Master Quest: Ocarina of Time's "Second Quest"

On the build up to the release of the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for the 3DS

I thought I'd refresh my memory on some of the finer points of the game. I also decided that it might finally be time to beat Ocarina of Time: Master Quest, one of the few Zelda titles I hadn't finished.

Never heard of it? Master Quest (known as Ura Zelda or Reverse Side in Japan) is a remixed version of Ocarina. It was

originally set to appear on the short-lived Nintendo 64 expansion drive called the N64 DD but was finally made legitimately available to gamers on various Zelda bonus and collector's discs during the GameCube era.

It echoes the Second Quest mentality of the original Legend of Zelda for NES, reusing the game's engine and basic tenants but modifying the experience to provide a new level of challenge.

Outside of Ocarina's nine or so stages everything is the same; the story, the chronology, the two Overworlds etc. This is a little disappointing as something like an alternate ending would have made for an interesting incentive for finishing the game.

However, every stage has been so deviously redesigned it's pretty easy to look beyond this issue. If you relish Zelda's particular brand of puzzle solving you'll be in your element. While the basic structure of each level is largely the same, any and all puzzles elements and enemies were fair game when the developers were redesigning.

Master Quest was clearly designed for those who thought they had squeezed every ounce of replayability and exploration out of Ocarina of Time as it constantly pushes the capabilities of what the player would normally be asked to do. From actively making use of items that were once barely required like Din's Fire to straight up using exploits (expect to use the hookshot invincibility trick to pull Link through otherwise impassable flame walls) the developers really went crazy with it in the best way possible.

I would love to blog about all the weird and wonderful differences in Master Quest but I feel that only the most hardcore Zelda fans would appreciate the design nuisances here. Instead, I'll just recommend that any Ocarina of Time fan up for a new challenge should check this out, whether you track it down on GameCube or wait to snap it up as part of Ocarina of Time 3D.

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of one of the weirder redesigned elements I encountered in Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly - cows half submerged in walls that act as switches.

The Best 3DS Game (except Japan's new Layton) You Aren't Playing

Since I like my fighting games to have competent controls, I plumped to buy the second most well-received 3DS launch title with my Aqua Blue console; Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars.

Even if this turn-based strategy shooter hadn't been as critically acclaimed I'd have probably picked it up anyway since it was produced by the mastermind behind the X-COM series, Julian Gollop.

Shadow Wars ends up feeling a lot closer to Fire Emblem than the alien-busting series though that?s no bad thing. As you'd expect from most strategy RPGs, the action takes place over grid-based landscapes with each side taking turns to dole out orders to their units. The focus is on your small, named group of badasses (as opposed to Advance Wars' generic disposal units) taking on larger groups of weaker foes.

RPG elements still play a large role. Thanks to the usual dice rolls and statistics you'll need to maximise your chances in battle by using your troops and the terrain intelligently. There's also a unit upgrade system though it's pretty much as straightforward as you can get, where dumping points into each character will unlock new and improved guns, armour and gadgets for them to use.

There's no overarching structure like that of X-COM's Geoscape meaning there's no base building, business management or combat outside the main missions. While this provided a lot of depth in Gollop's past efforts I can understand why they eschewed it for small screen play.

The main campaign plays out through a linear string of missions though I do seem to be unlocking a load of bonus challenges the more I play. I've yet the check those out, however.

Shadow Wars doesn't make the best first impression largely due to its presentation. The in-game graphics don't exactly push the system and the art style is a bit generic though the 3D effect does add some gloss. Also, all of the action stays on map meaning you don't zero in on cinematic battle scenes when two units engage each other. The music is also pretty limited.

Presentation-wise it isn't going to trounce the stylised visuals provided by the likes of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. The typical "Russians up to no-good" story also isn't going to grab anyone.

But Shadow Wars has got it where it counts and has so far provided me with some very compelling tactical scenarios. If you own and 3DS and have the least bit of appreciation for strategy games, you should definitely check this one out.