Spoiler Top 5 Most Captivating Zelda Games.

[Tictalk]

Before I start I don't want to see, "Why wasn't (insert game here) on this list! You suck! BLA BLA BLA BLA!" This is just my opinion. If you disagree I would love to see your lists below. Remember this is NOT a list of the best zelda games. This is a list of the most CAPTIVATING games. The games that had you hooked and you couldn't put it down. Okay let's start!

#5. Ocarina of Time.
This is only number five on this list because though it was a great game and probably number two on my favorites list, it was defiantly not captivating. I'm probably gonna get hate comments because there is so many hardcore ocarina fans put there but I do love this game it's just not the best. It's ON the list because of it's interesting story line, but is only 5 because you could easily be like, "This is fun, but I could easily save and come back to it tomarow." All in all it is a good game.

#4. Phantom Hourglass.
This game has a lot of haters and I don't get that. This is a great game and in my opinion, unlike 75% of other Zelda fans this one was SO much better than spirit tracks. This was the first Zelda game I beat and is on the list because of it's uniqueness and use of the touch screen that made you not want to put it down. yet you could put it down so it's only number 4.

#3. Four Swords/ Four Swords Adventures
These games are on the list because it was so revolutionary for a Zelda game to be multiplayer. If you played this and you were like me you grabed your friends, stayed up all night and beat the game. Very captivating to make you play it in one sitting.

#2. Link's Awakening.
I have so much to say about this game, but I don't want to bore you. This was my first Zelda game, but was not the first I beat. The main reason that it was on this list was because the story line was intereting and you didn't have to put it down because it was the first hand held zelda game! Once you got to the ending you were like I knew it! This game once I started playing it again I was hooked and played for a week whenever I had free time. This game does have it's fair share of haters so it's only number 2.

#1. Majora's Mask.
This IS the single best game I have ever played in my life. It was such a step from other zelda games and it defiantly was stepping in the right direction. This game made you feel like noooooo these people will die if I put the game down. The anju and kaefi side quest was so unique and sad how they were waiting to die together. The end boss battle you were like pshh piece of cake. Then it turns out that skull kid isn't even the bad guy! It was the mask! Then you go to the moon and your like "I'm in freakin video game heaven." It was so unique and the quotes the children said were touching and true. The gameplay with the mask's kept it interesting. Then the ending after you beat ther epic final boss it was like dawn of a NEW day and your like whooooooooooooooooo! And you see all the characters ended up alive and the wedding. And the best part is that you knew skull kid the whole time!!! You met him in ocarina of time and you helped him!!! Sorry I got a little carried away in that paragraph. I'm just so passionate about that game being the best ever.

I hope you enjoyed my list. If you agree, disagree, whatever. Tell me below!

 

[JuicieJ]

I would say Phantom Hourglass isn't exactly captivating, although its story is very good. There are games that are far better, though. I can't really say much on the FS games, but I personally wouldn't agree there. However, the others, yes. I'd have a hard time deciding which one is more "captivating" between OoT and MM, but they both deserve to be on there (although OoT deserves at least 2nd imo). Really great job on this.

 

[Tony]

My most captivating games are very similar to yours, Tictalk, only in a different order. This is not the order of my top 5 favorite Zelda games, however it is a list of Zelda games I just dived into and was addicted too. I will try to explain as best as I can why they are captivating. Now with out further ado, let's get this show on road.

5.) Spirit Tracks.
I remember opening this game up last year on Christmas Day. I was a little skeptic about it at first, but once I played it my mind was blown. I was amazed at how this game excelled over what my thoughts were at first. Quickly I began to be captivated by its brilliance. The Train, I think, was that bad and I found it very fun to ride around in. Sure the tracks limited the exploration and the free roam aspects of the game, but it was a nice change of pace for one game. I loved all the side quests it had, like transporting goods and passengers. It was just great, the side quests added a lot to this addition to the Zelda franchise, and probably why I felt very captivated by it.

4.) Ocarina of Time
I bet some of you are like, "Why the heck isn't Ocarina of Time higher on the list. You suck!". Well just hear me out right now, this is my list. If you want to whine about how great this is and how bad that was, make your own list, I'll gladly read it. Anyways, Ocarina of Time had a really captivating story which was constantly twisting and turning, just like that Forest Temple corridor. Ocarina of Time also had some of the best, if not the best, Dungeons in the franchises history. Heck, even the Water Temple was fun on occasions. The pieces of heart and all the optional things to do in Ocarina of Time made keep coming back to this game over and over. Also this is the first video game I have ever played which also adds a lot of nostalgia when I play it. Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece that should not be over looked by any gamer.

3.) Majora's Mask and A Link to the Past
Right now, you are probably thinking why do you have two games in one? Well I love them equally in terms of captivation. Majora's Mask is truly an amazing game, it had a lot of content that people over looked. I am also one of those people that loved the time limit, because it worked for this game. Majora's Mask owes all its replay ability to the three day time cycle because without it you wouldn't have the extra character side quests that many games don't have. The character side quests, masks, and heart pieces really had me coming back to this game over and over, I simply can't get tired of this overlooked masterpiece.

A Link to the Past, also has a lot going for it, for one it has the largest amount of Dungeons in any Zelda game to date and this is the first game to have the extra heart pieces that you could collect. A Link to the Past introduced a really complicated story into the Zelda game which was a nice touch. What A Link to the Past really had going for it, were the overworld, optional items that were a blast to get and the Light World/Dark World puzzles that were sometimes very complicated or very easy. I always find myself coming back to this classic and it really captivated me the first time, really captivated <.<

2.) Phantom Hourglass
The first time I played this game I was hooked. There was so much replay ability in this fantastic game I just fell in love with it. It had so much to do in a small game, I loved the boat and how you could explore with it and I instantly fell in love with the Anouki's ^^. The force gems were my favorite collectible part in this game, because if you collected all of them from one group, you gained a power that could use to your advantage. I don't know why, but I just keep coming back to this classic. If you haven't played it, try it out it isn't as bad as people make it out be.

1.)Link's Awakening
This game is really addicting. I fell in love with this game the instant I played it. The story is very captivating itself, but what I think captivated me the most was the overworld and all the things to do in it. This was a really unique game, and as Djinn put it the start of character development in the Zelda series. The characters were amazing in this game, because they were oblivious to what they were. I also loved how the game was a huge mystery that was revealed to you bit by bit as you progressed through the game. I just loved every minute of this game and I would recommend this game to anyone who is willing to enjoy a great game.

If you read this far, thanks! I hope you enjoy my post, I put a lot of work in it. Anyway I suggest you check out anyone of these games. Well, that does it for this time, happy gaming and have a wonderful night.

 

[triq267]

Ok so here's what I think based on my experience:

5)Twilight Princess: Personally this is #5 because even though I liked it I still spent days on a single dungeon.
4)Ocarina of Time: I put this at #4 because at first, it took me an hour to beat a dungeon, but now I don't really even spend an hour at a time playing it.
3)Legend of Zelda: The original is only here because of my discovery of ZD. It taught me to appreciate LoZ and after that I played all day until I beat the first four dungeons.
2)Minish Cap: I loved Minish Cap and once I started playing I would play it for hours before turning it off. Then the next day I would play it again!
1)Link's Awakening: I just couldn't put this game down and when I replayed it, I got to the final dungeon in one day

So those are my 5 most captivating Zelda games.

 

[425]

Here comes my list:

#5 The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods (A Link to the Past)

Triforce of the Gods is a game that I have yet to complete, but has kept my interest the whole time, even when I would fail continually; doing the same parts over and over again without success, and here's why:

Triforce of the Gods has an interesting story, fun dungeons, difficult bosses, and not altogether bad gameplay. The story of Triforce of the Gods far exceeds that of the original Legend of Zelda, and has kept me enthralled the whole time so far. I was captivated by the search for the Master Sword, and am captivated now by the search for the Maidens. Every dungeon and boss battle in between has had a good amount of challenge so as to not be too simple, but also not to the point where I get stuck and frustrated.

However, the gameplay of Triforce of the Gods is altogether one of the weakest of the series, in my opinion, and it has been what has kept me from continuing to push onward as much as I did with some of the other games. Though at first glance it felt more intuitive than Legend of Zelda, the gameplay from Zelda I is actually something I feel I would prefer over Triforce of the Gods in some ways, since the enemies are more difficult in the latter, and I often find myself struggling to make it from dungeon to dungeon. For this reason, Triforce of the Gods makes it no higher than #5.

#4 The Legend of Zelda (Zelda I; Hyrule Fantasy)

Although it was hard for me to get started on, The Legend of Zelda held my attention once it got it, and I still cannot think of a game from that era that was near as innovative, difficult, and fun. Though at first the gameplay perplexed me and the dungeons bored me, The Legend of Zelda had my attention once it got it, which was around Level 3. The gameplay was better than anything I've seen from that time period or anything near to it, and the enemies were difficult; each one having, though, a certain weakness that you had to learn to exploit. The bosses were at least as interesting as any Zelda game to date, and although I would have preferred fewer repeats, bosses like Gohma or Gleeok were fun to defeat more than once, and were difficult enough to be definitely interesting; especially Gleeok, who, even after knowing the pattern to defeat, was still very fun to fight, though I did die my share of times, too.

Unfortunately, The Legend of Zelda did have a hard time getting my interest initially. I feel like near the beginning, the overworld enemies were overpowered for the 3 hearts you started with, and, since one of my pet peeves is excessive difficulty in transit between dungeons, this infuriated me at first. Also, my inability to find any of the dungeons until resorting to a guide was another downside. However, the dungeons were interesting once I started in on them, and overall, despite its weaknesses, The Legend of Zelda makes #4 on my list.

#3 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

For all the animosity this game gets, I found it to be a very fun game that managed to keep my interest with an exciting plot, fun gameplay, and, in my opinion, creative dungeons. The saga of the Twili was something that made me want to keep playing, if only to discover a bit more of Zant's plot, or to get Midna to tell me a little more about the Twili. This fantastic story was aided by dungeons that all had a unique touch, especially ones like the Lakebed Temple, with the rotating stairs, or the Palace of Twilight, gathering Sols and defending them from Zant's Hands. These were only made more fun by what I believe to be the best gameplay yet in the Zelda franchise in the Wii version of the game. Although the motion controls were not incredibly realistic, they were still a unique touch and put the player more into Link's shoes than ever, and Hidden Skills as well contributed to a fun gameplay experience.

The main weakness in Twilight Princess was that the beginning of the game was long-winded which was a detriment to replay value. Considering that you play for one to two hours before even making it to the first dungeon, the first part can be tedious and somewhat boring to play multiple times. Other than that, Twilight Princess was incredibly captivating.

#2 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask was an incredibly captivating game due to the most unique dungeons in the series, great characters, and a terrifying story that accompanied a sense of urgency. Majora's Mask drew me right in the very instant I got into Clock Town. Come on, the MOON WAS FALLING. This was more captivating than any other Zelda lead-in since it immediately expressed not just the subordination of the world to darkness, but the horrific death of hundreds or even thousands. Plus, once I got into the game, I never lost interest. Dungeons, especially Great Bay Temple, were solved in a whole different way than other Zelda games. You might do the beginning of a dungeon 3 or more times before actually solving it, and that really made you want to beat it every time you went in. I was drawn in by all of Majora's Mask, and there were no flaws about it that were not very captivating, except that one game was just a bit better...

#1 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

This game had me hooked from when I first walked into the Deku Tree, and it is absolutely flawless as a game, and it is so incredibly captivating that I have never become bored with it. The plot of Ocarina of Time implies an urgent mission, and it doesn't just go in one line, it twists and turns and every time, you know that you must keep going to see what happens at the end. Ganondorf sets himself up in this game as the ultimate Nintendo villain, as he exhibits his seemingly omniscient knowledge of Link and Zelda's plans and his seemingly omnipotent power to stop them. And, even when he seems dead, he makes a return, more powerful than before, and almost defeats Link, denying him his greatest weapon. Ganondorf, even just as someone who must be defeated, was an incredibly captivating part of this game. And I haven't yet mentioned the dungeon. The dungeons are all very interesting, challenging, and fun to play and replay. Even when I didn't even understand the concept of a dungeon and I was stuck in Dodongo's Cavern, I still played almost everyday, trying to figure it out. And then with such classics as the Water Temple, which could keep one occupied for weeks on one's first run, Ocarina of Time is unmatched as an entertaining, challenging, and captivating Zelda game.

 

[Rare Addict]

5. Majora's Mask
If there's one area where this game trumps almost every other game in the series, it's in creating a world that the player feels emotionally invested in. The world of Termina is one that the player felt privileged to explore, with the burden of time being all the more motivation to save it. The fact that, after all this time, Termina has yet to return in another Zelda game, is beyond me. Then again, perhaps that is one of the many things that continues to seperate Majora's Mask from all other iterations. While, admittedly, the next four titles on this list are the only Zelda games that I would go so far as to say that I absolutely love, I really appreciate Majora's Mask for the chances that it took.

4. A Link to the Past
A title that I regret not playing sooner, Link's SNES adventure is one that I didn't end up experiencing until last year. The overworld is so immense that it just inspires exploration, the combat is much smoother than that of the initial two Zelda games, and the musical score is top-notch.

3. Wind Waker
A breath of fresh to the established Zelda formula (even having come off of Majora’s Mask), The Wind Waker is a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. Yes, the Triforce scavenger hunt that pops up towards the end of the quest is tedious to say the least, but with a story that deftly handles with themes of loss and moving on towards the future, a fluid, engaging combat system, a musical score that comes shining through at just the right moments, and a visual style that is sure to hold up for console generations to come, it’s a small price to pay.

2. Ocarina of Time
While it seems as though every Top 10 list that you come across has some spot reserved for Ocarina of Time, it’s not without good reason. The game set the standard for console adventure titles, with a revolutionary lock-on targeting system, a lengthy quest, a bittersweet story, and a musical score that will forever be engrained in my noggin.

1. Twilight Princess
While not the most original (nor the most challenging) entry in the series, Twilight Princess is -- to me -- the definitive Zelda experience. Yes, the game has the exhilarating combat, as well as the devilish puzzles and intense boss battles, but it’s the beautifully melancholy story (and who I consider to be the star of the game, Midna, in particular) that makes the game truly special. It all comes together to create what is, personally, my favorite video game of all time.

 

[zeldafreak101]

5 Phantom Hourglass
4 Minish Cap
3 WW
2 OOT
1 LttP

 

[nafizl]

1. Spirit Tracks
2. Ocarina of Time 3d
3. Wind Waker
4. Link to the Past
5. Twilight Princess

 

[romani64]

1. Spirit Tracks
2. Ocarina of Time 3d
3. Wind Waker
4. Link to the Past
5. Twilight Princess

you just said my exact list that i was about to say
exept majoras mask would be 4th.

 

[nafizl]

you just said my exact list that i was about to say
exept majoras mask would be 4th.

Lol you have very good taste dood and I really want to play Majora,is it good?

 

[UraZelda]

5 Alttp
4 ph/st
3 tp
2 mm
1 OoT

 

[JuicieJ]

Lol you have very good taste dood and I really want to play Majora,is it good?

Majora is a fantastic game. Just about all the reviews gave it a 10/10. And for a good reason. Just play it and find out for yourself.

 

[UraZelda]

ign gave it a 9.9/10 and when i saw that i thought ow so close

 

[nafizl]

Majora is a fantastic game. Just about all the reviews gave it a 10/10. And for a good reason. Just play it and find out for yourself.

I would play it if I had a n64...Or internet on my wii.....

 

[tetrafan]

1 Ocarina of Time one of my favourite games ever its a masterpiece!
2 Wind Waker another classic its breathtaking to see Old Hyrule frozen at the bottom of the sea!
3 Majora's Mask I loved the story and darker atmosphere Tatl is my favourite Sidekick and I liked her much more then Navi.
4 Phantom Hourglass I agree this is a more fun game then Spirit Tracks I enjoyed it more and Linebeck is a fantastic character.
5 Minish Cap I liked the story and the Temples. music was top notch too.