Here we go, it’s finally time for the Zelda CD-i games. Oh man, I can only imagine how hyped the fans of the Angry Video Game Nerd were to see these episodes. The video clips from the games were legendary in the early days of YouTube (being often used in many comedy video edits) and the terrible reputations of these games preceded them — I remember as a kid hearing about “bad” Zelda games. Only later in life would I learn about the CD-i and these games. Excitement for these episodes, however, was lost on me — I would still be a few months out from learning about the Nerd, so this is still one I only saw after the fact.
So, let’s get to it. James wastes no time talking about the terrible cut scenes. Going past that, the poor quality of everything is inescapable. The game manual, the controls, the gameplay, all of it. As he put’s it, it’s a fucking mess.
Seriously, the controls are beyond horrible, considering the CD-i controller had more buttons than are actually used. James’ complaints about the doors aren’t an exaggeration, and I can only imagine the Rupee collection method of having to stab them to collect would drive me mad! Same with having to do the same to talk to people — couldn’t there be a damn “interact” button?
Really, a few key problems absolutely ruin the game. It could have worked — it could have been great, but the controls are a mess. The inventory system is a mess. Combat is a mess. Doing anything in the game world is a mess Everything is an absolute mess! What’s terrible is that it’s a Zelda game! It has all the elements — you can see exactly what the developers were going for, but they fucked everything up!
Well, after we get the Nerd doing his best chicken impression (a nod to the Zelda series, no doubt) we see the end of the game, get a wonderful description in Nerd style of what the game experience is like and get set for Part 3 – Link: Faces of Evil and Zelda’s Adventure.
Final Rating: 4.0/5
A solid entry. The Nerd’s rage here is constant — frustration is high and the game pretty much makes the jokes for the episode by virtue of being what it is. The Nerd only has to focus on describing the game then delivering a few key comparisons and jokes here and there to tie it all together.
A fun one all around. Not too much to say about it, just sit back and enjoy!
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