Zelda II coming to Virtual Console Monday

by Justin McElroy on Jun 1st 2007 8:38AM

Nintendo is marking the release of their 100th classic game on the Wii console with a biggie: The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The side-scrolling/top-down hybrid, thought by some to be the black sheep of the Zelda family, is set to drop in the U.S. on June 4.

We don't mean to stir up a fight here, but we always thought that Zelda II got a bum rap. Sure, It's a departure, but a few classics from the CD-i library, especially Link: The Faces of Evil, guarantee that it can never be the worst Zelda. That being said, Adventure of Link did inspire the gameplay for Faces of Evil, so perhaps we pardon it too soon. We'll let you decide for yourself on Monday.

Source

Tags: dlc, nintendo, vc, wii, zelda

Reader Comments (49)

I got that one a few weeks back, when it was released in Europe.

I want my 500 Wii points back. :(

Don't hate. Zelda + EXP (IE: RPG elements) = Good.

I've played the hell out of this game, and I am not ashamed to say I'll probably buy it Monday and continue enjoying it.

I still have that special GameCube collection disc that contains Zelda, Zelda 2, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. I'm covered on the Zelda front.

they didnt win my trust back until Ocarina of Time after this one.

I love this game, it's always felt very epic to me. I love how the original Zelda map is miniaturized in the southeast corner of Hyrule.

This game was ok. Its not like "A Link to the Past".

Oops, I meant SOUTHWEST corner.

Nice! Totally awesome game. Maybe I think that because it was the first Zelda I ever played. Definitely worth picking up for 500 points, if only to see I AM ERROR.

I didn't like this one as a kid, because it was so hard, but I played it again a few weeks ago and loved it. Zelda really needs to add EXP points to the game. TP I loved but the lack of feeling like I needed to kill bad guys because I didn't get anything from the kill made me just run through parts instead of fight. EXP should be added to every game.

Like MegaStryke I too have the collectors disc for the cube. Just finished Majora's mask for the first time with this disc, even though I still have the original gold N64 pack. I am still waiting for Super Metroid.

Ya know, I always hated this game - especially compared to the first. But now I want to play faces of evil just to see how terrible a game can be made within the zelda franchise lol.

This game was one of my faves!

Chronotrigger... I need... Chronotrigger...
*falls over dead*

I'd probably have to say that, really, this is not the worst Zelda. I can play through this one.
But after about 15 minutes of sailing I always have to put down the controller and declare Wind Waker the worst Zelda of all time.

I don't mind the game itself, it's the music that turns me off this.

Got it when it launched on the EU VC.

I'll get this one after they release Majora's Mask as well. I want to get it so I have the complete series playable on the wii, but I didn't like this one enough to get it on its own merits.

I'm sure it's not a bad game, but the whole reason I enjoyed Zelda was that I could avoid the enemies if I just wanted to get where I was going without a hassle.
Also, when it came to adventure style games, I never really enjoyed the sidescrollers as much as the overhead views, cause you lost that extra dimension that made it go from exploring a vast area to only exploring a straight line.

Still, if we hadn't had that game, the battle system for Zelda might not have been nearly as well thought out when they released OoT, so I'm willing to let it pass on those merits.

But still. Not until after Majora's Mask comes out.

@13 Wes

I too am waiting for Chronotrigger...but you have to think, it's Square, I'm sure they have plans to relaunch it on the PSP or DS with..ZOMG updated Grafixx!11! But I can't hate on them too much, Chronotrigger is still to this day one of my favorite RPG's.

I have the NES cart, GBA classic rerelease(got it for $5 last month), GC collectors disk and emulated on PSP. Maybe if you didn't wait so long and didn't charge $5, I'd get it again.

yeah.. probably the only zelda I'm going to get in VC is majora. This game drove me nuts as a kid.

It introduced the Magic system. And fighting the Iron Knuckles was AWESOME. And if you don't want to get hassled you stay on the road. Jerks. :(

@StrangeBum

Well, Square-Enix did release ActRaiser on the virtual console, so at least they are not completely against it. However, high-profile games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger will probably be saved for disc releases as you said.

Here's hoping for Super Mario RPG.

On topic: Never played Zelda 2. Looks like crap though. (Which is the reason I never played it.)

I originally got this the same day I got the Power Pad with track and field. Good times... :~(

Until TP came out, I considered this the best Zelda Ever.

I played the living shit out of this as a kid. My cart recently stopped working, so I'm definitely picking this up off the VC posthaste.

This game definitely gets a bad rap! I loved the hell outta this game so many quirky elements and memorable parts, and i dunno whats up with other people, but I loved the music in this game

Great game. Better than the first Zelda

This game rocks, but is SO freaking difficult. By the way, there is actually a reason that guy says "I am Error", you'll need to know that name for a puzzle later in the game. Besides, this Zelda did have some lasting effects on the franchise. The magic meter, NPC interaction, Dark Link, and the town names (which later became the Sage names in OoT). Also, as Nintendofanbot mentioned, staying on the road lets you avoid enemies. This was repeated in OoT during the night sequences on Hyrule field. You skeletons won't pop out and attack you if you're on the road.

Also 1st Zelda with sword techniques/skills. And don't knock the 2d. Look at Valkerie Profile and Odin Sphere for example.

I got the Zelda Master disc for GC. I expected Zelda II to be terrible because people complain about it all the time but it is definitely better than Majora's Mask, almost anything is.

Some of the music on this game is mediocre, but the dungeon theme is awesome.

Which is, I guess, why they remixed it for Super Smash Bros.

All I can remember about this game is that its difficulty frustrated me to no end. It's one of those games that I never beat and was never planning to go back and try again. But that was years ago. Maybe now as a veteran gamer I'll give it another go on the VC. I still own the orginal silver cart but i don't trust my NES anymore.

There was a silver cart? Mine's gold.

This game introduced some RPG aspects to the franchise. It was the first to feature spells and a mana meter, it incorporated actual fighting techniques like ducking, blocking, and parrying. It let you go into towns and talk to people (who can forget Err?) If you never played through the whole game, it's well-worth it--if only to get to the final palace and face the super-size blue blobs. I wouldn't say it was the best game in the franchise, but it's still a damn good game.

@31 I thought ALL Zelda 2 carts were gold

Totally down with some Zelda 2. I love this game, despite it's complete change from the first one. It's like Toe Jam and Earl 2, soooo different, yet still soooo fun.

This is by far my favorite in the series. This one is actually a challenge, it features far more than just 1 town, and it has experience points.

Great game. Better than the first Zelda
--

LMFAO

*tears in my eyes

That was a good one... whew... we're still talking about the black sheep of the Zelda series right? Okay.

Thank god they (checking sales figures) went back to the Zelda I format after the shitty awkward bastard that was Zelda II.

Still waiting on either Metroid, for some strange reason, Nintendo....

I'll buy Zelda 2 the day I start putting jagged rocks in my shoes before I go to work in the morning.

Thirty-seven comments and no mention of "I AM ERROR?"

For shame, Joystiq commentors.

@CJC

Check post #8.

@CJC
Actually someone did

Yawwwn. Someone wake me up when the Neo Geo games appear on VC.

I want Paper Mario, n00bs.

...the main thing I remember is killing a bunch of slimes in the fields for only +1 or +2 EXP points to raise my health/magic meters. Bought this along with the original Zelda when we got our NES one christmas. LOVE this game--sure the combat can be tricky, but it blended the right amount of difficulty to make it ALMOST too hard to beat. 1st coming of shadow Link. Plus you always started in the castle with a view of Zelda sleeping, giving more inspiration to keep going to save her!

I don't care what anyone says, this is a great game.

And the complaints about the difficulty... what would you prefer, fighting really easy enemies and having hearts appear everywhere in the game, including during boss battles? That would be pretty lame.

Oh, wait...

yeah, that was something else nice about this game. The items in the dungeons weren't used to kill the boss (like in every zelda game since). No, most bosses had a weak point, and you had to use your leet sword swiping and downward thrusting skills to hit them there until they died.

I'm giddy with anticipation.

Best Zelda game ever. After the CD-i games of course.

Egads, you're just getting Zelda II this week?!

The Aussies have had it for what, 2, 3 months now?

Hooray for NOAu Bringing out games before the Americans, for once. :P

@ 31 & 33:

When the game first came out, all the cartridges were gold. I think I remember that near the end of the NES' life, they did kinda like a million seller or Player's Choice line-up of games. All of those, including the first and second Zelda, were grey. I could swear I remember seeing that cause I remember thinking that the gold cart version might be worth more someday.

Zelda II coming to Virtual Console Monday

Reader Comments (49)

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:47AM Sanngetall said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:52AM amalockh said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:55AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:57AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:57AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:57AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 8:59AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:00AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:20AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:30AM evilbastard said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:30AM waywardwit said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:32AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:44AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 9:57AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:01AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:07AM Grey Acumen said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:13AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:19AM RobAccomando said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:22AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:24AM NintendoFanbot said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:29AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:30AM fragmit said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:32AM Crono141 said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:43AM arrrgh said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:48AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:52AM QuidnuncQuixotic said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:04AM RobAccomando said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:12AM McWeen said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:15AM Paviel said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:15AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:32AM Crono141 said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:38AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:54AM RobAccomando said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 11:59AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 12:25PM jdsony said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 12:23PM Wesscoast said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 12:30PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 1:04PM omdata said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 1:05PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 1:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 1:25PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 1:43PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 2:25PM Neebs said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 2:27PM ummhello said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 2:44PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 3:08PM Crono141 said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 3:13PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jun 1st 2007 10:00PM Muskie said

Posted: Jun 2nd 2007 7:20PM (Unverified) said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Editorial: 38 Studios and the Dunkin delusions

Our own Alexander Sliwinski talks 38 Studios with Fox 25 News

The politics of making games: Disconnect between 38 Studios and Rhode Island in quotes

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW