TDMMC: VGB - Round 1 (Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past vs. Final Fantasy II)

[Dave Gray]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992, SNES)
Nintendo



“The Legend of Zelda” took the Nintendo by storm.  Its follow up, “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” was well received, but only when the series returned to its roots on the Super Nintendo did the series’ popularity go to the next level.  “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” used a similar interface as the original Zelda, only with much better graphics, items, variety, size, and enemies.  What made this incarnation of Zelda stick out was its introduction of parallel worlds in which the player could travel between.  This idea of the “light and dark” world added a complexity and puzzle solving element to the game that later became a staple of the series.  It’s popularity was unmatched in its day, as it sat atop the Nintendo Power charts for 5 consecutive years.

VS.

Final Fantasy II  (1990, SNES)
Square



Final Fantasy II was a landmark game in the FF franchise.  It was the second American release of the series, but the fourth release of the Japanese Role-Playing Game.  Despite its poor translation and frequent misspellings, Final Fantasy 2 became extremely popular in the United States.  In this game, you take on the role of various different characters, as they explore the world, and complete quests by using items, casting magic spells, and enhancing their abilities by gaining experience.

[DolFan619]

     This is too easy, Link to the Past all the way baby!  When I first got my SNES this is the only game I would play.  Somedays, school wouldn't end quickly enough.  As soon as I got home, threw the bookbag aside and turned on Zelda.  The storyline was great, and the challenge was there.  It was just a kick ass game, plain and simple!

[Spider-Dan]

Both of these games are rule-violators.

I thought one game from each series would be selected as that series' representative?  Both Zelda and Final Fantasy have other games in the contest.

[jtex316]

Both of these games are rule-violators.

I thought one game from each series would be selected as that series' representative?  Both Zelda and Final Fantasy have other games in the contest.

Nope, that's not how it works.

[Dave Gray]

Both of these games are rule-violators.

I thought one game from each series would be selected as that series' representative?

Where did you get that idea?

[SCFinFan]

I have much the same feelings towards Zelda as Dolfan does. The one thing that absolutely MADE that game for me was the Good Bee. Having a creature that could help you defeat enemies was one of the many masterstrokes that game had. Miyamoto is a genius.

[GUATARICCAN]

I hate when two of favorite games go against each other! But even though I really loved FF2, A link to the past was when Zelda games became grander and more entertaining, IMO.

[Dave Gray]

To be honest, I didn't even want to put "Link to the Past" on the list.

The way I see it, the original Zelda was leaps and bounds beyond anything we'd seen before.  You could save to the disk, the game was large -- there was a 2nd quest.   There were tons of secrets...there was so much there.

So, The original ZELDA, to me, HAD to make the list. 

While "A Link to the Past" is a great game, it's essentially just a souped up NES Zelda...better graphics, larger, more items.  It's got some new gameplay elements, but it's pretty much the same -- which is good.   But it wasn't revolutionary or anything.

I do know several of my friends and people who I grew up with who swore by that game as the best of the best.  ...so it made the cut.

[jtex316]

I almost killed you for it to be included, as the Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past re-vitalized the Zelda franchise after a good 7 years off without really making any moves (Zelda 2 for NES, where Link is in a Platform-style game and calls one of the blobs "error" is NOT a video game)