I tested my cartridge copy of MM on my now-ancient N64 for the first few minutes and encountered no problems, so I'll be using that (incidentally, I'm also using the same TV I had back in 2000). I'll also have quite a bit of scratch paper with me for note-taking, so the technology will be period-correct (in case it offers me any brilliant insights - although my attention will likely be directed elsewhere).
Well, I thought I was settled that I would play the CE version for sheer convenience's sake. But hearing about the freezing issues has got me a little nervous, especially for an organized playthrough.
I don't necessarily want to plunk down 10 bucks for the VC version, but it's looking like I might be doing a bit of asking around to see if I can get a loan of an N64 copy before the end of the week.
Anyone else have Gamecube freezing horror stories? Or is the chance of this happening remote enough that I should just soldier on with the Collector's Edition?
The VC version doesn't seem to bad with the Classic Controller. The buttons are hard to decipher as the on-screen instructions refer to their N64 counterparts but that's to be expected, I guess.
I'll be playing on Virtual Console with a classic controller. It's a pretty cheap option (given you own a Wii), it's legitimate (PC emulation clearly doesn't offer the intended, true experience), and it works beautifully.
As a fan of the original GameCube controller (and WaveBird), I can say with all honesty that the classic controller works great. I honestly don't prefer one over the other at this point. The only real caveat, it seems, is that the classic controller may be too cramped for some, along with the fact that it feels more like a Playstation controller than an N64.
After reading Austin and ILR's comments on the classic controller, I decided to give it another try; and I agree it works better than I recalled. My wavebird has quite a few miles on it, so that may be a factor too, but if you want to play MM and don't own a Gamecube controller, the classic controller will do just fine.
__________________ Michael Abbott
The Brainy Gamer blog and podcast
I played this game a few years back with the Zelda CE on the GC and it froze on me a couple of times. Given that the game erases your most recent save upon loading, this was hugely frustrating and made me quit the game for a time. The game has some major framerate issues at times, so I found myself tensing up every time the framerate chugged too much, worried it would crash. Just for peace of mind, I'm going to buy it on the VC.
I'm using Project 64 and a program which lets me use my Ps3's Six Axis on my laptop. I haven't had any problems thus far (at least none that I didn't cause myself).
Project 64 is working great. I love that I can tell it to record all the sound to a WAV file for later editing / analysis. Too bad it doesn't have a video export, too. The screenshot option is really slow and (annoyingly) screenshots any pixel doubling / texture manipulation you're doing rather than dumping the N64's frame buffer. Ah well.
One thing I found useful setting up my emulator: this cheatsheet of controls. You need Analog Stick, A and B, the 4 yellow C buttons the Z trigger and the Right trigger. Left trigger isn't used (much), so I used that physical button to emulate the Z button for me.
I started playing the game on my N64 but had to give up after the first 3-day cycle. I am by no means a graphics whore but the picture I got with the packed-in composite cable on my LCD was truly atrocious. I decided to buy the Virtual Console version of the game and the difference is staggering. Everything is clear and crisp and just beautiful - it looks better than even the N64 version did on my old CRT.
As an added bonus I got to play through the opening section again.
My plan, as soon as I can find a Majora's Mask ROM (please email one too me) is to the hook my computer up to the TV and use it as a screen. (you can do this with an adapter you can get at RadioShack.) then I will buy a N64 controller and convert it into a USB controller (pro controller is actuall N64 controller;cons, could be jerky, no Rumble Pack.) Then all I have to do is turn up the volume on my computer run the ROM and play it on the giant TV in my bedroom. The instructions for making an N64 controller into a USB can be found somewhere on the net so google it yourself because I don't know how to explain it. My emulater is Project 64 also works awesome in 5 out of 6 games (the sixth being Super Smash Bros.) Expiriment for yourself what is best.
) Expiriment for yourself what is best.
