Top 10 The Legend of Zelda Games
- Thread starter Lizzy Finnegan
- Start date
Why isn't Oracle of Ages on this list? I'm sure it must be an oversight on the writer's part, because no-one in their sane mind would consider Skyward Sword a better Zelda game than Oracle of Ages. Come on, you used time-travel to solve puzzles! A giant sentient (and female) Deku tree falls hopelessly in love with you! It's a brilliant game that took everything they learned from Link's Awakening and improved on it, while adding a fun new mechanic that basically doubled the size of the world map. Best of all, Oracle of Ages challenged the player, whereas Skyward Sword just made you follow directions.
I don't get the passion people have for OoT, I grew up with it, I've played it and the game seems to get a free pass on how poorly it's aged firstly and on top of this it's also somehow the game with the least story content or interesting characters yet it's the best Zelda title.
I'd push TP or even Wind Waker in just terms of having more investment in characters and a interesting story (yes WW has a slow crap intro and the tasks later became a bit tedious). Twilight Princess had a interesting story, different from the norm, characters you met along the way and felt interesting... I just can not understand (yes I've had it explained to me by several people) why OoT is the "best game ever".
I thought Megaman Legends at the time managed to do more impressive stuff. Yes, rough around the edges but at least I felt like there was something going on.
That all said I'm fully aware there's many people ready to yell at me, but whatever. I've already had several Zelda fanatics scream in my face because their rose tinted childhood takes priority over character development and interesting locals. Yes, yes limited by the hardware at the time- not an excuse. Games even before the 64 told compelling stories and had interesting gameplay, I don't buy that excuse.
I'd push TP or even Wind Waker in just terms of having more investment in characters and a interesting story (yes WW has a slow crap intro and the tasks later became a bit tedious). Twilight Princess had a interesting story, different from the norm, characters you met along the way and felt interesting... I just can not understand (yes I've had it explained to me by several people) why OoT is the "best game ever".
I thought Megaman Legends at the time managed to do more impressive stuff. Yes, rough around the edges but at least I felt like there was something going on.
That all said I'm fully aware there's many people ready to yell at me, but whatever. I've already had several Zelda fanatics scream in my face because their rose tinted childhood takes priority over character development and interesting locals. Yes, yes limited by the hardware at the time- not an excuse. Games even before the 64 told compelling stories and had interesting gameplay, I don't buy that excuse.
I found Minish Cap to be a great game, liking it more than Skyward Sword tbh. I don't hate Skyward, just the controls. My order is mostly similar though, with OOT and Twilight Princess being tied for a spot rather than one over the other (2nd place). Link to the Past though has always been my favorite, especially with the comics Nintendo Power ran to go with it. I'd love to get that story/comic in a book format because both the artwork and story were pretty well done.
EDIT: Well I'll be damned, it does exist in a Graphic Novel.
EDIT: Well I'll be damned, it does exist in a Graphic Novel.
I always loved Twilight Princess for its characters (especially Midna). Unfortunately I think it has some of the weakest dungeons of all the 3rd person games.
I don't understand the hate for Skyward Sword. I thought it was fun, the characters were fun and that final boss fight was all sorts of epic. On the other hand, I would have switched WW with TP, I didn't like TP that much >.>
I don't understand. How is the fact that Ocarina of Time made the list a travesty? You might not agree with its placing, but I can't see how anyone could come up with 10 Zelda games that are better than it.Souplex said:
Ocarina of Time is impressive for how it handled the transition into 3D, bringing the Zelda series into the new age. I by no means think it's the best title in the series (Majora's Mask, for my money), but I recognize why it is so well loved. The story may be thin, certainly, but it was expansive in comparison to other 3D games of its time - particularly on consoles. It offered a sense of adventure that resonated with a lot of people.Snotnarok said:
As for WW, I have beaten it twice (once on my own when it released and once, recently, with my child) and still fail to see the appeal in it. It appears to take everything that OoT and MM set up for the franchise and ignore it, which (to me) is a detriment.
TP (which I'm playing currently) is a decent game, but still had paper thin story and characters when compared to other games. Honestly, I think it is difficult to really predicate a love of one Zelda game over another on basis of story - they are all pretty insubstantial, with the exception of Majora's Mask.
At any rate, that was my two cents on the OoT thing.
As for this list, I'm okay with it - I mean, it's base don personal opinion of course, so I expect it to differ. Personally, I've found nothing at all to offer from the handheld games, so I can't speak to whether or not they belong on the list.
Ah, Majora's Mask.
Little tidbit regarding that comment of having to knowingly let bad things happen to some characters because you can't be everywhere at the same time - once I learned about 'the farm incident', I *never* let it happen again. Every time that I reset time, I knew - evening of the first day, head to Romani Ranch...
Little tidbit regarding that comment of having to knowingly let bad things happen to some characters because you can't be everywhere at the same time - once I learned about 'the farm incident', I *never* let it happen again. Every time that I reset time, I knew - evening of the first day, head to Romani Ranch...
Well, so much for no pitchforks.
I've given my take on every LoZ game I've played in the readers' poll, so I won't go into depth here. However, in the spirit of "we don't agree with this list," I'll say that A Link to the Past is too high, and shouldn't be placed over Ocarina. Yes, LttP was undoubtedly influential for the series, but it doesn't make up for the fact that the game is bereft of meaningful plot, characters, or themes. Based on how the series has developed since then, LttP still feels...conceptual, so to speak. It doesn't help it that we had OoT which fixed the issues I mentioned above while also being another leap forward in the 2D-3D transition, and that Minish Cap awhile later, which, despite its shorter length, does feel like a 'meatier' LttP in my eyes.
Other games I'd shift around, but again, made my own list on the other thread.
I've given my take on every LoZ game I've played in the readers' poll, so I won't go into depth here. However, in the spirit of "we don't agree with this list," I'll say that A Link to the Past is too high, and shouldn't be placed over Ocarina. Yes, LttP was undoubtedly influential for the series, but it doesn't make up for the fact that the game is bereft of meaningful plot, characters, or themes. Based on how the series has developed since then, LttP still feels...conceptual, so to speak. It doesn't help it that we had OoT which fixed the issues I mentioned above while also being another leap forward in the 2D-3D transition, and that Minish Cap awhile later, which, despite its shorter length, does feel like a 'meatier' LttP in my eyes.
Other games I'd shift around, but again, made my own list on the other thread.
Well here's an article just begging for a flame war. Let me add fuel with my ultra controversial ranking. I'm gonna try to explain not just why I liked the games, but why I put them where I did on the list, because I know for a fact most people will generally disagree with my placement:
10. The Minish Cap - I didn't want to put this on my top ten, but the alternatives were the Oracle games, Four Swords, Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda, and Spirit Tracks, all of which I actively disliked. This game I was merely ambivalent about.
9. A Link to the Past - As significant as this game was, I feel like it hasn't aged that well. After having played A Link Between Worlds, the movement and combat just feel clunky, and the cutscenes are slow and not that interesting. I did like it, but I just can't justify putting it above any of the other games.
8. Link's Awakening - This game frustrates me to no end. The world feels cramped and overcrowded, and two face buttons isn't enough for all the item swapping it forces on you. Still, the dungeons are brilliant and the sheer amount of life and character on Koholint Island makes this game feel, to an extent, like a proto-Majora's Mask. That life is always fun, no matter how good the rest of the game is or isn't.
7. Four Swords Adventures - It barely feels like a Zelda game, what with its individual stage structure and multiplayer focus, but if The Minish Cap is eligible, this one has to be by default since the two are both closely linked, timeline-wise. That said, it's a really fun game, some of the most fun I've had with any GameCube game. Heck, the stage "Village of the Blue Maiden" alone makes it a strong contender for top ten. This stage showed truly excellent storytelling and brilliant puzzles, even taken on its own without the context of the rest of the game.
6. Ocarina of Time - This game is heralded as a classic, but it is IMO the weakest of the 3D games in the series. Much like the original NES game, this kinda feels like a skeleton, a demonstration of what would eventually be brought to fruition later. While I'm sure it was super impressive in 1998 (I didn't play it until around 2004), and I can't deny its importance to the series' future, I just don't feel like it holds up super well, and I will not place it higher on a list in 2016 for how important it was in 1998.
5. Adventure of Link - I rated this much higher than the usual "classic" list toppers, OoT and ALttP. This was not an accident. Even ignoring the groundwork it laid for the 3D games (and I *am* ignoring it, because I don't think historical significance has any place in a list founded on objective quality), this game had a level of exploration and a depth of mechanics that surpasses even many games today. It reminds me of Dark Souls in that respect; it's too hard for me, I never beat it, and at no point did I ever think even for a moment that it wasn't my own fault.
4. Twilight Princess - This, I feel, is what Ocarina of Time was trying to be. It's bigger, it's more atmospheric, the story goes well beyond OoT's fairly simplistic "save the princess and defeat Ganondorf" story in depth and intrigue, and virtually every concept merely introduced or touched upon in OoT was expanded on and polished here. This feels like the oil painting to Ocarina's crayon drawing.
3. The Wind Waker - Unlike apparently everyone else, I REALLY liked sailing. I loved exploring, I loved finding everything there was to find... this is one of the extremely few games I've ever even considered 100%'ing. I didn't end up doing it, but I came close. I did complete the map, though. This game's world compelled me to at least see everything there was to see, even if not to do everything. Very few games can do that.
2. Majora's Mask - As I said, I love worlds that feel alive. I love not just knowing that there's always something going on in every NPC's life, but having an idea what that something is. Supposedly-lively games like Skyrim have let me down in this respect; the NPCs don't feel like people, they feel like NPCs. But Majora's Mask? This game perfected this concept in a way that hasn't been close to achieved before or since. Nearly every character you encounter, throughout every town, is relevant either to the main story or a sidequest with its own story. Even the fetch quests feel like real story, like real, emotion-driven narrative. This game made me care. For that, it is truly amazing, the best 3D Zelda game, and one of the best games of all time.
1. A Link Between Worlds - This game reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy 2: Pure, unadulterated fun. It had its flaws. It was too short. It was too easy. The map was recycled. But none of that mattered while I was playing it. This game is much the opposite of MM. It's not a game you play for the characters, the sidequests, or the story. Heck, the story is barely even there (though somehow still more fleshed out than OoT's empty husk of a story). But the moment-to-moment gameplay was so joyful I can't possibly give the number one spot to any other game. Every single thing about this game is fun. The puzzles, the combat, even just basic travel. It's one of the most polished games in the series, with every technical aspect being virtually perfect in terms of fun-ness. It's the only Zelda game I've 100%'ed, and one of the only games period I've 100%'ed, and I kinda wanna do it again right now. I just love this game too much.
P.S. Thanks
P.P.S. Skyward Sword was automatically disqualified on account of I haven't played it yet. I'll get to it eventually.
10. The Minish Cap - I didn't want to put this on my top ten, but the alternatives were the Oracle games, Four Swords, Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda, and Spirit Tracks, all of which I actively disliked. This game I was merely ambivalent about.
9. A Link to the Past - As significant as this game was, I feel like it hasn't aged that well. After having played A Link Between Worlds, the movement and combat just feel clunky, and the cutscenes are slow and not that interesting. I did like it, but I just can't justify putting it above any of the other games.
8. Link's Awakening - This game frustrates me to no end. The world feels cramped and overcrowded, and two face buttons isn't enough for all the item swapping it forces on you. Still, the dungeons are brilliant and the sheer amount of life and character on Koholint Island makes this game feel, to an extent, like a proto-Majora's Mask. That life is always fun, no matter how good the rest of the game is or isn't.
7. Four Swords Adventures - It barely feels like a Zelda game, what with its individual stage structure and multiplayer focus, but if The Minish Cap is eligible, this one has to be by default since the two are both closely linked, timeline-wise. That said, it's a really fun game, some of the most fun I've had with any GameCube game. Heck, the stage "Village of the Blue Maiden" alone makes it a strong contender for top ten. This stage showed truly excellent storytelling and brilliant puzzles, even taken on its own without the context of the rest of the game.
6. Ocarina of Time - This game is heralded as a classic, but it is IMO the weakest of the 3D games in the series. Much like the original NES game, this kinda feels like a skeleton, a demonstration of what would eventually be brought to fruition later. While I'm sure it was super impressive in 1998 (I didn't play it until around 2004), and I can't deny its importance to the series' future, I just don't feel like it holds up super well, and I will not place it higher on a list in 2016 for how important it was in 1998.
5. Adventure of Link - I rated this much higher than the usual "classic" list toppers, OoT and ALttP. This was not an accident. Even ignoring the groundwork it laid for the 3D games (and I *am* ignoring it, because I don't think historical significance has any place in a list founded on objective quality), this game had a level of exploration and a depth of mechanics that surpasses even many games today. It reminds me of Dark Souls in that respect; it's too hard for me, I never beat it, and at no point did I ever think even for a moment that it wasn't my own fault.
4. Twilight Princess - This, I feel, is what Ocarina of Time was trying to be. It's bigger, it's more atmospheric, the story goes well beyond OoT's fairly simplistic "save the princess and defeat Ganondorf" story in depth and intrigue, and virtually every concept merely introduced or touched upon in OoT was expanded on and polished here. This feels like the oil painting to Ocarina's crayon drawing.
3. The Wind Waker - Unlike apparently everyone else, I REALLY liked sailing. I loved exploring, I loved finding everything there was to find... this is one of the extremely few games I've ever even considered 100%'ing. I didn't end up doing it, but I came close. I did complete the map, though. This game's world compelled me to at least see everything there was to see, even if not to do everything. Very few games can do that.
2. Majora's Mask - As I said, I love worlds that feel alive. I love not just knowing that there's always something going on in every NPC's life, but having an idea what that something is. Supposedly-lively games like Skyrim have let me down in this respect; the NPCs don't feel like people, they feel like NPCs. But Majora's Mask? This game perfected this concept in a way that hasn't been close to achieved before or since. Nearly every character you encounter, throughout every town, is relevant either to the main story or a sidequest with its own story. Even the fetch quests feel like real story, like real, emotion-driven narrative. This game made me care. For that, it is truly amazing, the best 3D Zelda game, and one of the best games of all time.
1. A Link Between Worlds - This game reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy 2: Pure, unadulterated fun. It had its flaws. It was too short. It was too easy. The map was recycled. But none of that mattered while I was playing it. This game is much the opposite of MM. It's not a game you play for the characters, the sidequests, or the story. Heck, the story is barely even there (though somehow still more fleshed out than OoT's empty husk of a story). But the moment-to-moment gameplay was so joyful I can't possibly give the number one spot to any other game. Every single thing about this game is fun. The puzzles, the combat, even just basic travel. It's one of the most polished games in the series, with every technical aspect being virtually perfect in terms of fun-ness. It's the only Zelda game I've 100%'ed, and one of the only games period I've 100%'ed, and I kinda wanna do it again right now. I just love this game too much.
P.S. Thanks
P.P.S. Skyward Sword was automatically disqualified on account of I haven't played it yet. I'll get to it eventually.
I'm currently playing through Legend of Zelda again. I think it holds up pretty well after all this time. One of those damn worm things ate my shield though.
...You're really going to make me do this?Oathfish said:
1. Oracle of Seasons
2. Oracle of Ages
3. Minish Cap
4. Link to the Past
5. Link Between Worlds
6.Link's Awakening
7. Twilight Princess
8. Wind Waker
9. Spirit Tracks
10. Legend of Zelda OG.
11. Phantom hourglass
12. Skyward Sword
13. Ocarina of Time
14. Adventure of Link
Ocarina of Time is always put too highly on these lists. It's not the worst, but its definitely not second either.
My ranking of ALL Zelda Games:
1. Majora's Mask (also my #1 game of all time)
2. Wind Waker (about # 6 or 7 on my favourite games of all time)
3. Oracle of Ages
4. Ocarina of Time
5. Twilight Princess
6. Link to the Past
7. Spirit Tracks
8. A Link Between Worlds
9. Links Awakening
10. Oracle of Seasons
11. The Legend of Zelda
12. Skyward Sword
13. Minish Cap
14. Phantom Hourglass
15. Zelda 2
My ranking of ALL Zelda Games:
1. Majora's Mask (also my #1 game of all time)
2. Wind Waker (about # 6 or 7 on my favourite games of all time)
3. Oracle of Ages
4. Ocarina of Time
5. Twilight Princess
6. Link to the Past
7. Spirit Tracks
8. A Link Between Worlds
9. Links Awakening
10. Oracle of Seasons
11. The Legend of Zelda
12. Skyward Sword
13. Minish Cap
14. Phantom Hourglass
15. Zelda 2
I feel sorry for Skyward Sword.
That game is perhaps the only 3D Zelda game where enemies pose a challange.
And no I mastered the Wii-mote controls of that game so the whole excuse of "the controls sucking" is not a objective fact.
That game is perhaps the only 3D Zelda game where enemies pose a challange.
And no I mastered the Wii-mote controls of that game so the whole excuse of "the controls sucking" is not a objective fact.
It's always interesting to see where people put these games in their lists, as for me I don't think I can do a top 10 because I haven't beaten 10 Zelda games.
Of the games I've beaten I'd probably rank them as so.
1. Twilight Princess(Game Cube version specifically... which I unfortunately haven't owned for a few years so I'm really looking forward to the HD version)
2. Ocarina of Time 3D(The N64 version hasn't aged very well, aside from a few lighting issues the 3DS version is a massive improvement in just about every way)
3. A Link Between Worlds(Yes I like it more than A Link To The Past, I find the game mechanics to be much more enjoyable... I still really like A Link To The Past, I just never got around to finishing it)
4. Majora's Mask 3D(I despised the N64 version due to design decisions and gave the game up soon after the first temple. The 3DS version pretty much fixed every problem I had with the original)
5. Link's Awakening(I absolutely love this game, it just ended up on the bottom of the list by default when comparing it to the others)
I can't speak for everyone, but I've had a chronic condition in my wrist for years and can't play the game for longer than five minutes without pain. Unfortunately the motion controls absolutely killed that game for me.
Of the games I've beaten I'd probably rank them as so.
1. Twilight Princess(Game Cube version specifically... which I unfortunately haven't owned for a few years so I'm really looking forward to the HD version)
2. Ocarina of Time 3D(The N64 version hasn't aged very well, aside from a few lighting issues the 3DS version is a massive improvement in just about every way)
3. A Link Between Worlds(Yes I like it more than A Link To The Past, I find the game mechanics to be much more enjoyable... I still really like A Link To The Past, I just never got around to finishing it)
4. Majora's Mask 3D(I despised the N64 version due to design decisions and gave the game up soon after the first temple. The 3DS version pretty much fixed every problem I had with the original)
5. Link's Awakening(I absolutely love this game, it just ended up on the bottom of the list by default when comparing it to the others)
Samtemdo8 said:
I can't speak for everyone, but I've had a chronic condition in my wrist for years and can't play the game for longer than five minutes without pain. Unfortunately the motion controls absolutely killed that game for me.
Granted I haven't played them all (haven't played any of the mobile games or any after Wind Waker), but Wind Waker is definitely my favourite. IMO, it has the funnest variety of characters, the best world, a timeless art style, the best story (Ganondorf is actually a fairly sympathetic villain), my favourite soundtrack (really pissed that the remake didn't include an orchestral version), and I actually loved the sailing. The only thing I think some of the other games do better are the boss fights. Even then, the final showdown with Ganondorf is pretty fantastic from a purely cinematic perspective.