The Jade Fist

ohh i was wondering when mario had a sword

is shy guy in la?

I agree. I think another part of it to may be that they were graphical clones of ALttP and LA with a few tweaks. I love that graphical style though so it didn't bother me. I am still amazed at how little attention it got. Both had innovative features (changing the seasons and time travel), both had amazing over worlds packed with content, great dungeons and enemies as well. At the time it came out, it was a perfect blend of old and new.

I LOVED how Seasons was a throwback to the original game (if you look at the Holodrum map and the original LoZ map they match up close to perfect, especially the location and looks of the first dungeon). To me that was a perfect blend and I really enjoyed exploring both worlds fully. The time travel mechanic was great in Ages, it created two worlds in one to explore and it was neat seeing how actions in the distant past affected the future (similar to OoT but over a much larger period of time).

I liked how both games were similar but focused on different areas. The companions were a great innovation and with 3 you had even more ways to play the game. A linked boss fight at the end was a night addition to. Great characters, world, dungeon, everything. I put them at #4 in my best Zelda's list behind OoT, MM and ALttP.

Glad to see another fan of the Oracle games! They are easily the most underrated in the entire series. I am surprised how little they are discussed.

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TP did offer great visual and a great musical score, and in that regards I respect TP. I"m not saying if you like TP you're wrong, I'm not just simply complaining, i see a shift in the series that I don't like, I haven't played Skyward Sword, but when i finally do, I really hope its a step in the right direction away from TP, and if its not, its likely that the next zelda game will take after SS, and TP, and get further away from actually makes the series great, or should make it great.
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Trust me on this. Skyward Sword performs leaps and bounds over Twilight Princess. SS is the best Zelda the series has seen in a long while. It's not perfect, but it's definitely taken countless steps forward and has put Zelda back on the right path. Idk if you'll be disappointed by the linearity or not, but I can say from the personal experience of a hardcore Zelda fan who's first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time that SS is an absolute must-have for anyone who dares call himself a gamer.