So far, I count 3 people who liked LA the best of any Zelda game. MAKE THAT 4!!! Now check this out, this list is about our favorite Zelda games and least favorite Zelda games, not the best and worst. This list is intentionally subjective and biased as it should be. Link's Awakening is the first Zelda I beat (I had played LoZ and ALttP previously) and it remains my favorite.
I'm not going to rank them though because any way I rate them will be a disservice to all of the games. I will say that LA ties with OoT with my favorite Zelda games. Let's see if I can say something nice about a few of them. Spoilers follow.
Link's Awakening: Humorous and wity, the game has been misunderstood. We all know Hyrule Historia, while THE official canon, was basically slapped together to bring the game universe together in cohesion and is riddled with inconsistancies. One of these inconsistencies, I believe, is the simplistic view that the events of Link's Awakening are a dream. After Link woke the Wind Fish, he found himself alone in the ocean after a shipwreck.
Now, all through the game, Link was told that he was in a dream, everything points to it. Link and the person controlling him know that when they wake the Wind Fish, the island will disappear and the inhabitants will vanish. This made the end of the game sad as we knew that we were leaving the island. In the final moments of the game, however, after we have accepted the loss, Link looks up and sees the Wind Fish in the real world. That was the entire twist of the game! Not only that but if you beat the game without dying, you'll be treated to an alternate ending in which you see that Marin got her wish and grew wings.
So there you have it, Link's Awakening was not SIMPLY a dream. If indeed it was a dream, some of it was material and the adventure at least, was real.
Wind Waker: Best music in the series, hands down. The intro, the Great Sea, Dragon Roost Island...incredible. Also Ganondorf.
Four Swords Adventures: Anyone giving the game a review without having played the multiplayer to completion should be given the same credence as having only played the first level. I have played the game through single player, 2, 3, and 4 players. The game changes depending on how many players you have playing which is an innovative game design. It was a huge departure from previous games and the payoff was worth it if you have 3 friends willing to play beginning to end.
Try this if you have disposable income and 3 friends willing to play. I have put this together and it really works well (though it is quite expensive). I play the game on my old Wii. Connect that Wii to a TV. Connect a Game Boy Connector cable to the first Gamecube controller port. Connect that cable to a Game Boy Player peripheral attached to the bottom of a Gamecube. Connect a Gamecube controller to the first controller port of the Gamecube and insert a Game Boy Player disk into the Gamecube then connect that Gamecube to a second TV.
Repeat this process for the remaining three controller ports in the top of the Wii and you'll be able to skip the tiny Game Boy Advance screen and throw the game onto 5 TV screens! This makes the game easier and more fun to play!
Ocarina of Time: Something random since everything about this game has been discussed a thousand times. Majora's Mask may be more of a horror game but there was nothing in that game anywhere near as disturbing as the Dead Hand.
The Minish Cap: This game was incredible for its technical limitations. The pacing was good, the Piccori were cute, the gimmick became a strong mechanic, and we were introduced to a Vaati who wasn't a mindless beast.
