The Thursday letters page reacts to the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake reviews, as one reader finally finishes Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave. Readers praise the remake's 96 Metacritic score, discuss its 1:1 approach, and debate the 9/10 review score.
Remake Praised for Faithful Approach
One reader, Onibee, expressed delight at the remake's reception: "Great review of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, GC, and so happy to see it get a 96 on Metacritic. Number one game of the year and the highest rated remake ever!" They noted that Nintendo would be pleased, given the producer's worries, and defended the 1:1 approach: "You can change a little bit, sure, and maybe they could've added an extra dungeon or something, but you turn it into a giant open world affair, like Breath Of The Wild, and it's suddenly a completely different game." Onibee added, "If you're doing a remake it has to closely resemble the original game."
Another reader, Simon, shared similar sentiments: "Just read your review and it sounds like the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake was exactly what I wanted it to be. Basically a 1:1 with better graphics." Simon noted that the jump button might be strange initially and mentioned saving the game for Christmas, recalling memories of buying the original in 1998: "I remember the day after Boxing Day going into Bromley to try to get a copy with my Christmas money and finding a small independent shop that had a couple of copies left."
Review Score Debated
Reader Ciara questioned the 9/10 score: "Somewhat surprised by your score for The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." She acknowledged the game's visual and audio quality but noted the lack of additional tweaks: "It's a bit disappointing in those respects. Is that why you gave it 9 out of 10?" GC responded, "We thought we were clear with the cons section of the review. It's almost trivially easy and the lack of any Master Quest content, despite it being in the 3DS version, is disappointing."
In other news, reader Zeiss recommended 007 First Light, which is already 50% off, calling it "easily the best game of the year." They also praised the actor playing Bond: "The guy playing Bond is going to be robbed blind if he doesn't take away the best actor award."
Fire Emblem and Other Topics
Reader Jack H. shared his thoughts on Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, which he recently finished: "It is finished. Nearly two months later, I have beaten this absolute behemoth of a game." He gave it a 9/10, noting narrative issues in the final part: "The biggest issue is our player character, Eshmel is just lacklustre." GC agreed: "Scores aside, we agree. If the storytelling had been better it would have been an all-timer."
Reader Gauntlett expressed hope that Ubisoft might buy Arkane from Microsoft: "Ubisoft seems an unlikely saviour, but I really hope they do manage to buy Arkane from Microsoft, and allow them to finish Marvel's Blade."
Community Discussions
Reader Panda discussed the differences between the Inbox and comments section, noting the value of the Underbox as an outlet for community participation. GC responded, "It's a difficult subject, not least because we've never controlled the comments section directly. We're looking into some possible solutions, but it will take a few weeks to sort anything out."
Reader Tillo offered a free code for Le Mans Ultimate on PC, and GC said, "We'll give it to whoever asks and sends us a useable Inbox letter."
