what is your favorite zelda game?

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Actually most die hard fans now recognize Wind Waker for the masterpiece it is and have stopped being immature babies over the different art style.

because I can't edit anymore I made some edits to this

I've put a lot of deep thought into all the Zelda games and which ones are better than others. This is my personal list of the best Zelda games in order of their quality, and reasons why they are in that spot. (However the Four Swords games will not be on this list due to the fact that they are party games and can't really be classified as Zelda games imo)

To start of the list these following games are not ranked by number. These are the god tier games in my opinion, the games that in my mind are perfect or as close to perfect as possible. They are tied equally


A Link To The Past - Just a masterpiece in gaming, it's where the Zelda series truly found it's footing and in some elements I feel no Zelda game has even come close to topping it.


Ocarina of Time- Pretty much exactly what I said about A Link To The Past applies to OOT, although I feel this deserves a bit more respect for bringing the gameplay into the 3rd dimension and introducing the Zelda series penultimate villain of Gannondorf. It's not nostalgia as why this is commonly seen as the best Zelda game in the series, it truly is a game that can withstand the test of time, for all time. And the graphics style for the game I feel are the most suited for the franchise


Wind Waker This personally is my favorite 3D Zelda but I can't necessarily call it the best, so it's tied with the other god tier games. I felt that cel shaded art style was beautiful and fit the world and the story perfectly. I loved the storyline that felt completely different from all the other Zelda's, It was the most complex and also had the most complex villain in the series. I'd honestly say that WW Gannondorf is one of the best villains in all of gaming. The huge world, and the amazing cast of characters was also great, as well as some amazing dungeons and bosses (Ghodan is my favorite boss in the series), and also has some of the greatest moments in the series (walking into Hyrule Castle and seeing it frozen in time is my favorite of the entire series) and the game I feel is one of the games like OOT that will hold up forever.


Links Awakening My favorite of the series yet still tied with the other 4. The story was emotional and amazing and had a complexity and depth that I don't feel any Zelda has yet approached yet. There are literally no flaws with the game (except for how much you have to switch items) and I could go on and on about why this game is amazing. I'll just leave it as it is. And that's perfection


Now the numbered list begins Number 1 Oracle of Ages- This was a fantastic game, and the best game outside of the god tier in my opinion. Had an amazing story, and a great villain. And some fantastic dungeon designs. The only reason it wasn't part of the god tier was because it just didn't have that same feeling to me that the god tier games did to me.


Number 2 Oracle of Seasons Almost all the I said about Oracle of Ages applies here, while I personally didn't enjoy it as much as Ages it's still simply fantastic. Also I have to note that Oracle of Seasons has one of the most amazing overworlds in the entire series.


Number 3 Spirit Tracks- This game gets a large amount of hate for some reason I don't know. It takes all the negative aspects that Phantom Hourglass had and made them actually enjoyable. The game had a great story, and introduced a very compelling new villain. And the Spirit Flute I felt was a really great instrument, and the tweaks in the controls and updated graphics from PH really made this in my opinion one of the best Zeldas in the series.


Number 4 Majoras Mask- This is a great game that sadly has some negative aspects that keep it out of god tier. The game has an amazing dark story with complexity and depth that rivals and on some parts surpasses WW and LA and also has the amazing Stone Tower Temple, 3-Day system, and a great amount of amazing sidequests with amazing characters and character development, and Links transformations. Sadly the games main overworld; Termina Field feels very cluttered and ill designed, and the other 3 dungeons that aren't Stone Tower simply aren't very memorable nor very good in general. Add in some at times clunky controls and this is an amazing game that was held back by just a few negative qualities keeping it from perfection.


Number 5 Skyward Sword- This was a great game with some amazing temples, bosses, a great story, and some great characters (Groose and Ghirahim especially) and a beautiful art style, I loved the Beetle, and flying, and especially the Silent Realms. The reason it isn't in god tier is due to both personal reasons as well as some actual criticisms. To get my personal opinions out of the way, I just don't like using motion control for everything. I liked it being used with certain puzzles and the beetle but I hated controlling my sword with complete accuracy as the Zelda series main focus has never been on combat, it's always been about the puzzles. Real criticisms was Fi was terrible and honestly spoiled a large amount of puzzles and bosses and story elements, it really felt like Nintendo was just trying to spoonfeed the entire game to us and remove the satisfaction of actually figuring out things ourselves. The sidequests also weren't as well done as Wind Waker or Majora's Mask. I didn't care for many of the characters (except for Groose who is probably the greatest character in the whole series) and I didn't like how the sidequests didn't feel seamless like MM and WW's did as well as the fact that they just weren't very good eitheir. The overworld being sectioned off was quite irritating as well.

Number 6 Adventure of Link- A game that gets a lot of hate for trying something different, the game though is an amazing game, maybe not god tier and maybe not great enough to be the best in the series compared to others but it's definitely in my opinion a fantastic game and a must play. It has imo some of the best music in the series, and an amazing combat system that has you infusing tactical swordplay and magic. And 2d nonlinear sidescrolling dungeons similar to Metroid. The game is a bit hard but I don't see that as a negative quality at all. It's a great game it just doesn't compare to the game above it.


Number 7 Minish Cap- A great Zelda game. With an amazing villain in Vaati, I personally just didn't feel the game did enough new as a whole to be higher on the list. Still a must play in the series.


Number 8 Phantom Hourglass- This is a good game hindered by some terrible design choices, one thing I enjoyed about the game the most unlike Spirit Tracks allows much more exploration. Sadly the game is hindered immensely by the terrible repetitive Temple of the Ocean King and really touchy controls that were fixed in Spirit Tracks. Also the story is really so-so as well.


Number 9 Twilight Princess- This is the worst 3D Zelda, game. in the past I used to few this as a terrible game and an embarrassment to the Zelda series, however I've begun to realize that while it still isn't by any means the best Zelda game, it isn't as terrible as I've seen it. As a whole it's an average Zelda game with so-so dungeons, terrible bosses, 1 dimensional characters, terribly game pacing, and a story that feels all over the place which has some good ideas but is never really sure what it wants to be... Honestly the story was the worst part of the game, it had terrible pacing, was also over the place, full of plotholes, and recycled way too many plotlines from previous games only without the soul they had when done previously. Not to mention that it felt like the Master Sword, Princess Zelda, and the Triforce had no real place in the story and were pretty much thrown in for no real reason other than to not scare off Zelda purists... And don't even get me started about the story being Ganonjacked and how they ruined Zant... I also feel that Nintendo trying to hard to remind players of Ocarina of Time really hurt the games original elements it was trying to bring to the table. And sadly some amazing items like the Spinner and the Ball n Chain really had no useage whatsoever outside of the dungeons you got them in. I feel like the art style and dark and gritty mood really didn't fit the game or the franchise and felt forced as well, and the game did not handle the usual Zelda humor well with the new art style. There are a lot of things wrong with the game, but it's still a perfectly playable game that as a Zelda fan you will get some enjoyment out of it if you can look past some pretty glaring flaws.


Number 10 Legend of Zelda- Now I know this is going to be a bit controversial putting the first game in last place. But while I recognize that this was the game that started it off and is still a playable game it just isn't the best. It doesn't hold up as well as any of the others yet is still a good game. I'd reccomend playing it to learn about Zelda's roots or if you are a Zelda completionist. But yeah.

Playing the classics for NES even the side-scroller; Zelda 2 the Adventures of Link was alot of fun. I just looked at it as something different when I was a kid. A Link to the Past for SNES was awesome back then. Plus, the soundtrack was really good. I always appreciate great game soundtracks. I find that it's very difficult for me to choose a favorite Zelda game. I kind of liked them all for different reasons. This is due to the fact that each Zelda game within reason, had something very special about it, or a series of special things in the games that really stood out. It is for this reason that it makes it so difficult to arrive at any kind of decision as it seems to me. Anyway, I did also happen to really enjoy Ocarina of Time for N64 as well. However, I will probably choose Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess for Wii, as I really liked that game. Again, it was another game with an amazing soundtrack.

my will have to be Majora's Mask beacues of its oddest, darkest and saddest

I agree. It's also the most vivid. It's beautiful. My favourite by far.

Edit: I have to disagree with calling it the saddest. It's still my favourite game. For some reason Ocarina of Time evoked greater feelings of sadness for me. I have a hard time playing that game if I get too into it. When nobody in the kokiri forest recognizes Link and it's revealed that he's Hylian I tear up and I have to detach myself to get through it. I was so sad about Link's loneliness. I try to imagine some kind of scenario in which Link is transformed into a kokiri for real by the power of the Triforce because it's more comforting to think of that. Then at the end when he's sent back in time it starts all over. He has the meeting with Zelda again and it just goes into an infinite loop. His loneliness has no end.

Ocarina of Time was the saddest for me but Majora's Mask is my all time favorite. I even consider Majora's Mask to be a work of art.

Last edited by seaturtleisland on 24 Mar 2013, 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Favorite 2D Game: Link's Awakening

Favorite 3D Game: Majora's Mask

I just played through (the GBA version of) A Link to the Past for the first time in probably at least ten years...I can't believe it's been that long.

It's fun to go "Oh yeah, I remember this part!", but there were also a few bits I didn't remember at all.

I found "Zelda - A Link to the Past" great, because you never knew when it really ended. So you have adventured the whole world -> get some goodie and you can adventure everything again. So whenever you got something new as new bombs, or the fire or coldstaff, the bumerang, .... it allowed you new ways at places you have already been. I loved the Icepalace with the many combined riddles, where you had to memorize 4 levels to know, that when you jump down that hole in that level, after you clicked this button, than you will land on that spot allowing you to.... And the mirrorworld, changing the whole world again.

So we also had the later games, but I dont think I can judge them appropriate, because I really hated the 3D control. -.- I loved 2D because you could concentrate on the game and the gameplay instead of thinking every second about what buttons to push now.

You just described every Zelda game. Also in a looser sense, every Metroid and Igavania game.

But Metroid is no phantasy. ^^ Its the same with Warcraft and Command & Conquer. I loved Warcraft to the extreme, but I never got into Command & Conquer. So technical they are equal, same game concept and so on...but who wants tanks, when you can have dragons? ^^

I wouldn't say every Metroid game. Hunters wasn't really like that, and Idunno about Other M, but I have my doubts...

Those don't count.

My favorite has to be Majora's Mask. I can't wait for that to get a 3DS remake. It'll be awesome. Wind Waker's a close second, although I think Phantom Hourglass was the first LoZ I actually finished.

I love them all, but I think my favourite one is Wind Waker. The graphics are so cool, and I like the story a lot. And Tetra was awesome too.

Every one of them has their own unique features by themselves, and they're all awesome, but Wind Waker takes the cake for me. The unique artistic style and sound design really punched a hole for me. First time going to Dragon Roost Island and hearing it's theme was one of the better feelings I've had in gaming.

Twilight Princess a close second, the Wolf-Link mechanics definitely put a spin on things, when you'd traverse through old areas with a completely different mindset.

Apparently I haven't played enough 2d Zelda games (only played Link to the Past and Minish Cap, both still great games). Perhaps I'll take a suggestion here and try to play another one.

Oh......