Despite the amazing games coming out this year, one triforce and mask still deserve recognition.

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” deserves five out five heart containers. The game was released for Nintendo 64 Nov. 23, 1998. The game was praised across the board, getting a 99/100 from MetaCritic and receiving the Best Nintendo Game Award from Nintendo Power in 1998.

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” brings forth a retro feel, which is to say it’s not easy. There is little hand-holding when entering this virtual world, and without a tutorial, its age is noticeable.

This game isn’t as intuitive as modern games, but I can appreciate the complexity of the controls. Picking up “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” brought back that feeling of picking up a brand new game for the first time. Many of the current generation’s games appear more cookie cutter, with one set of controls transferring to them all. It felt fresh having to learn something new.

The greatest part of this game was the story, which is simply a classic. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” took the basic archetypes but put them in a completely unique adventure. As Link, gamers get to explore a beautiful world with bizarre monsters that are both friends and foes. It was a fun and exciting nostalgia trip like no other.

“Majora’s Mask” came out in North America two years after “Ocarina of Time,” on Oct. 26, 2000. It received positive reviews upon release with perfect scores from IGN and GameSpot. “Majora’s Mask” took the success and lovableness of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and turned it on its head in the best way possible.

I didn’t play much of this game when I was younger, and the game’s mood completely took me off guard. “Majora’s Mask” is a terrifyingly dark and ominous game that sent shivers down my spine late at night. The game only got scarier with age as its N64 graphics and sound brought out simple and unsettling fears.

Gameplay and story even took a step forward from “Ocarina of Time.” The use of masks and different abilities had me completely captivated and had me wanting to push forward to see more. With having only three days to save the world over and over again there was never a time to get comfortable.

“Majora’s Mask” was my favorite of the two as it brought an atmosphere and unique story I was just not prepared for. After exploring both of these games I just wanted to turn back the clock and do it all again.