Your History with The Legend of Zelda (Super Multi Choice Poll)

Even though they were made by Capcom, the Oracle games are my favorite. Not because they are better per say than the rest, but those games really strike a nostalgia nerve. I've replayed them recently after they ported them to the Eshop and to me they still have the same magic they did when I first played them on the GBC.

In general the series is by far one of my favorite game series of all time. Sure the games tend to have similar stories to each of them but honestly I don't have a problem with that.

wow. who are these people who never played the oracle games?

Love the hell out of just about every Zelda game I've played. The only ones that rate lower than "Like" for me are:

-Oracle of Ages/Seasons: I thought these games were OK, but seemed a bit lower quality than the other 2D Zelda games.

-Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks: These games have garbage controls. If they put out a version with actual video game controls I might enjoy them.

-Skyward Sword: I think this game is poorly designed. There were a few really cool ideas in it (the sailing in the desert part is one of my favorite moments from the entire series), but the general structure of recycling areas and boss fights really bummed me out.

Top three for me are LTTP (my first game in the series), Ocarina, and Wind Waker.

I had a Philips CD-I when I was a kid so I would have been one of those who brought up the monstrosities, and shame me if you will, but by Ganon almighty I loved the one I owned! I EVEN LOVED THE ANIMATED SCENES.

The only other Zelda I ever owned was A Link to the Past, which was fantastic, one of my favorite SNES games ever. Have never touched another Zelda since, I might again one day, just have a hard time seeing anything that would appeal to me at this point.
The new one for the Wii-U looked pretty, so, maybe that can sucker me in once more.

The poll seems to be missing A Link Between Worlds, which is both the only one I've completed and the only one that I really loved.

I've also played a little bit of A Link to the Past, a few hours of Twilight Princess, and a few hours of Ocarina of Time. I don't remember much about Twilight Princess but I kinda liked it. I should go back to it one of these days. I can see why Ocarina of Time would have been so revered in 1998 but these days I found it boring - sorry, sue me, I spent a lot of time running across an open field without a bloody thing in it after finishing a rock cavern sort of place that was fun enough but I didn't want to stick with it. Still, sometimes I feel an urge to go back to it, so maybe I will finally figure out where the fuck I'm supposed to go next. I might also figure out how the hell I'm supposed to save and quit the game without starting back in Link's bed.

Perhaps it's because I've only ever played the emulated version, but I found A Link to the Past difficult to control. I often felt like enemies weren't being hit by my sword swings or that Link was swinging it a very noticeable second after I hit the button. I eventually got used to the timing but it still just felt wrong. Again, I'm more than willing to chalk that up to emulation and I'll play an honest version of it one of these days, but I don't know if I'll finish it.

I didn't dislike anything in particular about any of the Legend of Zelda games I've played. Hell, if I buy a Wii U, Wind Waker is close to the top of "games I'd like to play on it". I just played most of them long after their heydays and I didn't find myself particularly compelled. Now that I think about it, Twilight Princess is oddly the only one that I really want to go back to and play some more of.

@believer258: The issues you were running into with LTTP sound very much like emulator-caused issues. I've played through that game upwards of 10 times and haven't experienced that sort of stuff. You should stick with it! (A legit version anyway). I consider it one of gaming's all-time greatest masterpieces.

I think the only thing I find worse than Majora's Mask is Spirit Tracks/Hourglass fuck me Spirit Tracks made me hate it from the word go, it feels like the worst fan knock-off bullshit ever made of a franchise.

The never played Oracles folks need to stop going out as much and stay and give those a shot.

I've only played the 2D Zeldas, no interest in the 3D ones:

• Legend of Zelda - Neutral
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - Like
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Love
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - My favourite
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons - Love
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages - Love
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - Love

This thread - Love

I never really played a Zelda game so i decided to play A Link to the Past.

That game is fantastic. 2 days in and need to beat two more dungeons on the map.

Seems that I'm in line with lots of users having not played much/any of the portable Zelda games. Although Link Between Worlds may be my favorite.

One of my gaming shames is that I've never played a Zelda game.

I like the clean stats on MInish Cap. Nice game.

I'm the only one (currently) to vote "Hate it - ALttP". I disliked the whole dark world thing. Same reason I hated Metroid Prime 2.

No ALBW? I kinda didn't like that one, anyway. But maybe that was just being off the heels of finishing ALTTP for the first time AKA the best zelda

I had never played a Zelda game (I mean at all) until a couple of months ago.

I'm about halfway through The Legend of Zelda on a physical NES, and it's a very revolutionary game that's still a lot of fun.

Zelda 2 I've played maybe forty minutes of, and it's... tougher to get into. The platforming game seem like arcade design, and a regression from the original's innovations.

Ocarina of Time starts slowly, and I've played about three hours. I've just now escaped the starting village, so I can't really give a judgement, but I don't know if it's aged quite as well as the first. I really wish a GameCube controller adapter existed that didn't cost so much. I may just try to find the Zelda collection for GC.

I'm about four or five hours into Wind Waker, and it's definitely a classic. It still looks terrific, and, ignoring some glaring control and camera issues, the gameplay holds up quite well.

And finally, A Link to the Past & Four Swords on the GBA has, oh, six hours invested. I recently got a Game Boy Player which causes me to play GB games a lot more than zero (my average using just the GBA). The indistinct graphics hurt it a bit, but I think the sudden inundation of games in a specific vein keep each of them from really grabbing me. If I played every Souls game in a row, I'd probably be done after Demon's, too,

Neat thread idea, and based on the (current) poll results, I wanna say a few things:

You guys should really play the Oracle games. It might be like @naoiko said and it's nostalgia-based love, but man those games were fantastic and I thought they played perfectly on the Eshop version.

I really want to give a Link to the Past another shot. I remember playing the GBA remake and being really lukewarm on it. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but it didn't leave quite the impression I was expecting it to leave. I got a lot of free time these days so maybe I'll give it another shot.

Really didn't like how Spirit Tracks controlled, and I likely won't ever touch Phantom Hourglass because of it. Oddly enough, I thought the train controls were fine, but I hated how much I had to ride that damn train. Which brings me to...

Wind Waker. I just can't get myself into it no matter how many times I play it. I'm not one of those "oh the art style is lame!" people; I loved the art style and the music. My problem is that everything took too damn long: taking the boat to a new location (hate hate hate hate the boat), dungeons were too long, hunting for the triforce... All that said, I actually really like the last dungeon/bosses. That final fight against Ganondorf too might be my favorite final boss fight in a Zelda game.

Ocarina is dope, but Majora's Mask is the best Zelda. If anyone gives even the tiniest of a shit, I'd be happy to expand on that.

Barely remember Minish Cap; I know I have a copy around here somewhere so maybe I'll give it another shot. I remember thinking it was okay.

I've only played the original Legend of Zelda, about 50-60% of Twilight Princess, and maybe two hours (each) of both Link Between Worlds and Ocarina of Time

This is complicated as heck

Wind Waker should be more people's favourite, though

Awakening is the best Zelda game.

@geraltitude

Duder that's quite some Poll Man!

I love Zelda, it's one of my three pillar franchises that made me a gamer and I have played almost every incarnation. I've been with the series since day 1 and the original is still my favorite for largely nostalgia reasons (but I did also like how much the game just left you to your own devices in a way the future games don't do).

Skyward Sword is the only I haven't messed with (well and Hyrule Warriors), and that is because of my strong distaste for the Wii remote. I don't think that's Zelda's fault though. I'm sure I'd enjoy it though, even a "bad Zelda" still is a pretty good game.

I'd say imo my taste isn't terribly different from popular consensus

Shiek Tier

• Legend of Zelda
• Link to the Past
• Link's Awakening & DX
• Ocarina of Time & Master Quest
• Wind Waker
• A Link Between Worlds

Link Tier

• Adventure of Link
• The Oracle Games
• Twilight Princess
• Minish Cap

Epona Tier

• Majora's Mask
• Phantom Hourglass
• Four Swords

Tingle Tier

• Crossbow Training
• Spirit Tracks
• Four Swords Adventures

Ganon Tier

• The Cd-I games

I'm guessing you like it too? Not surprised given how much I know you love Guacamelee. In many ways that game in my mind demonstrated the true potential of the game play ideas Zelda II: the Adventure of Link help pioneer but didn't quite realize due to its' busted save system.

I'll always have a soft spot for Link's Awakening. One of the first GB games I ever played, and probably top 5 games of all time for me. Not really a game on this list that I don't like, although I haven't played the DS games.

I've only actually played one of those games to Completion: Ocarina of Time (as a young lad) But I played about 90% of Twilight Princess, so I felt that justified me voting on it. (Didn't like it) I'm not really a huge fan of the series, but I can appreciate what it's done and understand why it is held in such high regard...especially A Link to The Past. I probably would have played the crap out of that if I were a bit older during the SNES era.

I hope to get a Wii U at some point this year and plan to play Wind Waker HD when I do; after finishing Bayonetta 2, of course. ;) Also, why no Link Between Worlds on the poll? I haven't played it, but I heard it was an excellent game, and it won GoTY for 2013 at Gamespot.

Man, these results.

The amount of people who have never or barely played Skyward Sword is kinda depressing.

I actually had an excuse to plug in my SNES and play though A Link to the Past recently. For my money, not only is it still the best Zelda game it's one of the best games of all time.

I'm also probably one of the few people who's kind of lukewarm on Oracle of Time. I really thought that Navi kind of ruined the experience.

I'd like to see another game done in the graphical style of Wind Waker. I wasn't so hot on the actual gameplay (the sailing suuuuuuucked), but I really dug what they did visually.

I've never played any of them, partially because I've never owned any Nintendo hardware in my life, but mostly because they just don't interest me.

Never/Barely played any Zelda games. I was actually talking to a friend about this and we decided to start a video series where we only play games we've never played.

The only Zelda games I have played are A Link Between Worlds and some of Wind Waker.

The only Legend of Zelda game I have played is Link's Awakening. It was included with the Game Boy pocket my parents bought me for Christmas one year. I had a great time and helped changed my view about role playing games. Then I started working and saved enough money to buy a PS One. I haven't gone back to a Nintendo product since. I'm not hung up about the time line but at some point I would like to visit past Zelda games.

Never played them and have no real interest in doing so.

I did this as a list after finishing A Link Between Worlds back at the end of 2013. You should check it out.

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/mormonwarrior/lists/the-legend-of-zelda-best-to-worst/87093/

Link's Crossbow Training is Game of the Franchise

Ocarina is the weakest 3D Zelda. There, I said it.

People who haven't played The Minish Cap are missing out.

Ocarina is a weird game for me to think about. I don't like it, but I'm still fond of it because having played it made Wind Waker's story really engaging for me.

Now I'm playing Majora's Mask after a few failed attempts in the past (for some reason the time limit thing is clicking with me now), and my experiences with Ocarina are making it way more interesting too.

I'm not big on the NES and DS Zeldas and love just about every other game in the series (need to play more of the Oracle games).

Ocarina is my favourite Zelda, it's an excellent game and it's also tough to trump the nostalgia tied to it.

Skyward Sword is my next favourite after that. I don't really care about the exploration element of Zelda so much, I'm more about the dungeons/puzzle solving, so Skyward Sword's light overworld didn't bother me and I loved the more heavily designed environments that lead into dungeons. I also really enjoyed the new spin on combat the motion controls provided along with the other motion control elements - I even liked the swimming in the game! (I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who liked Skyward Sword's swimming :P). I just think Skyward Sword is out-fucking-standing, and it bums me out that it gets so much straight up hate.

Shout out to Minish Cap, probably tied for favourite GBA game with Metroid Fusion. Those Capcom Zeldas are no slouches.

I actually didn't much like Wind Waker until Wind Waker HD solved my problems with the game. I always loved Wind Waker's visuals, and enjoyed its dungeons, but just hated the sailing and the wind-direction mechanic that came along with it. The fast sail fixed my problems with the sailing, and I actually quite enjoyed exploring the ocean in Wind Waker HD. I was also always bummed by the clearly cut content at the time, and the triforce-pieces fetch-quest, mixed with my problems with sailing killed the game for me. Until Wind Waker HD, I just wasn't a fan of the game, which I was always kind of bummed about because the game is fucking beautiful whether you're playing the Gamecube original or the HD rerelease.

I think Majora's Mask is a fantastic game, but ultimately the 3-day cycle mechanic does impact my enjoyment of the game - playing it again on the 3DS has reiterated that for me. It just adds a certain element of stress that I don't like. It's not enough to completely turn me off the game, I still really like it, but it's probably my least favourite 3D Zelda because of it (not including the DS games). The idea that it's not a good game, or that it's not a "real Zelda" is completely ridiculous to me.

I really liked Twilight Princess, and think it gets kind of a hard time.

If I were to rank the games it'd probably work out to:

1. Ocarina of Time
2. Skyward Sword
3. A Link Between Worlds
4. A Link to the Past
5. Wind Waker HD
6. Link's Awakening
7. Minish Cap
8. Twilight Princess
9. Majora's Mask
10. Oracle of Ages/Seasons
11. The Legend of Zelda
12. Adventure of Link
13. Phantom Hourglass
14. Spirit Tracks (I love Spirit Tracks' take on Zelda, but just don't really like the game itself)

Uh...A Link Between Worlds is the only one I played to completion.

It's not in the poll.

The omission of A Link Between Worlds is kind of a bummer. Also, yikes on the number of "Barely/never played" for Skyward Sword. I thought the sales number for Skyward Sword were still good, but when you figure that most traditional gamers had kinda checked out of the Wii by November 2011 it's kind of surprising. In my case, I bought it within a few months of launch, and I still haven't played it. Fuck, what have I been doing the past three years.

Played and completed Ocarina of Time back in the day, really enjoyed it, haven't played it since. Started Link Between Worlds sometime last year and wasn't grabbed by it; still haven't gone back to it. I've also recently bought Majora's Mask on 3DS, but haven't started it yet.

OK, I have to disagree with you, but I see where you're coming from.

Ocarina of Time broke a bunch of ground in terms of translating the ideas of Zelda from 2D into 3D, but yeah, I think Majora's Mask uses the same engine and assets to tell a more original story and has some really interesting mechanics, and I think Wind Waker was an incredibly fresh take on Zelda that switched to a wildly different art style that still fit really well. Don't get me wrong, Ocarina of Time was magical when it came out, but I do like all of the twists they made in most of the later 3D Zeldas that felt more inventive than Ocarina of Time.

Ocarina of Time is kinda just Link to the Past in 3D. It plays it really safe in terms of the story setup and uses the same old characters and everything. It's just a very stock Zelda, except instead of some foreign wizard (Agahnim) appearing and seeming helpful but then fucking everything up for the King of Hyrule and then you have to save Zelda, instead you have Ganondorf appearing and seeming helpful but then fucking everything up for the King of Hyrule and then you have to save Zelda. And then it uses the same light world/dark world thing except it's past/future. It's a very stock Zelda in terms of all the setup and premise and setting and so on. Also, fuck Jabu Jabu's Belly, and the Water Temple, and the Shadow Temple is just kind of a shitty dungeon.

Anyway though, I disagree with you on the grounds that Twilight Princess is way, way worse. Easily the worst 3D Zelda. They go back to the well a THIRD time and make another game that is basically just Link to the Past with all of the stock Zelda elements, except they half-assedly throw in some wolf bullshit and a slightly more developed Navi figure. Twilight Princess tries to do light world/dark world stuff but all they really do is throw a sepia filter on the normal world and spawn a bunch of those shadow assholes, so basically it does it way worse than LttP or OoT. Twilight Princess tries to do this cool wolf transformation, but the wolf abilities all fucking suck and you barely have to use them, so it's worse at that than Majora's Mask's awesome transformations. Instead of building a cool toolbox of interesting items, you get a bunch of super forced items that are only useful in dungeons specifically built around them (the Spinner thing where you needed specific slots for it to do anything, the Dominion Rod which did fuck all outside of the dungeon you get it in). Twilight Princess is just the safest, most boring Zelda you could possibly make and it really felt like an overreaction to the backlash against Wind Waker where Nintendo was saying "Nope, you were right, we were silly to ever make Wind Waker and deviate from whatever sad little DeviantArt version of Link you have in your mind where he's this huge badass, so here you go, here's Twilight Princess, we basically made Ocarina of Time again, so enjoy it you stupid fucks".

I still haven't played Skyward Sword, but I at least appreciate that it's going for something different. It's what I like about all of the handheld Zeldas. They're not just retreading fucking Link to the Past for the 8th fucking time, instead they all tell weird stories that Link happens to wander into.

Original: I've beaten the first dungeon a few times but never progressed much further than that. I dunno, just didn't grip me.

Zelda 2: Fuck that game.

Link To the Past: I kept hearing how it was secretly the best Zelda game, but I didn't think it was all that great. I should probably give it another chance but eh.

Link's Awakening: Loved that game despite never finishing it. Stealing from the shopkeeper and then being murdered by him remains one of my favorite Zelda moments.

Ocarina of Time: Really liked it. Gerudo Valley theme is the shit.

Majora's Mask: Only truly experiencing the game now with the 3DS remake. Played a ton of it on the N64 off my brother's 100% save file. It was a pretty fun game to fuck around in.

Wind Waker: Probably my favorite Zelda. It has it faults but damn that game is beautiful, and the Ganon fight is awesome.

Twilight Princess: Need to go back and finish it but I like it.

Skyward Sword: The controls ruin the gameplay for me. Also, I'm not a graphics snob but the game looks like shit. (Not the style, the quality is just so low res and hideous looking)

Minish Cap: Like it, but never got very far in it.

DS games: Hated the touch controls.

Wand of Gamelon: Yes.

my exposure to the series was always through other peoples N64s (I had a PS1) I feel in love with ocarina, but Majora's mask is my all time favourite because it was everything I wanted from a sequel to ocarina.( explore Hyrule's races? Different world & darker, werider art style? Even at 11 I was totally up for that) the only Zelda games I've actually owned are oracle of ages on the GBC and skyward sword on the wii, both of which are great.

Where's a Link Between Worlds in the poll?

YOU FORGOT A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS, arguably the best Zelda game I've finished (apart from Wind Waker).

Haha, I'm in the 1% that has Twilight Princess as a favorite, though it's tied with Link to the Past and OoT to be fair, in my case.

my top 3 zelda games would be.

1.Majoras Mask

2.Ocarina of Time

3.a tie between Twilight princess and Link to the past.

im surprised at the percentage who havent played ocarina and majoras mask etc.hopefully these people will play them someday,especially with the 3ds versions out.

A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS

I knew I missed one. Sorry everyone. Just happened to be the most recent / super popular / super awesome one.

@beachthunder@rebel_scum@bisonhero@probablytuna@poisonjam7 :(

I'll, uh, rerun this poll next year or something. Gotta do a Metal Gear poll first!

@geraltitude: Do over!

I have only played Twilight Princess and a Link Between Worlds. I found Twilight Pricess mediocre, 2/5. I found A Link Betweeen Worlds aggravating and consider it to be one of the worst games I've ever played. I'm glad it came with my 3DS because I certainly wouldn't have spent money on it. I'd give it a 0/5.