5 BEST
1. A Link to the Past- This game laid the foundation for the series, and is, despite what people say about OoT taking the title, the most influential game in the series. The basis of ALTTP defines the games that came after it. Travel between two worlds (light/dark, land/water, sky/surface) was prominent in this installment. This idea of two worlds now basically dominates the Zelda series. Also, many of the towns, areas, music, and characters are recycled in following games, which is a testament to the influence ALTTP had on the series.
2. Skyward Sword- Now, don't get angry for me putting this one so high, but it think it gets a lot of bad rap for such a solid game. Sure, it's different and out of the box, but in my opinion, it has all of the quintessential Zelda elements reintroduced in a new style. Its storyline is fair enough and explains the origin of Hyrule and the Master Sword. The Wii MotionPlus was stellar. It was intuitive and natural, and it redefined the sword mechanics of Zelda. All around, I think it was a pretty solid game, perfect for Zelda's 25th.
3. Ocarina of Time- Need I say more? Solid game, solid story, solid gameplay. It's a classic. But I ranked this one lower because I thought it was overly cliché, and while others hail it as being so influential, lots of OoT's elements were taken from ALTTP.
4. Majora's Mask- This game is so profound, it nearly brought me to tears. The story is chilling and, if I may, really dark for a kid's game (originally E for Everyone). But it's breathtakingly beautiful. The music, the characters, and the story is brilliant. My biggest problem with MM is that it's a GAME, not a movie or book, which means it needs to be PLAYED. Personally, I found the gameplay was horrible. For me at least. Lost a lot of hair over this game.
5. Twilight Princess- TP basically picks up where OoT and MM left off. It did was OoT couldn't do due to technical restraints. The graphics were pretty sucky, even for 2005/2006. They really skimped a lot on graphics. The world was so open, but a little too open and desolate for my taste. The story was alright, but was not moving and did not make an impression on me in the least. The gameplay was fair, not bad not great. The music is beautiful, but I wished it was fully orchestrated. Midna was great as a character, but not as an assistant. Overall, pretty good game.
5 WORST
1 (absolute worst). A Link Between Worlds- I honestly don't know why I hate this game so much, but I do. BURNING INSIDE WITH VEHEMENT ANGER! ALTTP was so great that I hate that they made a re-release/sequel thing? I don't even know. The non-linear structure is fine, but it certainly isn't something I look forward to in the new Zelda game. I hope they stop this after the newest installment. The story was weak, what was up with that villain?, and the whole renting items business SUCKED! LIKE A VACUUM! I'm sorry, but I cannot hate a game any more than I do this one.
2. Oracle of Seasons/Ages- I thought these games were weak, boring, and cliché. Nintendo + Capcom is nice in theory, but when they actually sat down to make a game together, it just wasn't very good.
3. Zelda II- It's the black sheep of the franchise, what with it's side scrolling gameplay and whatnot. I just found it too dissimilar to a Zelda game, lacking the core elements of Zelda. I know that the whole 'Zelda culture' was nonexistent at the time, but I'm glad the series skipped over that game's core functions and instead returned to the style of the original.
4. Phantom Hourglass- This game wasn't BAD, but it was just... Blah. There was nothing especially good or bad about it, which is why it made it onto my worst list. It was largely forgettable, and the gameplay and graphics sucked.
5. Four Swords- I like the concept, but a multiplayer Zelda feels almost like Hyrule Warriors: not really a Zelda game. It has the classic dungeons and bosses, but it's just too unorthodox, much like Zelda II, for me to consider it a favorite Zelda game.
