I had a Vita for about a year, like 2012 to 2013? Something like that. I bought it since I lacked a PS3 and hey, a number of games I want to play on PS3 are coming on Vita, seems like a better investment!
I played Lego Batman 2 (bundle deal, came with game), Playstation All Stars, Gravity Rush, Medieval (PS1 classics, etc.), and Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus...and that was about it. I don't think I've ever had a console I've struggled to get games for like this, and nothing interesting sans FF10 HD was coming out for it in the near future when I had it either. Bought an old model of PS3 for like $120 sometime later, definitely find that a way better investment. If nothing else, FF14 alone has so far justified that.
Wii U I struggled to get games on at first but I knew that buying it when I did since I had an amazingly good deal and didn't think I'd get a good one anytime soon. Don't regret that purchase since well, I actually have a Wii U library plus it gave me a console to play Wii Games on without having to deal with my annoying brother, huzzah backwards compatibility, as well as other perks like the GBA Virtual Console, the few Digital Wii games that have been released (all 3 I didn't have, bought them for $10 each, and one of them is technically 3 games!)...you get the idea. For a console with as limited a library as it does, I sure have a lot of games on it. Vita really has no excuse by comparison.
A Link to the Past: So...speaking of Wii U, finally finished my replay of this. Nice nostalgic trip, and game is about as fun as I remember, though harder too. I took note of how often dungeons do NOT require the dungeon item to progress through, and those that do need it like once, usually to access the final boss room, or something close to it, and in just about all those cases, you get to the rooms after you get the item, so it's not a case of the game teasing you with "You're close to the boss but you can't get in here, neener neener neener!"
There are a number of dungeons that need items from previous dungeons, which honestly I prefer if only because it stops the formulaic approach later Zelda games have of this idea of fake non-linearity. They seem wide and exploration based but in truth, you really have to approach them in a specific order (which you find via trial and error) because there's so many locked doors and usually only one available key at a time, until you get the dungeon item, then you can use that to get to other parts of the dungeon, which lead to further more complicated parts that use that item.
ALttP? Actually lets you explore the dungeon because they don't require the dungeon item until generally the very end (as I just noted.) There were certain dungeons I beat where I didn't go to every room, because they don't require you to explore everything, just enough to get the required doors open, the dungeon item (which in some cases is flat out optional, like the Ice Palace and Ganon's Castle, though you REALLY want that item!)
Speaking of the required items to get into dungeons, they're usually very good about handling this too. Just about all of them make it clear you need this item in the first room. You walk into Ice Palace, you see this Ice Skeleton charging at you which you hit with everything and nothing works! Clearly, you don't have the item to get past it yet, and the game actually tells you via Sahasrahla that certain enemies can only be killed by certain items. So unless you found the Flame Rod (which is Dungeon 3, this is Dungeon 5), or the Medallion of Bombos (optional, but not too hard to find), you aren't getting into this dungeon. Given, as I said, this dungeon comes after the one you get Flame Rod, if you follow them numerically, no problem! If you don't...you turn around in the opening room, so it's not like the game is really wasting your time. It'd be offensive if they pulled this stunt halfway into the dungeon only to go "gtfo and get the item!" but first room? Game's way of saying "You will need this item to get through this dungeon!"
Bosses also didn't require the dungeon items like ever. Often the item helps against the boss, but it's rarely required. Armos Knights can be beaten with your sword, it'll just take a lot longer than your bows, and then we have people like Blind where your dungeon item is completely useless on him. If this was a later Zelda game, you know very well it'd have something like he wears big armor that you'd need to pick up strategically placed Black Rocks around the room to throw at him, then hit him when his armor is exposed, and those rocks would magically respawn so you would never be perma-stuck. Nope, ALttP just cuts out the bullcrap and goes "The dungeon Item here isn't combat oriented, so stab this guy with your sword a lot" and focuses on just making him an interesting, unique fight rather than trying to rely on a dungeon item gimmick.
The only major exception I can think of to all that is literally the 2nd Dungeon, both for progression and the boss. Hookshot is required at several points in the 2nd Crystal Dungeon, and the boss requires it to beat him. Granted, how they use it is far more original than what later Zelda games do, since it's not "Use item to stun boss, sword to damage, repeat 3 times!" but something else entirely and it's a legitimate two phase boss too.
There is one boss, though, that really stands out for poor design and that's Turtle Rock's boss. The poor design has never affected me since I've never missed getting the Ice Rod. I had the luxury of playing this when I was like 8 years old, so the idea of "run around and explore everything!" was a valid idea, so stumbling upon the Ice Rod by chance was a very normal thing, and something they wanted you to do. Having to require a completely optional item up to that point with no hint whatsoever that this item will be required is poor design, as you fight the boss, and literally cannot beat him unless you get the item. Again, it's never been a problem for me, but say someone picks up the game now and just wants to run through it as quickly as possible but without an FAQ. They'll use the map to find the next point of interest, using the in-game help to point them in the right direction and such, and thus never once get to the Ice Rod, fight the Turtle Rock boss and bang their head against the wall at how they can't hurt him.
Requiring an item from a previous dungeon is fine; yes, you can tackle dungeons in a non-linear fashion, but the game numbers them for a reason (unlike ALBW where you can go in whatever order you want and the required item is basically spelled out for you at the start of the dungeon), so going after Dungeon 7 when you haven't beaten 3-6? That's your own fault, and I think many would recognize that they should just go tackle the dungeons in order. Requiring an item you need to go out of your way to get with an "easy to miss" hint of it's existence? Yeah, can't defend that one. Ice Rod should have been a dungeon item, or they should have made an alternative way to hurt the boss that is way less efficient (like say, head vulnerable to Boomerang, but it does no damage, and you have a very small window to hit him with your sword. Boss is going to be a pain in the ass, sure, but he'd at least be beatable.) This is one thing I cannot defend of ALttP, despite how it's never actually affected me. It really stands out because there's nothing else like this in the rest of the game. Yes, Dungeon 5's boss requires Bombos or Flame Rod, but you need one or the other just to GET PAST THE FIRST ROOM, as I said before, so it's a given at that point.
So yeah, still had a lot of fun with the game, it's aged well, etc. It's a shame that just about every Zelda game after OoT sans Majora's mask and ALBW took all their cues from OoT, and followed the same formula, because ALttP shows that Zelda very much did NOT follow such a rigid formula.
