Underrated: Majora's Mask

Offworld has a lovely little tribute to what I feel is the most under-appreciated game in the Legend Of Zelda series.

Majora's Mask, much like Windwaker, got a bad rap for all the wrong reasons. Windwaker garnered a lot of criticism from fans who felt betrayed by the fact that the more "realistic" graphical style of Ocarina of Time was replaced with cutesy cell-shading and loose animation. Most of those criticisms went away after the game was released. If you aren't utterly charmed by Windwaker the moment you start playing, then there's just no helping you.

Majora's Mask didn't fare quite as well. Many people simply didn't play it. And many who did play it either didn't care for it, or became too frustrated to finish. Admittedly, the game is not quite as accessible as other Zelda games, due to it's unusual time mechanic. Many people just couldn't deal with a Zelda game that imposed a time limit on their adventuring. I wonder if this game was actually hindered by the fact that it was part of the Zelda franchise, and whether it might have found a larger audience as a standalone title.

The fact of the matter is, if you are willing to make the extra effort to dig into this game its rewards are fantastic. It is one of the most emotional games I have played, surprisingly. As you relive the same days over and over, gradually discovering each of the world's characters and their unique stories, it begins to weigh on you. More so than any other game I have played, you feel the weight on your hero's shoulders as he tries to save a doomed world. Because you become involved in the minutiae of their lives. You do your fair share of dungeon crawling and boss battling, too. But the real pull of this game is in helping each and every citizen of this small world find what their heart is seeking.

It is truly unique, and a damn shame that it hasn't been explored more in future entries of the franchise. Nintendo was on to something here.

Girl With the Triforce Earring

Please buy me this now, please:

[via Offworld]

Waltz With Bashir

This is a fantastic movie. A true story about an Israeli man trying to recover lost memories of his time in the military during a brutal massacre in Lebanon. It's also beautifully animated. Using animation for a documentary could have been gimmicky but it is used perfectly, and is actually key to making the movie work. While some documentaries take turns cutting between interviews and staged reenactments (which don't always fit together visually), the animation makes everything feel like a whole. It gives greater weight to scenes that may have felt artificial otherwise, which is important since many of the scenes are representations of the narrator's memories and dreams. I'm so glad other countries understand animation isn't just for children.

I highly recommend checking this one out.

Goooooooon!!!

Outlander

In Outlander, Jim "Jesus" Caviezel (or Jeviezel, for short), plays a man from outer space who crash lands on Earth during a time when Vikings were kicking the shit out of everyone and everything. Stripped early on of any futuristic gadgets that might come in handy during such a time, Jeviezel must survive on wits alone.

But he's not alone for very long. He easily befriends a Viking clan after helping them kill a large bear, moves in on the future king's girl, and then gets everyone to work together to kill a huge evil space demon that glows in the dark and slaughters people willy nilly. All in a day's work. Did I mention that Ron Perlman also shows up and does some ass kicking with giant mallets? I didn't? Well, he DOES.

And that space demon that they're intent on killing - it only wants revenge because Jeviezel helped annihilate its entire species and took over its planet. The monster is the good guy, and it's still a pleasure to see it get its ass handed to it. Because monsters are different and they deserve to die.

If you haven't seen Outlander yet I can only shake my head and wonder why. Vikings throw down against some aliens, y'all. Go out and see it, and you will witness a time when men were men. Especially if they were space men.