/vr/ - Retro Games

>>7668665
>really lacking in memorable NPC interaction and charm
Weird, of all criticisms you can make. It has that in spades

>it's a bit too similar to [LoZ] in a bad way
How? It feels nothing like it, at least for bad qualities. It's a perfect successor that builds on what it did right but discards bad aspects of it

>way it handles NPCs...instead of making their dialogue interesting or charming in some way.
I think you're unfairly comparing the game to how games have been made later. Would your opinion really be different if NPCs had more lines of dialogue/cracked more jokes or something?

NPC interaction is miles better than original LoZ. You don't mention it did away with BS in the original, where half the NPCs lied to you if not outright conning you or saying something indecipherable. It bullied the player, discouraging exploration/experimentation while at the same time demanding it to win. It arbitrarily sets back your process by having NPCs lead you on false turns, rob you of rupees, etc. LotP does away with all this

>I still find it bland because it has no real story
It was one of the first major console role-playing games with a narrative that had a beginning, middle and end. I think you're judging it unfairly for its time here. The story at the time was great for a video game

>my problem is that gameplay alone isn't enough to catch my interest
The gameplay, world, interactivity, soundtrack in the game are all stellar for the time

>I'm not invested in the story, the characters or the world
This seems to be the problem. If you don't fall in love with Hyrule then you're not going to get everything the game has to offer out of it.

>It needed one or two more towns and more likeable NPCs
You're actually right here

Like Super Mario World, it was rushed to release. This is evident is noted by developers including Miyamoto. It needed a little more to be a masterpiece and it's a shame business/money realities didn't allow this.

>>3938138

Ahh Alundra.

>Ugly
check
>Cryptic Puzzles
check
>Bad Platforming
check

Into the trash it goes.

>>3938138

Ahh Alundra.

>Ugly
check
>Cryptic Puzzles
check
Bad Platforming
check

Into the trash it goes.

>>3346639
This was actually awful, a bad zelda with no redeeming qualities. The kind of game people like because they had no access to a different one