So I figured I would go ahead and try my hand at beating every single Zelda game in the franchise (excluding the CDi games). I've already beaten these games so far:

1. Ocarina of Time- Very good game. Both the original and 3DS versions were tremendous.
2. The Wind Waker- Good game but the end was a little underwhelming and boring overworld.
3. Phantom Hourglass- One of my favorite games despite the Ocean Temple.
4. A Link Between Worlds- Amazing game, absolutely loved this title.

Which leaves me with:

1. Legend of Zelda- Own it on the 3DS
2. Link's Adventure- Own it on the 3DS
3. A Link to the Past- Do not own this
4. Link's Awakening- Do not own this
5. Majora's Mask- Do not own this
6. Oracle of Ages/Seasons- Do not own this
7. The Minish Cap- Own it on 3DS (ambassador only)
8. Twilight Princess- Own it on Wii
9. Spirit Tracks- Have actually played through the first couple of hours
10. Skyward Sword- Own it on Wii

So what should I play next. I most recently finished Wind Waker so I was debating if I should play a handheld Zelda or full 3D. I have both a 3DS and WiiU but no consoles on which the games originally released on. How would I go about purchasing the games I'm missing?

Thanks for the help.

Link's Awakening is amazing and is on the 3ds virtual console. A Link to The Past is also on the Wii U virtual console.

If you most recently played Wind Waker, I'd recommend one of the NES Zelda games, A Link to the Past, or Link's Awakening. Try to split time between the 2D and 3D games.

Play original NES Zelda. Go back to where it all began, so you can better appreciate how much more focused Link to the Past and the Game Boy Zelda games are. Seriously, NES Zelda really throws you to the wolves, and you gotta figure your own shit out. Also, man, that game really likes making you bomb walls in dungeons.

All of the ones you don't own can either be bought on the 3DS Virtual Console, or the Wii Virtual Console (which you can access through your Wii U).

I'd go original next. And maybe save Adventure of Link for last. It's the most divisive (personally I love it) and different entry and I'd think would be an interesting way to end the run.

I'm replaying the orignal nes Legend of Zelda right now. It's great but there is absolutely no hand holding at all. It's cool to see how this great series all started.

Is "A Link to the Past" on Virtual Console? If so, get that. If not, do Skyward Sword. You'll love it.

Out of what you own, go with Minish Cap. I really enjoyed it; my only real issue is that I felt they they didn't really explore the growing/shrinking gimmick enough. Also, I'd say it has the best graphics of any of the Zelda games.

Darksiders may be a good change of pace in there at some point.

But the original Zelda can be fun. Tough to figure out, but its simplicity has its charm.

@jonez120 said:

It's on the Wii Virtual Console and the Wii U Virtual Console. The 3DS Virtual Console sadly does not have SNES games at present.

I've always wanted to play Skyward Sword.. but not with a Wii Remote. I own the GameCube version of Twilight Princess and it's a million times more comfortable to play than the Wii version, so that puts me off playing.

But for you I'd go for Minish Cap. It's a very fun game.

Yep already played and enjoyed both Darksiders. It's a shame no 3rd game is anywhere in the near future. I am seeing a lot of people recommend the original Zelda though....

To be fair, the motion controls in Skyward Sword are a lot more refined than they were in Twilight Princess.

hmmmmmmm I'd say buy A Link to the Past, on Wii with component cables on a HDTV looks beautiful.

Minish Cap, I recomend, but I played that game on 5 hour bus trip. Minish Cap a beautiful game, unlike SNES Zelda, which has a limited tile set and looks rather ugly fast, plus also no Ganon. Seeing Link without a hat on is always adorable. I love the weapon selection, very clever designs.

I don't know, I'd say Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword play last, because there's a lot of references from all the games combined.

Link to the Past, then Majora's Mask, then Twilight Princess, then Minish, then honestly pick and choose from there. Whatever you do make sure you play a few more before you play Skyward Sword because it has a lot of REALLY cool references to the other games. It's the very first game chronologically so you can already derive things knowing that.

Skyward Sword is actually my favorite Zelda, it's just breathtaking.

@vinny_says:

Zelda II: Adventure of Link is probably going to be the one that's going to be the largest culture shock gameplay wise.

Not to mention the most challenging to actually finish.

It's a love it or hate it game, if you are serious about beating them all, you might want to plan when you are willing to take that one on.

as for the rest, I'd get the older games out of the way first, because I personally find it harder to go back after playing newer games in a series. And if you play them early you can see where some of these systems came from.