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When Sega took on Zelda, they really went for the jugular

Giant Enemy Crab

Giant Enemy Crab

Member
Apr 21, 2018
3,174
Aaronrules380 said:
I'm sure the game is great in it's own right, but I think it's a bit odd to suggest Sega went for the jugular when pretty much nobody ever mentions this game anymore, whereas everyone know ALTTP.
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It's not complicated.
Zelda a Link to the Past was already the third entry of a famous franchise produced by the absolute leader of previous gen.
In addition, through history, Sega released too many games they didn't marketed that much.

Every generation, Nintendo offers a Fire Emblem, Sega gives Shining Force, Dragon Force, Sakura Wars, Valkyria Chronicles. Sega splits its fanbase. Some franchises are forgotten.

All these reasons explain why a game like LTTP is famous and not Crusader.
 
Kaede

Kaede

Member
Dec 27, 2017
89
Game sounds very interesting, I'd never heard of it before and want to give it a go.

Seems like the game has more in common with Link's Awakening which came out a year earlier than this with similar, albeit lighter, exestintial themes.
 
Griffith

Griffith

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,585
I remember renting Soleil when I was younger and finding significantly more confusing and hard than Zelda. While I stand that it is a bit harder than Zelda I regret I never purchased it at the time because it was one of the Mega Drive's least known gems.
 
Keldroc

Keldroc

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Oct 27, 2017
11,968
duckroll said:
I'm not sure making a game that failed to resonate with a wide enough audience and hence never getting a sequel, spinoff, or even a proper port to any future system, is really considered "going for the jugular". A more apt phrase to for this game is "You come at the king, you best not miss". Unfortunately for all their best intentions, the game did miss the audience and hence is largely forgotten until brought up again in threads like this that deal with obscure and forgotten games.

Sorry that the truth hurts, but Zelda takes no prisoners. This game is not bad though.
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I see no truth in your post, just deflection for the sake of...Zelda's honor? I dunno, this is a super weird take that almost requires intentionally misunderstanding the OP. They went for the jugular in the sense of taking the concept of what Zelda is and not only expanding that from a game design perspective but going for a story that the Nintendo of the time wouldn't have dared touch with a ten foot pole. The game doesn't need to have been successful or even remembered 20 years later to have been a bold stroke against the competition.
 
ThorHammerstein

ThorHammerstein

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Nov 19, 2017
3,500
$400? Mine is the paper sleeve version (in mint or near mint). I wonder if that actually has any value to it compared to the plastic box. (I got it new at an EB when it came out but this was quite a while back.)
 
Mr.Deadshot

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
I really didn't like Soleil. But I absolutely loved Landstalker and The Story of Thor. Both better than any 2D Zelda IMO.
 
MilkBeard

MilkBeard

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Oct 25, 2017
7,778
That sounds really interesting. I'm sad to have never played or heard of it. It kind of reminds me how Terranigma reconstructs and subverts your expectations on some gaming staples at the time.
 
DiK4

DiK4

Banned
Nov 4, 2017
1,085
Story sounds amazing, sadly I never had a Genesis. I hope this game gets re-released soon, I'd like to give it a shot. Hopefully via the Genesis mini or Sega Ages.
 
TheThirstyPrisoner

TheThirstyPrisoner

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,152
I'm surprised so many people haven't heard of this game as it always seemed to be fairly well-known. I guess I'm getting old. For me it was always one of those games that was sort of just there, I must have tried it a dozen or more times but it just never resonated. That said, I am also surprised it isn't available on any of the Genesis collections.
 

sheaaaa

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,556
Keldroc said:
I see no truth in your post, just deflection for the sake of...Zelda's honor? I dunno, this is a super weird take that almost requires intentionally misunderstanding the OP. They went for the jugular in the sense of taking the concept of what Zelda is and not only expanding that from a game design perspective but going for a story that the Nintendo of the time wouldn't have dared touch with a ten foot pole. The game doesn't need to have been successful or even remembered 20 years later to have been a bold stroke against the competition.
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This is a great post.
 
big_z

big_z

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Nov 2, 2017
7,794
This is a game that always caught my eye in magazines back in the day and I might try to play it at some point this summer. I've heard I doesn't play nearly as well as Zelda but it looks interesting enough to look into on my own.
 
Weebos

Weebos

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Oct 25, 2017
7,060
Never heard of it before this thread, but it looks and sounds fascinating.

I would love to give it a try one day.
 
Sir Hound

Sir Hound

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Oct 28, 2017
2,195
I skipped from the Story section because I'm totally sold on picking this up after Phantasy Start IV
 
eXistor

eXistor

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Oct 27, 2017
12,267
Really cool and unique game, loved it as a kid. Another one I should replay thanks to Mama Robotnik, you always make me wanna play these games all over again!
 
MrBS

MrBS

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,200
I played this back a release and found it underwhelming at the time. Still bitter about the back of box quote saying 80 hours of gameplay, more like 8.0 hours. Could beat that game in a weekend easy.
 
Black Mantis

Black Mantis

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,093
One of my top 5 Megadrive games. I'd never played an action-rpg or Zelda game before, so it opened up a whole genre for me. I hope Sega puts it into a compilation release someday, as I only played through it once.
 
ContraWars

ContraWars

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,517
Canada
Landstalker and Beyond Oasis were better. Hell, I had more fun playing Light Crusader. Centy was always worse to me.

The most "Zelda-like" of the games on the Genesis to look at, but it's slower paced and the hit detection felt bad.

I don't believe the hype here.
 
Munti

Munti

Member
Oct 26, 2017
884
Never heard of it, but it looks really interesting.

But i have to laugh at the logic in gif #3: "I can't pass through some trees. Let me create a river of lava, that's easier to traverse." XD
 
Drakken

Drakken

Member
Oct 28, 2017
329
Wow, besides the different gameplay elements (movement, companions, environment interaction), the story bits sound really interesting. Would love to check this out someday.

Thanks for the write-up.
 
P-Tux7

P-Tux7

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Mar 11, 2019
1,344
I've the feeling that the whole "talking to God" thing got past the angry Christian parents because it turns out you don't actually see God, you just talk to Him through the "gate to Heaven" or whatever
 
The Anonymous Wizard

The Anonymous Wizard

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Sep 28, 2018
1,073
Woah, I'm a big SEGA fan and never played this... It's classically 'SEGA' to make an incredible game that simply didn't sell or get the fanfare it deserves. Not surprised at all, it happens to this day.
 
flashman92

flashman92

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Feb 15, 2018
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The sword thowing animal combo mechanics are way more interesting than any of the mechanics in ALttP IMO, and honestly I also prefer the overworld map because I'm lazy and it cuts down on back tracking. But controls, combat (throwing felt good, but swinging felt off), and a lot of the puzzles are all a step down from ALttP
 

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Oct 28, 2017
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I liked it a lot and it was also way easier then Landstalker. I finished it a few years ago on an emulator in one session and found it as lovely as back in the day.
But despite the difficulty, Landstalker is much preferred in my book.
 
Laxoon

Laxoon

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Jan 24, 2018
1,829
Let's get that Centy and Landstalker remaster ala Sonic 3 A.I.R. going come on people.
 
flashman92

flashman92

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Feb 15, 2018
4,557
I gather from this thread and multiple other threads that I need to play Land Stalker. Known about it for years, but just didn't like the look of it.
 
sir_crocodile

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Oct 25, 2017
23,474
I always thought Story of Thor/Beyond Oasis was the best of the MD zeldalikes. It was actually far better when it came to combat, and I love the elemental system that was used both for fighting and puzzles.
 
Another Castle

Another Castle

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Apr 9, 2019
552
CLT
Looks like I've got some new items to add to my backlog. Zelda is my absolute favorite series, but I love that they take on the moral absolutism of the series. Always been a gripe of mine. Or, at least, always since I was able to form such arguments.
 
AtomicShroom

AtomicShroom

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Oct 28, 2017
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Jugular? The game is bland. The music is forgettably generic. The sound effects are ear-grating. The hit detection on the sword is completely broken. The level design is boringly uninspired. It's just all-around sloppy. It has some redeeming qualities (notably the story), but they aren't enough to redeem how "meh" this game is. It's no wonder even Sega forgot about it.
 
Thrill_house

Thrill_house

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Oct 27, 2017
10,594
Thank you for this thread! This game deserves more love. Rented this a million times as a kid and eventually bought a copy from a pawn shop. A true gem
 
P-Tux7

P-Tux7

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Mar 11, 2019
1,344
xerith said:
Zelda is my absolute favorite series, but I love that they take on the moral absolutism of the series. Always been a gripe of mine.
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The Bible: "The Moabites and Canaanites are evil! God says to slaughter them all to protect His chosen people!"
Zelda: "Ganon and his legions of demons are evil! Hylia says to slaughter them all to protect her chosen kingdom!"

I'm surprised that people are self-aware enough to note the problems with the former scenario but not the latter. I mean, I don't think Undertale's combat is that fun, but it had a point in "You're just going to do ANYTHING in a game that you wouldn't do in real life if it's fun to do, aren't you?"
 
hussien-11

hussien-11

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Oct 27, 2017
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I always hear someone praising a Zelda clone and how it is a "better Zelda" game than X or Y, and it was never the case. not with Alundra, not with Okami, and it won't be for this game too. Zelda is a unique series, i don't think comparing everything this game tried to do with Zelda is the right thing to do. if this game decided to "question morality" in a certain way, it doesn't mean this is the way to do things, it is just a different game, trying to do something different.

it is interesting though, i will try to check it out, if that is possible.
 
Epinephrine

Epinephrine

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Oct 27, 2017
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hussien-11 said:
I always hear someone praising a Zelda clone and how it is a "better Zelda" game than X or Y, and it was never the case. not with Alundra, not with Okami, and it won't be for this game too. Zelda is a unique series, i don't think comparing everything this game tried to do with Zelda is the right thing to do. if this game decided to "question morality" in a certain way, it doesn't mean this is the way to do things, it is just a different game, trying to do something different.

it is interesting though, i will try to check it out, if that is possible.
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Wouldn't it make sense to play the game before critiquing someone else's opinion?
 
Another Castle

Another Castle

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Apr 9, 2019
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P-Tux7 said:
The Bible: "The Moabites and Canaanites are evil! God says to slaughter them all to protect His chosen people!"
Zelda: "Ganon and his legions of demons are evil! Hylia says to slaughter them all to protect her chosen kingdom!"

I'm surprised that people are self-aware enough to note the problems with the former scenario but not the latter. I mean, I don't think Undertale's combat is that fun, but it had a point in "You're just going to do ANYTHING in a game that you wouldn't do in real life if it's fun to do, aren't you?"
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It's Nintendo's biggest issue overall, where it pertains to narrative. Granted, they tend to gravitate towards idealist stories that can be easily comprehended by children and it's not as if Zelda hasn't ever touched on these topics itself but not to a degree that it's changed much. It does make me wonder if they're aware of their overwhelming pro-imperial messaging?
 
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