Do not fear death. Death is always on your side. When you show fear, it jumps at you faster than light. But if you do not show fear, it casts its eyes upon us gently, and then guides us into infinity.
There was a tiger-striped cat. This cat died a million deaths, revived and lived a million lives, and was owned by various people he didn't really care for.
The cat wasn't afraid to die.
Then one day the cat became a stray cat, which meant he was free. He met a white female cat and the two of them spent their days together happily. Years pass and the white cat grows weak and dies of old age. The tiger-striped cat cried a million times, and then he died too.
The winding highway, heading west, seemingly leading to nowhere, passes nothing that can be considered ‘civilization’ other than a small convenience store with no cars parked in front of it: the official last stop for food.Along this highway there are two mailboxes next to each other at the beginning (or end) of a dirt road – a dirt road leading to the ranch and laying emphasis on the lack of ‘civilization’ out here beyond Coalinga, California.Along this road, there is a gate.This gate is the precipice of the current reality – once you pass through it, you are in another realm completely different from what you know.
Gruver Road crawls through trees and dances alongside a creek, eventually crossing it.It rises above the hills at its sides, meeting the level of the large fields and opening the view to the over-watching mountains.Passing a white house with an ornament-filled yard on the left, a line of trees and the creek act as a natural fence-line as you enter Gruver Ranch.On the property there is a field surrounded by a trail and filled with hundreds of squirrels and birds that insist on making their presence known by passing in front of you, usually going to or coming from a rundown shed that hasn’t been worked in or on for decades (emphasizing the age of the ranch), as you make your way down the driveway.
The front of the house bears a yard with infant grass and a large tree that has a rope hanging from it - leaving proof of a swing from the past.A porch, encompassing the house’s northwest corner and sides, that is in forever shade due to the overhanging roof and protective tree-line to the west, provides a couple of beds suited only for the courageous: during the day the calming environment along with the comfortable beds allow for perfect introspection and philosophizing conditions, where the foundations of your existence, beliefs, and purpose are melted and reformed easier than warm butter (which is aided by a leisurely read of Immanuel Kant’s answer to the question, “What is enlightenment?”); at night the wild pigs and elk like to roam closely to the house at night, creating a large ruckus, and putting a fright into anyone - making it nearly impossible to sleep.
The south side of the house has its own porch, but meant for a different type of relaxation – the relaxation produced by the realization of our communion with living life of all kinds.The long table on this porch urges conversation with family members, while the surrounding bushes and the path from it – surrounded by a garden – nearly produce an over-stimulation of nature with all the animal life moving about and plant life flourishing (nowhere else in the world makes me want to talk to birds more). Inside, the living room – susceptible to family gatherings for classic movies – is filled with older couches and chairs and a television in its corner surrounded by a VHS collection that probably predates the couches.Throughout the house there are pictures of relatives, both living and not, that remind me of where I came from and the importance of those that came before me (nowhere else in the world makes me more willing to be the greatest father ever).The best picture of all – containing the faces of four generations – is located in the reading room on the wall above a very old pump-pedal organ - with now only one working pedal - that my aunt used to practice on and dream of being a great musician, a dream that lives within my brother and I as we too play and practice on that organ.
Besides the washing machine that has to be filled with buckets of water in order to do laundry in a decent amount of time because it takes hours for it to fill up on its own, and the plethora of guns in the entry room used for killing rattlesnakes and the occasional hunting season, the rest of the house is like any other, articulating the point that where you eat, bathe, and sleep has nothing to do with the importance of a house – it’s how you how you do those things that makes it important.And this is something that the Gruver Ranch exemplifies by its pure simplicity.Interestingly enough, it’s the simple things in life that are the most compelling and effective, and that is no better represented than when the smell of clear air, the view of the openness, and all experiences and interaction on the ranch are in the past yet their impressions are forever within you afterward.
The closing of the gate and reemergence into the ‘real’ world is intense.You realize that this realm is not what it used to be as soon as you reach the paved highway and a vehicle speeds dangerously past you – it’s wretched and repulsive.However, regardless of how the world is around you, it’s how you live in it that really matters.
[This is a descriptive essay that I wrote for English class. It was kind of difficult not to do any 'pointing' at stuff.]
"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that does not change with time, is a memory of younger days."
What game could scare me so much, yet have me longing for love? What game made me want to visit areas just to hear the music? What game made me realize that there is a bigger world outside of my little town? Even as a kid, I knew Ocarina of Time was an amazing game. Fast-forward - without the Master Sword - eleven (twelve?) years into the future, to a me who is losing the 'drive' for gaming, has found and lost love, listens to way different, more, and better music, and lives in Sin City. This (Adult) me is trying to find his place in the world, taking many different paths, one being a 'removal of the useless.' On this path, Adult-me came across an old gem that nearly every video gamer has beat and praises. Kid-me never beat this game.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time seemed to be an obvious choice as a start to my quest, being one of the most praised games of all time as well as one of those game I never really got to finish - going into this game, I had only beaten the first three dungeons by myself, leaving the game untouched, and my brother picking it up and beating it. I planned on writing a review of it from day one, so I took a notebook out of my drawer, ripped out all of the used pieces, and officially dedicated this to Oot (and now all other video game reviews). It was time to play.
I removed the game from my stack of N64 games, blew the cartridge from habit, and put it in the system. Then I selected my best controller, plugged it in, and turned on the game. I was taken to nostalgia town right away...
I quickly chose my name (Alain), and proceeded to take in the menu music before I moved on. [The file select/fairy music is one of my favorite Zelda pieces but nothing compares to Labyrinth.]
I get woken up by the fairy, Navi, telling me that the Great Deku Tree needs to see me. So I climb down the ladder and see that Link had flights of fantasty consisting of battles with monsters, but little does he know that this is what his life would become, very soon; there is no turning back - the journey of the Hero of Time has begun.
From first hearing the Kokiri Forest music to the end of the credits, with young Zelda and young Link staring at each other, I was hooked on this game. It consumed a lot of my thoughts, and eventually made me change my main character in Melee to Sheik.
The biggest thing I noticed when first playing this was its cinematic focus. From entering a new area to opening a chest to dialogue and story telling, this game is all very cinematic, which creates stronger emotion and emphasizes importance of the story well, especially the conversations with Saria and Zelda/Sheik. Sadly, some of the cinematics fall short either because of the technical capabilities at the time or bad placement (see: opening an 'important' chest).
Along with cinematics, and definitely more important and better done, atmosphere and ambience are very prominent. Architecture, geography, music, miscelaneous sounds, and characters all add up together to create one of the best 'in game' experiences ever - one of the highlights being the Forest Temple.
However, none of the theatricality or atmosphere would be important without the story - which is very good. But I'm not going to bore you with basic story elements and chronological happenings within the story. I'm just going to mention what I felt to be most interesting.
Link is a Hylian, born of a mother who fled from the Hyrulean Civil War to the Kokiri Forest, leaving him in the care of the Great Deku Tree. He has no fairy, has nightwares of a girl being chased by an evil man on horse, and who's only friend is Saria.
Saria cares for Link very much, which is shown in the scene when Link is leaving the Kokiri Forest for the first time - "...we'll be friend forever... won't we?" Eventually, you find out, through Mido, that Saria "really.... liked..... [you]" but destiny gears are always turning and they can never "live in the same world."
"Saria will always be.... your friend..."
As the story progresses, you get more connected with Zelda via her alias Sheik. At the last part of the game, gasps coming from Zelda when you get wounded show that she cares for you - well, at least your well-being - as does her choice to send you back to your childhood to live out what you missed (this then spawns the split-timeline in the Legend of Zelda universe). But the relationship between Zelda and Link could never work, for they are bound by destiny as well. Like Zelda says, "When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say good-bye."
Once you get sent back to your 'original' time, removing your hands from the Master Sword for the last time, you look up to see Navi - not saying a word - leaving through the window of the Temple of Time.
At the end of the credits you see the scene where Link and Zelda first meet, but it pauses when they're still staring at each other: Zelda doesn't remember him.
Overall, this game is very well done - the only flaws that are prominent are due to the technical capabilites of the time/system. I felt connected to this world, and wanted to continue to play this game forever, even though most of the bosses were easy and bore me. I wouldn't say this is the best game of all time, but it is definitely one of the most influential games of all-time - its inspiration still echoes through games today. In the end, what I found to be most intriguing was the pure solitary of Link at the end of the game.
This is a must play for any video gamer. I give it a solid 9 out of 10.
"Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends..."
Time, it seems, is very cruel - especially to the Hero of Time.
Last time I left you guys off right after I beat the Water Temple. Now, I will admit that I was not enthusiastic going into the Shadow Temple - two terrible bosses in a row kind of does that. But once I got into the temple and started experiencing its ambience, I was excited.
I didn't have the Lens of Truth for the first half of the temple, which made it difficult, but not impossible. So, I decided to go adventuring and do some of the sidequests - Gerudo Fortress, Big Goron Sword, wasting time racing around Hyrule Field because Epona is awesome, etc. When I got a lot of the adult stuff done, I went back to a kid and planted a few Magic Beans and got the Lens of Truth. From then on Shadow Temple was pretty dang easy, especially the boss.
Next came the Spirit Temple, which is definitely the most interesting of them all, since you have to go to it as a kid and adult. Overall, the temple was easy, with only the Iron Knuckles causing any trouble; the desert ambience - architecture and music - was great. I'm a big fan of Mirror Sheild, mirror, and sunlight puzzles, so I was a bit disappointed that there were only like two total in this temple. The boss battle, Twinrova, was an absolute delight, though, and reminded me of Ikaruga.
As of right now, I'm just trying to get some of the extra Heart-Pieces and finish up the rest of the sidequests - then it's on to Ganon's Castle. Duhn, duhn, duhn....
Favorites (so far):
Temples/Dungeons - Forest >= Spirit > Water > Shadow >> Fire > Dodongo > Well > Deku Tree > Jabu Jabu > Ice Cavern
[Water Temple would be my favorite temple if the boss was as creative as Twinrova or Phantom Ganon. Bongo Bongo was very interesting, which is the only reason it's higher than the other bosses. lol]
Thoughts going into the last part of Ocarina of Time:
The story is definitely epic - can't wait to battle Ganon. As for expectations, I'd say they haven't been met, which has probably been ruined by modern, larger games since, as a kid, I thought this was the longest/largest game ever.
I haven't died yet, so let's hope I can keep that up. I'm probably going to cry at the ending..... lol
What does it mean to be in love? To lose yourself? To find yourself? To be half of a whole? To be in a blind bliss?
Or is it all of those?
To fall in love means to lose your ego in order to completely engage into someone else.
To be in love means to find more of yourself in the other.
To love means to be responsible for yourself as well as for someone else, and knowing they have the same responsibility.
Love is a completely magnificent and uncanny perspective - you see everything different, yet see nothing at all at times. But love is more than just a connection between two people, it is also a personal journey for those people as individuals.
It's common to judge the success of a journy by its ending, but in this case, I think it's the wrong thing to do.
Take the unexpected situations in life by the handful, and realize how truly amazing they are. See how sporadic decisions have led to amazing experiences. And think about how much of a mess you could make, together.
A few weeks ago, I was playing OoT and realized how fricken awesome Sheik is - not just because of the cool disappearing shiz and the tight harp, but also from the whole Zelda hiding herself right in front of Link as Sheik. I just think it's so cool. With that said, OoT does have an amazing story, I must say (for a Zelda game).
I finished the Water Temple today. I must say, it was not as hard as it was at 10 years old. I can see why people complain about it so much, with all the water level changing and the keys being in difficult locations, but it's not a horrible or incredibly difficult temple (it is the most difficult one in the game so far though). The only thing that sucks about it is the constant pausing to go to/from your Iron Boots, and the map being 2D when you're playing the most 3D of temples.
Favorites, so far....
Temples: Forest > Water >>>> Fire > Dodongo > Deku Tree > Jabu-Jabu > Ice Cavern (Forest Temple isn't as hard as Water, but it's the second hardest and it has the best music AND the hardest/coolest boss so far)
Bosses: Phantom Ganon >>>> Barinade >> Gohma > King Dodongo >> Volvagia > Morpha (if Dark Link counts, he would be right ahead of Barinade. lol)
Love Interests: Zelda >> Saria > Malon >>>> Princess Roto (I only dislike Roto so much because she forced/tricked the engagement with Link. And only added Malon because she's an amazing singer. lol)
I've been taking notes while playing - a few Sheik quotes down, as well as key Hylian history and story bits - because after I'm done playing the game I'm going to write a massive review/perspective/whatever on it. It'll be a mostly positive writing, since I like this game, a lot. I just really hope the Temples and Bosses get better... It's getting me psyched to play Majora's Mask though. :)
With that, I have a few questions for you:
What do you consider to be the hardest/funnest Zelda temple/dungeon in the series/OoT?
What do you consider the hardest/funnest boss in the series/OoT to be?
If Link had to marry, or have 'intricate relations' with, anyone from the series/OoT, who would you want it to be?
.png/800px-Forest_Temple_Entrance_Hall_(Ocarina_of_Time).png)
