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[Grady]

I recently tried playing the twilight princess remaster on the Wii u and found it incredibly boring. I remember enjoying wind waker more.

 

[Big Green Anus]

Holy friggen sweet jesus I'm nearly done with Snowpeak and this game has been consistently better than Wind Waker in almost every way. I can understand people not liking Skyward Sword for whatever technical reason, but Twilight Princess is simply better in the same mold that Wind Waker uses.

-Better dungeons
-Better bosses
-More rewarding exploration
-INFINITELY better items

I've dropped wind waker multiple times but Twilight Princess still has me hooked. What do people see in WW?

When I was younger, I preferred Wind Waker as my favorite Zelda and one of my favorite games ever due to the visuals/animation, presentation and even story. However, the HD release made me realize how shallow the game actually is.

Twilight Princess is the best of the 3D Zelda games, which includes Ocarina of Time(TP does nearly everything better than OT) and Breath of the Wild(not to finished with it, but not as good as TP so far. I need to play more).

 

[brandonh83]

I personally didn't care about any of the NPCs which is a cardinal sin if you want to care about the world and its worldbuilding. Malo is worse than Tingle and Beedle COMBINED.

I didn't really either but the game has exploration. I don't get otherwise. Like there is plenty to explore. Game is huge. Again maybe someone doesn't like it or cared for what they found but to say there's no exploration is just silliness.

 

[Lynx_7]

First post nailed it.
Aside from graphics, TP is the overall better package.
Though WW HD did severely improve my opinion of the game.

 

[AniHawk]

I agree in principle but not entirely. A good presentation is not window dressing. This is a visual medium and innovation and originality here is meaningful and important. And wind waker certainly gets its due credit.

Memorable characters and story are important but closer to window dressing, agreed. Where I think wind waker falls down is everywhere else. So much of its presentation colors the way people think about the rest of the game-- that it's "innovative" or "original". The game is similar to earlier zeldas in both structure and progression, and the moment to moment gameplay is almost the same as ocarina of time. I don't dock "points" for a lack of originality but I certainly do for poor execution. Wind waker is incomplete and paced poorly. The dungeons are not near substantial enough. The game starts just as slowly as TP and the initial stealth dungeon is a total misfire.

TP has its own issues. The beginning and the interludes as wolf link until midna gets the crap kicked out of her are inexcusable. The items are never really woven into the game in a long term fashion. The art style is certainly not as creative as wind waker (though its detractors have always gone overboard and said the most ridiculous shit about how it's ugly). But the core is basically the ocarina of time formula perfected. The execution from dungeon 4 to dungeon 8 is unrivaled. And there IS a lot of variety and creativity in the individual dungeons themselves.

Does Zant eventually suck? Yes. Is ganondorf a good villain? I don't know. But agreed-- window dressing.

I think wind waker is like the nascent open world movement personified. Core of the game falls down but you can explore in a super frustrating and annoying mechanical way that yields nothing but at least you were free.

i agree with pretty much everything here. tp hd is maybe the most unnecessary update to a game, but i was glad to play it and discover it was as good as i had remembered... opening moments notwithstanding. tww hd was a similar confirmation and also a surprise in just how poor parts of the game were. there is a shocking amount of things to collect in the game, made worse by the game's method of traversal.

presentation only goes so far, and certainly it can help mask other factors. as a designer, i know it is an important element, but my goal is usually to find an idea first and have that inform my decisions. in the wind waker, it felt like those decisions were made independent of the game and it turned into a mess. tp at least had the idea of something riding on link and midna was born from that. i think that lends to a better process to solve problems. botw is a showcase in how this actually isn't solved correctly. at least i think it was solved lazily. turning the story and motivation into a collectathon is poor problem solving. i am pretty tired and getting away from my point though.

where am i

 

[Deleted member 231381]

\ Behold, the great Zelda community. /

My first Zelda is Breath of the Wild so I am obviously very new to this franchise, but It just seems like every single Zelda fan had their own different opinions.

I don't even know what Wind Waker is anymore, is it the worst Zelda or the best Zelda? cause that's what I been hearing all the time. Either it's a masterpiece or a worthless pile of shit.

It's even more polarizing than the Souls community. At least most people loved Demon's Souls and the original Dark Souls.

For all Zelda sticks to tropes, the series does actually prioritise very different things from game to game. Depending on what it is exactly that draws you to the Zelda series, you're likely to find different games better or worse accordingly. Twilight Princess, for example, has superb dungeon design. When balancing for quality and quantity, to my mind it is quite clearly the best in the 3D Zelda set, and I don't think many will dispute that. Given dungeons are maybe half the content of most Zeldas to date, that's a pretty significant thing to have in your corner!

But on the other hand, Twilight Princess has a rather drab and dreary design. The Wind Waker, aesthetically, is an absolutely gorgeous game, with excellent character design and perhaps the best Zelda soundtrack to date. It also has one of the best characterisations and narrative in the series. So it can make up for a rather barren overworld and poor dungeons by cultivating a strong sense of wonder and discovery just from a visual and audio aspect.

There's people to bat for pretty much every 3D Zelda. None of them are bad, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Spoiler

But MM > TP > OoT > SS > tWW is the objectively correct order.

I actually enjoyed OoT more than TP, but I played OoT first when I was young and it still has that sense of childhood nostalgia - it was pretty formative for me. But Twilight Princess is quite close to being Ocarina of Time 2: Ocarina Harder. It aims to hit all the same notes and outlines as Ocarina of Time but bigger and more modern. If you did play OoT first, it's a bit... bland and lacking innovation. But for someone entirely new to the series, if they go TP -> OoT, you get the reverse feeling of OoT being made rather redundant (the way my girlfriend feels). So I respect what TP does and it would probably be the Zelda game I'd first recommend to someone new to the series.

 

[SoraanTribal]

Yeah twilight princess is a far better game than wind waker to me. In almost every single way but especially the dungeons. Love em all.

 

[Magicpaint]

I didn't really either but the game has exploration. I don't get otherwise. Like there is plenty to explore. Game is huge. Again maybe someone doesn't like it or cared for what they found but to say there's no exploration is just silliness.

Yeah, the problem with TP is the first half is a bit restrictive and while the set pieces are also great they add to the feeling of the game 'moving you along a path', rather than you stumbling upon it yourself. However after the first plot twist the game opens up well and there's a ton to see and do -- you can stumble upon caves, use your dungeon tools to gain access to portions in the overworld, enjoy the vastness of lake hylia etc. The problem is that it doesn't reward exploration nearly as well as OoT did. Damn those rupees.

 

[brandonh83]

There's people to bat for pretty much every 3D Zelda. None of them are bad, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Spoiler

But MM > TP > OoT > SS > tWW is the objectively correct order.

You were doing just fine until your "objective order"

JUST FINE

 

[sanstesy]

One problem with Twilight Princess is that there is such a weird void in that world but not in a good way. It's like you and Midna are the only characters that really exist. There are towns but they are less populated, more static and ultimately uninteresting than in any other Zelda game, the writing is bland and uninteresting, no NPCs to be found anywhere in the overworld. This game has no character and you walk through a ghost town of a world even though it shouldn't feel like it at all.

There is no motivation to go back to places you've been before, no reason to go back to towns and explore them. It's all extremely shallow and adds to the fact that the game has absolutely nothing worth to explore even though the the world is big enough where that needs to be the case.

 

[LeleSocho]

I was writing a mini essay on how Wind Waker is better than Twilight Princess and how similar to BotW it is, but i'll leave it at that.

 

[brandonh83]

Yeah, the problem with TP is the first half is a bit restrictive and while the set pieces are also great they add to the feeling of the game 'moving you along a path', rather than you stumbling upon it yourself. However after the first plot twist the game opens up well and there's a ton to see and do -- you can stumble upon caves, use your dungeon tools to gain access to portions in the overworld, enjoy the vastness of lake hylia etc. The problem is that it doesn't reward exploration nearly as well as OoT did. Damn those rupees.

Oh I mean it had problems but I still felt like I was on a huge journey with a grand scale and sense of wonder. Some of the locales and dungeons were incredibly wondrous to me and I never thought it didn't have a good sense of exploration. After I got out of the damn village I always felt like I was exploring and finding new things. That's exploration.

Now whether you found it "rewarding" is subjective. But it sure as hell didn't lack exploration. Same for Skyward.

 

[Haganeren]

I was writing a mini essay on how Wind Waker is better than Twilight Princess and how similar to BotW it is, but i'll leave it at that.

Actually yeah, i will never forget the impression of trying to visit all the island to see what's in there... How of course, it didn't live up to expectation with most island being some kind of disappointement but still, there was a sense of discovery that i liked a lot and was absent from all the other 3D Zelda games...... Until Breath of the Wild.

 

[Tuck]

TP is probably better in terms of gameplay - more dungeons and better dungeons.

Visually, no way.

 

[elkniwcire]

Although I think Wind Waker is the "correct" answer here, I enjoyed Twilight Princess a hell of a lot more. TP had problems, but the dungeons are on another level.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

I was writing a mini essay on how Wind Waker is better than Twilight Princess and how similar to BotW it is, but i'll leave it at that.

The Wind Waker does a good job of tricking you into thinking it is open, but it really isn't. The vast majority of the islands are dull and unrewarding, they're always smack bang in the middle of the square meaning you don't explore so much as tick off boxes, ultimately the quest is entirely linear, and given the same-ness of the Great Sea as an environment becomes really tiresome after a few hours. The Wind Waker is really nothing like Breath of the Wild at all in anything other than surface ambience. Twilight Princess might not bother putting on The Wind Waker's façade, but it actually genuinely has more to look for of value in its overworld than the Wind Waker does.

 

[Magicpaint]

One problem with Twilight Princess is that there is such a weird void in that world but not in a good way. It's like you and Midna are the only characters that really exist. There are towns but they are less populated, more static and ultimately uninteresting than in any other Zelda game, the writing is bland and uninteresting, no NPCs to be found anywhere in the overworld. This game has no character and you walk through a ghost town of a world even though it shouldn't feel like it at all.

There is no motivation to go back to places you've been before, no reason to go back to towns and explore them. It's all extremely shallow and adds to the fact that the game has absolutely nothing worth to explore even though the the world is big enough where that needs to be the case.

I get what you mean. My biggest disappointment with TP is the way it handles NPCs. They feel so forgettable because they're not used in creative ways (outside of Malo, MALO IS GOAT OKAY?!). OoT was full of memorable NPCs that if you engaged with you'd find out a lot about their history and relationships with one another --- MM greatly expands on this. WW does it well with its Islands, especially Windfall, and SS does it too with the Skyloft. It might have been intentional due to the way the Twilight Realm affects the world but it gave the game an uncomfortable sense of loneliness. There was a ton of potential for this to happen with the Castle Town but it went to waste.

Oh I mean it had problems but I still felt like I was on a huge journey with a grand scale and sense of wonder. Some of the locales and dungeons were incredibly wondrous to me and I never thought it didn't have a good sense of exploration. After I got out of the damn village I always felt like I was exploring and finding new things. That's exploration.

Now whether you found it "rewarding" is subjective. But it sure as hell didn't lack exploration. Same for Skyward.

Oh I'm totally with you, it has a ton of exploration. I was just trying to point out why it may not feel like it to some players because the way the game is designed doesn't necessarily encourage it in the way WW does.

Spoiler

Not sure I can agree about SS though, but I should ease on my critique of that game

 

[rekameohs]

Outside of the amazing visuals, I can get behind Wind Waker as the weakest main Zelda title.

 

[Bydobob]

Wind Waker is more charming, has a better atmosphere abd an incredible sense of adventure and exploration. Personally I loved sailing the seas in WW much more than riding around in TP. That said, while I do prefer WW overall, TP is still a great game. OoT still the GOAT though (haven't played BotW yet)

I agree with all your assessments. Prepare to have a new GOAT, BoTW is that special.

 

[Firemind]

I didn't really either but the game has exploration. I don't get otherwise. Like there is plenty to explore. Game is huge. Again maybe someone doesn't like it or cared for what they found but to say there's no exploration is just silliness.

I think a good example would be A Link to the Past versus Link's Awakening. I love LOVE the NPCs in LA. It makes me involved in the world by having an emotional connection with its inhabitants. Contrast that with ALTTP where it feels more empty even though the world is much bigger and there's more content in it. There's more to explore in ALTTP, but ultimately it feels shallow. Not to say WW doesn't have these issues, but I think the idea was there. It's just the execution that lacked. TP I feel the idea wasn't great to begin with (Wolf Link) so it was doomed to fail as a compelling Zelda.

 

[victreeb3l]

Twilight Princess was awesome. Wind Waker was also good.

 

[The Lamonster]

I think WW beats TP in terms of art direction. The music, atmosphere, characters etc are all more interesting than TP, but TP wins in terms of gameplay and overall Zelda experience.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

I think WW beats TP in terms of art direction. The music, atmosphere, characters etc are all more interesting than TP, but TP wins in terms of gameplay and overall Zelda experience.

Halfway between the two there is an incredible game.

Unfortunately, they decided to make Skyward Sword instead.

Spoiler

I kid.

Spoiler

Partly.

 

[Otnopolit]

For me, Twilight Princess was the first big, glaring example that the 3D formula Zelda games were using needed a big change. I thought Skyward Sword was a good game because it knew this and tried to mix it up (this, notably and well agreed upon, had mixed results).

For example, SS was still too tied directly to the formula established in OoT, and that based on A Link to the Past. They did improve combat, but the motion controls were a source of frustration for many. They included a loot system and reasons to use rupees, but the same progression of wallet size and punishing the frugal player continued.

I think TP's dependency on OoT is the reason why I would describe it as lacking passion. It's strengths are weighed too heavily against the tropes the series has rested on for 20 years and the emphasis on quantity over quality.

 

[shiftplusone]

TP will always be the absolute worst 3d Zelda. Skyward Sword is better, and SS isn't great either.

but it's not as fucking stupid as TP

how you gonna follow up WW with this buttshit is beyond me

 

[Xion_Stellar]

I don't know if I can agree with you OP BUT I did like Twilight Princess more than Wind Waker although I suspect that has more to do with the more mature aesthetic and themes that Twilight Princess has instead of measuring it as an actual game.

 

[God Dayumm]

Arguably.

But definitely both are better than Skyward Sword

 

[pringles]

I was writing a mini essay on how Wind Waker is better than Twilight Princess and how similar to BotW it is, but i'll leave it at that.

Yep, lots of WW DNA in BotW.

The Wind Waker does a good job of tricking you into thinking it is open, but it really isn't. The vast majority of the islands are dull and unrewarding, they're always smack bang in the middle of the square meaning you don't explore so much as tick off boxes, ultimately the quest is entirely linear, and given the same-ness of the Great Sea as an environment becomes really tiresome after a few hours.

Islands are not always in the middle of squares, and it's actually very worthwhile to explore the islands. If you were like me, you had most of the triforce charts way before you needed them.

 

[brandonh83]

I think a good example would be A Link to the Past versus Link's Awakening. I love LOVE the NPCs in LA. It makes me involved in the world by having an emotional connection with its inhabitants.

I guess I just don't really need good NPCs to feel like there's good exploration, it's not something I've ever really related.

 

[silentspork]

I think Twilight Princess is a better game but Wind Waker is more memorable overall.

 

[Soul of the Beast]

For all Zelda sticks to tropes, the series does actually prioritise very different things from game to game. Depending on what it is exactly that draws you to the Zelda series, you're likely to find different games better or worse accordingly. Twilight Princess, for example, has superb dungeon design. When balancing for quality and quantity, to my mind it is quite clearly the best in the 3D Zelda set, and I don't think many will dispute that. Given dungeons are maybe half the content of most Zeldas to date, that's a pretty significant thing to have in your corner!

But on the other hand, Twilight Princess has a rather drab and dreary design. The Wind Waker, aesthetically, is an absolutely gorgeous game, with excellent character design and perhaps the best Zelda soundtrack to date. It also has one of the best characterisations and narrative in the series. So it can make up for a rather barren overworld and poor dungeons by cultivating a strong sense of wonder and discovery just from a visual and audio aspect.

There's people to bat for pretty much every 3D Zelda. None of them are bad, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Spoiler

But MM > TP > OoT > SS > tWW is the objectively correct order.

I actually enjoyed OoT more than TP, but I played OoT first when I was young and it still has that sense of childhood nostalgia - it was pretty formative for me. But Twilight Princess is quite close to being Ocarina of Time 2: Ocarina Harder. It aims to hit all the same notes and outlines as Ocarina of Time but bigger and more modern. If you did play OoT first, it's a bit... bland and lacking innovation. But for someone entirely new to the series, if they go TP -> OoT, you get the reverse feeling of OoT being made rather redundant (the way my girlfriend feels). So I respect what TP does and it would probably be the Zelda game I'd first recommend to someone new to the series.

I actually own Twilight Princess on the Wii but I was never able to play it.
Being a Taiwanese I either have to play the Japanese version or the English version (because Nintendo absolutely don't give a shit about the mandarin market), and since my English is much better than my Japanese I purchased the English version of TP instead.
And then I found out there's a thing called region locking that I don't know about, my Japanese Wii can not play the English version of TP.

Bravo Nintendo, you are the best.

 

[oneida]

i appreciate your opinion

i disagree with it

SO MUCH FOR THE TOLERANT LEFT

 

[Mr-Joker]

\ Behold, the great Zelda community. /

My first Zelda is Breath of the Wild so I am obviously very new to this franchise, but It just seems like every single Zelda fan had their own different opinions.

I don't even know what Wind Waker is anymore, is it the worst Zelda or the best Zelda? cause that's what I been hearing all the time. Either it's a masterpiece or a worthless pile of shit.

It's even more polarizing than the Souls community. At least most people loved Demon's Souls and the original Dark Souls.

As someone who first Zelda game is Windwaker my advice to you is really play all Zelda games yourself and formulate your own thoughts on each games rather than listening to folks debating what the best/worse Zelda game as chances are pretty much all game ended up hitting both list.

Which is why I not going to get into this debate as I liked both Windwaker and Twilight Princess and my opinions on each Zelda games end up changing each time I replay it, for example I always felt that Twilight Princess was a weak Zelda game when I first played it but when I played the remaster version I ended up loving it and placed it as my third favorite Zelda game.

 

[Pics_nao]

Nah. Wind Waker is still up there for me. TP is really good though.

 

[Lights and Waves]

I completely disagree. Wind Waker was such a magical experience on the Gamecube. The surprise twist of it being a sequel to Ocarina of Time and having you travel to the underwater Hyrule was such a treat.

Twilight Princess was important because it finally gave us a "realistic" Zelda again, but they really dropped the ball. Boring, empty, disconnected overworld. Zelda has zero character development. Zant overshadows Ganondorf and steals the show.

At least it gave us Midna.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

TP was an alright game but I don't ever want to replay it. Too many things I didn't like about it, some of them I'm in the minority on:

- HATED the wolf link sections
- Yellow-brown color scheme
- Butt-ugly NPCs
- The weird enemies that spawn in from the sky, the way they spawned in, etc.
- Didn't like Midna. Don't see why she's so popular.

The wolf thing was the worst though. Those sections actually put me off the game a couple times. I didn't actually finish it until late in the Wii's life cycle.

WW wasn't perfect but it was at least attractive, bright, and unique at the time. I own and intend to play the HD version on Wii U at some point. The sailing never bothered me that much.

 

[Cruxist]

Wind Waker is kind of the proto Breath of the Wild, but the sailing mechanic kind of spoils the exploration. You have to be a lot more purposeful in getting off of the boat and exploring islands or even just deviating from the path to find something different. I think it's a great showcase of ideas, but execution leaves a lot to be desired. Not a bad game, but I definitely preferred the more focused experience in Twilight Princess.

 

[Pinky]

I love both games, but WW has a timeless charm and style that TP cannot match.

 

[Kamaros]

Well, as much as I like Wind Waker, Twilight Princess is one of my favorite Zelda games, along with Majora's Mask.
I don't know, I have a thing for Zelda games with a darker setup.

 

[boiled goose]

They both have issues.

Tp has fun but formulaic dungeons, a boring overworld and a horrendous intro.

Ww has super easy cakewalk dungeons, pacing issues, overworld not great but at least unique.

Both have way too easy combat and especially bosses.

They are about the same in my mind. TP might be more meaty, but WW has charm.

Wind Waker is kind of the proto Breath of the Wild, but the sailing mechanic kind of spoils the exploration. You have to be a lot more purposeful in getting off of the boat and exploring islands or even just deviating from the path to find something different. I think it's a great showcase of ideas, but execution leaves a lot to be desired. Not a bad game, but I definitely preferred the more focused experience in Twilight Princess.

Ww has almost nothing in common with Botw from a core design standpoint. The most similar game to botw is NES LoZ.

 

[Mysterious]

I like Wind Waker's world better.

Better Music, story, Link ,characters, and Final Boss.

But Dungeons and Bosses are much better in TP. I don't really care for anybody in TP, thus making it a inferior game for me

Still Great Games tho

How does WW have a better story, music and final boss than TP?!

 

[Sakura]

In terms of atmosphere, world, story, music, aesthetics, I think Wind Waker is way better. TP goes on way too long for my liking, and I can't stand the gameplay gimmick of wolf link. It's a solid game sure, but it also seems very bland and doesn't really stand out amongst the Zelda games to me, in offering anything unique.

 

[Firemind]

How does WW have a better story, music and final boss than TP?!

How doesn't it have is the better question.

 

[Regiruler]

I still consider TP's intro and the Twilight Realms to be worse than any example of padding in TWW (which, honestly, outside of the lazy Triforce Hunt is really quite overblown). Former is obnoxious, plodding exposition and the latter goes completely against Zelda's design.

TWW's unfinished quality does undermine it but I'd much rather deal with its lows than the TP/SS slogfests. Ocean FTW!

The triforce hunt is an entire segment of the game, the tear hunts are at least broken up (and I don't know why people find them difficult given that your map is marked).

 

[Gai Murakumo]

I personally had way more fun playing Windwaker than I did playing Twilight Princess. I played the HD remaster of Windwaker when it came out not having played the original but still it was so much fun. Last year I tried to replay Twilight Princess with its HD remaster, but I struggled myself to finish it. Even after playing the original when it came out I just was not into it. The only saving grace for Twilight Princess is Midna, the rest is kind of "meh" in comparison.

 

[tayls129]

Twilight Princess is the favorite of younger players who thought it was edgy and "dark." It's not. It's pretty lame. Zelda has always been about charm, and Wind Waker got that. People were losing their minds when the art style was revealed because, in their minds, Zelda was some mature, adult series. Again, it's not. It's charming and magical.

 

[Boney]

Grappling Hook is still the coolest Zelda item there is and I don't understand why they also included the Hookshot

 

[Y2Kev]

For all Zelda sticks to tropes, the series does actually prioritise very different things from game to game. Depending on what it is exactly that draws you to the Zelda series, you're likely to find different games better or worse accordingly. Twilight Princess, for example, has superb dungeon design. When balancing for quality and quantity, to my mind it is quite clearly the best in the 3D Zelda set, and I don't think many will dispute that. Given dungeons are maybe half the content of most Zeldas to date, that's a pretty significant thing to have in your corner!

But on the other hand, Twilight Princess has a rather drab and dreary design. The Wind Waker, aesthetically, is an absolutely gorgeous game, with excellent character design and perhaps the best Zelda soundtrack to date. It also has one of the best characterisations and narrative in the series. So it can make up for a rather barren overworld and poor dungeons by cultivating a strong sense of wonder and discovery just from a visual and audio aspect.

There's people to bat for pretty much every 3D Zelda. None of them are bad, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Spoiler

But MM > TP > OoT > SS > tWW is the objectively correct order.

I actually enjoyed OoT more than TP, but I played OoT first when I was young and it still has that sense of childhood nostalgia - it was pretty formative for me. But Twilight Princess is quite close to being Ocarina of Time 2: Ocarina Harder. It aims to hit all the same notes and outlines as Ocarina of Time but bigger and more modern. If you did play OoT first, it's a bit... bland and lacking innovation. But for someone entirely new to the series, if they go TP -> OoT, you get the reverse feeling of OoT being made rather redundant (the way my girlfriend feels). So I respect what TP does and it would probably be the Zelda game I'd first recommend to someone new to the series.

I just disagree (not with you specifically but in general) that TWW can compensate for poor everything else with strong art design. TWW has very serious issues with regular playability for me in its original release.

anihawk, are you saying BOTW incorrectly solves a problem or that it shows TWW incorrectly solved a problem? For as good as the game is, I think Nintendo clearly overcorrected to feedback on skyward sword and something was lost in the process. I think breath of the wilder can be improved rather easily with some low hanging fruit.

 

[13ruce]

Wind Waker stands on its own as a completely unique Zelda experience. Twilight Princess is poor Ocarina of Time knockoff.

I prefer TP above OoT it's way better imo.
Also @ OP you forgot best companion: Midna

 

[Evil's Bane]

Wind Waker is, structurally, not far removed from OOT and TP. The artstyle is different and the story is remarkably better, but you could tell Wind Waker would be more similar to those games if it wasn't constantly trying to make up for blatantly missing.content. The only real difference is the artstyle and replacing the red horse with a red boat.

Majora's Mask and now Breath of the Wild do the whole "breaking Zelda conventions" thing way better than Wind Waker did.