Set Collecting Guide: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask (N64)
Graded Set Collecting
Assembling a Graded Legend of Zelda Set for the Nintendo 64
Assembling a Graded Legend of Zelda Set for the Nintendo 64
SET DIFFICULTY
EASY · NORMAL · HARD
EASY · NORMAL · HARD
SET COST
$$$$$
$$$$$
FULL SET
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Standard Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Standard Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Collector’s Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Collector’s Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Standard Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Standard Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Collector’s Edition)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Collector’s Edition)
Assembling this Set
Both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask feature two major variants, a Standard and Collector’s Edition, both of which are in continuously high demand from collectors in both CIB and sealed condition. The cartridge in the Collector’s Edition of Ocarina of Time sports a gold finish and the game box itself has a foil embossed cover. All regular production Majora’s Mask cartridges have a gold finish, but the Collector’s Edition cartridge sets itself apart by having a holographic label as well.
The debate over whether the Standard or Collector’s Edition is more desirable is ongoing, with the consensus generally being that the Standard Editions are harder to find in ultra high grades, while the Collector’s Edition variant of Ocarina of Time generally displays the best. Regardless, most advanced Zelda collectors prefer simply owning both key variants of these legendary titles!
Despite relatively steady demand, both complete-in-box (CIB) and sealed copies of both titles can be regularly found in the marketplace. Prices on these two titles are typically in line with other similar popular games in that CIBs are generally more affordable and easier to find than mid-grade sealed copies, and ultra high grade examples of all variants can push towards the six figure price range!
Raise the Difficulty
It’s always a safe bet to start with CIBs if you’re just getting into graded video game collecting. If looking to ramp up the challenge a bit you may want to consider a sealed Collector’s Edition copy of Ocarina of Time. Its embossed game box looks fantastic, making it the variant you’d be most likely to display, and therefore the variant you may want to consider splurging on.
Both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask feature two major variants, a Standard and Collector’s Edition, both of which are in continuously high demand from collectors in both CIB and sealed condition. The cartridge in the Collector’s Edition of Ocarina of Time sports a gold finish and the game box itself has a foil embossed cover. All regular production Majora’s Mask cartridges have a gold finish, but the Collector’s Edition cartridge sets itself apart by having a holographic label as well.
The debate over whether the Standard or Collector’s Edition is more desirable is ongoing, with the consensus generally being that the Standard Editions are harder to find in ultra high grades, while the Collector’s Edition variant of Ocarina of Time generally displays the best. Regardless, most advanced Zelda collectors prefer simply owning both key variants of these legendary titles!
Despite relatively steady demand, both complete-in-box (CIB) and sealed copies of both titles can be regularly found in the marketplace. Prices on these two titles are typically in line with other similar popular games in that CIBs are generally more affordable and easier to find than mid-grade sealed copies, and ultra high grade examples of all variants can push towards the six figure price range!
Raise the Difficulty
It’s always a safe bet to start with CIBs if you’re just getting into graded video game collecting. If looking to ramp up the challenge a bit you may want to consider a sealed Collector’s Edition copy of Ocarina of Time. Its embossed game box looks fantastic, making it the variant you’d be most likely to display, and therefore the variant you may want to consider splurging on.
About The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask
The last of Nintendo’s cartridge based home consoles, the Nintendo 64 was a hit both domestically and abroad, selling over 32 million console units worldwide. Despite a catalog of only about 300 games in total, relatively sparse compared to the monstrous catalogs of the NES and Super NES, the Nintendo 64 features numerous titles that rank among some of the best games ever produced. Standing alongside Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Super Smash Bros. as some of the top titles released for the Nintendo 64 are both Zelda entries, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
With a six year gap building between Nintendo’s previous Zelda console release, A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo, expectations were sky high for Nintendo’s 1998 release Ocarina of Time. As Nintendo always seems to do, Ocarina of Time was a smash hit, defying even the loftiest of expectations and garnering “instant classic” status for the title. The game was an immediate success, with over 500,000 pre-orders being placed in the United States alone. In less than one week of release, the game sold over 1 million copies – by the end of 1998 it was the best-selling game in the US and had earned more than several Hollywood movies that came out that same year. Ocarina of Time would go on to win several Game of the Year awards and has been rereleased several times with the most recent release being for the Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is credited by many in the gaming industry for inspiring them to pursue gaming. Many even consider it one of the greatest games of all time – including Entertainment Weekly, Game Informer, and IGN. The game has inspired countless other games, including The Witcher, Final Fantasy XV, and Soul Reaver. Its continued success and popularity continue to this day and as such, Ocarina of Time is one of the most sought after titles in the video game market, especially sealed, graded copies.
To follow up the success of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in 2000. Taking place just two months after Ocarina of Time in the game’s world, Majora’s Mask is a single player action-adventure game, much like prior Zelda games. The game takes place over a three day period, in which Link must save the world of Termina – a parallel world to Hyrule – before the moon crashes into it. The game’s internal clock lets players know how much time they have, with a countdown beginning when you have six hours left. Players can go back to the first day in Majora’s Mask by playing the Ocarina of Time, which is a pretty novel cheat code.
Similar to Ocarina of Time, the game was well received upon its release, and was the fourth best selling game domestically in the year 2000. Ultimately over three million copies were sold worldwide, and Majora’s Mask has been rereleased multiple times since its initial release. The game has seen rereleases on the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii, and Nintendo 3DS. Much like Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask is also a highly sought after game by both Zelda specific and general video game collectors alike. Both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are top tier Zelda titles which have withheld the test of time and are still considered to be highly replayable today.
The last of Nintendo’s cartridge based home consoles, the Nintendo 64 was a hit both domestically and abroad, selling over 32 million console units worldwide. Despite a catalog of only about 300 games in total, relatively sparse compared to the monstrous catalogs of the NES and Super NES, the Nintendo 64 features numerous titles that rank among some of the best games ever produced. Standing alongside Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Super Smash Bros. as some of the top titles released for the Nintendo 64 are both Zelda entries, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
With a six year gap building between Nintendo’s previous Zelda console release, A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo, expectations were sky high for Nintendo’s 1998 release Ocarina of Time. As Nintendo always seems to do, Ocarina of Time was a smash hit, defying even the loftiest of expectations and garnering “instant classic” status for the title. The game was an immediate success, with over 500,000 pre-orders being placed in the United States alone. In less than one week of release, the game sold over 1 million copies – by the end of 1998 it was the best-selling game in the US and had earned more than several Hollywood movies that came out that same year. Ocarina of Time would go on to win several Game of the Year awards and has been rereleased several times with the most recent release being for the Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is credited by many in the gaming industry for inspiring them to pursue gaming. Many even consider it one of the greatest games of all time – including Entertainment Weekly, Game Informer, and IGN. The game has inspired countless other games, including The Witcher, Final Fantasy XV, and Soul Reaver. Its continued success and popularity continue to this day and as such, Ocarina of Time is one of the most sought after titles in the video game market, especially sealed, graded copies.
To follow up the success of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in 2000. Taking place just two months after Ocarina of Time in the game’s world, Majora’s Mask is a single player action-adventure game, much like prior Zelda games. The game takes place over a three day period, in which Link must save the world of Termina – a parallel world to Hyrule – before the moon crashes into it. The game’s internal clock lets players know how much time they have, with a countdown beginning when you have six hours left. Players can go back to the first day in Majora’s Mask by playing the Ocarina of Time, which is a pretty novel cheat code.
Similar to Ocarina of Time, the game was well received upon its release, and was the fourth best selling game domestically in the year 2000. Ultimately over three million copies were sold worldwide, and Majora’s Mask has been rereleased multiple times since its initial release. The game has seen rereleases on the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii, and Nintendo 3DS. Much like Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask is also a highly sought after game by both Zelda specific and general video game collectors alike. Both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are top tier Zelda titles which have withheld the test of time and are still considered to be highly replayable today.
