck, and my attention span goes awry. 
 
I'm going to try this game one last time for the sake of this retroactive, because I want to like it, and having some people to play and discuss it with I hope will keep me motivated to play it.

theres a point in the game you get to after a few cycles where you get the song of time, and you can slow down the time pace, and at any time travel back to the first day. So. once you get this, you just have to remember to do this and you'll be fine.

[EasyCure]

First of all I'm mad your username is TrueNerd and you've never completed Majoras Mask.

With that said, stick with it and for better or worse, you'll walk away experiencing a VERY unique adventure. Ian is right, there really isn't anything else out there like it.
Personally I couldn't get in to the game the first time around. On my N64 I gave up in the last dungeon and hadn't returned  until years later when they made that GCN compilation. By then enough time had passed that I was able to appreciate MM for it's unique take on Zelda and as more time passes, the more I appreciate how different it is to other games in the series.

MM has a way of really connecting you to the game world, it's the first time you really feel the world is in a state of peril and you're the only one that can do anything about it. I didn't really get that vibe from OoT for example, at least not outside the ruined Hyrule Castle Courtyard. In WW it feels like no one knows there is a great evil present so what exactly are you going on this enormous quest for? It starts off with rescuing your sister and then you just happen to fight off Ganon. It was an odd disconnecting moment in the game. Even SS, while I loved it, didn't really have that perilous feel that MM has because the inhabitants of Skyloft are basically clueless as to what's going on below them. Looking back, MM really really is an INCREDIBLY dark game. In fact, besides Zelda II [spoilers]its the only game that gives you an indication of what happens when you fail and this time around it's a pretty visual one too, seeing that moon crash down.. tragic[/spoiler].

Honestly, sometimes I wish TP was more of a MM clone than an OoT. The art direction of that game suited a darker theme.

[TrueNerd]

@ Ian

How do you feel about the non-dungeon areas of Skyward Sword? Cuz I loved some of those. Notably both times in the Lanayru Desert.

[Pixelated Pixies]

From my previous, shorter post, my opinion of this game is probably pretty clear, but just thought I'd include a review I wrote for Majora's Mask back in March of 2011. Bare in mind this review was written pre-Skyward Sword.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
>Past, Present & Future - Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
 

'Our heirs, whatever or whoever they may be, will explore space and time to degrees we cannot currently fathom. They will create new melodies in the music of time. There are infinite harmonies to be explored.'
 
CLIFFORD PICKOVER, Time: A Traveler's Guide
 

 
With Skyward Sword on the way, I've recently been recounting my experiences with the Zelda series over the years. Looking back, many of these classic titles still shine today, but none so much as the magnificent Majora's Mask. I believe that the primary reason that I hold this game in such high esteem is because it dared to do something different with the Zelda formulae. I suppose The Legend of Zelda for the NES must be considered the most original, as it effectively established an entirely new genre, but I feel Majora's Mask deserves a lot of credit for bucking what was an already established trend.
 
The first thing that really stands out about Majora's Mask is it's story, which is quite dark in tone. Taking place soon after the events of Ocarina of Time, Link has travelled beyond the realm of Hyrule in search of Navi, his adored fairy companion. Bestriding the faithful Epona and seemingly lost in a distant land, Link's next journey begins in the misty woods of Termina. The world of Termina, however, is not as peaceful as the idyllic opening would have you believe. For looming far above Link's head is the chiselled grimace of an ominous moon which grows larger by the day. Indeed, Termina's future is not threatened by an evil Gerudo in search of the Golden Land, but instead by the moon, which is on a collision course with Termina. Among the dense forest Link soon falls victim to the masked thief known as Skull Kid, who steals both Epona and his magical Ocarina. Not only that, but Link is cursed by the mysterious Mask wearer to take the form of a Deku Scrub of all creatures. As Link gives chase to try and undo his curse and get back his Ocarina, Link comes upon the denizens of Clock Town and is told of the legend of Majora's Mask, an ancient and destructive Mask which has manipulated the mischievous Skull Kid into causing the Moon to tumble out of orbit. With the Moon's impact imminent, Link finds Skull Kid atop Clock Tower and manages to avert disaster by gaining possession of the Ocarina just in time to play the Song of Time, which throws him 72 hours back in to the past. Link, now stuck in an interminable loop, is forced to relive the same 3 day period over and over until he finds a way to save Termina from its fate.
 

 
This set-up works so well because it allows players to become familiar with Termina's inhabitants and their daily lives in a way that was not possible in Link's previous adventures. As the you become increasingly familiar with the events in the 3 days preceding the impact, you will begin to recognise the patterns of peoples movements and actions. Eventually you will have observed enough to know exactly what the various inhabitants are doing and where they'll be located at any one time. As you try to help these people out in their daily lives, you will find yourself rushing between different groups and individuals Ă  la Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day', all in the hope that by changing the past you can alter the future. It has to be said that these recurring side quests require quite a lot of patience and many hours can be spent simply observing events and documenting them in the in-game notebook. For those who merely wanted more Ocarina of Time, this was perhaps a disappointment, but for anyone looking for an original and engaging Zelda adventure it doesn't get any better than Majora's Mask.
 

 
That's not to say that the game has no relation to it's fore-bearer. Inter-spliced with these time-travelling portions are those sections more familiar to Zelda fans, namely the dungeons. Even here, however, Majora's Mask manages to feel fresh. Throughout the game Link will collect various masks which imbue him with certain powers and characteristics. The vast majority of these masks are completely optional and are not required to beat the game, but they're worth getting if you want to see some of the cooler side quests. There are four masks in particular, however, which Link will need to obtain if he wishes to save the world of Termina. When worn, these masks transform Link into one of four forms, a Deku Scrub, a Goron, a Zora and, lastly, a powerful deity. It is in how these transformations play into the dungeon designs that Majora manages to feel different. As you can imagine, a small scrub-like critter controls completely differently from a colossal rock creature, who in turn plays nothing like a fast and acrobatic water-dweller, and the temples have been designed with these differences in mind. In one temple you might find yourself having to put on the Goron mask in order to move at high speed in your boulder form, in another you will have to use the Zora's ability to breathe under water. These are just some very basic examples, but in some of the later areas of the game you will have to juggle these transformations to complete puzzles and navigate the dungeons. Altogether, these transformations, coupled with the time travel mechanics and a great story put a really interesting twist on the traditional Zelda gameplay.
 
As I look forward to Skyward Sword, and pour over the video and screen shots, I can't help but have this hollow feeling that this game will only disappoint. Whereas with Twilight Princess I had a genuine sense of excitement and anticipation, what little I've seen of Skyward Sword has so far left me cold. Nintendo are going to have to do something extraordinary with Motion + if they're to make it the centrepiece of this next Zelda, and while part of me wants to give them the benefit of the doubt, the cynical part of me doubts that this alone will provide the degree of inventiveness and originality that was on offer with Majora's Mask.
 
 

[Ian Sane]

@ Ian

How do you feel about the non-dungeon areas of Skyward Sword? Cuz I loved some of those. Notably both times in the Lanayru Desert.

One thing I really like about MM is all the people and in SS most of the people are in Skyloft, which is kind of a bummer.  However Skyloft is the closest thing to Clocktown we've had yet.  It felt like a real community and I liked that.

The problem with SS is that there is too much blatant filler in going back to old areas and the guardian stuff which I just found to be a huge chore.  Blurring the distinctions between dungeons is a good idea but SS didn't quite get it right.  Hopefully it's just a rough draft for better things to come.

[EasyCure]

I'm still waiting for more dungeons-esque areas that don't feel like dungeons (similar to what SS had) but in a more connected world. I've posted a long winded idea detailing what this means to me but I'll summarize try to summarize:

Remember those warps in OoT? Zora's domain connects to Lake Hylia, a spring in the Lost Woods connected to the outside of Zora's domain etc. Well I'd like to see a world that had more natural connections like this, I want Metroid type exploration. Throw Link in this huge world, have maybe 3 or 4 traditional style dungeons but go back to the original LoZ gameplay where a dungeon doesn't have to be completed in any specific order. Dungeons should have secret entrances so you can accidentally stumble upon one whether you're prepared for it or not. Don't rely on the old formula of only being able to access the boss' lair with the weapon you found in THAT dungeon. **** that, let me tackle that bitch with just my sword if I choose to, even if it means completing that dungeon WITHOUT it's special item/weapon. So what if I have to go back, I'll have a new item/weapon at my disposal that opens up new areas of the dungeon to explore, the boss could be optional at this point but if I choose to tackle it again, make it tougher this time around.

Also, new though, have the world affect itself. If you sequence break the mountain/volcano dungeon, it causes an eruption that sends molten rock flying towards the forest, burning up some areas, altering the terrain, maybe causing you to seek an alternate entrance to the forest dungeon, maybe it can cause alterations to how the dungeon itself plays, etc.

I really feel that not only would this give a more epic scope to the game world, which didn't feel very connected in  SS but wouldn't be as static as MM (yay getting back on topic!) BUT it would also give the game much more replay value because there would be various ways to tackle the dungeon as well as explore the overworld. Better still, it would do away with the tired formula we've been playing since A Link to the Past. Yes I can still enjoy it because there are enough new experiences provided, but even the most die hard Zelda fan should be able to admit that only getting to proceed to X when you have Y gets old.

[ThePerm]

I still need to play Skyward Sword.

[Luigi Dude]

The problem with SS is that there is too much blatant filler in going back to old areas and the guardian stuff which I just found to be a huge chore.  Blurring the distinctions between dungeons is a good idea but SS didn't quite get it right. Hopefully it's just a rough draft for better things to come.

Well it kind of was since Skyward Sword was the first 3D Zelda made by Hidemaro Fujibayashi who directed the Oracle games and Minish Cap before that.  Not only that but many of the lead designers were people who got promoted from lessor positions in previous Zelda games.  You take a guy who's only made short 2D Zelda games and now have him make the largest 3D Zelda ever made and give him a more inexperienced team, it's no surprise it'll have certain things some find questionable.

This is why I find it funny when people keep saying Zelda needs a new team when Skyward Sword did just that.  Now I found Skyward Sword to be my favorite Zelda so I'm pleased with their work but even people who aren't should at least wait until their second game before condemning them.

[ThePerm]

I'm into creative problem solving, and also non linear problem solving. Most video games feel like there's a box and theres only one real way to solve a problem. I hope Zelda moves away from this direction.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Started this game last night and digging it so far.


Such an odd game "opening" (fairly extended at that). I am highjacked, I get turned into a Deku Scrub, I am told I need to get back to a creepy mask salesman within 3 days. I fart around for most of those "three days" (they go by quick!) but manage to get enough info to glean what I am probably supposed to do. I get to doing most of that stuff. The moon crashes into the earth (oops). Time resets (phew) and I redo all the stuff I am pretty sure I need to do, with lots of the three days to spare this time cuz there's less farting around. So I speed up time (by dancing with a scarecrow, of course; what else?) Then I get to the highjacker, I get my Ocarina back and then, only then, i CAN FINALLY SAVE THE GAME! Time to quit and go to bed since playing the "opening" took waaaaay longer than I expected.


But it sure was compelling. Can't wait to go back. I am supposed to head to the swamp area next, so sez the game. I imagine there may be side quests before I am allowed. I plan on visiting the scarecrow guy again to slow time and maybe do some other side quests or minigames that I discovered along my way through Clocktown.


I have no particular expectations for this game going in, other than, since its a "Zelda Game" it is bound to be of pretty high quality. So far, that is true. Excellent art design, map design, gameplay mechanics that are intuitive enough, fantastic music. And I have finally met the elusive and infamous Tingle. He's a hoot.


All in all, a good night of gaming. That Moon is deliciously creepy.

[Pixelated Pixies]

I plan on visiting the scarecrow guy again to slow time and maybe do some other side quests or minigames that I discovered along my way through Clocktown.

I just thought I'd say that you don't need to visit the scarecrow again to slow down time, you simply need to play the song again.

[Fatty The Hutt]

I plan on visiting the scarecrow guy again to slow time and maybe do some other side quests or minigames that I discovered along my way through Clocktown.

I just thought I'd say that you don't need to visit the scarecrow again to slow down time, you simply need to play the song again.

I thought you had to set a song with him or something. Also, he said something about how to slow time but I don't exactly remember what it was   
So, he'll be worth a visit. (and please don't spoil it here, I'll just go ask the scarecrow guy)

[Pixelated Pixies]

I plan on visiting the scarecrow guy again to slow time and maybe do some other side quests or minigames that I discovered along my way through Clocktown.

I just thought I'd say that you don't need to visit the scarecrow again to slow down time, you simply need to play the song again.

I thought you had to set a song with him or something. Also, he said something about how to slow time but I don't exactly remember what it was   
So, he'll be worth a visit. (and please don't spoil it here, I'll just go ask the scarecrow guy)

I believe the song you create for him allows you to make the scarecrow pop up in vedgetable patches throughout the world. The song he tells you to play, however, is the 'Song Of Time' backwards, and it's that song which slows down time.

[Pixelated Pixies]

Man! I forgot how terrible the Goron racing section is. So bad.

[Ian Sane]

What I hate about the Goron racing is that you have to have done it to get the upgraded sword.  Or I think that's what it was.  There was something that needed the race to have been won but it took a couple days to get ready so if you won the Goron race on day three, you were out of luck and would have to do it again on the first or second day to have enough time.  Naturally I did the Goron race immediately after finishing the Goron temple for the first time, which took me into the third day.  So I had to do that annoying bullshit AGAIN by finishing the temple on day one ASAP.  ARRGH!!  At least the temples let you skip right to the boss after you've beaten them.  Doing them completely over again would have ruined the whole game.

[Pixelated Pixies]

What I hate about the Goron racing is that you have to have done it to get the upgraded sword.  Or I think that's what it was.  There was something that needed the race to have been won but it took a couple days to get ready so if you won the Goron race on day three, you were out of luck and would have to do it again on the first or second day to have enough time.  Naturally I did the Goron race immediately after finishing the Goron temple for the first time, which took me into the third day.  So I had to do that annoying bullshit AGAIN by finishing the temple on day one ASAP.  ARRGH!!  At least the temples let you skip right to the boss after you've beaten them.  Doing them completely over again would have ruined the whole game.

This is exactly what just happened to me, lol. I fell into this trap the last time I MM too. Luckily it only took me 15 minutes or so to play the song of time, beat the mechanical bull, blow up the entrance and win the race. When you know what you're doing you can blow through sections of that game pretty quickly, but there is definitely an element of trial and error.

[azeke]

I probably have the most unusual connection to Zelda series here. First of all, just two years earlier i didn't even knew it existed.

The first time i ever played Zelda game, it was funnily enough Majora's Mask on emulator, but i couldn't even get past first ten minutes or something. Nearly everything from controls ("how do i jump?", "what are those yellow arrows on the right?") to pacing were completely alien to me. I was so detached from usual Zelda conventions, it was like game tried to speak Chinese to me while hanging upside down.

Later when i got more into Nintendo, i played original NES game on my ambassador 3DS and i loved it. I loved the action, the challenge, simplicity and somewhat open-worldness of it. It's still one of my favorite games i played of the series.

It was a soft introduction to conventions that Nintendo preserves throughout the series so hard it harms accessibility of the games for people out of the loop (like me).

Zelda series (and Metroid probably even more so) are just so insulated in their own history. Eight dungeons, overworld, heart containers -- if i didn't started from NES game, i wouldn't have made sense of any of it. These are the basics are just so ingrained into later installments and make so much sense for long time fans, but are just baffling for newcomers.

It also doesn't help that unlike Mario series, Zelda and Metroid are kinda in a genre of their own. People coming from different background don't really have much reference to lean on in terms of similar games.

I have a friend (pc guy who just recently was introduced to wii, like me) who recently asked me "what's the deal with that Metroid Prime game? it seems to be quite a favorite on forums? what do you even do there?". I tried to explain and it was kinda hard because pc guys have absolutely no games that are similar to it. Even if you exclude 3d exploration out of the equation, what are any notable PC games with Metroidvania gameplay?

...

Exactly.

(well maybe Unreal and Unreal 2: Awakening, but again more in alien planet atmosphere and music, not in gameplay, so yeah, doesn't count)

Same with Zelda. A few elements here and there were employed by other games and genres and evolved on, like GTA and many other 3d games, but otherwise Zelda still is a thing-in-itself.

Apart from somewhat general inaccessibility my other problem with Zelda games are puzzles. Especially overworld puzzles that you have to do to get inside next dungeon. Funny i almost never got lost in original NES game but i get myself looking for instructions in EVERY damn game after it. In original game all it took for me to find next dungeon is just to wander a bit and i'd stumble upon something eventually, i've found all dungeons by myself, never had to resort to walkthrough even once.

In later games i try to find an answer which is usually an easy and obvious to some, but i can't understand it so i get frustrated and just lose interest. It usually takes me months to tackle the game again. It took me more than a year to finish WW and OOT because of this and that's the only ones i DID finish.

Why am i even playing them if they're so frustrating. I guess because i really like the music? And action parts of gameplay are still very good and compelling for me.

Sorry for long ranty introduction, let's fast forward to today's me, who after NES game played:

Link's Awakening: played on 3DS, enjoyed whimsical style and most of the dungeons, controls are too inconvenient because Gameboy's lack of buttons though, had to resort to walkthrough once cause i couldn't understand where should i go for next dungeon
Wind Waker: played on Wii, LOVED it, the cartoonish style is really appealing to me, i got stuck on overworld puzzles three or four times, didn't understand pictograph
Ocarina of Time: played on 3DS, it's okay, i finished it more or less the same day WW and it kinda felt "eh" to me, and again got stuck on puzzles too many times (more than in WW), both in overworld and inside the dungeons, didn't understand mask system which makes me feel bad, but i really don't feel like replaying it
Skyward Sword: got it day one (okay week one, considering shipping time but whatever), played till the first encounter to Ghirahim and kinda stopped. I still enjoyed what little i played very, very much. Have absolutely no problem with long intro and "handholding" of the game because i'm the person who as you understand really needs it.

Majora's Mask:
I am playing Majora's Mask on Wii's Virtual Console. I bought it more than a year ago and after getting through introduction i ended up in city where "puzzles syndrome" struck immediately. I didn't understand what am i supposed to do, i couldn't even get out of the city so as per usual i got frustrated and stopped playing for at least half a year.

During that time i started playing both OOT and WW and familiarized myself on how Zelda games work, so i came back and managed to get out to overworld but still couldn't find first dungeon.

A few weeks later i got to Deku palace and it's stealth-y action sequence. I kinda liked it, but i took too much of my sweet time so i had reset and start all over again in a new three day cycle. Then i got to first dungeon and the same happened -- it took me too much time to get to the final hall before the boss (not even to the boss himself), time was gone and i had to redo the dungeon all over again. On my second playthrough i got to boss and beat him and after some story stuff went after Deku palace buttler and... the timer went over in the middle of it. Man, i hated that system at that moment and was cussing like mad. Thankfully, the dungeon was already beat so i didn't had to plow through it third time, too bad i didn't realized it before and the game never bothered to explain it to me earlier.

It was like that on and off, for more than a year now. I beat three dungeons since then and now i'm stuck, [forrestgump]again[/forrestgump], trying to get inside the last dungeon in Ikana canyon.

For two months on and off i was trying to find a way in, explored and went in everywhere and but couldn't find the solution. I've found dancing spirit (who i didn't  understood what to do with either) and caves with Sheikah stones but not that "spirit vessel".

This morning i gave in and finally looked it up.

I was supposed to show Garo mask to hooded guy to get there.

The funny and sad thing is i have it already. I just never made a connection and still after reading the solution i don't understand it. The hooded guy requires to show him a spirit vessel. Okay, how's that generic mask a spirit vessel? The description for this mask doesn't say it's a vessel of any kind. It kinda says it makes you invisible or something. That's all.

Okay that's usual Zelda puzzles crap that i guess i will have to deal with for eternity since Nintendo i'm sure will never change it, but what did i enjoyed of the game?

First of all, of course, the general atmosphere of doom that prevails over all. The final music with the bells that really drives it home.

Characters and their story arcs are uncharacteristically strong for a Zelda game. Fixed time system really pays itself when you resolve character arcs. Even if i hated it at first, when i couldn't finish a dungeon within time limit, after you discover reverse time song, it stops being a problem. And everything is forgiven when you make someone happy even if for a little while.

Music apart from ambient "end of the world" theme isn't really as strong as in other games, most of it is reused from OOT.

Still it's quite a gaming experience, if nothing than an original time system and overall gloomy atmosphere.