Entry posted by LNU n' Pinkie Pie
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Let's see how this goes. My review of my second favorite 3D Zelda game, Majora's mask.
Story:
The game takes place directly after Ocarina of Time. (Specifically, on the child timeline of the Split Timeline Theory, but I won't go into that.) Link has left Kokiri forest and is going off to search for his companion, Navi. On the way there, he is ambushed by two fairies, Tatl and Tael, (See what they did thar?) and a mischievous skull kid wearing a bizarre mask. Knocked unconscious, Link's ocarina of time is stolen, and skull kid rides off with Epona, Link's horse. Link gives chase and follows the skull kid deep into the lost woods, and into a giant tree. Once inside, Skull Kid informs Link that he has "Taken care" of the horse, and upon seeing his sad face, turns Link into a Deku Scrub with the power of his mask. Skull Kid escapes, but leaves one of the fairies behind, Tatl. Tatl decides to join up with Link so that they can find her brother, Tael, and maybe get Link's ocarina back as well. It's here that you meet an unfortunately familiar face. The Happy Mask Shop Salesman. He tells Link that if he get's him the mask Skull Kid stole back, Majora's Mask, he can turn Link back to normal. Now Link must go on a quest into the twisted world of Termina, a land that is like Hyrule, but seen through a cracked mirror. You see many faces from your previous adventure, but everyone is different. (King Zora is now the manager for the hottest band in Termina, The Indigo-gos for instance.)
Oh yeah, and you only have three days to complete your quest before the moon falls and ends all life in Termina. Did I forget to mention that?
Specs:
Majora's mask was released in the year 2000 for the Nintendo 64. It was one of the last games for the console, and was one of the two games to require the expansion pack on the system. (The other being Donkey Kong 64.) It sold 3 million copies worldwide.
It was included in the special Legend of Zelda promotional disk for the gamecube, along with Ocarina of time, and the first two Zelda games. It was released for the virtual console on Wii in 2009, and a 3DS version is currently in the works.
Positive points:
As a disclaimer, these are all my personal opinions. if you disagree, you can tell me why in the comments. It's a free country.
Majora's mask was the second 3D Zelda game to be released, so it ironed out some of the issues that were in the first one. For an N64 game, the graphics are really good, as it was one of the last N64 games to be released.
This Zelda game was based more around collection rather than exploration, unlike the previous one. There are a total of 42 masks that you can collect throughout the game, and each has a different ability and use. (Like the stone mask that makes you invisible to enemies, or the bunny hood that makes you run twice as fast.) Collecting all of the masks is optional, and actually quite difficult. There are a couple of required masks, but for the most part, you can beat the game and only get about 5 to 10 of them. (It's worth your time though, as the reward you get makes the final boss hecka easy, and the fight super awesome.)
Now, you may think I'm crazy, but I LIKE the three day time limit. (For those of you who don't know, it isn't a LITERAL three days, more like fifteen minutes to half an hour, I'd say.) It's a very interesting concept, and it makes everything have a sense of urgency because you REALLY want to save these people. Of course, beating the game in one three day cycle is almost impossible. (I have seen it done, but it's absolutely crazy.) So when things get down to the wire, you can play the song of time and reset everything. (also, the three day time limit isn't really daunting when you play the song of time backwards and it slows time down to 1/3 it's normal speed. So quit belly-aching. 
)
The story is also really easy to get into. Everyone has more three-dimensional personalities, unlike OT, especially the people involved in a certain sidequest that takes all three days to complete.
Negative points:
The save system.
Chances are, it's the reason you stopped playing the game. It was for me the first time I tried to beat it. The head of Zelda Universe said he hasn't beaten the game because of it.
Essentially, the only way to make a true save is to play the song of time and set back time. Problem with this is, not only do you have to go back to the correct time for certain timed events, but you lose all minor collectibles in the process. (Rupees, bombs, arrows, Deku nuts.) So that can get annoying. (Fortunately, there's a banker who can break the fabric of space and time to keep your rupees for you after time resets, but he can't keep your arrows and such, so you'll have to find or re-buy those.) But there is an alternative for setting time back by using owl statues. Using these, you can make a quick-save. Which means it will save your progress there, but you have to turn the game off there, and when you re-load the save, if you turn off the game you lose your progress. It's tough to explain. (But to all the pansies who complain about the save system, me included, just be glad you aren't Japanese. In the Japanese version of the game, the owl statues could teleport you like in the American version, but it wouldn't quick-save for you.)
One of the things I like about the Zelda franchise is the dungeon items. (For non-Zelda players, dungeon items are the special items you get in dungeons, like the Megaton Hammer or the Hookshot.) Unfortunately, the masks seem to take the place of these, as you get the fairy bow in the first dungeon, and then arrow upgrades in the next three. You do get a couple of items like the lens of truth and hookshot, but not in dungeons, and not as many as in OT.
Oh, and the longest sidequest in the game, the all-three-days one? It's a great and touching one. and you're super happy when you first do it. You get a mask and a bottle.
Then you have to do the ENTIRE thing again if you want another mask. This seemed really unnecessary to me. My suggestion, if you REALLY don't want to do it twice, do the ending that gets you the mask and just be a man without the extra bottle. There are five others anyway.
Overall:
Majora's Mask was my favorite 3D Zelda game until Skyward Sword. I loved the mask collection aspect of it, the story is one of my favorites, and the memory of the final boss is one that I'll always have. (Well, more like scarred in my brain, but whatever.)
All in all, I'd give it a 4/5. It loses a point because of the lack of dungeon items, and the ones you DO get were in OT anyway.
If you have 10$ and a Wii and need a new game, buy this from the virtual console. You won't regret it, I assure you.
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