GCN Legend of Zelda Compilation

[omegadot]

So I actually got this as a gift when it came out. It's the 2 NES titles, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask compilation that came with Nintendo Power. I got rid of it when moving out and getting rid of my entire collection. I did regret it a bit, though, and picked up a copy this weekend for like 40 bucks in nice shape with the case and all, a bit steep for something I once got for free;-). I rationalized the money by thinking I don't own any of these four games and I would spend quite a bit more proportionally if I got them all separate. Curious how others felt. Would you rather have this sort of somewhat uncommon compilation or all four games?

[TPA5]

I actually would love to get my hands on that compilation, I wanted it when it first came out and never had a chance. Now, the GC seems to be gaining ground for collectors so I should probably get it soon.

Edited November 10, 2014 by TPA5

[cimerians]

I have that, I got it back then when it came out. I do like compilations so if they do get released I usually end up getting them (unless it's for a series I don't like)

[Rex Dart]

I'd add it to my collection if I found it for cheap, but I have no interest in the included games.

[Atariboy]

I bought a second GameCube on Black Friday at Wal-Mart just to get this bonus disc.

 

There's another worth going after if you're an Ocarina of Time fan. The preorder bonus disc for Wind Waker, which also had a full fledged case and insert just like this freebie, included a "Master Quest" version of Ocarina of Time with a higher difficulty level and remixed dungeons.

 

Think of it as Ocarina's second quest.

[Emehr]

I got this disk back in the day and ended up getting the two N64 cartridges later on as well. I also have the Ocarina of Time/Master Quest when I pre-ordered Windwaker. I gotta say, coupled with the Game Boy Player, the Gamecube has a pretty great Zelda experience. You can play every Zelda game on it from the original to Twilight Princess.

[AtticGamer]

I got this disc when I got my Gamecube in 2003. It's in the same case as Mario Kart: Double Dash (dual disc case) and it has a Wind Waker demo.

 

It's a nice bonus, but playing Zelda 1 and 2 with the Gamecube controller was less than ideal and Majora's Mask had technical issues. The higher resolution was nice though.

 

I think it's a better to just play the 2D ones on GBA (with GB Player) and play the superior 3DS versions of the 3D games. Then again, I prefer handhelds to consoles, but damn, OOT 3D looks so much better (but they could have done even better, those flat stairs still bother me).

Edited November 11, 2014 by AtticGamer

[Algus]

I remember at the time being pissed that it didn't have Link to the Past. They were getting ready to release a port on GBA so they didn't include it (or so the popular theory on the gaming forums I went to speculated)

 

I actually beat OoT for the first time on the compilation, even though I had it on N64 too. This disc got a LOT of playtime in my GameCube.

 

The good one to get is the OoT standalone disc. It includes Master Quest, which is a blast if you've played OoT to many times and need to mix things up.

[omegadot]

I got this disk back in the day and ended up getting the two N64 cartridges later on as well. I also have the Ocarina of Time/Master Quest when I pre-ordered Windwaker. I gotta say, coupled with the Game Boy Player, the Gamecube has a pretty great Zelda experience. You can play every Zelda game on it from the original to Twilight Princess.

Poor CD-i Zelda.

[Hyper_Eye]

When the black GC came packed with this disc I finally purchased my GC. Apparently I went a little early because the guy behind the counter handed me a regular system box. I asked about the one with the Zelda pack-in and he said those weren't releasing for another week. I asked him if they were already in the back and he looked at me in silence for a few seconds and then went into the back to retrieve the GC with the pack-in. He asked that I take off as soon as the transaction was complete so that nobody would see me with it.

 

Anyway the compilation is great. The N64 games have improved graphics and you can enable 480p. The versions released on the Wii Store were not these improved versions but the original N64 versions. I played most of OoT on it.

[Atariboy]

The versions on the Wii Shop are these since they're all emulating the original code (The only difference is the edited button icons that reflected the colors of the GCN A & B buttons revert back to their original N64 versions).

 

The Wii versions though offer improved emulation over these, which helped Majora's Mask in particular run smoother and more stable, without the audio irregularities of this GCN disc. They render in 480p just as these GCN discs did, and look much nicer than they do on original hardware (Even when hooked up just via composite cables).

 

They did lose rumble, though. This was at a time when manufacturers were being sued left and right over controller rumble and companies were releasing wireless controllers without the ability (Most notably, the original PS3 controller). So for some bizarre reason, even with a wired GCN controller, there's no controller rumble on Virtual Console N64 downloads despite being able to insert the GCN Zelda discs into the same system with the same controller and enjoy the feature with an earlier version of their emulator.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Atariboy

[Hyper_Eye]

From searching around a bit it seems your information is correct. There was bad info floating around about this collection in the past. I will make sure not to propagate it further in the future.

[cybercylon]

$40 is a good price. I've seen it go for much more.

 

I had it back in the GC days and have fun with it, though never got around to playing Majora's mask.

 

Any GC game with Mario, Zelda, etc seems to go for a premium these days even though they are not all that rare.

[Hyper_Eye]

What's even worse is first-party Wii games. I've been waiting forever for both SMG2 and Skyward Sword to go down to a price I'm comfortable paying. I do not pay full price for games. If I wait 2 years to buy a game I should be able to get it at a significant discount. These games just don't depreciate the way most games do. I also never see these games at my local retro stores. They have plenty of Wii games but they rarely have the first-party games.

[TheGameCollector]

I had already chosen a different guide when I renewed my subscription before this game was announced, so what I did was went to Game Crazy, traded in my old Gamecube and bought the Zelda Collector's Edition bundle. Still have it to this day.

[cybercylon]

What's even worse is first-party Wii games. I've been waiting forever for both SMG2 and Skyward Sword to go down to a price I'm comfortable paying. I do not pay full price for games. If I wait 2 years to buy a game I should be able to get it at a significant discount. These games just don't depreciate the way most games do. I also never see these games at my local retro stores. They have plenty of Wii games but they rarely have the first-party games.

Our local chain has them, but you are right. Some of them now go for more than they were sold at.

 

You can forget about any kind of Nintendo collecting around here unless you are wealthy. The SMB 3 cart that sold for $10 3-4 years ago now commands $25-$35. Don't even get me started on SNES and the N64. I hear this is due to the fact that there are many out there that are trying to relive their Nintendo days. The supply is there, but a lot of demand.

 

If one is a Genesis collector, there is better luck there. Dreamcast stuff isn't too bad unless you are looking for something that is more rare.

[TheGameCollector]

Or Playstation. There is such a wide variety of games on it that there is bound to be at least something cheap in every genre. And a lot of the best selling games are still only $4-$8 because of greatest hits releases. RPGs, certain fighters and Longbox releases seem to be the only easily identifiable ones that are usually worth more. And those combined probably only make up about a hundred or two out of the over 1,000 releases.

Edited December 2, 2014 by TheGameCollector

[Algus]

Rising prices on the carts is partly what drove me to straight emulation (storage space being another issue). Retrogaming got really trendy thanks to all the internet guys doing videos and stuff about it. Personally, I'm glad there's so much interest in older systems and games instead of them just collecting dust somewhere but it does suck for those of us who started buying when everything was super cheap.