Who had Zelda 2: Adventure of Link in '88?

[schuwalker]

I took part in a discussion pertaining to the NES, most specifically around Christmas of '88. It was centered on NES Christmas gifts that year. Most of the responses were "new" releases: SMB3 and Simon's Quest - two big hitters in that time frame. What really surprised me was the number of people were able to get a copy of Zelda 2???  Remember seeing a screenshot of Zelda 2 in a Sears' wishbook that year, so I was hitting all the local stores having that mindset it was available. That was a big no (for me) and at this point, we are talking post Christmas and New Year. I was finally able to  obtain a copy from Toys r Us or K&B, but we're talking around early Springish.

 

I perceived that Zelda 2 was generally released moreso in '89 than '88, but I was proven otherwise from that talk. It worked out in the long run that I had Castlevania 2 to keep me occupied.

 

Anybody else lucky enough to find or recieve Zelda 2 as a Christmas gift that year?

[wolfy62]

I know I had Zelda 2 by Christmas of '88 pr shortly thereafter and dont recall having any problem finding it here in the Los Angeles area.

I loved that game and never did quite make it to the end.

I dont remember what I did with my copy of it.?

[Tanooki]

I know I had it the year it came out, just can't remember if I got it or it was a gift that got me the game, but knowing what other titles I have and when they came out I know it wasn't in 1989.  I'd save most my allowance using a little on baseball cards and comics up until that crumbled around 1991, so I could buy a game every few months or so, then there were the b'day and christmas gifts so I had a pretty decent trickle of stuff throughout the year as I could save for the many months between the gift periods.   I never got rid of it either, I still have my original cart and manual too.

[turboxray]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:38 AM, schuwalker said:

I took part in a discussion pertaining to the NES, most specifically around Christmas of '88. It was centered on NES Christmas gifts that year. Most of the responses were "new" releases: SMB3 and Simon's Quest - two big hitters in that time frame. What really surprised me was the number of people were able to get a copy of Zelda 2???  Remember seeing a screenshot of Zelda 2 in a Sears' wishbook that year, so I was hitting all the local stores having that mindset it was available. That was a big no (for me) and at this point, we are talking post Christmas and New Year. I was finally able to  obtain a copy from Toys r Us or K&B, but we're talking around early Springish.

 

I perceived that Zelda 2 was generally released moreso in '89 than '88, but I was proven otherwise from that talk. It worked out in the long run that I had Castlevania 2 to keep me occupied.

 

Anybody else lucky enough to find or recieve Zelda 2 as a Christmas gift that year?

My local Sears often messed up and if you ordered NES games from their catalog, you could potentially get them before the actual release date. I got Zelda 2 a week or two before release date from Sears. I had school classmates call bullshit on it so I brought the manual to school to prove it haha. Same thing happened with SMB2. Maybe it was just my local Sears that messed up.

Edited November 29, 2020 by turboxray

[GameGirl420]

My older brother had it upon its release. Excellent fond memories of when that game was brand new!

[ubersaurus]

We got our NES Christmas 88 and both Zelda II and Simon's Quest were among the games we got in that first batch.

[Tanooki]

On 11/29/2020 at 12:51 PM, turboxray said:

My local Sears often messed up and if you ordered NES games from their catalog, you could potentially get them before the actual release date. I got Zelda 2 a week or two before release date from Sears. I had school classmates call bullshit on it so I brought the manual to school to prove it haha. Same thing happened with SMB2. Maybe it was just my local Sears that messed up.

I remember that.  I think I got Mega Man in Dr Wiley's Revenge early because I had used either them but I think it may have been the JC Penney catalog.  I ordered it through my parents there, and was able to pick it up at the local mall shop before it supposedly was sitting on that rack at Toys R Us and the rest.  That was always a nice treat.

 

To everyone:

I don't recall how Zelda 2 worked out, but if you know your Nintendo history (people, all you in general) that year was a real sob for the market when it came to memory chips, there was an awful shortage and Nintendo got nailed it with it too.  They had promised at the time to have both SMB2 and Zelda 2 out.  One of them had to take a hit, it got a really bad release that trickled, the other, got pushed to stores as the primary.  I remember this as i was more jacked up for SMB2 at the time and I found it when it was promised and in decent supply too at a Montgomery Wards where they kept the real stock in these huge tall glass cases on pegs.  Zelda 2 got sacrificed with chips for Mario, so it made it, just slow, a trickle, and really badly...not that Mario was super meaty on being everywhere either but compared it was due to the chip shortages.  That may account for people thinking it was a 1988 vs 1989 game, memory problems, and not where you forgot what happened type of memory.

[0078265317]

I did not have it back in the day.  Only the original.  But I got part 2 on eBay for like 50 bucks.  Still have it.  Actually It was like 9 games total including a 76 in 1 which I gave away and wanted another copy.  So I was happy to buy it.  I would not of bought Zelda 2 otherwise.

Edited November 30, 2020 by 0078265317

[+Black_Tiger]

I rented and played through it when it first came out on time but it wasn't worth buying.

 

I had a friend who owned it though.

[+thanatos]

I had money saved up for it.  I would call the Toys R Us fairly often, and when they said the had some come in, I had them save it and I got on my bike and raced there as fast as I could.  

 

Do not remember the time of year it was, but I know friends and classmates being jealous I scored one.  So maybe it was pretty early on.

[+GoldLeader]

I had it BITD (and still do), but I have no idea when I bought it.  It really didn't click with me and I almost never played it...Bet my copy is still in pretty good shape....

 

 

As they say 'round here pics or it didn't happen.  I decided to take some pics. 

 

 

 

[+chicgamer]

I got it for Christmas '88. There were a couple of boys in my class who received it for Christmas as well, and we would check in each day to see who had made it the furthest that day.

[thegamezmaster]

Don't remember exact date. But got when it first came out when the store I got video games at the time. 

[toptenmaterial]

I received it for Christmas in 1988 along with Simon's Quest. To date, I have played it more than any other Zelda. As I child I found it kind of morbid and scary- I still think of it as a horror game. It's just creepy, but I love it. I never beat it as a boy, I kept getting my saves deleted. I did end up beating Simon's Quest with the Nintendo Power code.

[MadZiontist]

A friend of mine who was a few years older than me, drove to Canada to get it, as for some reason it released there before the US. We lived in Detroit, so it wasn't that far. I don't remember if I had him pick me up a copy or not, but I think so. I do remember playing it and having it around launch.

[TheCoolDave]

I got it on release day but, funny story. For some reason about 2-3 weeks before it was released, I started calling video stores to see if they got it yet.  I did find 2 weeks early a store that had it(they got a copy from Canada). I ran down there, created a new account and rented the game for almost 2 weeks.

 

I finished the game before most people in the US even got a copy. I still did by it on release day.

[Silverfleet]

I didn't have it for Christmas of '88, but I did get it roughly a month later with my birthday money at the end of January '89. I vividly remember plunking down $49.99 for it at the Child World at the Hanover Mall in Hanover, MA. While most of their games were on the "shelf tag" system, they kept the hot, new releases in a glass case by the registers. I went in there, saw that gold box, and bought it. That was my 1st Zelda game at age 7; this is the one that started it all for me. Still have that cartridge, and still love that game. 

[DJ Clae]

You meant SMB2, right? SMB3 wasn't out in the West until 1990.

 

I rented Zelda 2 in '89, and bought it probably in 1990. I always regarded it as a worthy sequel. The NES sequels that were different from the first (SMB2, Castlevania 2) were truly special.

[Cebus Capucinis]

I didn't get it in 88 but I did get it.....

 

 

 

.....backin89.

[BDW]

38 minutes ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

I didn't get it in 88 but I did get it.....

 

 

.....backin89.

I got your fucking Zelda 2 cartridge here bitch! I dont even smoke cigarettes! 

[Zap!]

I still have record of my 1988 Christmas list. It was absolutely epic.

 

NES:

Millipede
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
Racket Attack
Pac-Man
1943
1942
Blades Of Steel
Donkey Kong Classics
Donkey Kong 3
Castlevania II

 

SMS:

Spy Vs. Spy
Kenseiden
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Phantasy Star