eatntae

I beat the game getting all the hearts, bottles, and skulltulas (or whatever they're called) without a guide. I got Zelda before I got the internet, so I didn't even know about GameFAQs, and didn't even realize that guides would be available online. I think the side quest that took me the longest to complete was getting the last bottle by capturing 10 ghosts in the field. I was riding Epona around that field for hours looking for those ghosts.

Josh H

I beat it without a guide on the N64 when it first came out.

Outlaw

I also beat it without a guide, one of the best games I ever played. Zelda is the only game I refuse to ever look at a guide on, because its so rewarding to finally figure out a puzzle thats been stumping you (water temple, the key you need is .

Lee Harvey Oswald

So, if I don't like this game, which so far I don't, should I give Wind Waker or Majora's Mask a shot? Are the basically the same thing?

I remember playing the original 2 Zeldas on the NES (and SNES?) and really liked them. I'm just not getting into Ocarina.

sureAV421

beat it when it came out a few times, without a guide. I only used a guide (after the fact) to find the skulltula type things. This was when I was 14 so i had tons of free time to collect everything. Favorite game ever.

Lee Harvey Oswald

I don't want to take this too off topic, but since Paper Mario was brought up:

Does Paper Mario have a lot platforming aspects in it? Or is it mostly walk around and talk to people and then roam around a cave to find a key type of stuff.

Josh H

They are similar. Wind Waker is maybe worth checking out. But probably not Majora's Mask since it is based on the OoT engine and plays very similar (though with a much different setting and concept with the time).

PixyJunket

The gold spiders are pretty easy to find once you realize they make a distinct sound when there's one around.

pinata242

Agreed. If you don't like OoT, odds are you'll hate MM unless you really get taken in by the concept. I loved both.

goLUCKY

I beat it with help from the net.

Groucho

Paper Mario is an RPG...leveling up, turn-based combat, the whole drill. But with Mario characters.

Joe Molotov

I beat it without a guide, but yeah the Water Temple took me forever.

Cardiff Giant11

finished it with the help of a faq. it was frustrating as hell at times though.

lukewarmwater

I'm still stuck on the water level, found two keys, but I might have opened the wrong door. Dammit this is annoying.

outer-edge

My wife and I both beat it when it was new and we rented a N64 to play. We kept the console an extra week to finish the job, but it was worth it. We have since beaten the GC version and I am working on the Master Quest.

Edit: Both beat without guides.

gryffinmaster

Count me in the "Beat it, No Strat Guide, Cursed More Than Ever At Any Game Ever During Water Temple" crowd. Absolutely loved that game - and I've thought it about it MANY times since I've been playing Okami recently.

RichC2

I finished it w/o guide, the water temple was one of the more memorable parts of the game, though I don't get all the difficulty complaints (standing still and thinking it out worked wonders).

Pretty straight forward game, though I had a bit of a problem with the final battle, dunno why.

xVladx

Groucho's right regarding the two existing Paper Mario games... they're pretty much RPG games, with some minor, minor platforming elements.

They are making a game called Super Paper Mario, though. Haven't kept up with it much since E3, but it looked like mainly a platformer with some light RPG elements, but in the PM universe.

dpz301

beat it with the guide on n64. zelda is the reason i bought gamecube a few months back. love it.

Brent L

I made it all the way to Bongo Bongo in the Shadow Temple without a using a guide and without any help at all when the game was first released.

Could someone here remind me just what was so hard about the Water Temple? I can't remember what the big deal is with that for the life of me.

Michael Corvin

Me neither. I don't recall having any problems with it.

chess

Ditto on the water temple. I don't remember it being hard at all. Perhaps I was just lucky or something.

I remember being stuck trying to figure out what to do at the ranch...and perhaps one other time...but mostly I muddled my way through at a pretty good pace.

I do remember being impressed with the design of the water temple though. It was one of the more clever parts of the game with the boots and all.

Anubis2005X

Beat it, fantastic game. I only used a guide to help me find the last three or so gold spiders. I was obsessed with this game back in the day!

Ralph Wiggum

Beat it at release and beat it again a couple of years ago, both without a guide. I always thought the game was on the easy side.

xVladx

I think the big problem a lot of people had was that there was just a LOT of going back and forth, and raising/lowering the water level, along with the frequent switching of boots. There was also at least one key, , that was pretty easy to miss.