First time Zelda player; very disappointed.

[thedruid]

So, in my quest to play all the gaming classics I missed (mainly console classics because all I had growing up were PCs), I decided to jump into the Zelda series, with the Twilight Princess on the Wii. It ended up being my worst gaming experience in recent memory, and I had to force myself to finish it. Just about the only things I enjoyed in that game were Midna and a few of the boss battles. I can provide a list of things which I loathed in the game, but the main reason for this post is that I want to give the series another shot.

So, can someone recommend me a zelda game which is actually well designed and memorable? I know that OoT is at the top of many lists, but I've also heard that it's a handholding slog. I'd like a game with at least some of the qualities that I always heard zelda games had: freedom and exploration. No truckloads of cutscenes which wrest control from my character, and no herding me onto the next story quest.

 

[T-foe]

TP is a very tame, tedious, tear drop collecting game...
yet it does have its moments.

I think A link to the past would be close to what you want, or the n64 zelda games if you don't want to look at sprites.

Steer clear of Skyward Sword, it's a really terrible game.

 

[27ジョーカーソン]

What are you doing on this website? How dare you come on here and insult my life like that.


Just kidding yo. First of all everyone knows TP sucks on the Wii, on GCN it's an incredible game. I would say play ocarina of time, the stone cold 3D classic of the series. Incredible game, the game of my childhood. I'm actually surprised you didn't start with it. If you're more into the classic style, but your not a fan of sprites and 16-bit graphics, i would say ALBW, it's very similar to the classics but it's modernized a bit.

And i actually love SS, it's one of my favorites, but it does get a lot of hate so you might not like it. If you like good bossfights SS has some incredible ones.

 

[Mercedes]

I'd honestly say to skip OoT and try and grab Majora's Mask somewhere. A lot of freedom and exploration in that one with the quite interesting 3 day mechanic constantly looming over you. It's definitely my favourite Zelda game and I wouldn't describe it a "hand-holding slog" either.

 

[thedruid]

I don't mind sprites. In fact, I think I'd probably enjoy the 2D zeldas more because then I wouldn't have the headaches I had with TP's controls and camera.

I didn't go for OoT first because I had read that TP was pretty much OoT 2, and I thought that with it being a more recent title the devs would have ironed out any kinks in the gameplay.

ALttP and MM are available on the Wii's virtual console, so now I must choose one. ALttP seems to be universally loved, so I may go for that one.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Zelda will always be a series of contrasting experiences depending on how you envison the perfect experience. Twilight Princess was everything I wanted out of a game at the time I played it; it was fun, had an epic storyline, great fantasy elements, exploration, lore to dig into, puzzles to solve, large overworld to explore and so on. So it's a case of opinion really and how you picture the perfect experience.

It could be one of two things though, since Twilight Princess encompasses a lot of what essentially makes a Zelda game, maybe this series just isn't for you. You say you want freedom and exploration, and TP offers a lot more of that than most Zelda games. Maybe you'd like The Wind Waker for its large open waters and the ability to sail pretty much wherever you want after a certain stage in the game. Or maybe you'd be willing to play some of the older, more nonlinear games (Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past). Or you could go for the newest title in the series, A Link Between Worlds.

I would definitely recommend Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask though. They aren't exactly free- to-go-wherever-you-want games, but they offer something different; a classic adventure game.

 

[thedruid]

Zelda will always be a series of contrasting experiences depending on how you envison the perfect experience. Twilight Princess was everything I wanted out of a game at the time I played it; it was fun, had an epic storyline, great fantasy elements, exploration, lore to dig into, puzzles to solve, large overworld to explore and so on. So it's a case of opinion really and how you picture the perfect experience.

It could be one of two things though, since Twilight Princess encompasses a lot of what essentially makes a Zelda game, maybe this series just isn't for you. You say you want freedom and exploration, and TP offers a lot more of that than most Zelda games. Maybe you'd like The Wind Waker for its large open waters and the ability to sail pretty much wherever you want after a certain stage in the game. Or maybe you'd be willing to play some of the older, more nonlinear games (Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past). Or you could go for the newest title in the series, A Link Between Worlds.

I would definitely recommend Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask though. They aren't exactly free- to-go-wherever-you-want games, but they offer something different; a classic adventure game.

I think the main reason I disliked TP was the control scheme, which was a constant source of frustration and led me to blow the other flaws in the game well out of proportion. The Wiimote is definitely TP's most fearsome boss. Having a single button do almost everything is a recipe for disaster. I was constantly rolling into instead of interacting with objects, which was particularly annoying in time-critical puzzles which the game has plenty of. Navigating a 3D world without being able to easily pan the camera also turned what was meant to be fun platforming into a nightmare (that and the awful "analogue" stick). And then there is the actual combat which 99% of the time consisted of mindless Wiimote waggling.

The other major reason is that TP is a linear game, but it has the worst kind of linearity: the one where you have to search for the next set of rails to lay on the track. I honestly think TP would have been a more enjoyable game if it had been honest about and embraced its linearity, and focused its efforts on the story.

 

[Iridescence]

Twilight Princess isn't one of the better Zelda games.

I would recommend A Link to the Past, The Minish Cap, The Wind Waker, A Link Between Worlds or Link's Awakening to you.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I'd say give A Link to the Past a shot, or A Link Between Worlds. Wind Waker is one of the more opened games although it starts out very linear. Ocarina of Time is a good games in terms of story, but its about the same as Twilight Princess in terms of linearity, more linear actually so I don't think you'd like it. Majora's Mask though is one of my favorites, although it is linear it has its upsides. For one it has so many sidequests to do that each time you play the game there is so much other stuff you could be doing besides the main quests. The game also has some of the best dungeons, I think some of the best puzzles in the series, plus its boss battles are really fun and challenging.

 

[misskitten]

I completely agree with you on the wii control scheme. It was what I liked the least about TP on the wii, so much that I searched and paid a buttload of money to get the game on GameCube instead and I loved it so much more with the regular button controls. I personally enjoy TP, but more so once I got a way to play it without the motion controls.

To avoid wii controls, just stay clear of Twilight Princess and especially Skyward Sword. Occarina of Time is one of the alltime greats, but was also the game a lot of us had as an entry to the series back when it came out, so part of our love does stem from nostalgia, but still an epic game that does things so right. I just recently finished Wind Waker HD, and yeah it is an easy game, but it's also really vibrant and fun with a lot of character. There's a ton to discover and the sailing that some people complain about, I just don't find bad. Majora's Mask is good, has fewer dungeons and more side-quests, but a lot of fun with masks giving Link special powers, as well as some of them transforming him. My main issue with it is the 3-day limit and having to reset time and start from the hub again if you take too long (but you can also slow time down to give yourself extra time), but I know many don't mind it as well.

My favourite in the series is A Link Between Worlds. I know it's a generally easy title, but it's heaps of fun, I love the wall-merging mechanic and especially how open and non-linear it is for the majority of the game. It's also the first game I played where I felt the collectable parts of the game were fun and engaging. It was the first game I 100% completed. But be warned, if you do that before A Link to the Past, it might spoil your enjoyment of that game (like it did for me), so perhaps do that one first and then head on to the sequel.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Twilight Princess is one of my favorites and I was frustrated at first with the wii controls cuz at the time I didn't know how to use them. If your looking for a good 2D experience I'd strongly reccomend The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening and Minish Cap. That's a fun trio

 

[PhantomTriforce]

I think the main reason I disliked TP was the control scheme, which was a constant source of frustration and led me to blow the other flaws in the game well out of proportion. The Wiimote is definitely TP's most fearsome boss. Having a single button do almost everything is a recipe for disaster. I was constantly rolling into instead of interacting with objects, which was particularly annoying in time-critical puzzles which the game has plenty of. Navigating a 3D world without being able to easily pan the camera also turned what was meant to be fun platforming into a nightmare (that and the awful "analogue" stick). And then there is the actual combat which 99% of the time consisted of mindless Wiimote waggling.

The other major reason is that TP is a linear game, but it has the worst kind of linearity: the one where you have to search for the next set of rails to lay on the track. I honestly think TP would have been a more enjoyable game if it had been honest about and embraced its linearity, and focused its efforts on the story.

Your own fault for playing the Wii version. Honestly, TP is one of the best Zelda games, so I don't know what more your are expecting. Maybe try A Link to the Past or A Link Between Worlds if linearity is such a big deal for you.

 

[DarkestLink]

Sounds like you came to the wrong place. You might find some of what you want in the first three titles (LoZ, AoL, aLttP), but other than that, I wouldn't expect much here.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Sounds like you came to the wrong place. You might find some of what you want in the first three titles (LoZ, AoL, aLttP), but other than that, I wouldn't expect much here.

I dunno, Adventure of Link and Past are pretty linear

 

[Ventus]

So, can someone recommend me a zelda game which is actually well designed and memorable? I know that OoT is at the top of many lists, but I've also heard that it's a handholding slog. I'd like a game with at least some of the qualities that I always heard zelda games had: freedom and exploration. No truckloads of cutscenes which wrest control from my character, and no herding me onto the next story quest.

Who the hell are you hearing from that OoT is a handholder? You're thinking of Skyward Sword.

Anyway, shoot after OoT, MM, LoZ, AoL, ALttP, and the Oracles.