The pseudo-hijack in the Okami thread got me thinking about Zelda a ton, and after voicing some negative thoughts on Wind Waker I figured I'd share some positive ones about my favorite Zelda game of all: A Link to the Past.

I played the NES Zeldas, but LTTP was the first game that really solidified the Zelda formula. It had great sub-weapons, awesome overworld(s), amazing dungeons that were just challenging enough to scratch your head over but not toss controllers across the room, classic bosses, great graphics and soundtrack... for me, LTTP had it all. Still does, actually. The dual world system worked perfectly, and I'm still really impressed with some of the puzzles that are based around warping between the two worlds and getting that elusive Heart Container or that secret Turtle Rock entrance (side note - I was pleased when Metroid Prime 2 included dual-worlds... it brought back some good memories).

I've played through the GB/GBC Zeldas, which were quite good, and I've beaten OOT and the OOT Master Quest; not Majora's Mask. And, of course, Wind Waker. I've seen the 3D Zeldas as LTTP derivatives with a new viewpoint. Although, I will say that OOT was pretty bomb, it just didn't hit me the way LTTP did. Link to the Past is still my favorite Zelda game after all these years. I've beaten it at least fifteen times and I still get the occasional craving to fly through it again and relive my SNES days, as well as enjoy one amazing, amazing game.

What about you guys? What are your favorite Zelda games, and why?

Majora's Mask is my favorite.  Wind Waker is my least favorite of the 3D Zeldas and all the Zeldas relatively speaking.  My least favorite, if I take an absolutist and not a relativist approach, would have to be the original Legend of Zelda.

The only ones I've played are:

The Legend of Zelda (NES)
The Legend of Zelda:  Ocarina of Time (N64)
The Legend of Zelda:  Majora's Mask (N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
The Legend of Zelda:  Four Swords Adventures (GCN)
The Legend of Zelda:  The Minish Cap (GBA)

I've played, but never finished, the rest of the US released ones:  Zelda II Adventures of Link, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and the two Oracle games---for some reason I've tried and yet cannot get into playing the GB/C releases; I blame trying to play it on the GB/C as the problem.  I really had to force myself to play into The Minish Cap on the GBA, not the game was bad because it was good, I just have issues with Zelda games on portable screens.

Ocarina of Time was my favorite, hands down, followed closely by Link to the Past. I never played much into Majora's Mask (least as not as much as I'd like to), so I can't say for certain. I do like the darker atmosphere, though.

With this said, I can understand people's aversion to Wind Waker, what with it's tedious fetch sidequests, and unnecessary time spent on sea (although that hurricane trick cuts time considerably), and really short play time, but the fact is that it cannot be beaten in terms of personality. I mean, come on, "Ker-splish!"

Link's Awakening (monochrome original) is my favourite by far.

I have a weird relationship with Zelda games. I can see the artistry in them and I'm always most impressed with the construction of the worlds, the relationships between everything and the way the quests unfold. I feel compelled to play them partly because of their stature and partly because there are many things about them I like very much.

On the other hand each one - barring Link's Awakening I think - contains a certain level of frustration that prevents me from unabashedly loving them. The only ones I've completed are Link's Awakening and Ocarina of Time, and I've played to the last dungeon on Link to the Past. I gave up in the Earth Temple in Wind Waker and barely scratched the surface of Majora's Mask. I'm not interested in Twilight Princess at all, but Phantom Hourglass intrigues me.

Funnily enough I am at the moment replaying LttP and trying out The Minish Cap. I had a craving for some proper old 2D arcade adventuring (brought on by playing Cave Story). However, I am finding those old frustrations rearing their heads again. Mainly in LttP the combat system - the way the enemies can clip over you, damaging you several times before you either get away or manage to frantically finish them off. On a few occasions I have been reduced from full health to zero by a single randomly-moving enemy. I have a very low tolerance for annoying things in games these days, so things like that are easily enough to consign it to the shelf once more.

Ocarina of Time had astonishing highs and awful lows (Jabu-Jabu's belly, anyone?). Plus the technical constraints of the N64 didn't do it much favour in my eyes. Still, I persevered and was rewarded with one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever had. And yet I would never consider placing it in a list of favourite games.

Another thing that bugs me about LttP in particular is the overworld theme and some of the dungeon themes. I just don't like them! They loop far too quickly, and when you're spending a large amount of time traipsing around it really begins to grate.

I don't remember much about Link's Awakening other than the fact that I played it all the way through fairly solidly and have no memories of being annoyed by it, so I guess that's my favourite Zelda game.

^ What a great post!  This was my favorite part...:

Also, I blame discoalucard for the Okami thread hijacking!

Ocarina of Time, Everything that game did at the time was so amazing, no game could match the expansiveness of its world or the beauty of its graphics/style.  A Link to the Past was also great, but Ocarina had more life imbued into it.

My favorite Zelda game is Okami. Hoho!

No, really, I'd vote for Zelda 2. None of the puzzley nonsense of the other games, just a great action RPG and lots of stuff to explore. I wish Nintendo would make more like this.

Mmmm....Zelda....

Two favorite are:

The original Legend of Zelda: it was, and still is a real classic!  Amazingly enough, the game is still fun to play today, although more for nostalgia than anything else.  If I had never played a Zelda game and someone gave me the original, I would probably think it's a bit too simple these days (however, I can totally see Nintendo upgrading the original with new graphics and music...oh, that might just be heavenly!).  I love the feeling of adventure in the game   Also, it's cool that you can finish some levels before others, so you don't have to do the dungeons in sequential order (I think this makes the exploration more enjoyable than in OOT where everything is ordered from A-Z)! 

Majora's Mask: as previously stated (on a seperate post), it's got great music, great graphics, very challenging, great storyline, and gives you a great deal of freedom.  In particular, finding all the masks was akin to the free exploration in the original Zelda (well, that's how I saw it anyway), but I will admit that this is not essential to the main storyline, although I personally found the mask hunting one of the best parts of the game! 

runner up: A Link to the Past
I can't believe Nintendo only released ONE Zelda game for the SNES!  What were they thinking??  Still, it's a great one   I will indeed have to replay this at some point...

OK, I've been meaning to ask, do people think Twlight Princess will be an ugraded Link to the Past?  In LttP there's a shadow and light world, and I'm wondering if we're in for a similar experience in TP, except that Link transforms to a wolf and Zelda to some weird character who rides him?? 

cheers,

-avatar!

Zelda 2. Hands down. I've played and beaten that game hundreds of times. I think my gamecube version is on like the 40th quest right now, my gba version on the 20th. Never mind all the times with the NES version growing up. Something about that game. Love playing it to challenge myself too. Within the limits of the game, get less heart and magic tanks, level up a lot slower (by cancelling level ups often) etc. Love it.

I truly appreciate all the other games and can't wait for Twilight.

Link to the Past, without a doubt. What a brilliant game (and probably the longest of the 2D Zeldas). My runner-up is Link's Awakening (which has some of my favorite music in the series even with the crappy GB synth).

Zelda 3, without question...That was really the last "immortal" Zelda game for me, since I tore both the original and Zelda 2 up (I liked the side-scrolling fighting). Great dungeons...and bosses...and graphics...and music. Too much good stuff. The newer Ys games are very similar to this (though more action than puzzles), so that's pretty cool.

I did play OoT when it was released on the Gamecube, but I felt I could never get into it at that point...I really didn't like the 3D mechanics at all. Maybe if I had got it at the N64 original release and with all of the endless hype (and the realization that the game was the system's savior), I'd have made more of an effort to wrestle with the controls. Never got the disc with Majora's Mask. I still can't believe Nintendo went and released Four Swords as a GC game (at full price, no less) And Wind Waker...the less said, the better.

Been meaning to play Seasons/Ages/Minish Cap for awhile now. My sources say they're pretty good.

... And then, there was no further need for words.  Hear hear, bro.  Hear hear.

The Minish Cap comes in a very close second, and one that I consider to be the closest to a true sequel to A Link To The Past.  They combine all of the best gameplay elements from the previous 2D Zeldas, including Awakening and Oracles, and outfit it in that bright 'n neat Four Swords graphical suit.  It is a generally short quest, but oh, what a sweet and memorable quest it is.

My Zelda ranking:

01. Ocarina
02. Link to the Past
03. Link's Awakening
04. Ages
05. Seasons
06. Wind Waker
07. Four Swords Adventures
08. Majora's Mask
09. Minish Cap
10. Zelda II
11. Legend of Zelda

Ocarina is tops because of the amazing sense of wonder and exploration.  Zelda 1 is at the bottom due to the fact that game gives you absolutely no help whatsoever and you basically have to try every possible combination of everything in order to succeed.  There's a reason the original NES cart came with a toll free number to call for help.

I enjoyed Minish Cap quite a bit but it was simply too short. I had it finished in two days. I barely played Majora's Mask but I didn't like the time restraints all that much (although the music and atmosphere were top-notch).

The original was definitely a challenge. I love how they make the entrance to some of the dungeons practically impossible to find without outside help. Nintendo Power got me through those dark years.

To this day I am having trouble chosing between Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.
They both have SO much going for them.
Ocarina of Time at its best was better than LttP, but is was also more annoying.
LttP wins handsdown in terms of (amount of ) Dungeons, and I can only hope Twilight Princess has a decent number of Dungeons to work through.

Also, LttP's Light/Dark world system is the best Parallel World system EVER used in ANY game, period.
It has never been topped.

Also, I HATE the original Zelda with a PASSION. It is Pure Uncut Frustration captured in a single Golden Cartridge, and it makes me want to KILL people. THIS is what invokes violence, not GTA

Never liked Zelda 2 either, Majora's mask was a pain, but kind of a cool one, and Wind Waker also had problems.
The Gameboy games are all pretty good though.

I hope the flag keeps flying for the 2D games, because I always felt that they were the ones that could be the most concisely designed and the most fun to play. I've never really gotten on with 3D platformers and adventures (I mean true 3D, where you have to think in all dimensions and plan out your actions. More often than not the camera consipres against me). I have to admit I'm an unashamed fan of 2D graphics and the old bitmaps-and-sprites style though.

Another vote for Link's Awakening here. I thought that one was perfect in every way. LttP is excellent no doubt but, in my opinion, it's longer than it should be. Most of them are excellent though.

Ocarina of Time still holds my top spot.  I never anticipated any other game more than I did it, and despite all the hype and hoopla surrounding it's release, it actually shattered all of my expectations.  And that's just amazing to me.

Majora's Mask holds my second spot, just being edged-out by the more epic OoT.  But overall, MM was just as much of a magical experience to me as OoT was.  I had so much fun hunting down the masks, the Bombers Notebook is BY FAR the best collection of side-quests in any game ever.  I loved the atmosphere, the story was refreshing, and the time limit gave you a sense of urgency that no other Zelda game had.  And, as some have said, the music was beautiful.  I still remember the first time I heard "Last End".  I can't decide between this game's soundtrack or OoT's.  If MM didn't share so much music with OoT, this would stand alone as my favorite Zelda soundtrack.

Link's Awakening is my favorite 2D Zelda.  It has its own charm and character and I had more fun overall with it than A Link to the Past.  Though, Minish Cap and Oracle of Ages are right up there too.  And man, did this game have some sweet music!

My favorite is Ocarina of Time.  It's the only Zelda game I've played that was "great" for me.  It has a cinematic quality (and no, not just because it's 3D) that Link to the Past lacks.  I think it pushed the series to the next level, though Wind Waker kind of killed it for me with all the seafaring exploration.  Anyways, Link to the Past has impressive dungeons, but it lacks the epic scope and attachment to characters that Ocarina of Time provides.  Ocarina of Time has improved exploration and better overall interaction with its world and NPCs.  It's not that I think Link to the Past has flaws.  It's that Ocarina of Time has more to it towards what I think Zelda is intended to be.  It's more of a complete action-adventure affair than just an overhead dungeon romp with one village.  That sounds perhaps more harsh than it should, and it is, since I still consider Zelda III to be a darn good game, but there you have it.

I haven't played Majora's Mask or Zelda II (and only a little of Link's Awakening), though I probably should, since I do have the Gamecube disc for them.  I always steered clear of Majora's Mask because of the time limit thing and Zelda II is known as the black sheep of the series.  The main reason for why I haven't played most of the Zelda games however is that I've never been a devoted fan of the series.

Since you brought it up, I was annoyed with the whole dark and light world thing of Metroid Prime 2.  The dark world just seemed terribly generic to me, though to be fair, the whole game was a bit disappointing to me for a number of reasons.  The dark world thing didn't bother me in Link to the Past though.  That one was more than shades of purple and phazon spillage.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I always felt about it. I have no complaints at all, the game just never became personal to me. And I never had any intention of replaying it after the first go.

Totally with you again here. Man, have you been reading my thoughts . I couldn't stand the dark world in Metroid Prime 2; I found the design awful, the music bad, and the overall atmosphere just bleh. A real shame, cause they added a lot of great gameplay mechanims to this sequel, and the puzzles were really cool. But overall not even close to the original. Metroid Prime, aah what a masterpiece.

Despite that, Im really looking forward to 3. I have been checking some videos at IGN, and I have the feeling it's gonna be a great final to the trilogy.

It's always nice to find someone who shares your point of view.

Indeed.

I must admit that I'm not as enthusiastic about Metroid as I used to be after seeing the Halo-inspired direction they took with Echoes, but I'll remain hopeful, and I think I'll check out those videos you're talking about too.

Augh, reading everyone else's responses made my head sping. But variety is good. ^_~ I loved most of the Zelda games, but I have to say LTTP was my favorite, followed by Link's Awakening (although really, some of those messages from the Wind Fish were just so off, they could've been Zen riddles) and OoT. The first two had great stories, great characters great music. LTTP was so vast and beautiful, with lots of side quests but not ones that were so long as to detract you from the main quest. I loved the switching back and forth between the worlds and finding out all these little secrets after you got Zora's Flippers.

OoT grabbed me because of its excellent 3D system that I will probably always hold as the best of any 3D game I've ever played, especially the targeting system (Kingdom Hearts could learn from it!). The puzzles were great in 3D, although the water temple drove me nuts because of the lowering and raising of the levels. ^_~ Innovative stuff, too, ones that I'd never encountered in a Zelda game, like having to sneak around the Garudos' camp (the music there was just GREAT -- perfectly captured the "desert mystery" atmosphere).

I also liked Zelda 2 mainly because it was so different from Zelda 1. I've never actually finished the game because I lost my way in the final dungeon and never went back, heh. I loved the Oracle games and Minish Cap for their concepts, although Seasons and MC made me want to throw my GB at one point or other in the game.

I also loved the first Zelda, but I have to admit that the main reason was because I didn't have to play the game on my own. When I played it again on the GC, I realized just what an STUPID game it actually was, when you think about it. I mean, you get almost NO hints within the game about where the next castle is, aside from the hints given in the instructions book. I really wonder sometimes how people were able to find the castles without a strategy guide or without a friend's help. (Sorry, calling them "castles" is a habit from those old days, even though they were actually dungeons.)

Wind Waker was my least favorite of them. Both my bro and I got tired with the endless sailing, even though I realize that all that ocean is part of the storyline, about peoples separated by cosmic events. Still, that didn't make for a very enjoyable game. Sure, the hurricane thing made it easier to transport, but it got really tiring calling it up again and again. Still, I managed to stick it through and finish the game.

Couldn't agree more.  MP2 was a big letdown after the superb original which is my 2nd favorite Cube game behind RE4.  I really hated the lame Dark World and tedious enemies that took too many shots to bring down and slowed the pacing of the game.  Here's hoping MP3 offers redemption next year.

Well, my experience is somewhat limited, as I've never really played either Oracle, Minish, or Four Swords...Zelda used to be a big deal to me, but I guess I lost the bug (though in the case of Four Swords, it might well be distaste with the gimmick instead).

Anyway, of what I have played, here goes:

Link's Awakening is my favorite 2D Zelda, for its bittersweet feel, outstanding puzzles in the back half of the game, and constant nods to all things Nintendo. Ocarina of Time is my favorite 3D Zelda, because though I found Wind Waker much more charming, Ocarina is expertly designed, and doesn't drag at any particular leg the way WW's Jabun and Triforce Piece chapters do (and don't even get me STARTED on the mess that is Majora). The best TIME I ever had playing a Zelda game, however, was Link to the Past over February vacation, 1993, with the whole family surrounding the TV and taking turns at the helm. Some of my most cherished memories, there.

I was stuck in the seventh dungeon (that damned tower) for weeks. I couldn't figure out what those balls were for. I blame youth.

^ The Eagle's Tower (I think it was called).  A devilish dungeon that is, I have trouble with it each time I play through that game.  Same thing with Ganon's Tower in ALttP.

Link's Awakening for me. The existential plot was surprisingly engaging, and the secret ending still remains one of the most poignant video game moments ever for me. Many gameplay elements introduced in LA would also become part of the Zelda formula in the future, namely the trading sequence and actually being able to press a button to defend.

LttP comes in a close second for reasons already explained by others. After that, I'd say Ocarina of Time for somehow being able to capture the magic of Zelda in 3D (though I could have done without that dreaded horse archery).

I still marvel at how good the Oracle games turned out. I must've played through every possible combination of those games many times over.

Minish Cap was shaping up to be one of my favorites, but it felt woefully incomplete. I remember beating the Light World in LttP and being amazed that there was another world to explore after that. I expected the same feeling in Minish Cap, but was absolutely dismayed to find out that was all there was.

Still haven't played Majora's Mask or Wind Waker, so can't really comment on those.

So, I take it I'm the only one here who's had the pleasure of playing and beating all 3 CD-i games? Spoiler: they're bad. Well, I don't think they're nearly as bad as some say, though they're nowhere close to being good. Zelda's Adventure was the best of the bunch, and I do wish Nintendo would finally give Zelda her own game. The whole series is named after her, for goodness sake!

Buh?

-Joshua

If you manage to complete the game without dying once, an extra scene will be added to the ending. (spoiler in white) As a gull flies overhead, we see Marin's face, strongly suggesting that the game wasn't itself a dream, and that she got to live out her wish of becoming a gull and flying away.

Ah I saw that in the speed run and thought it was part of the normal ending, heh.

-Joshua

link to the past by far... remember how cool it was to actually have a left and a right audio channel for the first time? you would swing the grappling hook into one wall and you would only hear it clink in that speaker. that was monumental... or maybe im just mental...

i have no inclination to play a 3-d zelda as i get my butt so lost in those types...