Damien McFerran, an author at Time Extension, recently recalled the impact of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when it launched on the N64 in 1998. However, after all these years, it is no longer his favorite game in the series; The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past remains his personal top choice, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may even rank higher.
Prior to this, McFerran had been introduced to the series through The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, so he had high expectations for the first 3D Zelda title. When the game launched, he was working a shift at his father's video and game store, allowing him to play while demonstrating it to customers. When a child asked if the game was good, he immediately declared it the best game he had ever played.
Today, McFerran admits that his statement back then might have been somewhat exaggerated. He believes that due to the N64's hardware limitations and the industry still figuring out 3D design at the time, parts of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time appear rough by modern standards. This situation also applies to games like Super Mario 64, Resident Evil, and Metal Gear Solid, which provided design blueprints for subsequent titles.
Even so, he still believes that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time successfully brought the familiar series into three-dimensional space, retaining an irreplaceable magical charm of its era. The game holds a Metascore of 99; while more polished newer versions might improve upon the original's rough edges, they may not be able to replicate players' memories of the original.