Graphics- Wind Waker- Perfect style for Zelda games IMO
Controls- Skyward Sword- I don't think I have to explain this one (I love the traditional controls of all the other games as well- I just hope Nintendo never does only touch controls again like the DS games, a mix would be great)
Story- Link's Awakening- Really out there in terms of story so it wins on the basis of being very unique and cool for me
Music- Too many good ones for me to choose, maybe Skyward Sword wins by default of being orchestrated
Combat- Adventure of Link and Skyward Sword- These are the only ones in which how you swing the sword really matters so that's why I think they're the best
Characters- Phantom Hourglass- Just for Linebeck it wins my vote.
Gimmick- Majora's Mask for the three day cycle and masks as a gameplay element- Three day cycle opens up worlds of possibilities and masks give you so many different ways to interact with characters and enemies.
Items- A Link to the Past- Link was practically a walking tank in this game with his wide arsenal of goodies.
Bosses- A Link to the Past- It helps that this game had tons of bosses, but what puts it over the top is that there weren't any duds.
Exploration- Legend of Zelda- Only game in which you can go from edge to edge of the map right from the beginning; if that's not exploration-friendly I don't know what is.
Overworld- A Link to the Past- Everything seemed perfectly spaced to me, and you get to fast travel pretty early on in the game. Each area is interesting with secrets and there aren't pointless boundaries as are the norm in the modern games.
Second Quest- Legend of Zelda- Well first of all most of the games don't even have a second quest, and secondly this is the only one in which pretty much everything changes so it's practically a whole new game.
Dungeons- A Link to the Past- Two reasons: there's a ton of them (most in the series) and they're challenging. Some of the dungeons have concepts that completely confused me the first time I played through the game.
Sidequests- Majora's Mask- The game is practically built around sidequests and they are all excellent.
Puzzles- Oracle of Ages- This game was designed with an emphasis on puzzles and it showed with some real head scratchers around every corner.
Best Sidekick- Minish Cap- I just loved Ezlo's personality and functionality as well.
Sense of Epicness- Twilight Princess- This game went out of its way to feel epic and it shows.
Best Method of Transport- Epona from various games- I love riding a horse through a field; traditional transport all the way for me.
Nontraditional Method of Transport- Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword- PH utilized the boat better than Wind Waker IMO, flying is just awesome, and I think trains are out of place within the Zelda universe.
Difficulty- A Link to the Past and Majora's Mask- Hard but very beatable for anyone; the way it always should be IMO.
Replay Value- Majora's Mask- Not a contest IMO. This is the only 3d game that allows you to replay through any part of the game again without having to start a new file thanks to the 3 day cycle. So you can skip anything you don't like to play the parts you do like, and also with additional items from later on in the game you can redo earlier segments in different ways.
So what do you think? If you want to add in even more categories or take some out feel free to do so.
Controls- Skyward Sword- I don't think I have to explain this one (I love the traditional controls of all the other games as well- I just hope Nintendo never does only touch controls again like the DS games, a mix would be great)
Story- Link's Awakening- Really out there in terms of story so it wins on the basis of being very unique and cool for me
Music- Too many good ones for me to choose, maybe Skyward Sword wins by default of being orchestrated
Combat- Adventure of Link and Skyward Sword- These are the only ones in which how you swing the sword really matters so that's why I think they're the best
Characters- Phantom Hourglass- Just for Linebeck it wins my vote.
Gimmick- Majora's Mask for the three day cycle and masks as a gameplay element- Three day cycle opens up worlds of possibilities and masks give you so many different ways to interact with characters and enemies.
Items- A Link to the Past- Link was practically a walking tank in this game with his wide arsenal of goodies.
Bosses- A Link to the Past- It helps that this game had tons of bosses, but what puts it over the top is that there weren't any duds.
Exploration- Legend of Zelda- Only game in which you can go from edge to edge of the map right from the beginning; if that's not exploration-friendly I don't know what is.
Overworld- A Link to the Past- Everything seemed perfectly spaced to me, and you get to fast travel pretty early on in the game. Each area is interesting with secrets and there aren't pointless boundaries as are the norm in the modern games.
Second Quest- Legend of Zelda- Well first of all most of the games don't even have a second quest, and secondly this is the only one in which pretty much everything changes so it's practically a whole new game.
Dungeons- A Link to the Past- Two reasons: there's a ton of them (most in the series) and they're challenging. Some of the dungeons have concepts that completely confused me the first time I played through the game.
Sidequests- Majora's Mask- The game is practically built around sidequests and they are all excellent.
Puzzles- Oracle of Ages- This game was designed with an emphasis on puzzles and it showed with some real head scratchers around every corner.
Best Sidekick- Minish Cap- I just loved Ezlo's personality and functionality as well.
Sense of Epicness- Twilight Princess- This game went out of its way to feel epic and it shows.
Best Method of Transport- Epona from various games- I love riding a horse through a field; traditional transport all the way for me.
Nontraditional Method of Transport- Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword- PH utilized the boat better than Wind Waker IMO, flying is just awesome, and I think trains are out of place within the Zelda universe.
Difficulty- A Link to the Past and Majora's Mask- Hard but very beatable for anyone; the way it always should be IMO.
Replay Value- Majora's Mask- Not a contest IMO. This is the only 3d game that allows you to replay through any part of the game again without having to start a new file thanks to the 3 day cycle. So you can skip anything you don't like to play the parts you do like, and also with additional items from later on in the game you can redo earlier segments in different ways.
So what do you think? If you want to add in even more categories or take some out feel free to do so.
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