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Your Top List of Favorite Zelda Games

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#1 Shosci

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 10:55 AM

Let's have a little bit of fun here. I love having to see what other's favorite Zelda games are. Very simple, just list out your top favorite Zelda games. There are currently 17 games including the GBA Four Swords and Four Sword Adventures.

 

RULES:

  • The Unholy Triforce that are the CD-i Zelda's obviously do not count.
  • Spin-offs such as Link's Crossbow Training, Tetra's Trackers, and Hyrule Warriors do not count. Just the standards we know and love.
  • If you want, you can do as many as 17 games or less than that.
  • You can add the remake of a certain Zelda game over the original if you prefer it.
  • Finally, explain next to the game why it's placed there. That's of course your own decision to make.

 

Let the opinions occur!


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#2 Eddy

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 11:26 AM

When it comes to listing all 17 Zeldas in a specific order, I really can't actually place most of them, since I love almost every Zelda equally lol.

 

Therefore, I'll go ahead and list my top three:

 

1. Wind Waker - This is IMO the best Zelda game for me. It's got everything needed to be such an amazing game. It's got great atmosphere, great graphics, great soundtrack, tons of exploration and it's a lot of fun to play. Story is also pretty cool with an interesting plot twist halfway through. I know some people complain about the whole sailing thing, but I personally enjoyed it quite a bit, since it gives a sense of exploring new areas and makes me feel like a pirate lol. Overall, best of the series IMO.

 

2. Twilight Princess - This deserves 2nd spot for me, mostly due to the story progression and those damn dungeons. Just like Wind Waker, this has great soundtrack, great graphics (ok, maybe not the best, but hey they're pretty good to me) and I had a blast playing it. The dungeons is probably what shines the most in this game, especially City in the Sky which is my favourite dungeon from the game. If I had to give issues with the game, it's probably the fact that the game is just too easy, and that's it lol.

 

3. Minish Cap (people are gonna kill me for this lol) - I had to think long and hard for this one, since it was pretty close with other games I also loved, but I'm gonna go ahead and put this on 3rd spot. For a 2D Zelda, it's a whole lot of fun. The graphics are actually really awesome for a 2D Zelda like this and even though some parts of the game are a bit eh, it's overall really good. Dungeons are pretty good and the Roc's Feather is a whole lot of fun to play with.

 

As for the bottom spot IMO...

 

17. Phantom Hourglass - It's pretty self-explanatory as to why this is right at the bottom. I don't think I need to explain why this is the worst.


Edited by Eddy, 29 May 2015 - 11:29 AM.

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#3 Ventus

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 11:31 AM

Well here goes my giant list.

 

1. A Link to the past

2. Majora's Mask, original and 3D versions.

 

That's about it there is only 2 good Zelda games for me.



#4 Ben

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 11:43 AM

A Link to the Past is the top of my list followed closely by Link's Awakening and Ocarina of Time.

 

After that they all kinda just are good, and I can't really rank them in any particular order.

 

The bottom of my list is most definitely Wind Waker, but I've gone into detail about why I can't stand that game elsewhere and I won't repeat it here.



#5 Shane

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 12:04 PM

Shane's Top 10 Favorite Zelda Games

These do not represent my full thoughts. I'm thinking pros/cons off the top of my head. The list however has been thoughtfully made.

 

10. Minish Cap

  • Smooth controls making great gameplay. (+)
  • Amazing sprites. (+)
  • Neat soundtrack. Not that impressive, but still above average. (+)
  • Not a fan of the story. (-)
  • Tedious events that break the flow of the game. (-)

9. Oracle of Ages

  • ​Smooth controls making yet again great gameplay. (+)
  • Time travel done best here. (+)
  • I'm a sucker for Gameboy Zelda graphics and music. (+)
  • Kinda cliché in concept when compared to its counterpart. (-)
  • Overworld mostly felt like it contained more water than land. Wouldn't be so bad if it didn't feel so unrealistic and tedious. I don't want to spam buttons to move, thanks. Wind Waker is all around superior in ocean exploration. (-)

8. Spirit Tracks

  • Glorious soundtrack. (+)
  • Kill me, I love the gameplay. It felt engaging and an improvement from Phantom Hourglass. (+)
  • The later dungeons were fantastic. (+)
  • Story was neat. Amazing ending. (+)
  • Early dungeons suffered from being a bit too generic. Even a better song would of saved it. (-)
  • I really did wish I could explore more at times during train segments. (-)

7. Oracle of Seasons

  • As said, great gameplay. Sucker for graphics, music, etc. (+)
  • Season changing is perhaps the most innovative gimmick I've seen used by far. (+)
  • Tarm Ruins. That is all. (+)
  • Some of the dungeons felt a little generic. (-)
  • Could of used more villain screen time. (-)

6. Twilight Princess

  • I felt the atmosphere here was the truest of all Zelda titles. Love the medieval feeling. (+)
  • Hate me but I loved Twilight Princess for being more subtle with its dark tones. (+)
  • Great dungeon design, every dungeon felt unique and interesting. (+)
  • I felt like it had the best set of characters. They were memorable and didn't resort to being oh so distressed all the time to do so. (+)
  • I love Zant's craziness. Kind of questionable in execution but the idea of him losing it was a nice touch. Too bad he wasn't the villain. (+)
  • Speaking of who. Ganondorf really sucked in this one. (-)
  • Gameplay wasn't too great. Especially the wolf segments. (-)

5-A. Skyward Sword

  • Great graphics making a great metaphor that video games can be a form of art. lol (+)
  • Amazing soundtrack. It simply is amazing. (+)
  • Fantastic dungeon design. Quality over size was a wise choice here. (+)
  • Few colourful characters that are very memorable. (+)
  • ...But as said, there were only a few. (-)
  • Motion controls. I didn't have the best experience I'm afraid. It's a crippling factor. (-)

5-B. A Link to the Past

  • Comfortable gameplay, that is all. (+)
  • Dungeon design was neat. (+)
  • Dark World. That is all. (+)
  • Most dungeons felt like they lacked identity. (-)
  • It felt... generic all around. The only thing that felt really compelling was the Dark World's atmosphere. (-)

4. Link's Awakening

  • Same reasons for the Oracles, only difference is, the most memorable story told in the Zelda series for me. (+)
  • Great foreshadowing and how it tricked us into thinking it was a generic story. (+)
  • It felt generic and repetitive otherwise in the design department. (-)

3. A Link Between Worlds

  • Best gameplay yet. Do I need to say more? (+)
  • A storyline which had the potential to be amazing and it did tap some of that potential. (+)
  • Music was nice to listen to. (+)
  • It didn't feel completely original. (-)

2. Wind Waker

  • Sensational art style that still remains flawless today. (+)
  • Amazing soundtrack, if not perfection. (+)
  • Great dungeons, all their sizes were nice. (+)
  • Amazing storyline and amazing ending to boot. (+)
  • Forsaken Fortress never really appealed to me. (-)
  • I hate how a certain cut dungeon felt so hinted in the final product. (-)
  • Wanted to explore Hyrule a little... (-)

1. Ocarina of Time

  • There's something truly magical about this game for me. Not just the nostalgia, but it feels like a true classic. (+)
  • The temples... I dunno, but others seem to agree to an extent that they felt like actual places in Hyrule rather than just existing for the plot/gameplay. (+)
  • Best Hyrule Field theme incarnation. Also the rest of the soundtrack was great. (+)
  • Best incarnation of Ganondorf. Yes, I prefer this one over Wind Waker just slightly. (+)
  • Does feel a little dated, but that's bound to happen since it's 2015 and this was one of the first 3D adventure games. But still. (-)
  • The hatebase. (-)

Cue debate for honest and different opinion. (´ー`)


Edited by Shane, 30 May 2015 - 12:59 AM.

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#6 Joelmacool

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 12:31 PM

My top 3 favourite zelda games:

Number 3 - Oracle of Ages/Seasons

  • Both games have cool gimmicks.
  • Amazing yet simple graphics.
  • Not that bad dungeons

​Number 2 - Twilight Princess

  • Cool dungeons
  • Amazing ideas
  • Dark setting

Number 1 - Majora's Mask (3D)

(I know this game gets a lot of hate, but for me this is my favorite, TP almost got 1st but then the re-make happened, so this game boosted to my favorites list :D)

  • Very sad and depressing setting
  • Even if the game isn't long, it really does keep you entertained.
  • Beautiful music
  • Great ideas

My bottom 3 zelda games (I can't put phantom hourglass on this list because I haven't played it before):

Number 15 - Wind waker

  • Boring overworld
  • Boring atmosphere
  • Its just not a game for me :(

Number 16 - Link to the Past

  • Boring gameplay (for me)
  • OK music, not that good though :(

Number 17 - Zelda II

  • Horrible gameplay
  • Disgusting ideas
  • The songs, I guess are good, but they aren't something I'd listen to all the time.

These are my opinions so don't say I am wrong!



#7 SyrianBallaS

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 02:09 PM

I'm just gonna give the ones that stand out for me

 

  1. Zelda U (if it's what it seems)
  2. Twilight princess
  3. The oracles (Why did they waste so much resources on the gameboy I wouldn't know but the engine was a lot more advanced than the SNES, The sales paid off though) If they used the same mentality on the DS, it would probably be more attractive than the PSP, possibly the Wii
  4. Majora's Mask
  5. A link to the past
  6. Link's Awakening
  7. Minish Cap
  8. Wind Waker
  9. Ocarina of time

 

Everyone different and this is just my opinion.

 

Skyward Sword is a disgrace in my opinion, definitely not the worst but maybe it would be my number 10.

P.S: I never played A link between worlds before


Edited by SyrianBallaS, 29 May 2015 - 02:19 PM.


#8 Haylee

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 02:30 PM

Top five:
5: Hyrule Warriors: Screw the rules, I like this game more than most official entries. The game has hours and hours of gameplay, therefore, it should count.

4: Minish Cap: Got addicted from start to finish.

3: Zelda 1: Special place in my heart.

2: Ocarina of Time: Underrated since 2013. Still love it to death.

1: Link's Awakening: Everything about this game is pure platinum.
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#9 SyrianBallaS

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 02:31 PM

I consider Hyrule Warriors an official game, the had Nintendos permission after all, never played it though


Edited by SyrianBallaS, 29 May 2015 - 02:31 PM.

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#10 Logos

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 04:20 PM

I don't feel like making a whole list, I might later. But off the top of my head, I can tell you that Wind Waker and Majora's Mask are among my favorite Zelda games. Majora's mask had a wonderful atmosphere and every time I go back to it, I pick up little details I missed on my previous playthrough.

Wind Waker's exploration was phenomenal. Some complain about the overly-large ocean, but it adds to the feeling of "Epicness" (that eternally misused adjective). In addition, Wind Waker's OST was out of this world, with some of the most memorable tracks in the franchise to date. The Wind Temple theme is probably near my favorite, or the Hyrule Castle theme.

 

Oops, looks like I wrote a paragraph -.-


Edited by Zéo, 29 May 2015 - 04:21 PM.

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#11 Shosci

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 04:38 PM

Good so far. Here is my own list. Remember, these are just everyone's own opinions:

 

15. Legend of Zelda - Didn't age well, secrets were pretty cryptic, controls are kind of clunky

14. Adventure of Link - Not as cryptic, combat was good, just too difficult for me

13. Phantom Hourglass - Love the overworld, disliked Temple of the Ocean King. Has the most underwhelming soundtrack

12. Spirit Tracks - Better story, controls were fleshed out, awesome soundtrack. Didn't like the train for gameplay purposes

11. Skyward Sword - Love the story and characters. That game started slow. Had a lot of padding and handholding. The Sky was more lacking than the ocean. How did they do that?

10. Minish Cap - Underrated, great controls. Good overworld. Didn't like the Kinstones or sections between dungeons.

9. Oracle of Seasons - Weather mechanic was awesome. Sidequests were good. Didn't like the combat-oriented side.

8. Oracle of Ages - Time mechanic was not as awesome, but the story and level design felt better.

7. Ocarina of Time - Overrated (sorry). However, the game picks up immediatly and has some charm to it.

6. Link's Awakening - Loved the overworld, story and music. Got annoyed with the item use though.

5. Link to the Past - Used to hate it, now I like it  :slycool:. Great progression, gameplay, and item usage. Just still never found it that special.

4. Link Between Worlds - Felt like Link to the Past, but better. Love the freedom in Lorule and renting items, but did the overworld really need to be copy and pasted?

3. Twilight Princess - Felt like Ocarina of Time, but better. Best dungeons, great soundtrack, solid gameplay. However, the game starts slow, but at least it does pick up.

2. Wind Waker - Loved the overworld, the soundtrack, the story. However, the dungeons were at most...meh.

1. Majora's Mask - Loved the story, characters, sidequests, dungeons, and masks. It has my favorite soundtrack in the series. Great use of the time travel mechanic. This is one of my favorite games ever.


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#12 Fabbrizio

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Posted 29 May 2015 - 07:14 PM

Okay, before getting into the list, there are two I'm setting aside in a category of their own: games that would have been easier to appreciate had they not been Zelda games. Zelda II and Skyward Sword are both reasonably enjoyable games for me, but when I look at them from a Zelda perspective, I cringe a little, because they don't deliver on the feeling I go to Zelda games for. So while I do enjoy them, I don't enjoy them as Zelda games. I enjoy them as not-Zelda games. Thus, they don't have a place in this list.

 

With that out of the way, onward!

10) Phantom Hourglass/Twilight Princess
I had a hard time deciding which one I liked less between these two, so I put them together in the #10 spot. Why waste time splitting hairs when the hair is covered in shit? 

Now, since I'm about to rip both of these games a new asshole, credit where it's due: both games gave me one very likable character each. Linebeck and Midna both probably make a top 20 list of my all-time favorite video game characters. And credit to Twilight Princess: it's aged pretty well now that HD is ubiquitous, unlike when it came out 9 years ago. So let's dive in!

Fuck both these games. Phantom Hourglass was an unmemorable, janky to control, yet still easy as fuck game. I got basically no enjoyment out of the experience of playing it, and to rub salt in that wound, it's the only Zelda game I've ever pre-ordered, and I even bought the strategy guide when I picked up my pre-order, expecting SOMETHING about this game to pose a challenge. So that's a lot of wasted money right there.

 

Twilight Princess, as I said, has aged well, but when it came out, fuck this game. Aesthetically, it's the Call of Duty of the Zelda franchise: ugly, period. It is an ugly game. Photorealism does not encourage me to explore a world, especially a world with nothing interesting in it. This game was a chore. It looks a little bit nicer now that you can see it in HD, but in 2006, we were still living in a world of CRTs. No, seriously, the Wii and Gamecube both natively output 480p composite. You had to buy 3rd party cables to get higher quality out of them. So all that photorealism just looked like garbage when I first sat down to play it. Even setting the aesthetic aside, Twilight Princess just felt like Needless Dramatic Tension: The Game. Like it was being written by a daytime soap opera writer (the shitty lighting effects make a lot more sense in this context).
 

9) Oracle of Seasons

I kind of have a grudge against this game. If you look ahead a little bit you'll see that Oracle of Ages is in the #3 spot. But here's the problem: Oracle of Ages has always stood in the shadow of Seasons. Seasons this, Seasons that, better mechanics, cooler overworld, muhnuhmahnahmuh. NO. Seasons is a mediocre game at best, and because I have a lot to say about why, I'll save it for the Oracle of Ages entry.
 

8 ) Link's Awakening/Zelda 1
These two are grouped together because as I was making this list, I came to a realization about both of them: I don't actually like them. I don't dislike them, but I find them unmemorable. There's nothing I about them I specifically liked. I wouldn't be making such a big deal about it, except that for years I went about my business thinking I loved these two games, simply by default. Only now as I attempt to make a list do I realize I don't really care for them.

 

7) Ocarina of Time
This is just a solid Zelda game. Not bad, not exceptional. I don't know what I can say about it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but beyond simply playing it, I find it unremarkable.

 

6) Four Swords Adventures/Minish Cap
I group these together because they would have been right next to each other, and I also consider them two halves of the same story. I honestly don't know if I like one over the other. I enjoyed the gimmick of FSA, at least in single player (the tedium becomes asinine once you involve 2 or more people), but I found the overworld lacking a tiny bit. On the other hand, Minish Cap's gimmick didn't impress me very much, but I LOVED the overworld. But when all's said and done, I think I enjoy them about the same.

 

5) A Link to the Past
I don't want to put this so far back on the list as it is, but so many other Zelda games hold fond memories for me that I literally can't move it up at all. But it's still a fantastic game. For snes-era capabilities, the tricks they used to convey depth and distance are astounding. This is best demonstrated by the trees you see in the background when you look off the back edge of death mountain. Everything about it is really impressive, considering the previous installment was Zelda II (again, not a bad game, but definitely not the best demonstration of what the NES was capable of).

 

4) Spirit Tracks

First of all, I should preface this by saying that ghost companions are probably one of my favorite narrative tropes. It allows for a higher level of intimacy in the character dynamic. This combined with Zelda's willingness to be involved in the fight (contrast with Peach's damsel-in-distress syndrome), creates a very cool setup with Link and Ghost!Zelda working as a team. My biggest complaint with Spirit Tracks is that the rail system feels very limiting. Everything else feels good, though. It improves on everything Phantom Hourglass failed with. Link's controls are tighter, the level design is more difficult, and the world is more cohesive. 

 

3) Oracle of Ages

Fuck Oracle of Seasons. Okay, so when I first played seasons and saw Din for the first time, I was super hyped. A female protagonist who seems to be pretty strong and independent? Count me in! I want to see her fight alongside Link and contribute meaningfully to the plot BUT NO. She spends basically the entire game in that stupid crystal, doing sweet FA to advance the story. She is the epitome of damsel in distress, which might be the worst trope in all of fantasy, taking the spot below "everything is dragons, because why not". Din might be the worst female protagonist in any Zelda game to date.
 

With all of this, Oracle of Ages wins by default for me. Setting aside nostalgia bias and the fact that it was my first Zelda game, Oracle of Ages does a far better job of conveying the narrative, Nayru is more active in the plot, and Veran is a more fascinating villain than Mr. Totally-Not-A-Puppet-Gannon-Prototype. Plus I liked the music a lot more in Ages. Nayru's theme still gives me chills.

 

2) Majora's Mask

This game sort of speaks for itself. I love darker themes in otherwise lighthearted series. Majora's Mask manages to ramp up the sense of doom and despair without needlessly creating drama nor resorting to a more photorealistic aesthetic, and this is the major thing I think it has over Twilight Princess. The "adult" themes in Twilight Princess seemed heavy-handed and didn't deliver on a dark experience so much as a dull experience. Majora's Mask, on the other hand, is vivid, and makes you feel the weight of the dying world even after you've refreshed it to the dawn of the first day.

 

1) Wind Waker

I finally managed to acquire Wind Waker HD recently, and played through the whole thing in my free time in about two weeks, almost to completion (I left out the figurine collection because dear god no), and I felt like I was 10 years old again experiencing it for the first time. It's the most delightful experience I've ever gotten from any game, ever. The atmosphere is fresh and delightful. You can take it at your own pace. The fighting mechanics feel tight and solid, and make every battle feel meaningful. Even though you can clearly tell that content was cut to meet the release date, I honestly don't care. The triforce quest, for me, is just an excuse to do what I was going to do anyway: explore the everliving fuck out of the overworld


Edited by Fabbrizio, 29 May 2015 - 07:25 PM.

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#13 The Satellite

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 01:09 AM

I won't go in too much detail, since this list I believe is outdated in places, but here's the copy/paste from my Zelda Chronicles series:

 

1. A Link to the Past
2. A Link Between Worlds
3. Link's Awakening
4. The Wind Waker
5. Skyward Sword
6. Oracle of Ages
7. Twilight Princess
8. Ocarina of Time
9. Majora's Mask
10. Phantom Hourglass
11. Spirit Tracks
12. Four Swords Adventures
13. Oracle of Seasons
14. The Legend of Zelda
15. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
16. The Minish Cap
17. Four Swords

 

I'm going through the series again, slowly, and assuming I do so in a reasonable amount of time, I'll post again with an updated list and more details. I can at least say so far I might actually lower the positions of ALBW and OoA, we'll see, dunno about the rest yet.



#14 Logos

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 09:24 AM

I won't go in too much detail, since this list I believe is outdated in places, but here's the copy/paste from my Zelda Chronicles series:

 

16. The Minish Cap

 

What's wrong with Minish Cap? I've never seen your chronicle series and think it's fine. Then again, It is among the first Zelda games I played, so Nostalgia is probably blinding me...



#15 The Satellite

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 07:43 PM

Let me first tell you the good things about Minish Cap. It has gorgeous graphics and art, for starters. I also enjoyed the implied personality of Link and his relationship with Zelda, well up until she got stoned. Their relationship was adorable, as were both of them individually. There were some genuinely cool puzzle and item designs that were pretty creative and fun, and traveling between the Picori and Hylian worlds was neat.

 

But on the negative side, the game just felt really sluggish and slow-paced. Traversing from point A to point B often felt like a chore, and Link didn't move fast enough for my liking. It also seemed like pulling out a weapon and using it, like the Gust Jar as a major example, took too much time. The story wasn't all that good, kind of bland honestly, and it was a disappointment to find out that fan-favorite Vaati was a super generic villain, Sorcerer's Apprentice gone wrong is the most credit I can give his backstory; it made me feel like the only reason people liked him was simply because he wasn't Ganon. Also, don't get me started on how shitty a partner Ezlo was...

 

My opinion might change on a replay, but as of my last playthrough, Minish Cap just isn't a very thrilling experience for me.





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