Spoiler Rankings for Zelda Games You Own

[Pocket Asian]

Posts in this thread may contain spoilers.

Well, I started playing Zelda games back in May of 2009 and got instantly hooked after the first game I played. So far I have 9 of the 14 canon Zelda games. I think now that I have played most of them I can finally come to the conclusion on which ones are my favorites and ones I really didn't get into.

So here is my list, descending from 9 to 1. 9 being my least favorite and 1 being my favorite:

9.) Ocarina of Time - Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this game. Its the first Zelda game released in my lifetime. I just didn't see it as great as any of the other Zelda games I have played. Its not the fact that I think its overrated, but I just didn't get into it like I did with some of the other ones. Like I said, I think its overrated, but its still overall a great game.

8.) Twilight Princess - This happens to be the first Zelda game I have played. I loved the graphics and everything about it, but it just didn't compare to the other ones on the list. I was definitely overwhelmed by the puzzles and dungeons in this game, it being my first Zelda game and I've been a Mario fan my whole life. I was also stunned by the beauty of Hyrule Field and all the other features of land.

7.) Majora's Mask - I loved the dark theme to this game. Everything about it was amazing. I was definitely amazed at how the time system in the game worked. As every day passed on, the characters in the game would reveal their true colors on how they feel about death. It may have been short, but to me, the time system made up for it. The time system was a unique feature as it challenged the players as they raced against time to complete the four dungeons.

6.) The Wind Waker - Cel-shading, enough said.

5.) Phantom Hourglass - The sequel to the Wind Waker, it proved to me that a DS Zelda game is just as fun as a console Zelda game. To me, the control scheme was very unique and easy to use.

4.) Spirit Tracks - You get a train, with a cannon. Also, this game proved to be a lot better than its predecessor. The cutscenes in the Tower of Spirits did make me crack up. Especially the one where Byrne got away from Link and Zelda. The way they looked at each other- classic. Plus, this game also showed how the bond between Link and Zelda grew stronger as they worked together, not to mention that this is also the only game where Zelda is with you the whole game.

3.) Four Swords Adventures - The first 2-D Zelda game I own. It was a unique game as it cut away from the usual factors of other 2-D Zelda games. Your heart containers always went back to 4 with each new level and all you did was collect Force Gems to power up the Four Sword. I don't know why I liked it so much, but it just amazed me.

2.) The Legend of Zelda - You can't beat a classic. Its just amazing at how even with simple 8-Bit graphics a game can come alive and stay with you.

1.) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - Along side with Majora's Mask as one of the most shunned Zelda games, it really strikes me as the best Zelda game. A lot of Zelda fans complain about newer ones not being a challenge, well, here's they're challenge. It is a difficult game at the start and it did feature side scrolling. Its a unique game because it is the only Zelda game to focus on the sword and magical spells. At first I also didn't like it. I shunned it at the start, but after trying it countless time at Nintendo8.com, I've grown to like it and bought it on the Wii. In my opinion, it is the best Zelda game thus far, even if I still haven't beaten it.


As I get more Zelda I will update this list. I still ALttP, LA, OoS, OoA, and MC. I'll get them soon.

 

[Thomphill7]

out of that list I'll would rank them by

1. Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
3. Twilight Princess
4. Wind Waker
5. Spirit Tracks
6. The Legend of Zelda
7. Phantom Hourglass
8. Four Swords Adventures
9. The Adventure of Link

for me that is the order from the best to the worst

 

[Pocket Asian]

out of that list I'll would rank them by

1. Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
3. Twilight Princess
4. Wind Waker
5. Spirit Tracks
6. The Legend of Zelda
7. Phantom Hourglass
8. Four Swords Adventures
9. The Adventure of Link

for me that is the order from the best to the worst

I'm asking to rank the Zelda games YOU own, not on rankings for my list. Maybe criticisms on my list, as well.

 

[elliotstriforce]

LA and MC are the only ones i own now. i used to own OOT, MM, and WW.

 

[Ninten*]

If you look in my signature, it shows the Zelda games I beat. The only Zelda game I own is Spirit Tracks but of the ones I beat, here they are.


1. Spirit Tracks

It's way better than PH and there were hillarious scenes and fixed Phantom Hourglass's problems.

2. Phantom Hourglass

It was easy and all but I really enjoyed just playing the game, killing bosses and all that and I know I said that PH was only my 3rd favorite.

3. A Link to the Past

It was a really good game and all that but I hated the fact that if you died against boss, you would have to go through the dungeon to the boss room.

 

[Josh]

1. Wind Waker.

Wind Waker to me was a beautiful game. It had the perfect graphics for me, it tried to throw in some halfway decent jokes, it had amazing characters that had depth to them, that finally had a story behind them. The music was the most upbeat music I've heard in any Zelda game so far, holding steady with the depressing music in Twilight Princess. The game had dungeons that I could enjoy, I mean, I haven't met one person, or at least that I can remember, that hates the Tower of the Gods. And, what I've listed already is what people complain about the most, the graphics, and the sailing. The sailing, it gets tedious at times, but I only really notice during those long chapters during walkthrough making when you have to do constant sailing over and over for almost hours at a time.

2. Ocarina of Time.

Ocarina of Time was a great game. It's always constantly on everybody's top 3 list, if not hogging the top spot. This game wasn't first for me though, but it did make it to second. I always have a hard time deciding which I like better, A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time, but I'd have to go with this one. This game seemed to have.....more depth too it, more of a storyline than ALTTP ever did, and that's why it wins. Sure the 3D helps, and all the new views and ways to kill things, but the storyline is what really did me over. The constant going to temples, finally feeling emotion for the people that I was saving, they weren't just some pixels on the screen anymore, they were real people, in my size and height. This was a completely different adventure, and that's what it's #2.

3. A Link to the Past.

As I've said before, I often have trouble deciding which I like better, ALTTP or OoT. Partly because this OoT was basically a rehash of this game, in a lot of ways. But this game didn't quite match up to OoT in the end, for a lot of those same ways. This game I love for the simple fact that it's really a game that let's you do what you want. I have it on the GBA, and it's just the perfect game that you can play through in about 2 hours, but at the same time, it's not a piece of crap game. This game, no matter how many times I play through it, gives me a challenge, always, and that's why it's so far up.

4. Twilight Princess.

I don't hate this game. I'll make that clear right now. I still like it, and it does have a lot of different things from other games that make it great. But the problem with this game, is that, it just doesn't have a magic spark to it. There's nothing in it that really makes me want to go and replay it. It's kind of....just a game, and nothing more.

5. Spirit Tracks.

Okay. So having just played Spirit Tracks recently, I've got to say, it's in the same boat as Twilight Princess. This game, so far, has no replay value for me. I don't want to start it again, I don't want to finish it again, I don't even want to complete all the sidequests again. And, the sidequests, honestly, I just want to shoot the guy that came up with the rabbit catching idea. That is such a complete waste of my time to try and find all these things, looking around over and over. It's just as pointless as collecting the poe souls in Ocarina of Time.

6. Majora's Mask.

Majora's Mask for me, is too different. I feel that it was too different of a game from every other in the series, what with the 3 day time limit, the really dark mood, just the way it's played, I don't really want to play it. I've only gotten about halfway through the game, but I don't really care to go further. I just, don't like to play the game.

7. Phantom Hourglass.

Phantom Hourglass, was an okay game. It wasn't really great, and it wasn't really too horribly bad. The only major beef I have with it is the Ocean King's Temple, otherwise I think it's a halfway decent game.

8. Minish Cap.

Minish Cap I got a while ago for my birthday, but past that actual day, I have yet to play it again. I got a little bit into the game, but it just didn't interest me that much to keep on playing it any further.

8. Legend of Zelda.

This game was good, for a first game with the technology they had back then. But, I just don't like playing a game that misses so much about what I've come to love about games. The story, the characters, everything just isn't there, so I slowly lose interest in this game.

10. Adventure of Link.

From the first moment I played this, I didn't like it. I probably have the same complaints as most people, but for good reason. The overhead view, the enemy battles, the way you progress, it just all deters me from this game.

 

[Y2K3]

1. Ocarina of Time - This is the only Zelda game that I enjoy starting over again and again.
2. Majora's Mask - It's brutal hard, IMO, and I hate half of it, but there's still something that I love about this game.
3. Wind Waker - The best graphics in a Zelda game, IMO. Plus, it's not too easy and not too hard.
4. Adventure of Link - The first Zelda I had ever played, long before I'd heard of Zelda. I've always loved this game... minus the difficulty.
5. Twilight Princess - A good game, just doesn't have any magical feeling.
6. The Legend of Zelda - One of the better top-down Zelda games (something I'm not a fan of), and can be fun to play for a bit.

 

[Jesper]

1:
Ocarina of Time.
It has something to do with the fact that it was the first 3D Zelda-game. When I played it, I was stunned. I though (at that time) the graphics were AWESOME, the story was cool.
It has definentally something to do with the fact that it IS the first 3D Zelda. By that time, it was SO AWESOME.
2:
Twilight Princess.
The best story EVER.
Funniest GAMEPLAY (Wii) EVER.
Some annoyances though...
3:
Minish Cap.
I always loved this game. I could never put the game away. It was super-awesome. It was portable, so I could play it anywhere. Love'd it then, love it now.
4:
ALTTP.
First Zelda I played. It was fun, and the music was awesome.
5:
Wind Waker.
A great game. Could've been tied with the first and second place, except for the fact that it is very annoying :/
I like having a tradition of not using walkthroughs. After I took down the first 3 temples, and then got the Master Sword, took down the forsaken fortress. THEN. Getting the fire and ice-arrows. OK. So I had to warp to mother and child isle? HOW THE F*** WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!
6:
Phantom Hourglass.
I had a great time playing this one. I never could put away the DS. Only annoyance: Temple of the Ocean King. !!!
7:
Majoras Mask.
Fantastic game, with a lot of annoyances and hardships. I was stuck most of the time, and the 3 day-limit = Awful. I was about to get the item you get AFTER beating the first temple... Then time ran out. If i played the song of time, i wouldn't be able to get it :/
8:
Links Awakening.
Dunno what to say. Were really not encouraged that much to play it.
9:
Spirit Tracks.
Great game indeed, but a whole lot of annoyances. The train moved slow, and those Kamikaze trains... ... Made me have to stress like a ***** to figure out strategic places to find where i were supposed to go to not get hit. And they also ruined the awesome overworld music.
10:
Oracle of Ages.
Fun. Didn't like it all that much, though.
11: Oracle of Seasons.
More like copy. Good game, but boring in the length.
12: The Legend of Zelda.
First game. Started the super saga. Did like by the time, yes. But today... It is annoying with the old man, some secrets you would find at random. Easy to die in my part :S
13: Zelda 2.
The only Zelda-game I dont like. Only this: Its 2D. Of course it was an experimental time, but the overview worked perfectly. Sidescrolling action game is not good, IMO. Why, Nintendo. WHY?! If you hadn't made this game, maybe the CD-i would've been better? And not 2d?

Thats my list. Master Quest and Four Swords doesnt count for me
Feel free to disagree, but this is my personal list, and anything you say will not make me change my mind. Well, maybe a little bit.

 

[Jupiter]

Going on console titles only.

7. MM
Don't get me wrong, I like this game for what it was: an experimental little side quest. It's a bonus Zelda that rode in on the back of OoT's success. I think that the core idea of the 3 day system is great, and I wish other Zeldas had a world that felt as alive and side quests as rich as this one. But I have some major problems with it. (A) It was too goofy. Changing form is neat and all, but keeping your green hat while being a Goron was just silly and it really bothered me. As did the Goron rolling mechanic. There were other things in this game that just felt to childish and silly for me to take it seriously. ( It had an extremely lame overoworld (not as bad as Spirit Tracks though), the four territories--swamp, snow, ocean, mountain--were laid out perfectly in the four cardinal directions and they all coexisted in the space of Terminia Field. Stupid. (C) The main quest was short, I prefer more dungeons. (D) While the core idea of the 3 day world was good, it had a story that was otherwise not compelling to me.

6. AoL
I liked this game a lot and have fond memories of it. It has some really fun sword play and some great bosses. Also, the dungeon music was excellent! But it is a real deviation from the other games: no weapons, a phony overworld, side scrolling, etc. The fact that I still put it above MM tels you how overrated I think that game is...

5. WW
I liked this game quite a bit, and I loved, loved, loved the graphical style. I loved the sailboat mechanic too and the sense of setting out on the open seas was really pleasing...then it got kind of rote and boring...then it got frustrating. I think that mixing in the sailing with larger overworld sections could have made this a masterpiece, but, alas, it was large swaths of sailing punctuated by tiny little islands :thinking:. And that triforce collection part at the end, well, I would rather go run actual errands, I'd rather do buy groceries and pick up my girlfriend's dry cleaning. I thought that was an insulting time-waster. Otherwise, it was a good game. And oh yeah, traveling down to the bottom of the sea to the sunken castle that was frozen in time (with a big statue of you in it!) that was brilliant.

4. TP
A great game through and through. Yes it was the "spiritual sequal" to OoT and it riffed on that game a lot, but that's a good thing! On the Wii the combat mechanics were superb. The story was pretty good, definitely engaging. The dungeons were absolutely gorgeous. The overworld is huge and well populated with enemies. This was a very, very good game. I am excited to hear Nintendo say that they are trying to improve on the world they created for this game as they make Zelda Wii, because TP is already pretty awesome. That siad, it was not perfect. Some of the textures were pretty murky and stale (the grass in Hyrule Field got really ugly to me after a while, I did not like the yellowish look it had to it). Worse, I thought the twilight was neat at first, but got boring and dull to me graphically after a while, and the double murkiness of the wolf vision really irritated me. I don't mind darkness and moodiness (I like that!), but it does not have to be so muddy, murky, and bland looking. Also, and this is the worst part of the game for me, the overworld was huge, but your path through it was completely proscribed for you. Zelda should be non-linear. I was told where I could go and when, and that really bothered me . Then, once I had been to an area, it often just became dead space between objectives (like all of Hyrule Field!). Oh yeah, and the areas did not naturally blend into each other, which felt phony to me...you were literally shot out of a canon to get to the desert. Yuck.

3. OoT
OoT was a triumph. It felt in style and tone like an evolution of the first 4 Zelda's, particularly ALttP. Further, the new targeting system, lighting effects, variable A button, the simulation of a musical instrument, and the diurnal cycles in the overworld were all marvels. It should be cherished not only as a successful translation of Zelda into 3D, but as a major step forward in 3D gaming altogether. The story was excellent too. With the themes of childhood, friendship, and the passage of time wonderfully expressed and wrought in the game's development. All of this underscored with superb music, and with a musical theme incorporated into the story and gameplay everything works together to create a truly moving and exciting experience. This game is a marvel. Now, there were aspects of it that we continue to see applied to new games that I wish were not: Nintendo was significantly limited by early 3D technology. As much as I was awed by the game on the first play through, I was disappointed by the lack of enemies in the overworld. I think that the system just did not have enough power to populate Hyrule the way it was in 2D (TP is getting closer, but not quite there, imo). Also, and most regretably, the gamepath is heavily proscribed for you. There is a precise order to the quests and dungeons you must go on. When you can enter a dungeon or part of the overworld is strictly, stiflingly defined for you. This to me is almost anti-Zelda. Zelda is about open exploration, not having a path. I think they did this because it takes so long to traverse a 3D overworld, but I really think it is a huge, destructive development to the series. Finally, there are some things that were introduced in OoT that were too cartooney for me. Namely the Deku Shrubs, Zoras, and especially the Gorons. The Gorons are too goofy for words. I like the idea of having these other races, I just wish they were not so hard to take seriously.

2. LoZ
It might be sentiment, but this--the game that started it all --is till perhaps my favorite game in a lot of ways. It was really hard to decide if this deserves to go before OoT. OoT did so many things right and it is clearly a superior game that has more to offer in terms of story, scope, gameplay, art, etc. But it comes down to this: when I replay OoT it's still fun and still highly appreciated, but it feels a little stilted and old fashioned to me while LoZ feels classic. Now that's just a function of the technology for OoT not aging well while the more simplistic technology of LoZ still works well for what it is. I still enjoy booting up LoZ, getting a thrill from the opening theme and heading out to slash Octoroks and stab Moblins. I still feel a sense of accomplishment with every shard of the triforce I recover. Further, more than any other game in the series LoZ has a truly open world. "It's dangerous to go alone..." other than that bit of advice you are on your own. You can discover dungeons in any order you want and your progression through the overworld is not hindered by boundaries that feel artificial. This felt like an adventure, puctuated by puzzles and challenges, and that, to me, is Zelda.

1. ALttP
I don't have much to say about this, except that it is everything LoZ was, but more so. It truly is Super Zelda. Just as TP was a reimagination of OoT with superior technology, ALttP does the same with LoZ. The big difference is that ALttP improves on LoZ in almost ever way and manges to feel new, while TP does not achieve the same with OoT. The overworld, the dungeons, the music!, the story, the gameplay, the graphics--all excellent, all classic. This game is still a joy to play. Throw in the wonderful Light World/Dark World structure and and epic battle with Blue Pig Ganon and you have the best game made to this day.

 

[Link1432]

1. The Minish Cap
Everything about this game I loved. It was a portable OoT in terms of feel; it had a brighterworld, a great soundtrack, a well thought story. Any time I feel bored with any other game, this is the one I turn to. And that, to me, is what makes it the best Zelda yet.
2. Ocarina of Time
This game left me in awe. No other game has ever done that. A bright, beautiful world, an excellent soundtrack, epic story. It all culminated into one of the best Zelda experiences ever.
3. Spirit Tracks
It didn't take any huge improvements from PH to make it loads better. It was really just a finely polished PH, and it turned out awesome. It felt like the first step in the right direction for the Zelda series.
4. The Adventure of Link
Despite the critisism from many fans, this was a really good game. It tested the limits of what a Zelda game is, and that is what I found amazing about it.
Plus, the temple music was epic.
5. Twilight Princess
This game was by no means bad. It was a really fun experience. Another epic soundtrack, a good story, and one of the better combat sequences in the series. All in all, not the best, but still really good.
7. Phantom Hourglass
A fun little game, for sure. But there was nothing amazing to set it apart from the other games.
6. A Link to the Past
I did like this game, but it didn't seem to have the same effect as OoT or MC. To me, it's more of an opening act for greater Zelda games. It set the stage for what Zelda really should be, and the later games took that and added their own touch.
8. The Legend of Zelda
As good a game this was, there had to be something in last place, and this game ended up being it.

 

[43ForceGems]

1. Majora's Mask
I loved this game. Everyone asks "Why?" And I can't say, it's just awesome. I think some of it might be that you could change into 4 different forms.

2. Ocarina of Time
This game was awesome. I thought the story was great, the bosses were great (except Morpha ) and they really brought Zelda into the 3rd dimension well. But, Majora's Mask was still better.

3. The Minish Cap
This game made me feel chipper inside. The music was all happy like, and it was just awesome. I liked how you went to the Fortress of Winds to get the Wind Element but were totally rejected. And I really like Vaati. He's my favorite villian, alongside with Byrne.

4. Spirit Tracks
I definitely like the land overworld better than the sea, hence why I like ST Beter than WW and PH. I also thought a lot of stuff that I didn't like about PH were fixed. Not all of them though. We still couldn't use the buttons to control.

5. The Wind Waker
It had the best Zelda soundtrack, it had a great story, it wasn't too easy, it was just great. Now... to fix the ocean part. IT'S SPIRIT TRACKS!

6. A Link to the Past
This was a great game. I died 97 times my first playthrough. Hehhehehheh. I've still never understood why it's called A Link to the Past though.

7. Twilight Princess
Don't get me wrong, I love this game. I love my 15th favorite Zelda game. I just thought there felt like there should've been more. But it was a great game, and a good use of Wii controls.

8. Phantom Hourglass
It's the ocean again that ruined this game. But I really loved Linebeck, he was a great character. And the mystery of where you were, just like LA and MM.

9. Four Swords Adventures
I think the 2D graphics on a TV in this decade just didn't work. But it was okay. I love the puzzles you have to solve with 4 people.

 

[Dungeon killer]

My list is from 1-6.
1 being Favorite, 6 being Least Favorite.

5. Phantom Hourglass, this zelda was less than I expected and I was disapointed to play it and realize how bad it actually was.
Having to go back and forth from a central base of operations (Temple of the Ocean King).
But my biggest disapointment was that the bosses where two easy, well for me.

4. Spirit Tracks, well as Ph you have to operate from a single area and have to continuley go back to the Spirit Tower.
This was a great game and had hard bosses, though the train was almost like the boat it also limited you to travels and I wished that you had Zoras in it.

3. Twilight Princess, this was an epic adventure and a revaltionary game.
The graphics were great and was gorgeous, it had great exploreable areas.
But the Bosses were a tad to easy.

2. Majora's Mask, This game was cool and had a dark story and great adventure.
The bosses were perfect and had gret domains and cool forms.
It was great and I hope that they will make one like it again.

1. Ocarina Of Time the game was great and was perfect all of it which was great.
I have no more to say.

 

[athenian200]

I'm going to rank the main ones... I've played them. 1 is favorite, 10 is least favorite.

1. Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons

I liked this title because it seems to incorporate everything you'd want in a Zelda game, and then builds on it. It has everything from the old 2-D titles, and incorporates a lot of ideas from OOT and MM. Instead of Epona, you get one of three animal friends. I loved the time travel as well, it was used in more creative ways than in OoT (almost like the Dark World in ALttP, but better). I also loved the difficulty. It wasn't too easy, but it wasn't overly hard either. It got harder as you progressed, and never had sharp corners. The game just felt very smooth and engaging. It has no magic meter, but makes up for it with the Seed Shooter. OOA is clearly the better game, but you simply must play both for the full experience. I consider this to be the pinnacle of 2-D Zelda games.

2. Wind Waker

This game replaced OoT as my favorite 3-D Zelda game after I got into it. Instead of just a field, you get a whole ocean to explore! I liked how you could explore areas before you could access them, like in the original LoZ. It had a lot of replay value, and I especially liked the Pictograph/Figurine quests, as well as playing in the alternate outfit after you beat the game. The ability to disarm enemies was rather interesting as well. I have a guilty enjoyment of the postal sorting game... I just loved it. My only criticism of it is that it's too short, even with the side quests and island hopping.

3. Ocarina of Time

This game isn't Wind Waker, but it's still the best N64 game I've ever played, and is almost as good as WW. I loved Bombchu Bowling, and Bombchus in general. They weren't needed to beat the game, but I loved hitting enemies and cracked walls with them anyway. I wish I had seen them used a lot more. Anyway, the main thing I liked about this game was using a wide variety of items to solve puzzles. I liked how the dungeons built on each other, and you needed the skills you acquired in the previous dungeon to deal with the next one (especially early on). Another of my favorite things to do is just ride around Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, and the Gerudo Desert on Epona, shooting Big Poes and teasing other enemies, as well as stopping to play the various minigames. Let's not forget the Biggoron's Sword sidequest. I stumbled onto that by accident, not knowing I would get a sword at first. I was incredibly pleased with it, and never used the Master Sword again (didn't even miss the shield).

4. Majora's Mask

The game doesn't flow as well as OoT, and keeps you on edge with the time limit. This game would probably be ranked higher if I didn't HATE time limits so much. Note that this game is ALL about the sidequests and exploration. If you don't take the time to explore and interact with the characters, the game seems hardly worth playing. If you do, however... you get sucked into a variety of intriguing side-stories that are quite poignant. My favorite thing about this game is probably playing as Mikau. I love swimming in this game (even in Great Bay Temple, frustrating as the place was), and the swimming mini-game with the beavers is surprisingly fun. The Ikana Canyon has the richest part of the story in the game, though. It's easy to imagine that place as an alternate version of the Kingdom of Hyrule, had Ganondorf not come along, and had the rulers been a little more petty and ambitious.

5. Twilight Princess

This was a good game, and it had a compelling story. But I couldn't bring myself to rank it higher, because it had no unique hook. When I first played through it, I liked it because my first reaction was, "Yay! That would have been so fun to do in OoT, and now I can do it!" but then a few moments later was... "Wait a minute, that was it? I thought it was going somewhere... there's no twists in this story, everything's going straight. The only thing making this fun is that I wanted to do all of these things so badly in OoT. But that's the only hook. 8 years later, and they've got nothing but old dreams to offer me?" Basically, this game feels like a re-imagined and trimmed down OoT to such an extent that it's depressing. There's really nothing going on except the main quest, there aren't a lot of interesting side-quests. It's like it goes to the opposite extreme of MM... instead of focusing too much on side quests and world-building, it puts all the resources into the main quest and feels too linear. It just doesn't strike the balance that OoT and WW managed to capture so well. I hope that any future Zelda games will avoid going to the extremes of MM and TP. They're both good games that could have been great, IMO.

6. A Link to the Past

This game was for the SNES what OoT was for the N64, IMO. It was amazing for its time, but it has since been surpassed by newer games... all the 3-D ones, and even its cousin OOA have it beaten. If I were making a separate list for 2-D Zelda games, though, this would have ranked much higher (second, in fact). The most interesting feature of this one is the Dark World that mirrors the light one. It allows you to access things you normally couldn't, and affect things in one world by changing them in the other. OOA did this better, though. Otherwise, the majority of things I enjoyed about this game were your usual Zelda staples (the Boomerang, the sword upgrades, the bosses, the dungeon puzzles, etc). The Cane of Somaria was an interesting item I definitely appreciated, but you didn't get to use it much until later in the game. OOA has THAT, too, and I even think it makes better use it. OOA was clearly inspired by this game.

7. Link's Awakening

I almost put this one at #6, but I couldn't bear to put ALttP any lower on the list than I already did. I like too many Zelda games to enjoy having to rank them this way. Anyway, this game is basically a portable ALttP game, and one of the inspirations for OOA (in fact, OOA uses this game's engine). It was a strange game, and at the end I was left wondering if Marin was Link's anima (due to my obsession with Jungian psychology, no doubt). So many of the things seemed to have dream significance. I enjoyed how you had to find keys to access the level. But in the end... the game's main attraction is that it has all the Zelda staples.

8. Four Swords Adventure

This game is like ALttP on steroids. If they'd kept the persistent inventory, made an overworld, and worked a little harder on the story... this game could have easily surpassed ALttP. What's here is good, and ALttP fans will like this game. It is to ALttP what MM is to OoT. The only new attraction in this game is multiple Links, multiplayer mode, and the addition of formations. Aside from that, it mainly draws you in because of the Zelda staples.

9. The Minish Cap

If FSA was ALttP's MM, this game is its TP. It feels like a rehashed and trimmed down ALttP. The main reason I'm ranking it so low is because I feel like the intro story was plagiarized from Chrono Trigger. I also hate the fact that Zelda is such a ditz in this game. The only thing to like about this game is... well, the Minish. The game is aptly named. The Gust Jar is an interesting item, but it feels a lot like the Deku Leaf in WW. It's also annoying how you have to go and learn sword techniques that you start off with in ALttP and FSA in this game. It's still worth a play if you're an ALttP fan, though. The Zelda staples are here, and it's got a few surprises with Kinstone fusing. I just hate ditzy characters.

10. The Legend of Zelda

I'd like to apologize to nostalgic NES fans, but this game is NOT the ultimate Zelda game anymore. It has been surpassed several times over by newer Zelda games, in terms of graphics, story, items, puzzles, exploration, and more. ALttP totally killed this game in every way possible when it came out. Let's just say if you've played ALttP, and you're wondering if you need to play this game in order to know what Zelda's about... you don't. You can safely skip it if you find it annoying, because all the best features of this game are found in later games, in improved form. The game has nothing but the Zelda staples, obviously... in fact it's missing some of the newer staples. If you have a Game Boy Micro, GBA, or DS Lite, though, the "Classic NES Series" version of this is the perfect game for long car trips. It's not complex enough to confuse you the way modern games do, but it's still complex enough not to be boring. Do bring a map for finding the dungeons, sword upgrades, shops, and Heart Containers beforehand. One compliment I'll give this game, though... it's the only NES game I found interesting enough to play to the end aside from Final Fantasy.

11. The Adventure of Link

Yes, I just used an 11 on a scale of 1-10. So sue me. I can't understand how people can praise this game, and then turn around and criticize the CD-i games. I've played one or two of those, and the CD-i games were improvements on this one, with the same play style! This game is just awful. The translation is awful, and citizens in towns randomly turn into monsters when you talk to them, even though you HAVE to talk to them to get information. The magic system is interesting, and inspired later games. It's mildly interesting to play, even though it's confusing to fight enemies at first, and you need to do a lot of level grinding. People say that Zelda escaped the rule about sequels being inferior to the original... but the first sequel was truly affected by that rule. They learned their lesson after this game, though. If any new Zelda game is worse than this one, though... my days as a Zelda gamer are over. This game might have ranked higher if the quality of dialogue had been better. I mean, come on... "I am Error"? I hate to say it, but that sums this game up. It's full of terse, poorly translated dialogue that makes no sense and has no context. This game is an error, and not just because it has a character named that. If you're a fan of both fighting games and RPGs, though... you'll probably love it.

 

[Tom]

1. Ocarina of Time - Even though many of you say it's overrated and (some of you complain that) that MM is way better than the first N64 one, I'm 100% sure this was my best video-game experience of all. I see some of you didn't get to play it when it came out, and I feel bad for you. The graphics were pretty good for the N64, and it was beyond "entertainment" -- you can't compare it to any of the other ones, not only because it was a really great game, but because it was the first 3-D one, a revolutionary business for its time - along with the use of 2-D scenes and backgrounds, it came out to look really beautiful.
The landscape was perfectly built, even though there were possible glitches to be done, the areas were big and well used, for there was lots of stuff to do in each place you could go to, from interesting NPCs to nice sidequests and stories.
What can I say about OoT's soundtrack? I listen to it almost every week: in my car, at home, using my iPod... It was outstanding.

2. A Link to the Past - This game is a really good one, and AlltP, -not MM- (IMO) is truly underrated. People have forgotten it. This was an awesome title for the SNES, and it was capable of providing really nice puzzles and quests even though it was in 2-D. The soundtrack was great, and even if there was not much to listen but "beeps", it wasn't annoying at all, and this is really amazing for a SNES game.

3. The Twilight Princess - Well, this game sure is a good one, and I really did enjoy it. Anyway, I still think they could've done better. They haven't made a Wii one so far, and I feel like the TPs' idea is great, but should've been more elaborate. I felt disappointed when I decided exploring Hyrule's field, for I was expecting that great feeling I had when getting Epona in OoT. TP sure is huge, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's complete and has plenty of stuff to be done, and what a big failure was that.
The soundtrack also sounded incomplete to me. What happened to the classics? I miss Kakariko Village's main theme... I feel like we need more music in the upcoming titles, because music has everything to do with LoZ, doesn't it? It was so nice to play the ocarina in both MM and OoT, wasn't it?

 

[Dragmire]

1) wind waker, ocarina of time and twilight princess (in no particular order): no matter how hard i try, i cant make myself like one more than another, these 3 games r simply the best games ive ever played in my life.
2) majoras mask: this wouldve been first with the other 3 but i found the controls to be worse than ocarina of time like in oot, if i want to spin link 180 degrees, id tap down then tap the z button then press forward nice and quickly, with majoras mask you have to wait after your press z, which i found annoying. also the saving system didnt exactly bother me, but having to bank stufff and losing arrows just plain sucked. everything about this game is so good tho that its the second best game ive played.
3) A link to the past: so much dungeons, such a big overworld, amazing music, this game defies the word classic.
4) spirit tracks: took everything we loved from phantom hourglass and improved it by a lot, boss fights were also really really good. great puzzles, able to control zelda without link being hungry for an octorok.
5) legend of zelda and zelda 2: my god are these games challenging, but boy are they good, my favourite nes games.
6) phantom hourglass: amazing game, loved the puzzles, the new boomerang, the controls everything, but the temple of the ocean kings repetitveness makes it the worst zelda game ive ever completed, which just shows how amazing they all are because this game is still amazing, its not that much wworse than the other zeldas.

you might say im over-exagerratting the 3d zeldas but its honestly how i felt about them, you knowthose movies where you sit there watching the credits at the end thinking 'wow...' (like terminator 2) well those 4 games were like that for me