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so which ones are you favorites? i personally like the first one, and ocarina of time.

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Aujourdhui a commence avec toi.

I've though about this a lot and it's actually very hard for me to decide, each has some special place in my heart I guess you could say.

But if I had to chose it would come down to Majora's Mask and OoT I guess, but even then I feel guilty for leaving out WW and TP and the two oracle games

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"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting... fighting was the only thing I was ever good at, but at least I always fought for what I believed in." - Frank Yeager (a.k.a. Grey Fox)

Offhand I'd say Link's Awakening or OoT. Runner up would be Link to the Past.

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Arts

Farts

Twarts

A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.

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Music is a mysterious thing... Sometimes, it makes people remember things that they do not expect. Many thoughts, feelings, memories... things almost forgotten... Regardless of whether the listener desires to remember them or not...

- Shitan, Xenogears

I liked the original Legend of Zelda and Adventures of Link for NES, A Link to the Past for SNES, and Link's Awakening for Gameboy. When they went 3d I just lost interest. Not sure why.

A Link to the Past is the best Zelda game I think, with Ocarina Of Time a close second.

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A Link to the Past is vastly overrated. Although it implemented a ton of stuff, very little of it was new, and of the stuff that was, it went by the wayside <<Cough>> Invisible Cape <<Cough>>. The original was great purely for the fact that you can go around and do everything out of order. The first thing I usually do is get enough Rupees to buy bombs and the blue candle, then I exploit all the hidden rupee locations unitl I can afford the Blue Ring. THEN I go do the Underworld levels.

As for originality, The top prize (and my 2nd place choice) is The Adventure of Link. The implementation of a spell system, the beginning of the Magic Meter, The Upthrust and the Downthrust, The city names**, the RPG-esque leveling system, SHADOW LINK!!!

ALttP went back to the old viewing system, and the "new" things weren't. The Pegasus Boots were a changeup on TAoL's Magic Boots, Mallet was a recycle of the Hammer from TAoL, Fire Rod and Ice Rod (while being well implemented btw) were a changeup of the original magic rod + magic book combo, or TAoL's concept of throwing fire through the spell, Fire. The only cool thing truly original and revolutional to this section of the series was the travelability of entering the Dark World/Golden Realm. The other improvements, however, include things like implementing bottles for more than red and blue potions, Piece of Heart rather than just Heart Container, Sword Attack Medallions rather than the Old School spells of TAoL. Implementation of the "Flute" as the instrument pretty much heralded Ocarena.

Then comes Ocarena. Fantastic by nature, because a game of that calibur had not been seen yet. The implementation of the instrument as more than a simple whistle (or 3 song set as in LA) was a fantastic idea. The side of OoT that makes me not think it was the best (I rank it 3rd, mind you) is coming back around to my "**". The names given to the sages are nothing more than rehashes of the cities from TAoL! It's one way of making a circular storyline, but it's also another way reusing things from one of the most underrated games in the series to try and appeal it to the fans of the other games.

Which leads up to my favorite: Majora's Mask. The perfect mix of everything fresh from OoT, with only two returning side characters. The character sprites were re-implemented, but come on, N64? Who wants to make a whole new sprite set out of polygons? The music/instrument side was implemented more cleverly (reversing songs, etc), and the masks! Oh the masks! The option to play as a Deku, Goron, or Zora (Zora ftw btw!) re-revolutionized the weapon system. Proving that you didn't need the Master Sword to beat down. Were it not for that, pretty sure Wolf link in Twilight Princess would have been more like Bunny Link from ALttP. Also, the time implementation always makes for an interesting concept. Certain plot events that will always happen at the same time, on the same day make for an interesting way to control how events will pan out. (Getting the couples mask brings back an entire time experience for me. Pretty sure I got to them in the last 5 minutes before the moon struck the first time around ) The implementation of a flipping temple (the 4th), the concept of the Giant's Mask to battle Twinmold, the side quests alone were fantastic. Having to beat the Snowhead temple again in the first few hours of the first day to trigger the events to get the best sword is one of the coolest concepts ever. Goron Racing, Zora Swimming, Deku Floating/Bouncing, the list goes on.

And it seems almost hypocritical of me to like MM when it does to OoT what OoT and ALttP did to TAoL, but MM just did it so much better than all the others IMO.

Wow, I kind of dropped a mountain of words, but hey, I have some abnormal opinnions, and wanted to fully defend them. Everybody already knows why ALttP and OoT are, "Teh Bestest!" Just had to defend why they're not.

This post has been edited by leilong on 11th May 2008 14:39

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

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My favorite is Ocarina of Time, first zelda game i played btw. But the only thing that sucked about the game was when you change from Young Link to Adult Link, you lost some weapons.

A Link to the Past is my personal favorite and the best Zelda game of all of them by my standards. While certainly, it doesn't do anything overly new compared to the older NES Zelda titles, it does it in a way that manages to still *feel* new, despite that. I really enjoyed having to switch between Light and Dark worlds and I truly believe that the final boss fight is one of the best final boss fights ever. Ganon is terribly frustrating to kill.

My runner up is Adventure of Link, for most of the reasons Leilong stated. The side scrolling view in itself was a drastic change, but one that I enjoyed immensely. As well as the then new magic system and of course, how intense was it fighting a dark version of Link? That game overall was a lot of fun.

Third place absolutely goes to Ocarina of Time. I think that was easily one of the best games on Nintendo 64 next to Goldeneye and Starfox. I mean, the gameplay was superb and while some of the characters were absolutely annoying (that damn owl! God, I wanted to kill it with fire.) it was a pleasure to play. The dungeons were filled with puzzles and monsters to slash through, the bosses were all unique and terribly fun to fight against and the ocarina feature added an interesting element to the game. Being able to travel through time, change the weather or even the time of day by playing a song? I loved it. I think it was also the most menacing version of Ganon to date.

I wanted to rank Phantom Hourglass rather highly on here, as well. It was a beautifully designed game, tons of things to do, the fighting was never boring, the items were innovative and great to use, the story was lovely and of course, it was a great deal of fun. It certainly deserves honorable mention, I think. I just don't have the same level of attachment to it as I do the other mentioned games...however, that may change with time.

To be completely honest, I can't stand Majora's Mask and I absolutely detest Twilight Princess. I really do. I'd much rather play Link's Awakening than any of those two.

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Okay, but there was a goat!

OoT. loved it. second would be link to the past but i could never find out how to use the flute or get into the blocked off desert.

My favorites are actually Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages for the Game Boy Color. The connectivity between each of them makes for a great continuous narrative, tying together sixteen-plus excellent dungeons with a ton of items and collectibles to be found. Because honestly, what is Zelda all about? The dungeons, the puzzles, the items. The Oracle duo's dungeons may lack the atmosphere or visuals of the 3D Zelda games, but they make up for all that with the best, most interesting dungeon puzzles in the series, with an equipment set that both brings back some popular favorites and brings some new and interesting pieces to the table. For those reasons, Seasons and Ages are my absolute two favorite Zelda games.

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Has to be the first one. I'm old enough that I always prefer games I liked in my childhood, and LOZ was the first game to absolutely fascinate me. I think it was the nonlinear gameplay, having an entire world to explore.

Second place would be ALTTP. I enjoyed Zelda II, but 3 was much more fun to me - it was like playing Zelda 1, just with much better graphics and sound.

Ocarina is the best by far in my opinion. It's just a marvel.

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Praise Be To Helix!

a link to the past for me. i have replayed it more times than any other zelda title. i just love all the aspects about that game.

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Ocarina of Time. It was groundbreaking for its time in scope and graphics, but so many merits still hold up today: the logical consistency of the game world, the superb progression, the gentle (but not overly patronizing) learning curve, the clever puzzles, the brilliantly designed dungeons, the stunning boss battles.

Majora's Mask possessed most of these virtues but also introduced the brilliant 3-day mechanic, and the feeling of impending doom it instilled was complemented by the dark, almost surrealistic art style. And although it featured fewer dungeons, all except the water dungeon are stronger than any one dungeon in Ocarina of Time. Stone Tower, in particular, is the best designed level in any Zelda game to date -- its cohesion is even more incredible when you consider the fact that the whole dungeon FLIPS upside down. Oh, and the mini-games and sidequests were superior to Ocarina's too.

The next pick is hard, but I think I'd go with Wind Waker. It's still the best animation I've seen in a game to date, and the first three dungeons (not counting that obnoxious stealth dungeon) are the best in any Zelda game (Stone Tower excepted!). The game sort of fell apart at the end and the novelty of controlling two characters in the later dungeons wore off quickly, but the first half was just so incredible.

I feel guilty almost for placing a game as brilliant as A Link to the Past in fourth place, but here it is. Surely I don't have to explain its merits.

I'd probably place The Adventure of Link next, although battling through it (it's tough!) can be a chore sometimes. Still, it featured some pretty solid side-scrolling action. I never did play the original Legend of Zelda till I was in fifth grade (ten years after it was released), and it was so damn vanilla compared to the next closest thing (A Link to the Past). Plus, the Wizzrobes in the sixth dungeon are the f***ing bane of my existence. Those and the rooms full of like thirty iron knuckles were totally unfair, and I'm pretty masochistic when it comes to video games.

I think the only times I had fun playing Twilight Princess were the horseback battle with Bulbin, Arbiter's Grounds, and the Temple of Time. Everything else was painfully slow even by the standards of later Zelda games. I won't even speak about Phantom Hourglass (OK, I'll say that it sucks).

I can't really speak about the GB and GBA Zelda games since handheld systems usually aren't my thing.





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SPEKKIO: "GRRR...That was most embarrassing!"

I'm going to have to join laz on the oracle of seasons/oracle of ages bandwagon. ages was the first gameboy game i ever owned, and it's remained my favorite ever since. seasons i bought around a year later, and i enjoyed it almost as much. though i never beat the final combined-game boss, i thuroughly dominated the rest of the game

i did like the other zelda games i got around to playing as well.

ocarina of time was one of my first forays into console RPGs, and i really enjoyed it as well. beating the water temple was the greatest accomplishment i have ever completed in video games. it took me a couple years of on-and-off play to finally do it. i tried several online guides, to no avail, since i had already gotten the water system thuroughly messed up. i eventually made my own map to the entire temple, detailing the puzzles in each room.

none of my friends liked wind waker (mainly because of its graphics), but since i've never minded graphic quality, i was able to look beyond its cartoon-ish look and enjoy a fun game. i loved the idea of the great sea and its many islands, and its something i wish more RPGs would do.

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I didn't really account for Wind Waker in my top rated games, and as it still wouldn't bump my top 2, it would definitely be in the top 5. The one thing that both OoT and WW did beautifully was design that last FMV clip of the defeat of Ganon. OoT with the B-slapping of Ganon back and forth, ending with a beautifully arched stab into the bridge of Ganon's nose, halting time itself for a moment was choreographed perfectly.

Likewise, at the end of the massively cartooney "Celda," throwing down with the uber violent act of running up Gannondorf's body and doing this crazy flip dive back down planting the master sword into Gannondorf's face like it was where the sword friggin belonged was artwork at the most extreme. The final touch of Ganondorf actually turning to stone and being the new resting place of the sword was just as cool. I could watch those video clips over and over into eternity. They were just so well done.

Perfect Examples Plus a bunch of other great footage.
^^There's a MM boss fight with Fierce Diety Link. Only way to fly

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

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Ocarina of Time is my favorite Zelda game of the series because in my mind, the swordplay is unmatched. The camera and lock-on system was so perfectly that I would go out of my way to make every battle - even easily won battles against a giant flower or something - an epic event. One of my most memorable moments in that game is in the Forest Temple when you have a fight against two Stalfos Knights at once. Switching between each one, going back and forth between offense with the sword, defense with the shield, and evasion by going back and forth with flips and dodges is an incredible experience, and I felt like the gameplay of that game could not be better.

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

1) Link's Awakening
2) Majora's Mask
3) Twilight Princess
4) Ocarina of Time
5) Zelda II: Adventure of Link

This post has been edited by Ripley on 15th May 2008 02:02

I honestly can't decide, they're all so good I guess I like them all.

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Wind Waker, easy. I havent played TOO much OoT and no MM or TP, so...

But Wind Waker was amazing to me.

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Dead Winter. A nice comic.

Ocarina of Time, mostly because of the childhood memories associated with it. I bet i can play through the entire game blindfolded, using only my left foot. (PRETTY MUCH.)

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Quote (The_Pink_Nu1 @ 13th May 2008 01:27)

Plus, the Wizzrobes in the sixth dungeon are the f***ing bane of my existence. Those and the rooms full of like thirty iron knuckles were totally unfair, and I'm pretty masochistic when it comes to video games.

You're not kidding! You brought back painful memories of me at like 8 years old, dying (sp) over and over again on rooms loaded with iron knuckles. It really helps if your hearts are full (so you can shoot your sword) or you're really good/lucky with bombs though.

Quote (BoBear2681 @ 3rd June 2008 10:03)

Quote (The_Pink_Nu1 @ 13th May 2008 01:27)

Plus, the Wizzrobes in the sixth dungeon are the f***ing bane of my existence. Those and the rooms full of like thirty iron knuckles were totally unfair, and I'm pretty masochistic when it comes to video games.

You're not kidding! You brought back painful memories of me at like 8 years old, dying (sp) over and over again on rooms loaded with iron knuckles. It really helps if your hearts are full (so you can shoot your sword) or you're really good/lucky with bombs though.

I missed that comment initially! It's so true!

Actually, my tactic of starting the game with the Blue Ring comes back around to the fact that it's practically necessary for those kunckles. I remember the first time I cleared that room in the 5th underworld to gain access to the next part, and I was feeling pretty good about myself, and then I entered the room that contained more blue IKs and nothing to hide behind! That one kinda torqued me, and I think I probably went out and learned some obscenities just to use on that very occasion.

Because they do less damage, I tend to get sloppy with the red IKs in the 3rd Underworld, but I can clear those blasted blue IKs and the mix set in the 5th getting hit usually only once. It's still a pain, but sorta worth it for the challenge.

Edit

And hey, anybody remember the pain and agony wrought by the second quest in the original when you'd enter a room that is full of the red floating skulls that take away your sword permanently til you find a blue one to tap? And half the time, the Blue room was all the way across the level from the Red room... or I think there was even one level that you had to leave and go to the other level's blue room. I really learned to appreciate my wand and my bow in that second quest.

This post has been edited by leilong on 15th June 2008 17:51

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

Play me on Rock Band 2, GH-WT, or any other Xbox GH!
Xbox Gamertag-MeanJerry

Majora's Mask for me. Ocarina of Time is probably 'better' as I consider it a near-perfect game...but Majora's Mask has that extra spice that I like. Skull Kid was the first video game related thing I ever saw in a dream (nightmare) and the game also came at a time I was ready to really get absorbed and be a fan of something. I was a bit too young to be a complete freak for OoT in the way I was/am for Majora's Mask. The more mature themes stuck with me for longer even if the experience isn't quite as tight as OoT's.

I continue to have never played through a LoZ game (though I've hung out with different close friends while they, respectively, played through Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker), but I'm always curious who loves which games in which series. I've seen a fair bit of consensus around OoT, but I'm curious if posters here would stick by their old preferences--given how many LoZ games have come out in the interim.

Quote (Kane @ 21st January 2025 02:08)

I continue to have never played through a LoZ game (though I've hung out with different close friends while they, respectively, played through Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker), but I'm always curious who loves which games in which series. I've seen a fair bit of consensus around OoT, but I'm curious if posters here would stick by their old preferences--given how many LoZ games have come out in the interim.

Link's Awakening has been mine since I first played it, but I have to add that I've played absolutely none of the 3D games of the series. I think for me it comes down to how it's not overly difficult and has a different and fun environment to play through, and also has a healthy dose of nostalgia. I think the Switch version really refreshed it and made it just as enjoyable for a new era, too.

So had I posted in this thread years ago... I don't think my answer would have changed.

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Quote (Kane @ 21st January 2025 03:08)

I've seen a fair bit of consensus around OoT, but I'm curious if posters here would stick by their old preferences--given how many LoZ games have come out in the interim.

Broadly speaking, I think the gaming community at large rates the series
Ocarina of Time/A Link to the Past/Breath of the Wild
__________
Link's Awakening/Windwaker/Twilight Princess
__________
Majora's Mask/Skyward Sword/Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons/OG game on the NES
__________
Everything else

Favorites usually boil down to the time someone got into the series. If they're really old-school and got in during the top-down/2D stuff they'll usually go with ALttP or Link's Awakening as their favorite. If they're in the middle (early 3D) they'll go with Ocarina of Time or Windwaker. Gen Z/Alpha are all about Breath of the Wild.

In terms of sales BotW dominates, and it's not even close. If you care about ratings/legacy/critical acclaim, Ocarina of Time is top of the pile. I started with Ocarina so all the 2D stuff was before my time. I've since played them all, but ironically the 2D era doesn't feel as "Zelda" to me. I'm pretty sure this is the exact opposite of why older fans prefer the games they do. The top-down & 2D games are the original essence of Zelda and the 3D entries lack that.

Oh wow, an old topic with a general audience which I somehow missed back in the day.

I've only played to completion three Zelda games, namely the very first game (ironically the most recent one of these for me to finish), Ocarina of Time, and A Link to the Past.

ALTTP was the only one that I played as a kid, though I didn't beat it back then, because I didn't yet grasp the idea of a metroidvania-like exploration adventure where the whole game world was basically potentially relevant at all times. But ALTTP is also the only one that I'm most familiar with -- since I've beaten a variety of "variations" on it, namely, item randomizers that shuffle the locations of its 216 different item pickups (not including some keys under pots). I also played it in the famous Combo Randomizer that combines ALTTP with Super Metroid into one game.

Sometime during the pandemic I picked up Ocarina of Time, and played the original version. It's certainly a nice game, and I can see how the Zelda series went from 2D to 3D and also how a lot of modern series staples came from OoT, but the pace is quite different from the 2D games. The action is a lot more slow and deliberate and the design quirks are quite distinct from those used in the 2D games. There's a randomizer too for OoT, but the gameplay feels a bit too slow for me to want to play a randomizer and do it multiple times.

I did sit down and watch someone play Twilight Princess for a while, back in the day, though I haven't actually had the chance to do so myself. Been meaning to do this sometime. Who knows when. (I've also watched people play Link's Awakening but never gotten into it myself.)

So I'd say ALTTP is my favorite, though I'm willing to leave a space open for TP for the 3D games.

I've also played various games with 2D-Zelda-like interfaces, from the Ys games to the indie stuff like Anodyne, Guardian of Paradise, and Lenna's Inception. The Ys games are super awesome, and Anodyne is also cool but rather distinct in its feel. Anyway, in this regard, I'm looking forward to trying out Arietta of Spirits, Blossom Tales, and Ocean's Heart.

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Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 23rd January 2025 18:02)

Oh wow, an old topic with a general audience which I somehow missed back in the day.

I've only played to completion three Zelda games, namely the very first game (ironically the most recent one of these for me to finish), Ocarina of Time, and A Link to the Past.

ALTTP was the only one that I played as a kid, though I didn't beat it back then, because I didn't yet grasp the idea of a metroidvania-like exploration adventure where the whole game world was basically potentially relevant at all times. But ALTTP is also the only one that I'm most familiar with -- since I've beaten a variety of "variations" on it, namely, item randomizers that shuffle the locations of its 216 different item pickups (not including some keys under pots). I also played it in the famous Combo Randomizer that combines ALTTP with Super Metroid into one game.

Sometime during the pandemic I picked up Ocarina of Time, and played the original version. It's certainly a nice game, and I can see how the Zelda series went from 2D to 3D and also how a lot of modern series staples came from OoT, but the pace is quite different from the 2D games. The action is a lot more slow and deliberate and the design quirks are quite distinct from those used in the 2D games. There's a randomizer too for OoT, but the gameplay feels a bit too slow for me to want to play a randomizer and do it multiple times.

I did sit down and watch someone play Twilight Princess for a while, back in the day, though I haven't actually had the chance to do so myself. Been meaning to do this sometime. Who knows when. (I've also watched people play Link's Awakening but never gotten into it myself.)

So I'd say ALTTP is my favorite, though I'm willing to leave a space open for TP for the 3D games.

I've also played various games with 2D-Zelda-like interfaces, from the Ys games to the indie stuff like Anodyne, Guardian of Paradise, and Lenna's Inception. The Ys games are super awesome, and Anodyne is also cool but rather distinct in its feel. Anyway, in this regard, I'm looking forward to trying out Arietta of Spirits, Blossom Tales, and Ocean's Heart.

ALTTP stands as my number one Zelda game because it contains a classic timeless appeal. OoT presented its gameplay at a relaxed rhythm to build the fundamental elements of the Zelda series. The 3D Zelda rendition of The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass is superior to that of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You should experience the 2D-like games because their special appeal will satisfy your gaming senses.