What Zelda games are your favorite/least favorite?

[Dr.Cortex]

I think the best ones were Ocarina of time, Majoras Mask, Links Awakining, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, the first one, Twilight Princess, and Wind Waker. I thought Zelda 2 was too hard and Link to the Past was too hard too. The rest I don't have.

[Shazza Dani]

My favourite is probably a tie between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. My least favourite has to be Zelda II. The only game I haven't played is Phantom Hourglass.

[ShadowTiger]

I've played all of them except for the CD-i games, and the Twilight Princess on the Wii. (Played the GameCube version on the GameCube.) Oh, and Link's Crossbow Training. I don't count that as a Zelda game, no.

Majora's Mask will always be one of my favorite. Seasons is close by. Wind Waker, I don't really consider my favorite, but I'm deeply surprised by that, because I know that in my heart, it should be.

[CaRmAgE]

OoT is my favorite Zelda game with Link's Awakening as a close second. I hated Zelda II, but not as much as Phantom Hourglass; PH became too repetitious.

[Valientlink]

Majoras mask is tied with ocarina of time

[rock_nog]

Allow me to put a disclaimer here - my favorite and my least favorite are separated by a very fine line. Favorite = Wind Waker, least favorite = Link's Awakening. But honestly, we're talking a difference of like 0.05% with an error margin of + or - 1%.

[Icey]

Zelda II was an outstanding game and poo to all of you who didn't like it because it was hard :p

My favorite was probably Majora's Mask. Least favorite? I don't know, I can't really say, I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Maybe Twilight Princess, which, while I liked, was quite dull and unoriginal.

[MottZilla]

I'd say the first 4 games were the best. While at the time, OoT was amazing, it doesn't stand up today. Really it's a problem with alot of early 3D games. I didn't get to play the Oracles games but they couldn't have been too bad. My favorite Zelda ofcourse is the original.

[Beldaran]

I'm amazed at how big of wusses the new generation of gamers is.

Link to the Past was easy. I beat it with almost not difficulty at all. Zelda II is hard, but its an awesome game and worth conquering. A couple years ago I bought it for GameBoy Advance and beat it for the first time.

My favorite Zelda game is Link to the Past. My 2nd favorite is the original Legend of Zelda. The only 3D Zelda game I've ever played for more than ten minutes is Twilight Princess, and it's pretty fun.

[King Aquamentus]

Recent games, I have no desire to play through again. I'll make a file, beat it, 100% it (or try to), then I'll just run around in it, performing acts of general jackassery. (or stare at a fairy for fifteen minutes with no hands on the controller, but that's another story)

[Icey]

Yeah, I have never considered ALttP hard. And Zelda II I can play over and over again, it's that fun (challenge is a big part of the replay value). I guess I just picked MM as my favorite because it has a lot of very cool unique features, from the masks to the time element and the whole world the creators made. Bel, if you played the other 3D Zeldas, you probably wouldn't like TP as much... to me it feels like they just tried really hard to make another OoT, and it didn't work.

As for OoT not standing the test of time, I have to disagree... still a great game in my opinion.

[rock_nog]

Okay, just a bit more info than I needed to know there.

[Shazza Dani]

(spoilers ahead?)


Twilight Princess confused the hell out of me with that random cutscene showing multiple Dark Links, then disappointed me when I realised they had nothing to do with the game. Again, TP disappointed me when so many things from trailers and screenshots were not actually in the game. In short, Twilight Princess is full of LIES.

[Russ]

Majora's Mask is my favorite, with Link to the Past in a close second. I have no clue about least favorite though. I love them all. I'd have to say the original one, just because it's so hard to figure out where to go and everything.

On a side note, Adventure of Link is wonderful. It's like a mix between Zelda, Mario, and an RPG game. I don't see why everybody hates it so much.

[Shazza Dani]

>It's like a mix between Zelda, Mario, and an RPG game.

>Zelda, Mario, and an RPG game.

>an RPG game.

>RPG game


…GANNON-BANNED‼

[Pineconn]

To be fair, TP is an excellent game when it's looked upon as a game. I mean, it's thoroughly epic - hot, bright desert; cold, windy, snowy mountain; dark, deep lake; a huge, friggin expansive field.... The later dungeons were disappointing (from Temple of Time on), but the first half of the game was an absolute blast.

It. Just. NEEDS. A. Difficulty. Setting. I don't care about voice acting, I don't care about super-ultra-hyper-realistic graphics... I'm just tired of a boss firing up for a huge attack... all the fire, all the sound, all the gravity, and then... BAAAAM! IT HITS YOU! ...oh wait, half a heart. Okay, let me find a pot with a heart... OH WAIT! ALL THE POTS IN A BOSS ROOM HAVE HEARTS IN THEM!

I mean... jeez...

But still, I loved that game. :D

[Nicholas Steel]

thats what it is like for Wind Waker too :( it's the only complaint (aside from not being able to skip cut scenes) I have about WW.

[Masamune]

I'm amazed at how big of wusses the new generation of gamers is.

Link to the Past was easy. I beat it with almost not difficulty at all. Zelda II is hard, but its an awesome game and worth conquering. A couple years ago I bought it for GameBoy Advance and beat it for the first time.

My favorite Zelda game is Link to the Past. My 2nd favorite is the original Legend of Zelda. The only 3D Zelda game I've ever played for more than ten minutes is Twilight Princess, and it's pretty fun.

For real.

LttP was my favorite of all time. And fuck Phantom Hourglass.

[Shazza Dani]

LttP wasn't too hard. Some of the bosses are difficult if you haven't mastered fighting them, yet they're all possible to beat without even getting touched [I think]. The game is pretty much perfect when you think about it.

[Russ]

Which is why it's the best 2D Zelda. Personally, I was a little upset when it turned out Ganon was really controlling Aghimnon (or whatever the wizard's name was), but since they're still using the same plot twist today, I've grown to live with it.

[Revfan9]

You can beat AlttP in under 5 minutes without going through any dungeons.

I always had trouble with AlttP's Helmasaur King for some reason, if I fight him as soon as I can. I'd just get the Hammer in the Dark Palace, leave, go beat Thief's Hideout, then get the tempered sword and kick his ass.

There are too many Zeldas I like for me to just pick one, so lemme tell you the ones I didn't like:

Minish Cap - Really boring. Really easy. Really lame. Like Twilight Princess, it's still a good game. I guess I just have higher expectations from the name "Zelda".

Twilight Princess - I don't think I can say anything I haven't already said about how much I despise this game.

Phantom Hourglass - Never before has a game made me seriously consider suicide.

[Anthus]

1. AlttP.
2. Ocarina of Time.
3. Majora's Mask.
4. Wind Waker.
5. Twilight Princess.
6. Minish Cap.
7. Other Gameboy Games.
8. Legend of Zelda.
8. Zelda 2.


I fucking hate Phantom Hourglass.

[Icey]

I've never played Phantom Hourglass (don't own a DS). What about it sucks so bad?

[*b*]

Favorite would have to be Twilight Princess. It's the only Zelda game I've played where it's just plain fun to run around Hyrule and do stuff. Sniping those archers on top of the rocks above Lake Hylia from across the gap is especially fun. Trying to get the Chus to spawn a yellow and blue so I can get the elusive Green Chu/jelly. Or going into the Sacred Forest and fishing for hours on end. It's just a fun world to explore over and over. Sure it has it's flaws, but so does every other game

I love all the Zelda games, so coming up with a worst game is hard. But if I have to, I'd choose FSA. The whole Four Swords storyline there should have been kept as one single game, and not a series like it turned in to, but FSA was basically a gimmick. Sure it was fun, but I think you'd need four people to really enjoy it

[Revfan9]

Phantom Hourglass.

Gameplay: You know how boring Sailing was in Wind Waker? Well combine that with Twilight Princess's way-too-easy, dumbed down gameplay. There's also one big place called the "Temple of the Ocean King" that you have to go through in between each dungeon. Real exciting. 0/5

Graphics: Take Wind Waker's graphic style, but run it on a Sega Saturn. Yeah. I mean, I loved Wind Waker's art style, and I understand that the DS just isn't powerful enough to handle it fully. But come on! Why does it have to be so pixelated and ugly? Modifying the style a bit in order to better fit the hardware would have been perfectly acceptable, or just making a fucking 2D game! None of the game uses any 3D aspects. I loved Minish Cap's 2D art style, and the DS hardware could have easily handled it, and a well-improved version of it. There's no fucking excuse. It's just an insult. 0/5

Controls: Every last god damn action uses the touch screen. This doesn't sound so bad in theory, as it does allow you to do a few cool things like custom boomerang paths. Until you actually try it. I could rant on all day about how much it blows, but the main thing that got me is that in order to move around, part of your hand has to block part of the screen at almost any moment. 1/5 for originality.

Sound: The soundtrack here was even worse than Twilight Princess. You have one boring overworld theme that sounds like an annoying, high-pitched version of the WW Ocean theme, and a single dungeon/cave theme. The cave theme is a really high-pitched annoying version of the LttP Cave Theme with random notes thrown in everywhere that makes it sound like a cat coughing up a hairball. All of these songs also get really annoying really quick, as I don't think there's a single song on the whole thing that lasts longer than 10 seconds. I mean, the DS's sound hardware is capable of pumping out some impressive stuff. Why did we get stuck with this shit? There's no fucking excuse. Most NES games had better, more diverse soundtracks than this shit. 0/5

Plot: Plot? What plot? You get some bullshit about fairies and saving Tetra. I mean, what I liked about Tetra's character in WW was that she was a strong willed individual, but here they just turned her into some damsel in distress. I also find it insulting that they try to come up with plot twists that you need to play 15 minutes into the game before you see them all coming. The ending is also anti-climactic at best. I ALMOST want to say that PH made the CD-i's plots look like Shakespeare. 0/5

Final Score: 1/25. Nice fucking work Nintendo.

[Russ]

I've never played Phantom Hourglass (don't own a DS). What about it sucks so bad?
Upsides: Good plot. Fun controls. Main dungeon is fun and has a good idea. Has some really good songs thrown in there.

Downsides: One overworld song, one dungeon song, and most of the songs are repetitive. The sailing can get boring. And going through the main dungeon over and over can get boring after a while.


I actually like it. But I can see why most people don't.

[Dr.Cortex]

why does everyone think the sailing was boring in wind waker? I thought it was fun. maybe you have a short attention span.

[Anthus]

I've never played Phantom Hourglass (don't own a DS). What about it sucks so bad?

Why PH sucks so much ass:

The dialogue, and humor is aimed at 10-year-olds.
The game's dungeons are absurdly easy, and boring nonetheless.
The overworld theme really sucks. Seriously. In fact, it sucks so bad, I couldn't even find it on Youtube to show you.
The story is pushed, rushed, and uninspired.
The "Main dungeon" is very boring, and tedious the fifth time through, shortcuts or not.
The graphics are just plain bland, and terrible. They should have stayed 2D.
There are, like, two different enemies on the overworld.
This game is just too easy. It is not a Zelda game in my eyes.

[Shazza Dani]

I love all the Zelda games, so coming up with a worst game is hard. But if I have to, I'd choose FSA. The whole Four Swords storyline there should have been kept as one single game, and not a series like it turned in to, but FSA was basically a gimmick. Sure it was fun, but I think you'd need four people to really enjoy it

You think FSA is worse than FS? Or were you not counting the original Four Swords? I thought FSA was a billion times better than FS. I'm actually a big fan of FSA.

[Revfan9]

One thing I forgot to mention about PH: All the dungeons in the game use the cave BGM! So that hairball noise? You'd better get used to it. I just muted my DS for most of the game.

The dungeons are also all extremely short. You can finish all of them within 5 minutes. I mean, you'd expect that from a tutorial dungeon or something, but every last fucking dungeon takes no more than 10-15 minutes to get through on your first try, including the Temple of the Ocean King (which is by far the largest dungeon in the game, with 20 floors), and that dungeon is even more ironic since you get to have a timer to remind you of how quickly you can get through it.

[Anthus]

I forgot all about FSA. I love that game. It is probably in between MC, and the GB games for me.

[Russ]

FSA is the only Zelda game I've never played. Well, I've only done the last boss of WW, but I've never touched FSA. It looks good though, and me and my friends love playing FS, so I'm guessing it's a fun game.

[Revfan9]

FSA is actually a game that I liked a lot, even in Single Player. Unlike Crystal Chronicles, FSA can be enjoyed without 3 friends who all have that dumb GBA link cable that you can't find anywhere...

[Valientlink]

Yeah, Phantom Hourglass, I own it, but after like, the 6th time of going through the temple of the ocean king, it just got annoying. I couldn't make it. I got far though, and it sure was fun. Overall, I had a fun month trying to figure out where to go, and it brought the original concept of collecting heart containers, rather than pieces of them. I came across a house that I couldn't exit, it's not till later I found out that it's because the touch screen is too small.... Or at least DS phat's.

[Russ]

Which house? I've got the normal DS (which is far superior to the DS Lite) and I've never become stuck in a house.

[CaRmAgE]

Phantom Hourglass

*spoiler warning* (Not that you'd want to play the game after reading this, but just to be safe)







Gameplay: I have two things to add here: new useless items and sidequests.

First off, the items, and I'm talking about the extra sand and ship parts. Extra sand? Come on, Nintendo; we don't need any more extra time to beat TotOK than what we start with. I even found part one of a video that proves it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E37bAAAAmMQ That's right. It can be beaten in 0 secs, and it's not even that hard to do so! Next up, ship parts. "Hey look, another chest. Let's peek inside. (open) WTF! It's another !@#$in' ship part!" That's pretty much the sensation you'll be experiencing throughout the entire game.

Next, sidequests. As I think I recall, there were only TWO sidequests throughout the entire game: the trading quest and fishing. The trading quest is VERY predictable as all trades are done on the overworld in 4 different boats, one for each corner of the map. I didn't even finish the fishing quest because it takes so long to complete! To basically summarize fishing, there's only one fish out in the overworld at one time. Now, does this even make sense? Only one fish in such a vast ocean? I think not.

Rating: 3/20

Graphics: Not much more to say. It looks like they took WW and downgraded it.

Rating: 2/20

Controls: All I see is a huge gimmick. I mean, come on, sleep mode as a control? The instructions that tell you to use sleep mode or even draw for other things *cough*time freeze*cough* aren't always obvious as to what to do. I honestly would give a better rating if Nintendo had just given an option to choose between using the buttons and using the stylus like they did in their other DS games (SM64DS and MPH, for example).

Rating: 5/20 (for some innovative controls)

Sound: Blech! I remember the songs being short, but I forgot they were THAT short!

Rating: 0/20

Plot: Horrible. It looked like an attempt at making another Link's Awakening (dream world) that failed epically.

Rating: 0/20

Final note: Repetition all the way through that makes the game incredibly boring. 10%

[King Aquamentus]

All your complaints about Phantom Hourglass mean nothing compared to the fact that you get to SCREAM AT A POLS VOICE. AND IT WORKS.

[The_Amaster]

I'll give PH this: it's great for kids. While in Germany I spent a lot of time talking to my teacher's 8-year old son, and he loved the game.

[Revfan9]

And something else I just remembered. On that ice island, there's a puzzle you have to do which involves figuring out who is lying out of 6 people, using only hints that each of those people give you. This could actually have been a decent puzzle, but you can pay someone 200 rupees (and it may have been 100, I really don't remember) to have them just tell you the answer, so you don't have to do any thinking at all. Not to mention that 200 rupees is nothing in PH, since it suffers from "Rupee Flood" even worse than TP: Even if you spend as many rupees as you can at every chance given, you'll still easily continue to get your pockets full and you won't be able to pick up anymore while you're out and about.

[Shazza Dani]

I'll give PH this: it's great for kids. While in Germany I spent a lot of time talking to my teacher's 8-year old son, and he loved the game.

Zelda isn't for kids! TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS! D:<

[Revfan9]

Well it's quite obvious where Nintendo is redirecting its base now, eh? :/

What saddens me most is that this isn't a path they're likely to break anytime soon. The new Wii Zelda will be more like Phantom Hourglass and Twilight Princess than it'll be like AlttP and LA.

[Anthus]

The new Wii Zelda will be more like Phantom Hourglass

Then it will be the first Zelda game I don't buy :|

EDIT: One redeeming quality: Bosses where an okay attempt. I did like the dragon thing. I also thought it was funny to scream at the Pols Voice. There was one other instance where you had to scream, and I remember going outside to do it, and my friend said he went in his basement to do it. I think is was for bombs, or a sail. I don't remember though.

[Russ]

You do know you could just blow into the microphone to do it, right?

[Anthus]

Yeah, but there is just something about screaming. I thought I tried blowing too, actually, and it didn't work :/

Maybe it only works with older DSs?

[Revfan9]

Odd, I never remember having to blow. Then again, I think it's just better that way. Let's all just forget that PH ever existed, we'll be happier for it.

[Alex-Link]

My favorites:
3D: Ocarina of Time, definitely
2D: The Oracles, they're the best!

The ones that I didn't like at all, ironically, are the first two Zeldas (The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link) I guess for me they're too hard and plus playing Ocarina of Time as a first gets you used to good graphics lol

[Dr.Cortex]

Well it's quite obvious where Nintendo is redirecting its base now, eh? :/

What saddens me most is that this isn't a path they're likely to break anytime soon. The new Wii Zelda will be more like Phantom Hourglass and Twilight Princess than it'll be like AlttP and LA.

I'd actually like that better than if it was like LttP

[Anthus]

I'd actually like that better than if it was like LttP

May I ask why? (=O

[Din]

My three favorites: <SPOILER ALERT>

Oracle of Seasons: My first Zelda game, although the first game I played was Link to the Past, I loved Oracle of Seasons! It was fun to battle against Onox at the end, and of course the Twinrova and Ganon boss battles were great for a linked game.

Oracle of Ages: Combine Chrono Trigger's time traveling concept with Oracle of Seasons and underwater exploration, and what do you get? My second favorite game, Oracle of Ages. Why? Even more Oracle of Seasons style exploring, and a slightly darker storyline. The secrets system opened up a new game in itself and two Zelda games at once? Yes, thanks.

Link to the Past: Well, you knew this had to be up here. With 10 fresh dungeons to explore and 20 equippable weapons to collect, is it any wonder why this is up there? Plus, this is what gave the usual Zelda two worlds concept, and with so much to do, this is one game to get if you don't have it already. The only thing I don't like is the minigames, considering they do get boring quickly. Other than that, the only bad thing about this is when it ends.

Honorable Mention:

BS Zelda Kodai no Sekiban: An expansion to Link to the Past, what more could a fan ask for? I wasn't wowed like most Zelda games, but this one is up there. Who doesn't like 8 new dungeons and a rematch against the King of Darkness?

Worst Zelda Game:

Adventure of Link: What in the world did they regurgitate when they thought of this game? Zelda doesn't belong with Mario. Zelda doesn't belong with an RPG. Mario doesn't belong with an RPG. Some consider this a fresh leave from the usual series, but I consider it a last minute 6th Grader's project turned awry. Did I mention the difficulty? This crushed the hope of gamers everywhere! Rather then go out and explore 9 dungeons, you get to mash buttons for an hour until you think you're ready to take on Level 1! Now, if this was an improvement to the original Zelda, and used the series' usual tactics, I'd be in love with this game. Nintendo did their best to cover their tracks though. Did you notice that none of the spells, newly incorporated items, or enemies were used in the later series? The only things that were kept were the Triforce of Courage, and Shadow Link (for a later appearence in FSA). This is a matter of opinion of course, and some like this game, and have good reason. I am only speaking for myself.

There's my daily ramble. My favorite and least favorite.

[Dr.Cortex]

May I ask why? (=O

because Twilight Princess was awesome and LttP was a bit too hard at some points.

[Icey]

I have to say... I don't like playing the new Zelda games sometimes. I just feel uncomfortable whenever I can tell something was geared to a 5 year old (references to your grandma, weird things like ridiculous cartoony characters, puzzles such as "here's a box in front of you, and right behind that, a door... oh, and in the box is the key to that door").

TWW and Twilight Princess reek of these in certain parts, and yet in other parts they are better... I dunno. I really miss the old days - more serious plot (even if it was less fleshed out), way better puzzles, the gags were actually humorous for people above 12, etc.

[Nicholas Steel]

Adventure of Link: What in the world did they regurgitate when they thought of this game? Zelda doesn't belong with Mario. Zelda doesn't belong with an RPG. Mario doesn't belong with an RPG. Some consider this a fresh leave from the usual series, but I consider it a last minute 6th Grader's project turned awry. Did I mention the difficulty? This crushed the hope of gamers everywhere! Rather then go out and explore 9 dungeons, you get to mash buttons for an hour until you think you're ready to take on Level 1! Now, if this was an improvement to the original Zelda, and used the series' usual tactics, I'd be in love with this game. Nintendo did their best to cover their tracks though. Did you notice that none of the spells, newly incorporated items, or enemies were used in the later series? The only things that were kept were the Triforce of Courage, and Shadow Link (for a later appearence in FSA). This is a matter of opinion of course, and some like this game, and have good reason. I am only speaking for myself.
Zelda 2 was a awesome RPG, oh and before you say that about Mario, you should go play Super Mario RPG on the SNES. What is FSA? I know he appeared again in Ocarina Of Time...

BS Zelda Kodai no Sekiban = Ancient Stone Tablets? or the other one?

[Anthus]

..Nintendo did their best to cover their tracks though. Did you notice that none of the spells, newly incorporated items, or enemies were used in the later series? The only things that were kept were the Triforce of Courage, and Shadow Link (for a later appearence in FSA)..

They kept the power glove, and more importantly, the hammer.


What is FSA? I know he appeared again in Ocarina Of Time...

What? Nah, "FSA" is an abbreviation of "Four Swords Adventure" which was a Gamecube sequel to Four Swords.


BS Zelda Kodai no Sekiban = Ancient Stone Tablets? or the other one?

Which other one? "BS Zeruda no Densetsu"? That was the only other Japan only Broadcast Satellview Zelda.

[Nicholas Steel]

BS The Legend of Zelda Triforce of the Gods & BS The Legend of Zelda Ancient Stone Tablets. I presume the 2nd one.

[Russ]

You know, I played Ancient Stone Tablets. It was just okay. The dungeons were fairly linear, and the bosses were all recycled from LttP. Not to mention it was very easy. I do love how they added timed events though. And how it's tied in with LA. Zelda mentions that she once had a friend, but he sailed off in search of adventures.

[Anthus]

You know, I played Ancient Stone Tablets. It was just okay. The dungeons were fairly linear, and the bosses were all recycled from LttP. Not to mention it was very easy. I do love how they added timed events though. And how it's tied in with LA. Zelda mentions that she once had a friend, but he sailed off in search of adventures.

I have a incomplete playthrough of Kodai No Sekiban on my Youtube.


BS The Legend of Zelda Triforce of the Gods

I thought Triforce of the Gods was just the JP AlttP.

[Nicholas Steel]

it is :)

[Radium]

There are only two Zelda games I wasn't too fond. One is The Adventure of Link and the other was Majora's Mask. It was just the art styles that did them in for me.

[Mak-X]

Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass are my least favorite Zelda games.

Twilight Princess was just disappointing to me, it missed the magic that made Ocarina of Time great, like the pacing, exploration, and focus on you, the player as the hero and main character, and not a secondary character. And many more things I'd have to write a long post about.

Phantom Hourglass is OK, it does some neat things with the interface, but its different and not the same as the previous Zeldas, and kinda dull in some ways. I still haven't finished it. I couldn't recommend a DS just for Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

I really want to see a new Zelda that goes back to the original's style, not unlike New Super Mario Bros., or the Zelda 1 style BS Zelda.

[Revfan9]

There are 2 main problems with the franchise right now, and this is something that is sadly happening to almost all First-Party Nintendo franchises. Metroid seems to be the only series immune to this, although MP3 was a bit disappointing...

1. They're changing the target audience. They're going after the 8-year old girl who has never really liked Video Games, not the 20-year old guy who has been playing Video Games since he was a kid. Expanding into new markets is fine, but do it with new games. Wii Fit and Wii Music are perfect examples of this. Don't let the classics get ruined in the crossfire.

2. They're letting fresh faces get into the brainstorming process. This is fine and all, as it is true that the series needs some new ideas. While LttP is a fun game, I would certainly have hated to see every new release just LttP with the dungeons switched around. The problem here is that the people who are entering with these fresh, new ideas simply don't know what the fuck they're doing. This is part of the problem I had with MP3.

Although I still enjoyed MP3, I felt that they undermined the Metroid "Essence", which is exploration. That feeling of being lost, but not in the bad "OMG WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO!?", walking around in circles for hours kind of way. But the way where every door leads to a new, exciting area to explore. Not only does this increase the longevity of the game experience (The one flaw being that it only really lasts for the first playthrough), but it also greatly increases the sense of reward when you find that item at long last. MP3 seemed to take out most of this and replace it with "LOL THERE'S A SPACE PIRATE LET'S SHOOT IT!"

What needs to be done is that new ideas should be added to keep the game fresh, but what should be avoided is removing the very thing that made the game so damn awesome in the first place.

[blubb]

First of all, I've never played a Zelda game newer than MM, simply because I don't own a Gamecube, Wii etc. and I don't really care for "4D DirectX 12 graphics" which require a 15GHz quadcore to play (maybe I'm too old for that) so that I'm totally satisfied with the gfx in OoT and MM.

But enough ranted about the "new age" ;), my all-time favorite is LttP, simply because it was my first Zelda game (grew up with it), it was not too easy and not too hard. Gfx, overworld and dungeon design, storyline, music... just perfect! Personally, I found the N64 games much harder than LttP (e.g. stone tower in MM).

So my list would be

1. LttP
2. MM
3. OoT
4. LoZ
5. AoL

The thing I didn't like about AoL was the "jump and run" design in dungeons and towns, IMO that doesn't fit to Zelda . But all in all I still liked it.

I've only played those five games, so I don't know about releases for portables such as GB or DS. If I remember corrcetly, I started playing a GB version (don't know which) once but didn't like it that much (I think it was too limited).

[Maverick_Zero]

Link to the Past is my favorite and unless they actually spice up the Zelda games somehow I don't think that will change. I didn't played any of the game boy ones besides awakening which I never really got into. My least favorite has to be Twilight Princess it just felt like every other Zelda game and not worth the hype or money.


Why PH sucks so much ass:

The dialogue, and humor is aimed at 10-year-olds


How old were you the first time you played Zelda?

[Rydia]

Well, here is my rankings of the games, but it might be a bit messy, because it's the second time I wrote them up because I closed my browser by accident...

1) Link to the Past is at the top of my list, and has been since I played it the first time. It has great music, and graphics, and I personally love the overall feel of the game. Storyline it top notch, and the entire aspect of it as a whole is great.

2) Link's Awakening/Oracle of Ages. I couldn't decide which one I like better. LA had a good storyline, and I enjoyed the game as a whole. Good overworld, good dungeons, enjoyable music. Good classic Zelda game. OoA is also great. 2 awesome overworlds, and an awesome plot. Once again, good music, good clean Zelda.

3) Oracle of Seasons was quite good actually. I didn't like it quite as much as LA or OoA, but it was still a pretty good game. 1 1/2 overworlds to explore, and a very interesting storyline.

4) The Legend of Zelda is in fourth place. It's the pioneer of Zelda. It was revolutionary for the NES, and for that it had some pretty dang cool dungeons, and a very unique overworld system. I like it because it's a classic. Not too much of a challenge anymore though.

5) Ocarina of Time. First 3D Zelda game. Good long game with an interesting gameplay style. Although, I feel as though the storyline was a moderate modified LttP storyline (3 dungeons for 3 pendants in the first world, 7 crystals/medallions in the second world) Even with that, it was a very good game, and had pretty good cutscenes.

6) Twilight Princess/Wind Waker. These both hit number 6 here. I liked both gameplay styles and graphics on both of them. TP had some damn good graphics, and I loved the music. Quite epic I must say. It had an alright storyline, but it was way too linear. Couldn't explore too much on your own. Wind Waker had a very unique style. The graphics fit the game pretty good, as I don't think a OoT/TP style would have fit too well. I loved the music, especially Dragon Roost Island. It had some good dungeons, but could have used more then just the Earth Temple, and Wind Temple. Possible 3 more would have been good.

7) Majora's Mask was good. It had some good music, and very good dungeons. The time limitations kinda sucked. I hate those types of limitations. The overall concept of the game was pretty neat though. The mask system was quite a dare, but it was pulled off very well. Might good game.

8) Zelda II was pretty good. I do have to say, I am thankful Nintendo didn't take Zelda down this route. I'm glad they went back to the old style with LttP. Good long game, and ok music for it's time. Didn't much care for the overall style of it, but I still passed it, because it was an interesting game. It could have used a few more extra lives, or at least have them return after you die.

9) Four Swords Adventure was pretty good. I loved that they used LttP graphics, and music updated. I think the game was pretty good though, but it could have used a better, longer, more in depth single player storyline instead of using the same exact one as the multiplayer. I mean, they used LttP sound and graphics, they could have even made a game half the size of LttP, with the same style as it's sound and graphics donator, but alas, they didn't. Still pretty good though.

10) Minish Cap was decent, but in my opinion, way too short. It was a good game, but only having a few dungeons kind of sucked. The story was a little under the standard of other Zelda games. Here is when they started getting lax on their games...

11) Phantom Hourglass was an ok game. The graphics could have been cleaner, and made a lot better. The music was boring. Dungeons were alright, but the Temple of the Ocean King did it in for me. I refused to play through it again, as it was just boring as hell... Plus the only way to play was with the stylus and touchscreen... That should have been an option, instead of forcing us to play it like that...

12) Four Swords, didn't play much of it, but I wasn't too fond of it. I don't really have too much to go on here, but I'll give it credit though.

On another note, I think Nintendo is trying to hard to replicate the popularity of OoT. Maybe they should just give up on that, and just put their effort into making a new clean crisp Zelda that isn't meant to beat OoT. Maybe with that, they could actually pull it off.

[ZTC]

1) A Link to the Past - Sure, this game is challenging, but that's what made it so enjoyable. It was fun, and not exceedingly hard.
2) Link's Awakening - Still play it and hack into it with GG codes once in a while

3) The Legend of Zelda - Fun and challenging when my NES isn't bugging out

Other games I've played:
The Minish Cap - Really the weakest entry I've played. Way too easy.

BS Zelda - This was good challenge to try, still need to play it.

BS Zelda/Stone Tablets - Played week 1 back when the dungeons were just fixed. Still need to get the updated versions.

Adventure of Link - I've played a little bit of it, so no comment really :shrug:

I don't really have a least favorite game, but I think I'll avoid PH.

[Nicholas Steel]

2d: LttP
3d: Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask > Ocarina of Time.

[ShadowTiger]

11) Phantom Hourglass was an ok game. The graphics could have been cleaner, and made a lot better. The music was boring. Dungeons were alright, but the Temple of the Ocean King did it in for me. I refused to play through it again, as it was just boring as hell... Plus the only way to play was with the stylus and touchscreen... That should have been an option, instead of forcing us to play it like that...There's a hack for the Pro Action Replay where you can use the D-Pad and the X button to do most things. It works, too; just not that well. It's definitely better than using the stylus for everything, as it would get in the way of the action. (I have to use a pen. I lack a stylus.)

[Shazza Dani]

Dude, I have a 3-pack of styli. You should, like, drive to Pittsburgh and get them. (even though that would be more effort than going to the store and buying them)

[Modus Ponens]

There's a hack for the Pro Action Replay where you can use the D-Pad and the X button to do most things.

I suddenly have both a reason to get a PAR and a motivation to play Phantom Hourglass.

[King Aquamentus]

Adventure of Link: Nintendo did their best to cover their tracks though. Did you notice that none of the spells, newly incorporated items, or enemies were used in the later series? The only things that were kept were the Triforce of Courage, and Shadow Link

You forgot to mention the magic meter, a glove as an item, Volvagia (yes that is Barba's japanese name properly translated), Daira, (Alligator enemy in armor), Iron Knuckle (no Tartnucs. Only Irunuku.), and of COURSE the names of nearly every town in the game. And as Anthus said, the hammer. Funny thing about games... you don't really know what's in them until you've explored it all out. If you don't play through, you don't know what's in it. Unless you bother to look at Gamefaqs, maybe.


It seems parts of the plot have been rehashed as well. And I'm not talking about waking up Zelda.

[gdorf]

Alttp > Oot > Tloz > MM > others

Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass were both too easy boring. I haven't played WW, but I expect I won't like it either.

[MANDRAG GANON]

A link to the Past in terms of 2D - It was everything I loved from the original zelda increased 10 fold and more.

Majora's Mask In terms of 3D - It was everything I loved about ocarina of time only fleshed out a lot more. I sometimes feel like OOT was the test and MM was the real game.

Also up there is Zelda 2 for me, I always am surprised when people complain about the difficulty of this game, the only annoyance to me is that it sends you back to the beginning each time you die but I mean... I've been beating this game since I was 5. I find it way easier than most Megaman games. Difficulty should not be a complaint, this is why most modern day games are for pussies. It should be if the ends justify the means. Most NES era games grew from arcade games and so brought over alot of the difficulty. I see no reason to play a game unless it is challenging me in some way.

Mostly I love the style of the world in this game though. I would love to see a new Zelda that took place in the world that Zelda 1 and 2 were situated in. I miss the weird meld of Roman and medieval architecture.

[Nicholas Steel]

MM > OoT, OoT is a good game, but it is completely linear (unless you use glitch's and bugs to sequence break)

[Darth Marsden]

Ocarina of Time is still my fav. I never really got into the 2D titles, they were before my time. And, sadly, my house was a Genesis one. The N64 was my first Nintendo console, and OoT was my first Zelda title. You never really top your first Zelda game, do you?

To me, the worst in the series are the original two NES titles (which are hideously dated no matter what the die-hards say and, for me, almost unplayable as a result) and Majora's Mask, which would have been fine is not for the 3 day thing. You have an open world you want us to explore? Fine - just don't restrict us with some arbitrary time limit! Everything else was great, but when you're constantly under pressure to keep going, it takes an awful lot of the fun out of things.

[firebug]

LoZ and aLTtP are my favorite 'standard' Zelda games. LoZ holds a special place in my heart because it was literally the first video game I ever played, and still the only one with a built-in Master Quest.

My all-time favorite was AoL. I know most people hated it, but I thought the combination top-view RPG/side scrolling was ingenious, and the story totally original. I absolutely loved it. And to those who say it's too hard, learn some tactics. It has nothing to do with insane button-mashing. You have to time your attacks and jumps perfectly, just like any challenging Zelda game.
Majora's Mask comes in a close second to AoL, simply for the originality and dark atmosphere. It was totally Zelda, but didn't have to hold onto the old formula to make an excellent game.

The WindWaker sucked. Too much sailing. Minish Cap pissed me off, it was way too easy and the storyline was written for a four year old.


Majora's Mask, which would have been fine is not for the 3 day thing. You have an open world you want us to explore? Fine - just don't restrict us with some arbitrary time limit! Everything else was great, but when you're constantly under pressure to keep going, it takes an awful lot of the fun out of things.

The whole point of the game was that you couldn't possibly complete everything within 3 days (just too many damn things going on at once). There was no arbitrary time limit. Hence the time travel.

[Modus Ponens]

In Majora's Mask, if you start out a new three-day cycle by playing the Inverted Song of Time, and then having some small sense of a plan for where you want to go and what you want to do, you have plenty of time to explore, or complete a dungeon, or talk to people and play games, or whatever, but you just can't do it all at once. This, to me, gives it more of a mission-based feel, where you have to say to yourself, "okay, I just want to go see what's going on in Snowhead right now, and then if I have time, I'll check out that curious spot at the swamp." Majora's Mask remains my favorite 3-D Zelda, with Wind Waker very close behind. And I certainly don't think that Twilight Princess sucked, like a lot of people claim; I just don't like it as much as some of the other titles in the series. In fact, I still like it more than Ocarina.

[Pineconn]

Seriously, though, I can't think of a time in Majora's Mask where I ran out of time to do something. You can manipulate time easily enough - slow it down, speed it up (to the next 12 hour interval), or restart it. Perhaps the most annoying part was having to recollect bombs and arrows every time you restarted time.

[Modus Ponens]

Perhaps the most annoying part was having to recollect bombs and arrows every time you restarted time.

That's what money's for. After all, you collect a shit-ton of it, and this game actually gives you a reason to spend the damn stuff. One of the problems with Ocarina, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess is that you're constantly finding way more money than you ever need, since there's nothing you really need to buy. The greatest disappointments are when that chest I worked my ass off to find (or the reward for finding every single fucking skulltula) ends up being just some fucking money. Money I usually can't carry anyway. So at least in Majora's Mask you have a good reason to buy shit, and even if you don't feel like spending your hard-earned money on supplies every time you start out again, well, there's at least 300 rupees hidden around Clock Town that you can grab real quick before you make your store run.

(Plus, Majora's Mask has a mask you can wear that lets you make your face explode! <3 <3 <3)

[Shazza Dani]

(Plus, Majora's Mask has a mask you can wear that lets you make your face explode! <3 <3 <3)

Love it. <3

And don't forget to hold up your shield and you'll take no damage.

[Beldaran]

To me, the worst in the series are the original two NES titles (which are hideously dated no matter what the die-hards say and, for me, almost unplayable as a result)

BLASPHEMY

[Revfan9]

The first Zelda game was amazing for its time, but you have to remember: You were 10 when you first played it, and it was probably your first experience of anything like it. For the younger gamers who probably played LoZ at around the same time (most often shortly after) as they played say, TP or OoT, they'd have an entirely different experience.

Because it was released in an age where the hardware simply wasn't capable of anything complicated, it's not entirely fair to judge it by the same standards as we judge modern games, but it happens anyway because that's just how we work as human beings: We base your expectations on prior events. When compared to modern titles, however, LoZ is VERY rough around the edges. Allow me to elaborate:

It's way, way too easy to get lost on the overworld. There's little to no variation in the appearance of things, so everything looks the same. You can't really navigate effectively until you basically have the entire map memorized. The "Map" is really just a solid gray square, so unless you can draw a grid of pixels in your head (Also a skill learned by many long, tedious hours) it doesn't really help, and even then it doesn't help much since it leaves you no information of where you've been or where you're going unless you have the map memorized.

You die too easily. I know video games are supposed to be "Challenging", but the problem is that you're left with absolutely nothing to do but explore, and when you die, you start right on the same place on the map! So for your first few hours of playing (Unless you have prior experience in dealing with these sort of games) you won't be doing much more than running around in those few screens surrounding the overworld, dying over and over. You finally get somewhere you haven't been before, only to be slaughtered by enemies moments later. You can't really make any progress until after you've already beaten the game several times and memorized where everything is or use a guide to "Cheat" your way through.

Again, back in those days this was pretty much all you could do, but that's not the point. Unless you were 7 getting your first Nintendo for Christmas, just staring at the screen in wonder, when you play LoZ you just sit there, wishing your console/PC would blow up and kill you just to end the misery. The game doesn't start being fun until after many, many cruel, boring hours of experience.

[Shazza Dani]

A post I made on another forum, regarding the original Zelda:

"I still play it from time to time—much more than I play any other Zelda game. And it has nothing to do with nostalgic value, seeing as the first time I played it was on the Gamecube collector's disk in 2003."

So yeah… I played most of the series before I played the first Zelda, and I still love it.

[Beldaran]

So basically you're a big pussy who gets lost all the time. Got it.

[firebug]

The game doesn't start being fun until after many, many cruel, boring hours of experience.

Bullshit. LoZ rocks, even today. I wouldn't mind seeing a new wiiware LoZ game based on the NES.

[vegeta1215]

In Majora's Mask, if you start out a new three-day cycle by playing the Inverted Song of Time, and then having some small sense of a plan for where you want to go and what you want to do, you have plenty of time to explore, or complete a dungeon, or talk to people and play games, or whatever, but you just can't do it all at once. This, to me, gives it more of a mission-based feel, where you have to say to yourself, "okay, I just want to go see what's going on in Snowhead right now, and then if I have time, I'll check out that curious spot at the swamp." Majora's Mask remains my favorite 3-D Zelda, with Wind Waker very close behind. And I certainly don't think that Twilight Princess sucked, like a lot of people claim; I just don't like it as much as some of the other titles in the series. In fact, I still like it more than Ocarina.

Yeah, MM was awesome. I haven't tried to do it, but I read that it is possible to beat MM in two 3 day cycles. The first cycle where you rid yourself of your Deku form is mandatory, but after that you can beat all 4 dungeons in only 3 days if you plan correctly. The Zelda Collector's edition player's guide has a page that tells you all the items you absolutely need to beat the game, and I think it is a very handy reference to attempting such a task. After thinking about it, I think getting the eggs in the Great Bay might be troublesome. (I think that would take a while)

Twilight Princess was good, but like you, I don't like it as much as the other 3D Zeldas. I will say, without Midna, the game would have sucked.



BLASPHEMY
Agreed.

[gdorf]

BLASPHEMY


Yep.

This thread inspired me to go back and replay LoZ.
It was a little easier than I remembered it, but still one of the funnest games I've played.

[Nicholas Steel]

The 2nd quest in LoZ is ok, but the 1st quest is just boring except maybe dungeon 8 and 9...

[Revfan9]

Bullshit. LoZ rocks, even today. I wouldn't mind seeing a new wiiware LoZ game based on the NES.

You seem to have missed my entire point. LoZ does rock, but only after your "initiation", which isn't fun at all. (Note: The "Initiation" can come from playing other games which use relatively archaic gameplay mechanics. Basically any NES/Atari/Arcade game back then.)

I say "Archaic" because it is. In what decent game today do you find items by blowing up every part of the screen (and your bombs are limited!) or by pushing every last grave in the cemetery, because that's the only way? What other decent game today requires that you tediously trek across the map over and over again?

[gdorf]

You seem to have missed my entire point. LoZ does rock, but only after your "initiation", which isn't fun at all. (Note: The "Initiation" can come from playing other games which use relatively archaic gameplay mechanics. Basically any NES/Atari/Arcade game back then.)

I say "Archaic" because it is. In what decent game today do you find items by blowing up every part of the screen (and your bombs are limited!) or by pushing every last grave in the cemetery, because that's the only way? What other decent game today requires that you tediously trek across the map over and over again?

Personally, I miss that kind exploration. Games nowadays (particularly the new Zelda games) don't make me earn anything. :shrug:

[Icey]

The new Zelda games often literally tell you how to get everything.

There are no secrets anymore... there is no earning anything... hell, they might as well have directions written the wall of each room telling you what you have to do in that room =/

[Revfan9]

That's bad too, yes...

Optimally, the game should "baby" you at the beginning with the first few areas, if for no other reason than to let you get used to everything. THEN open up and become more difficult later on.

[firebug]

Bah. Noone missed your point. I'm just not willing to go into a diatribe about how old school games like LoZ or Metroid are better simply because they were exploration-based and challenging. I've never had the problems you're describing, and I chalk them up to you being a shitty VG player who expects everything to be given to him.