Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

@Trinexx: I didn't mention this, but I think many people would agree that the new swimming system is disappointing. They changed it so you can maneuver through the pipes of the 3rd temple more easily, so now you can only swim fast by using magic. Basically, swimming isn't fun anymore and a sidequest (that was already the hardest in the game imo) was made harder since you have to keep your magic up with green pots while swimming.

@BigBabyPeach: That challenge was a pain! For me it was all about the camera angle of you bumped into anything. It was by far the worst part of the game for me.

It's not like that challenge was any better before though. It's always been the worst part of the game.

Well that's good to know. They Could be ended it with the first item but no, they had to add even more lol.

@Smash_kirby: That's definitely a plus! I've for the most part enjoyed fishing in past titles. It's oddly...relaxing.
@BigBabyPeach: Thanks for mentioning that. I've never been a huge fan of swimming in video games in general, though I felt that Skyward Sword handled it fairly well. As I've never played the original MM, however, it's not something I would technically miss.

I'm guessing that the aforementioned challenge is a sidequest/minigame that will drive a Zelda completionist nuts?

@BigBabyPeach: Yeah, that would be the only thing they did not change for the better. The original game was so good and the 3DS version overall is a great remake with many improvements, I love it, one of my favourite 3DS titles along with Ocarina of Time 3D and Fire Emblem Awakening. Those are the 3 3DS must-have! I still think Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D have the best 3D effect of the console.

I got the 24 masks, accomplished the 63 side quests and got all heart pieces. Now I'm doing the fishing quest. I thought it would be boring but I'm loving it so far and I already fished Lord Chapu-Chapu! I would have allowed players to change music though.

It's an underwater "race" where you need to go through a series of rings in a restrictive time limit.

It's not that it's extremely complex, but you can't miss any ring and it's easy to go bouncing around and waste time.

Also, you need to do it twice. The second time with more rings. And since you need magic to swim fast in the 3d version, you also need to watch out for that.

@Trinexx: Yes, Majora's Mask is relatively easy to beat, but it's quite challenging if you are aiming for 100% (like most Zelda games).

Just wanted to add, the most boring Zelda game to complete 100% is Skyward Sword, in my opinion.

@Morpheel: not quite. You need to do it 4 times. At least on the 3ds version.

Wait... four?

Oh that's correct, once for each brother.

4 then.

@VanillaLake: I generally try to 100% Zelda games. So far, I'd say the most difficult one has been the FS Anniversary Edition, solely because of the Hero's Trial. Sounds like I'm in for a long, yet fun/rewarding ride.

MM is by no means my first Zelda game as I've played roughly 2/3 of the whole franchise at this point, but it's nice to know a little about what I'm in for. The three-day time limit and mask mechanics are what intrigue me the most.

@Trinexx: I have played all Zelda games except the NES ones, normally I try to 100%, too. I think it's fun because it's related to mini games and side quests. Majora's Mask is probably the best Zelda game in a number of ways. Everybody seems to compare it to Ocarina of Time because it used the same engine, but it's quite different. When it was released for N64, some people gave it up real soon and hated it, including people working at Nintendo and game reviewers. Why? They felt the three days passed too soon and they didn't have a clue of what to do. However, once you learn a few songs and you start manipulating the time flow, you are able to stop the moon from falling. The most interesting thing about Majora's Mask is precisely the three-day limit and the 63 side quests. The masks are used heavily, not for selling them for rupees, they have a very strong meaning in the game story and quests.

The 3DS version has many improvements:
1. The visuals are enhanced and more beautiful, this is similar to Ocarina of Time 3D. Add one of the best 3D effects available on the console, this is also similar to Ocarina of Time 3D.
2. The Bomber's Notebook has been enhanced, so it's much easier to follow the more complex side quests.
3. The save feature has been improved so it's easier to save and to continue the game.
4. The items are easier to handle, similarly to Ocarina of Time 3D.
5. Some areas have been redesigned, like Clock Town, which is bigger now.
6. Two fishing holes have been added, with 24 species including boss battles. In the original version there was no fishing at all, because of developing time being too short. In Ocarina of Time there are only 2 species to fish.
7. If you are using the New Nintendo 3DS, you have total control of the camera, this is actually very well implemented and very useful, specially inside dungeons. You use the right nub, of course.
8. You have a bit more control over time.

There are many other changes but those are the most important. The 3DS version improves what already was an excellent and unique game.

Nope, twice for each brother. There's only two brothers. And it was like that in the original as well.

Yeah, I meant once for each brother, as in... You need to do the challenge twice, but the two brothers challenge you separately. So it's once per brother, twice.

@VanillaLake: I find 100% completing the games fun for many of the same reasons, although some of the minigames try my patience at times (like the Goron Dance in OoA, the last one I played, for example). I've heard that MM is big on the sidequests (63, eh?), but I've been careful to not look into their details to avoid spoilers. What I do know is that some have praised the game for making the world seem more "alive" with NPCs going on with their lives despite knowing of their impending doom; this is different than many other games from the time (and now, even) where most NPCs are oblivious about what's going on to the world around them.

Thanks for taking the time to outline all of the major differences, everyone! I'm pretty set on which version I'm getting now. In terms of the camera control, this may also convince me to upgrade from my regular 3DS to the New 3DS in the future.

The biggest improvement was moving time forward by 2 hours at a time

@LztheQuack: If I recall you could move time anywhere forward you wanted to on the hour marks.

@Trinexx: If I remember right from Hyrule Historia, Termina is another world separate from Hyrule with it's own history, meaning no goddesses and no triforce.

@GrizzlyArctos: Interesting, that seems to confirm that it's a sort of parallel dimension, albeit one that isn't an exact clone of Link's.

Well, there's images of the triforce under the giant blocks in the stone tower.

So, maybe the triforce does exist in that universe, but it's simply less relevant or people have forgotten about it, considering Termina seems to be more modern compared to Hyrule, and the only part where you see the triforce is inside an ancient tower in a deserted, dead region.

It could mean that both universes could have similar origins (with the godesses and the triforce), but things went just a bit different along the way.