So, what are your favorite Zelda games?

The Game Room
1

For purposes of this discussion we’ll exclude the CD-i games (for good reason, everyone will just hate on them anyway), and given their limited distribution we’ll also exclude the BS Zelda games, though you’re certainly free to mention them briefly if you ever played them. Crossbow Training, the Tingle spinoffs, and Game and Watch Zelda should likewise be ignored. Feel free to separate Master Quest and OoT if you like, likewise you may separate the Gameboy Advance and SNES versions of ALTTP because of some minor changes between the games (mostly dialogue clean up). Common acronyms are in [brackets] for the uninitiated/sufficiently dense.

This leaves us with
[ul]
[li] The Legend of Zelda (NES) [TLoZ][/li][li] Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) [AoL][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES/GBA) [ALTTP][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB) [LA][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (GBC, one extra dungeon) [LA, LADX, DX][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) [OoT][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64) [MM, ZG[sup]1[/sup]][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) [?][sup]2[/sup][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (GBC) [?][sup]2[/sup][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Master Quest (GC) [MQ, OoTMQ, UZ[sup]3[/sup]][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (GBA – ALTTP Pack-in) [FS][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC) [WW, TWW][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GC) [FSA][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA) [TMC, MC][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC/Wii) [TP][/li][li] The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) [PH][/li][/ul]

This is a very difficult choice for me, there are separate things I like about each of them that makes it very hard. My least favorite is probably FS, just because my friend was such a dick when playing it that it wasn’t very fun for me. If a knife was to my throat I may break down and say the Oracle games, but that’s not fair either since I’ve only played through those once. Though they were the only series I bothered to 100% complete. DX was my first, but it was plagued by some things I really didn’t like, it took me forever to figure out how to enter the second dungeon so even though I got it as my first Gameboy Color game I don’t think I ever beat it until post-Ocarina.

Majora was wonderful, but had some sidequest issues that make me reluctant to say it’s the best (I hatehatehate Anju and Kafei) OoT I’ve probably played through the most, but it doesn’t strike me as it does some people. It’s certainly a great game, but it just lacks something for me. The Minish Cap gets a plus for some really creative and fun boss battles, but loses points for how easy it is and the somewhat annoying kinstone system. Twilight Princess and TWW are probably tied in a high position though, I love how beautiful they both are in their art styles, and TWW has some of the coolest cinematic scenes and quotes in the whole series. That entire sequence with Ganon at the end of TWW is worth replaying the entire game for. TP has some of the best characters though, I love Makar and Medli but I didn’t really “feel” them while I became really attached to Midna and thought that even despite the character derailment a bit farther in the game that Zant was one of the greatest villains ever.

ALTTP is ALTTP, I don’t know where to place it, it seems for everything wonderful I think about it there’s always another thing that pops up for a “meh,” it’s a great game, but I’m not sure where to place it.

I may be able to make a better analysis from your posts, so instead of yammering on aimlessly, what’s your favorite Zelda game?

[sup]1[/sup] For the working title, Zelda Gaiden, I have seen this occasionally, believe it or not. I’m more putting it there for kicks
[sup]2[/sup] Rarely called OA or OS, usually they’re just collectively referred to as “the Oracle games” or independently as “Ages” and “Seasons.”
[sup]3[/sup] For “Ura Zelda,” its working title when it was being made for the N64 DD, again, I’ve seen one or two exceptionally odd retros use this for no discernible reason.

2

Before anyone calls me on this, as is the SDMB’s MO I acknowledge my error. Initialism, not acronym.

3

Dammit this is a hard question, as I have two clear favorites:** Link to the Past** and Majora’s Mask.

A Link to the Past was my first Zelda game, and I deem it to perhaps be one of the only examples of a near-perfect (if not completely perfect) game. Brilliantly paced, fantastic dungeon design, and a beautifully designed world that was a joy to explore. I still remember turning on the game for the first time, being awakened by Zelda’s pleas for help, and venturing out into the thunderstorm to find the secret entrance into the castle. Absolutely brilliant.

My other favorite Zelda is Majora’s Mask. While it may not be as technically perfect as LTTP, it had some ingenious design choices that more than make up for any of its other shortcomings (of which there are few). I thought the 3-day time limit was brilliantly implemented, lending a real sense of time to the world, and a sense of urgency few games have matched. Who wasn’t scared shitless on the third day when the moon was mere yards from destroying the entire town? Secondly, the world felt alive–alive in a way no game before or since has come close to matching (and this is largely due to the aforementioned time mechanic). I loved being to explore the town, finding characters going about their own lives across the three different days–again, it felt alive. I very much enjoyed helping those people out and seeing how my interactions impacted them and their place in the world. Finally, the masks–I loved collecting them and using them. Who didn’t have a blast rolling around as a Goron or tearing through water as a Zora?

Dammit, I still haven’t chosen a favorite: If I had to pick only one, it’d prolly be ALTTP, but Majora’s Mask is a damn close second. I do have to give special props to Ocarina of Time. The game was revolutionary when it came out, and is still fantastic to this day, but I feel Majora’s Mask took its foundation and greatly expanded and improved upon it.

As for the rest of the Zeldas…Link’s Awakening was okay. I had fun with it, but I don’t really have any fond memories of it like I do the others. As such, I didn’t play another portable Zelda until Minish Cap (excepting 4 Swords), which also was fun, but unremarkable. And I thought both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were insults to the Zelda name. The former was a chore to play-through with its god-awful Ocean and constant baton-waving gimmicks, while the latter was just a really poor revamp of Ocarina of Time (that two hour tutorial may be one of my worst gaming memories).

4

I vote for MM.

There are a few things I like in games. I love surrealism, when done correctly, and the Moon certainly does that. I love good music, and in this you can make your own. I love time travel when it’s done right, and this game did it well. I love scaring off tough amazon pirate women using bees or wasps. I loved collecting masks. I loved collecting faeries from the dungeons. I loved how beating the bosses would dramatically change the environment. I loved the idea of scamming that bank guy out of rupees - give him 1000 rupees, he marks you with a “receipt”, go back in time, show the receipt, withdraw 1000 rupees.

Sucker.

I didn’t like, as the OP pointed out, the sidequests which needed a walkthrough for. If the reunite-the-estranged-couple quest weren’t so random and had a better reward I would have loved it.

5

One thing about ALTTP is that (in my opinion of course) it hasn’t held up too well. Playing through it recently was “wait, I beat that boss how fast?” “Okay, I’m at this place already?”

It’s not just that, since you can put a lot of that down to playing from experience and knowing how to accomplish everything. The combat is also rather lacking, even compared to the otherwise weaker Minish Cap and the maze-like dungeons are a tad trite. Modern ones are a bit more like linear “gate” rooms that require a challenge to get through rather than the odd convoluted series of passageways that the older Zeldas had, I never noticed this until I replayed a lot of them recently. This takes a lot of the game away from feeling like you’re accomplishing something and occasionally shoves it aside and makes you keep asking yourself if you’re sure you’re going the right way. It does shine in the puzzle department, which are leagues stronger than anything in Phantom Hourglass (or, let’s be honest here, pretty much all of the 3D puzzles) and most of the later 2D games. The story is also pretty good, though I think the 3D games are still far stronger in the story department.

6

Fair enough, but I feel completely the opposite. I don’t think it has aged at all, from a gameplay perspective. I think a lot of the feelings you experienced were likely due to having completed it before–I’ve felt the same way with other games I’ve replayed. But I can’t say I feel that sensation any more with ALTTP than any other game I’ve revisited.

And I’m really not sure I understand you when you say the “combat’s lacking.” I thought it felt great; I can’t imagine it being any more fun were it to be more complex.

7

I think ALTTP suffers from being a middle stage between the brutally hard but otherwise incredibly simple original and the more varied combat of the later games. It seems like they put a lot of items in without a clear concept of their utility. In the Oracle games, for instance, I found myself using the items in strange ways to alter the combat and make things easier (don’t ask for examples, it’s been a while). In ALTTP a lot of items seemed to have a very specific rock/paper/scissors purpose or have a basic utility (like the medallions) but ultimately failed to really find a niche. Though I’ll submit this may just be me replaying it and getting overly nitpicky.

It also gets the honor of having my second least favorite boss (my least favorite is Gyorg from MM, if you’re curious), Mothula which read a lot like “yeah, we pretty much ran out of ideas for this dungeon, hope you like spikes and conveyor belts!”

8

I liked Faces of Evil, but Wand of Gamelon was only OK.

9

I really liked** Twilight Princess**.

To me, it is absolute perfection. It really did just about everything right, and the dungeon where you pick up that rod that controls statues is one of my favorites in the whole series.

10

There is no option other than A Link to the Past. The original is cute but too limited. The sequel isn’t nearly as well designed. The Nintendo 64 ones suffered from terrible controls and poorly designed environments. Windwaker finally got the 3D engine under control but had long stretches of downtime. Twilight Princess is the best design of all the 3D Zeldas but lacks free roaming exploration for far too long of period. The portable versions (and where is the LCD Zelda watch on that list? :wink: ) are generally good games but I’ve found them a bit too limited.

So by process of elimination we are left with the gem that is A Link to the Past.

11

I never could figure out what I’m supposed to do after I got Zelda to that guy. I mean, you don’t even get a vague hint. I went from Zelda telling me exactly what to do to having not a clue. I prefer my games to lead me by the hand, and slowly let go after I’ve gotten used to it.

And I don’t even count the first Zelda because the only way I could figure it out was the map that came with it which included instructions on how to get to the first 2 dungeons. And I could almost never actually hit anything with my sword unless I was at full health.

So my favorite is Link’s Awakening. The only other Zelda I really got into was The Minish Cap, but it was way too short, and easy (as you were given way too many hints, and the puzzles reached a plateau and never got any harder. If they’d kept increasing in difficulty at the rate they did originally, I would have liked it to be 3 times longer.)

And those are the only two that have held my interest long enough to be beaten. Though Ocarina of Time was pretty good until I got frustrated at second dungeon. If I can ever get those directions to the boss to work, I might actually continue it. And Majora’s Mask sounds cool: I’m just not sure how I should get a hold of it.

12

Which game and what guy?

13

Legend of Zelda, for me.

14

Super Smash Bros.

What?

15

I’m betting Link to the Past. The story pulls you along in a very linear fashion at the beginning, up until you rescue Zelda, lead her through the underground passages, and come out at the sanctuary/temple with the old man. From there, the game opens up into the traditional Zelda style, and I can see how it would be confusing to figure out what to do after that, although the NPCs usually help guide you along.

16
  1. Twilight Princess
  2. Ocarina of Time
  3. Link to the Past
  4. The Legend of Zelda
  5. Link’s Awakening
  6. Zelda II
  7. Wind Waker

Twilight Princess had a darker look that I really liked, along with the benefit of years of polish from the devs learning from the older games what works and what doesn’t. I love it and it easily gets my number one spot. I will admit, the first couple hours are less than stellar.

On the other end is Wind Waker. I do not like cute Saturday morning cartoon Link and I really don’t like long boring journeys back and forth across the ocean. This one was just an all around dissapointing game to me and the only one on the list I didn’t even bother to finish.

Actually, I don’t think I finished Zelda II either but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The last boss always kicked my ass. :frowning:

17

It’s a tough call for me, but I guess I’d have to say A Link to the Past. I think it’s a little easier to think of the games as pairs, where LTTP matches up with Link’s Awakening, and OoT matches up with MM, etc. So, in that sense I think the pair of LTTP and LA matches up better than any other pair, and LTTP was the better of that pair.

Of course, I think a lot of that has to do with the time when it came out. I still think of the SNES era as the golden age of videogames with so many brilliant titles and it really was perfection before Zelda went 3D. Yes, the game is easy now, and I can play through the entire thing, getting every piece of heart from memory, and never die, but it was a real challenge in the day.

The OoT/MM pair matches up next for me. While I loved OoT, I felt like the game was just too easy in general, where the difficult came from the complications of clunky 3D mechanics. I did find that some of the classic puzzles became much more interesting when updated to include a 3D environment and the story was definitely better, but ultimately I feel like LTTP was at the peek of what the SNES could do, while OoT was revolutionary, and thus still raw.

I do have to give special consideration to MM. I’m actually surprised that so many people here liked it, because I liked it a lot too. I think they did a lot to the revolutionary gameplay of OoT and just made it that much better and it’s probably a better game overall than any of the others on the list. The reason I wouldn’t make it my favorite Zelda game though is just that it didn’t feel like a Zelda game. I thought the masks were neat, but spending so much time not playing Link made it feel less like a Zelda game. I thought the dungeons were all brilliantly designed, but there’s only four of them, which made me feel a little cheated. And I thought the way everyone’s stories intertwined was brilliant and made for a rare interest, but it was just a little too out there and bizarre to have the feel of a Zelda game. So, while all of those are just fine and make a great game in and of themselves, they just didn’t add up to my expectations of what a Zelda game should be.

And really, my only qualm with MM was with the time-travel mechanic. I thought it added interesting urgency to the game, especially when I hadn’t quite completed a dungeon and saw how close I was to running out of time. I just didn’t really like the idea of having to reclear or redo some things multiple times. I remember, for instance, having to kill the boss of the second dungeon at least twice to get the sword upgrade. I also remember going partway into various storylines a few times for various reasons. It helped some that you could warp right to the boss, but I found it a little irritating at times. Then again, it would probably be much less noticeable if I just played through it and didn’t spend so much time trying to get absolutely everything.

18

A Link To The Past is my favorite Action RPG ever. I have so many fond memories of my first adventure through that game, and I still play it once a year or so, and it always provides a throughly entertaining experience.

The original Zelda is always a classic. Like ALTTP, I have many fond memories of actually trying to find my way through that game on my own. I WAS able to find level 7 without assistance, but I couldn’t for the love of god ever find some of the second quest entrances, at least until the first issue of Nintendo Power showed up on my doorstep (the entrance location for level 8 in the second quest is EVIL - use the ladder to bomb the side of the mountain running along side the river!). I also did swordless questing years before videos of it started showing up online.

Zelda 2 also has a number of fond memories, although I was never able to beat that game until after I got a Game Genie. I spent SO MUCH TIME trying to level up in that game, due to not manipulating the bonus experience points to get some of those last higher levels for free. I stupidly did it by running around death mountain, rather then just casting the fire spell and killing spiders for 150 pts each. The game got so much easier once I realized that the best way to fight Ironknuckle is to jump and stab.

I’ve been unable to get into ANY of the Zelda games made after ALTTP. Everybody goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how Ocarina of Time is the best game ever made, but I never got AT ALL what’s so damn great about it. I’ve been saying that I’m gonna give that game ONE more chance someday. I played a bit of Wind Waker and HATED it - I got so damn fustrated with the spotlight prison break sequence that I couldn’t keep playing. And Twilight Princess on Wii I stuck with for a while (I got up to the water dungeon) but I wasn’t enjoying myself at all in that game, and the stupid wolf sequences and the flying anime guy and the twilight monsters really detered from my enjoyment of the game. Plus there’s such a thing as a dungeon being TOO long.

I know that some of the game boy Zeldas are more like the classic NES/SNES games, but I just never got around to playing those.

Another game which deserves a mention is Zelda Outlands. It’s a hack of the original Zelda, but is much much harder. The author did an amazing job with it, my only complaint being that sometimes you waste too much time having to collect $ in order to advance.

19

…How have I not heard of this!? I assume one would find it at emulation sites? (Which we will speak no more of…)

Anyway, my favorite is still the first one, The Legend of Zelda. I have a soft spot for it. OoT is next on the list, with LTTP being after that.