You've heard it all before: "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best thing since sliced wheat bread", "It revolutionised the video game industry", "It's the best video game of all time!" What hasn't been said about Ocarina of Time in the last 24 years? It's won all the accolades and acclaim it's possible to win, right?
Well, one thing that it hasn't won is a spot in The Strong Museum's World Video Game Hall of Fame. However, that could change this year as Ocarina of Time is up for entry!
Somehow, it's the first year Zelda's time-travelling adventure has been a finalist, but the original earned itself a spot back in 2016. The Strong National Museum of Play is based in New York and has brought in a handful of games every year since 2015 to be recognised in the Hall of Fame.
Here are all 12 nominees from this year's batch, and there are a lot of strong contenders:
- Assassin's Creed
- Candy Crush
- Dance Dance Revolution
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Microsoft Minesweeper
- Ms. Pac-Man
- NBA Jam
- PaRappa the Rapper
- Resident Evil
- Rogue
- Sid Meier's Civilization
- Words with Friends
However you feel about any of these entries, you can't deny that most of them have been hugely influential in the industry. And confess, how many hours did you spend on Minesweeper on Windows '95 as a kid? If you were even born, that is.
This is what The Strong has to say about Ocarina of Time:
Released for the Nintendo 64 gaming console in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time defined what a 3D action video game could be, influencing countless games that followed. The game’s combination of storytelling, puzzle-solving, and combat earned Ocarina of Time multiple “Game of the Year” awards in 1998. The game sold more than 7.6 million copies worldwide, and it continues to be recognized by players and critics alike as one of the best video games ever made.
Nintendo has historically done very well with inductees into the Hall of Fame. Last year, Animal Crossing earned a spot, and other winners include Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Pokémon Red and Blue, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros.
We'll find out whether Ocarina of Time makes it into the Hall of Fame on 5th May. In the meantime, you can read up on all the nominees, as well as look at attending, on The Strong's website.
Do you think Ocarina of Time deserves a spot? What other Nintendo IPs would you like to see earn their place? Let us know in the comments!
[source museumofplay.org]
Comments 74
Assassin’s Creed before OoT. Umm…
Hol' up, there's a video game hall of fame? Where is it? I want to visit it
The sub title explains exactly what I was going to say. Also how does Horizon get a Lego before Zelda??
Regardless of thoughts on how it's aged, how defining and game-changing (no pun intended) it was at the time of its debut more than qualifies it! Ocarina's at least more deserving than some of the nominees listed here (although @Anti-Matter may beg to differ...)
Sorry but don't care about Assassin's Creed nomination its the Candy Crush one that is more shocking
WTF!
Shovelware before quality?
Sad thing is probably more people have played Candy Crush than OoT
To me, there's only 3 main competitors to OoT on the list:
PaRappa the Rapper, Resident Evil & Sid Meier's Civilization (maybe at a pinch Minesweeper). The thought of Candy Crush being on there makes me feel a little resentful, but I know it's super popular.
I can't take a hall of video game fame seriously when it doesn't already have OoT (or just LoZ in general) in it. Next year Mario and Sonic? Tetris maybe? Pong? Street Fighter 2? E.T.?
This Hall of Fame seems wack.
lol Candy Crush. Whats a joke of an organization.
@Bunkerneath Farmville and Mafia Wars Those were 'famous' as well, massively so actually. Or Raid Shadow Legend, I suppose it's popular because you can't watch five youtube videos remotely connected to gaming or at least one of them is sponsored by it. But what do I know, I'm only among the few people on earth still smarter and more vigilant than my phone.
@sikthvash I agree. Also, isn't Words with Friends just a mobile ripoff of Scrabble? Which is a board game?
That's like nominating Monopoly for iPhone.
Even if I'm not the biggest fan of it personally, OoT not already being there is a crime that needs to be fixed immediately. If I had to choose another game from that list, I would definitely go with Ms. Pac Man, the story behind that game's creation is too interesting and historic not to get in.
Bejeweled was inducted 2 years ago, why would they put another match 3 clone in?
I'm not even a particular fan of the game and I think it's ridiculous for it to not be there.
Candy Crush may not be comparable quality wise, but it’s influence on the mobile gaming space, for better or worse, was massive.
Resident Evil, Civilization and Rogue are all very strong contenders here. They and OoT arguably ALL deserve the honor. And Rogue and Civilization came out long before Ocarina, so I would prioritize them - not to mention that personally, I feel they deserve it more. These are games that defined entire genres.
Unquestionably, if the category was "Nintendo Platforms Hall of Fame" or even "Console Hall of Fame", OOT should already have been inducted. No two ways about it. But it's all video games on all platforms. And I'm sorry, I love Ocarina but Rogue and Civ are equally "important" if not more.
Obviously there are a few I would prefer be chosen earlier than others, but all of these here have had massive cultural impact and are worthy to be on this list, despite my personal opinions.
@Mikmoomamimocki Yeh, I did think that entry was odd, especially considering it's a derivative of Scrabble. Pitchforks at the ready if a Zynga title wins the accolade this year!
OOT is already part of the Hall of 'Fame' for video games, the one shared commonly between all gamers, whether they like the game or not. Not sure why these business guys don't recognize that.
There are some strong contenders here, but I think Ocarina is most deserving.
Resident Evil and Civilization particularly stand out, but I wouldn't rule out Minesweeper.
Zelda AND nba jam
You'd think with how venerated Ocarina of Time is, that this would have been a no-brainer years ago.
What the hell is Words With Friends?
looks it up
Why the hell is Words With Friends in any sort of list let alone up for consideration for a Hall of Fame honour?!
And the fact that LoZ:OoT isn’t there already is laughable.
And Minesweeper? Really?
@Anti-Matter : Your baby is here!
@Diogmites How so?
It almost doubled in sales compared to its predecessor, is the 3rd most sold title in the franchise, won several GotY awards, defined the template for the franchises 3D outings.
What else would you say does it need to warrant the credit?
All of these choices are baffling for anyone who has played more than one game in their lifetime.
If Candy Crush gets in over Zelda, we've failed as a species
Candy Crush may have had a massive impact on society, but so did the black death.
Words with Friends is just a rip-off game.
Well good thing I’m not stuck with only games from the hall of fame to play. I’d be stuck playing pong and some vector arcade game
@Silly_G
Oooooh....!!! 😲😲😲
Dance Dance Revolution, yo ! 😎
@LimitedPower
Dance Dance Revolution was already a legend since year 2000, during DDR 3rd Mix era.
@Shambo Remember Mafia Wars when it was text based and on my PC at college.
In regards to security on your phone, I am still rocking a Nokia 3330 as I don't trust smart phones.
Dance Dance Revolution is definitely deserved for Hall of Fame since the game is still exist until today.
Peoples still play this game.
The newest DDR, Dance Dance Revolution A3 has been released yesterday, on 17 March 2022.
Peoples, watch this.
@Moonsorrow999
It's not before, even if it looks that way.
They're just both in the pool of nominees this year.
The list is alphabetical, however, and neither T, O, L, or Z comes before A. ^^
I am shock StarCraft is in the Hall of Fame before the first Civilization. Not to mention World of Warcraft before the original Warcraft. This “spread the love” type of Hall of Fame is the problem.
@Anti-Matter - Wow, go figure, didn’t realise they were still going. Wonder if they’ll ever do another Mario one, or something similar? (Maybe Kirby?)
As for the nominees list, yeah, OoT is (or at least should be) a shoe-in for this. The only other title that I might see as a contender is Resident Evil, and even then, there’s a decent gap between the two (though these days survival horror seems to be getting a bit bigger, so who knows?).
These guys have absolutely no idea. I bet they'd put candy crush above Zelda.
@Matty1988 rochester NY. About an hour and a half off the canadian border in the western part of ny state. Not new york city.
@FullMetalWesker
I don't play or even care about Zelda games.
Not interested at all with Zelda games.
I have played Dance Dance Revolution games from DDR 3rd Mix on Arcade since year 2003.
OoT certainly deserves this honor, no doubt about it. In my book, so do several other Zelda titles: Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, BotW, A Link Between Worlds/ALttP....
None of these games even come close to Ocarina of Time lol
@Anti-Matter - That’s okay, the second paragraph in my response was directed at the article, my response to you was purely in the first paragraph.
In gaming circles, Ocarina of Time has gone from overrated to underrated, honestly. Kind of like Final Fantasy VII.
Anyhow, I think these lists are about cultural and industrial impact in a wider sense, not necessarily about quality. I think Ocarina of Time's influence is profound, but also harder to pinpoint. It wasn't the first in a genre or in a franchise. It wasn't a dramatic turning point in the evolution of the medium or in the public's perception of video games. What it did was refine, popularize, and introduce an array of ideas and standards for third person adventure games, from camera angles to cinematic progression, lock-on combat, game feel, and environmental puzzles. Even today, you'll see shades of Ocarina of Time in nearly everything from Elden Ring to Final Fantasy VII Remake and A Plague Tale.
But this influence, though profound, was also gradual, aesthetic, mechanical. So it's harder to place on a timeline of the medium's evolution. I just finished reading Donovan's Replay: The History of Video Games, and it just glosses over Ocarina of Time. Probably because you can't point at it like you can with Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Tetris, or even Halo, and say: "This game began a trend or changed the industry." Even though it kind of did — but more quietly.
Any Hall of Fame which allows Words with Friends onto its nominations list is basically worthless.
I sort of hope Candy Crush wins to be honest… it was definitely a bigger part of my life than OoT.
To be fair, I haven’t beaten OoT yet
Strong competition from Ms. Pac-Man and Resident Evil, but still an easy win.
(The rest shouldn’t even be on the list lol.)
@FullMetalWesker There actually is a mario one
I've been to this museum and it is AWESOME. Highly recommend. Although, maybe wait 2 years because I think they're planning a massive expansion.
@FroZtedFlakerZz - I know, I was wondering if they’d do another one (since that one’s pretty old now).
Weird it's not already in the hall of fame. If I could go back in time to play a game for the first time again then OOT would be my choice. Seeing that intro for the first time just gave me goosebumps.
@FullMetalWesker Ah yeah, I don't know how popular of a series it is nowadays (obviously popular enough to keep making games though lol) The mario one was quite fun though, if a little strange, I'd be down for another one though!
This award is a joke like "Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame" who inducts rappers, country etc. Meanwhile Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead etc. is still not inducted as RRHOF thinks Rap is rock.
Candy Crush is just a rip off from many older games. It have nothing to in any award unless it's the most money making one.
Looking at age, Sid Meier's Civilization should already have been there.
If Pac-Man is already there, i don't see the point with MS Pac-Man.
Zelda OOT should have been there long time ago.
But as i said. This award is a joke like RRHOF as none of them makes sense.
Ocarina of Time definitely earns a place, but so many of the commenters here are sleeping on Rogue and Parappa the Rapper! Rogue: come on, the influence is undeniable, it's EVERYWHERE. And then there's Parappa: not just a weird gem, but THE original rhythm game before it became a whole genre.
I think with Minesweeper, the fact the first move is so random and hit or miss, it stops it being a perfect little game. But only just. Zelda OoT is semnal. It revolutionised combat in a 3D space, provided a huge seamless world which quite frankly pretty muxh open world before open world was a thing. Yeah, Zelda ftw.
I'd be interested in seeing a video game museum but what's the point of a hall of fame? They all seem relevant to gaming history. Just put them all in.
Without any of my own personal biases, I feel like these should get in:
Zelda Ocarina of Time
Ms. Pac-Man
Candy Crush
Dance Dance Revolution
Maybe...Resident Evil
It's hard to deny the popularity and innovation of those games. I feel like the others don't really compare. Assassin's Creed may have spawned a huge AAA franchise, but the original game was the weakest of the bunch.
But how is Assassin's Creed eligible the same year as Ocarina of Time?
Animal Crossing before Ocarina of Time is criminal.
How are a lot of games not in the Video Game Hall of Fame.
Would make more sense for prince of Persia to be there than assassin's creed
I think this is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to bring out an official OoT HD remaster
@graviton Original Warcraft was a (very good) copy of Dune 2 so not really an origin, and it didn't really become genre redefining until the Warcraft 2 and Starcraft combo took off. World of Warcraft was a massive global sensation that took over people's lives.
StarCraft was one of the starting points for eSports and a phenomenon in South Korea.
Civ should get recognition for sure.
The games are slowly added and it is a very good list, really.
They also have a toy hall of fame that includes "stick" which is kind of awesome.
Watch Ocarina of Time get snubbed by Candy Crush. I wouldn't put it past them.
@GrailUK Ignoring PC, Atari, Spectrum, AMIGA etc. 100% i see. I guess you don't know much about the gaming history at all.
PC, Amiga, Atari had huge open world games long before Zelda OOT existed.
The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, Elite, Hunter, Project IGI, Privateer, Magic Carpet, Frontier and a long list of other open world games existed before OOT.
Only a millenium kid would say Open World almost started with OOT, when it's in reality far down the list. lol
Don't forget home gaming were a big thing before even NES existed. Nintendo were late in the game.
@TheRealMr_Carpainter Something is seriously wrong when the rip-off Candy Crush competes with Zelda OOT and Civilization.
People should stop looking at Candy Crush with their patronising goggles on.
The impact this game (emphasis on game if the bold letters weren't enough) has had on the general public is unfathomable. The amount of people I see playing on their phones (Candy Crush, Candy Crush likes or what you would call shovel ware, looking down at them from your elite gamer's pedestal) today while commuting has skyrocketed over the past few years along with smartphone penetration (please pardon my French). I see businessmen playing Pokemon Go miss their stop. I hear elderly ladies playing Candy Crush Soda curse at their phone. I see couples playing hidden object games insult each other before making out.
The magic of it all.
If this can help change the general opinion that adults playing video games are not only 30 year-old single white males with BO living in their mother's basement, then I'm all for it. Candy Crush's business model might be based on buying extra items in game, I can't see how it doesn't qualify as a game in the first place. I can't see how different this is from Nintendo or others just... selling games (or online subscriptions).
This is a Hall Of Fame. Not the Hall Of C'mon This One's Better In My Opinion. I understand putting Candy Crush on the same level as Zelda, Civ or RE might feel unnerving but I think Candy Crush deserves its spot in there as well, solely based on its popularity (which is a synonym of fame), so maybe not for the same reasons as the others (because frankly on which criteria would you choose between RE or Zelda?) but it still does.
I guess regular Pacman is already inducted? Even if its just a re-skin with some added animation Ms-Pacman is more iconic than Zelda OoT. Also Resident Evil should be inducted too
@Moonsorrow999 I think it's in alphabetical order they messed up and put The Legend of Zelda under L instead of T
@Degenerate_Mii That will never happen.
In fact PC version is delayed for like 7 years now, so i consider that version cancelled too.
Tomonobu haven't announced anything in 10 years besides Devil's Third on Wii U and PC.
Looks like he gave up making games.
My votes
OOT, minesweeper, NBA Jam, and Dance dance revolution
I adore 3/4ths of these games but I have to include DDR despite my disinterest in it. I understand its importance in the gaming world
I'm actually surprised parappa the rapper is on that list, I thought that game isn't very popular.
I don’t think Assassins Creed has any right to be here. Not saying it’s a bad game but if we compare the franchises- Zelda is the god tier of game design- and Assasin the God tier of meaningless fetch quest. Is this nomination for the second? Anyway, Zelda is 22 year older and started in 2D- having such a long past weighs a much bigger burden on each consequential release. This shows that voting like this is not about the most influential games, but about marketing and pleasing the crowd, whoever makes more noise. A proof that their nomination can stay where it belongs- a museum where nobody goes.
A masterpiece, but not untouchable.
Otherwise the water temple wouldn’t be as infamous as it is
Never mind Hall of Fame, OoT deserves its own wing!
I'm curious about what is in there already but judging from this shortlist (Candy Crush?) I feel I might be disappointed.
@Anti-Matter as a huge Zelda fan, I can confirm you are missing out lol.
@OcarinaHolder52
That's fine.
I don't have any interest with Zelda games, something that I will never want to put inside my brain.
I didn't even feel missing out something.
My huge interest is on DDR games since the games have shaped my teen hood from year 2000.
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