I only have one sword instead of the required four...

November 17, 2005 4:46 PM

Calling all Nintendo Gamecube owners! Should I buy Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the GCN?

I'm a huge Zelda fan and have been with the series since it started back on the NES, having played almost every incarnation of the series (I have yet to play Minnish Cap, though I dearly want to). My only hesitation with buying Four Swords is that I have read that it is mostly a multiplayer based game, and since I don't know anybody with a Gameboy Advance, I don't want to shell out almost $100AUS for a game which I won't be able to play as it seems to have been intended to play.

I have heard that there is a single player mode, but no one, not even online reviews, seem to be able to tell me if the single player mode is an awesome experience in and of itself, or whether or not it's just been tacked on for the hell of it.

So if anyone here owns it, or has played it, or simply knows, tell me if I should buy Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the GCN, bearing in mind that I will only probably ever play the single player mode.

posted by Effigy2000 to Technology (10 answers total)

Can you rent it to see if you enjoy the single-player game?

Clearly this title was designed for multiple players. I own it and have only had the chance to try to multi-player a couple of times, and it's much better that way.

If you are really a huge fan of the franchise, you probably won't dislike it, but see if you can rent it, borrow it, or pick up a used copy on eBay rather than paying full retail for it.
posted by robbie01 at 4:59 PM on November 17, 2005

I have a Zelda "four swords" cartridge that came with my GBA, but there doesn't appear to be any single player mode. The single player mode people may be talking about is "Link to the Past", which is included on the same cartridge. And I'm sure you're played that already.
posted by cosmicbandito at 5:01 PM on November 17, 2005

Four Swords for Gamecube is completely different from Four Swords for GBA. Four Swords (GCN) is awesome fun as a multiplayer game, but, the single player experience is signficantly less enjoyable.
posted by yeoz at 6:12 PM on November 17, 2005

I haven't tried it single player. But it's totally meant to be a multiplayer game.

You should buy some GBA's on eBay on the cheap and make your friends play with you, if you're such a Zelda junkie that you feel compelled to play this. (it's an 'ok' game, though if you're playing it with fun people it will be fun)

Minish Cap, on the other hand, is a fantastic game.
posted by aubilenon at 6:22 PM on November 17, 2005

I played it all the way through single player and liked it well enough. Not the best Zelda by any means, but if you're jonesing for some Zelda and can't wait for the next one, it's got most of what you're looking for (some good puzzles and some of the ways you can use the four Links to fight enemies is kind of neat). The graphics are very basic, but the game is fun once you get into it.
posted by biscotti at 7:09 PM on November 17, 2005

At its heart, its a multiplayer game. Some of the puzzles and battles were absolutely devious. The integration with the GBA is top-notch. If you were to play the game single-player, definitely use the GBA - as a controller.

I played through the game with my 5-year-old son so it wasn't quite 'multiplayer' but it was a little more than single-player. Would it have been as much fun by myself? Probably - it *is* a Zelda game and its very well-executed.

I agree with aubilenon on two fronts: #1, get some cheap GBAs on ebay and round up the game for some awesome multiplayer action.

#2: minish cap is outstanding.
posted by neilkod at 8:01 PM on November 17, 2005

Just wait for the Twilight Princess release. It looks like an incredible game and I can't wait. I just wish that Nintendo stuck with their original release date for this year. Apparently the wait will be well worth it.
posted by purephase at 8:12 PM on November 17, 2005

Four Swords for the GameCube is "OK." It isn't nearly as fun as the GameBoy Advance version of Four Swords, though.

I played through it once and then forgot I even owned it until I noticed this question. The multiplayer experience isn't all that different from the single player (except for the little deathmatch mini-games, which aren't all that great).

Honestly, unless you're some kind of crazed Zelda fan who thought Majora's Mask was great, owns the two GameBoy Color Oracle games and wasn't irritated that Wind Waker was so very very short, I'd say skip it.
posted by nmiell at 9:16 PM on November 17, 2005

I just played Ocarina of Time Master Quest on my cube. Finished it this week. The dungeons are different from the standard game so it gave me a good trip down memory lane with extra dungeon goodness.

I'm thinking of getting 4 Swords as I have read the single player game is good and worth checking out.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:14 AM on November 18, 2005

I've only heard of people playing it as a multiplayer game. I expect if it had an awesome single-player mode I'd have heard about it. You might want to consider a Game Boy Player and a copy of The Minish Cap.
posted by Sibrax at 11:27 AM on November 18, 2005