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[A Black Falcon]

As for Kotaku's list, ranking OoT that low is a bizarre choice, and it's hard to understand how any Zelda fan could do that. And putting LttP on top may be the most popular choice (for lists that don't put OoT on top, that is), but I very much disagree with that one of course, so yeah. And Majora's Mask... in some ways it's great, but I'm sorry, the time system ruins that game for me. The stress, frustration, and forced repeat play that that stupid time system puts into the game drags it down so badly that MM is a chore to play; I've owned it since near launch and have never finished it. I do like that the Oracles games rank so high, though; they're fantastic classic Zelda games and deserve a high place on the list. (They're also why Minish Cap was so disappointing, since it's such a big step back from them in many ways, but that's another issue.)

So yeah, for the most part that list gets the order way wrong! Here's my list. Much better.

18. Phantom Hourglass
17. Link's Crossbow Training
16. Minish Cap
15. Spirit Tracks
14. Adventure of Link
13. Majora's Mask
12. The Legend of Zelda
11. Four Sword Adventures
10. Link to the Past
9. A Link Between Worlds
7. Wind Waker
6. Skyward Sword
5. Oracle of Seasons
4. Twilight Princess
3. Oracle of Ages
2. Link's Awakening
1. Ocarina of Time

I don't have Triforce Heroes, but based on the demo it looks okay but not great. It'd probably be somewhere in the lower half of the list.

I started Twilight Princess again recently on the Gamecube, and it's still an absolutely fantastic game in most respects, easily one of the best of its generation. The gameplay is incredible, in some ways the best of the 3d Zelda games (though OoT is more original and a bit more challenging, though TP is a lot tougher than WW), the overworld is fantastic and really fun to explore, the dungeons are great, and more! And on top of that it's the best-looking Zelda game ever. It's a real shame that Nintendo hasn't tried to make another Zelda game with something like its "realistic" style, I love that look. TP is a pretty seriously under-rated game which really is one of the all-time greats, period... story excepted, but outside of LA Zelda games don't have good stories anyway.

 

[Bakkus]

Minish Cap is always underrated. For my money, it's the best 2D Zelda.

 

[Dragnipur]

As for Kotaku's list, ranking OoT that low is a bizarre choice, and it's hard to understand how any Zelda fan could do that. And putting LttP on top may be the most popular choice (for lists that don't put OoT on top, that is), but I very much disagree with that one of course, so yeah. I do like that the Oracles games rank so high, though; they're fantastic classic Zelda games and deserve a high place on the list. (They're also why Minish Cap was so disappointing, since it's such a big step back from them in many ways, but that's another issue.)

So yeah, for the most part that list gets the order way wrong! Here's my list. Much better.

18. Phantom Hourglass
17. Link's Crossbow Training
16. Minish Cap
15. Spirit Tracks
14. Adventure of Link
13. Majora's Mask
12. The Legend of Zelda
11. Four Sword Adventures
10. Link to the Past
9. A Link Between Worlds
7. Wind Waker
6. Skyward Sword
5. Oracle of Seasons
4. Twilight Princess
3. Oracle of Ages
2. Link's Awakening
1. Ocarina of Time

I started Twilight Princess again recently, and it's still an absolutely fantastic game in most respects, easily one of the best of its generation. The gameplay is incredible, in some ways the best of the 3d Zelda games (though OoT is more original and a bit more challenging, though TP is a lot tougher than WW), the overworld is fantastic and really fun to explore, the dungeons are great, and more! And on top of that it's the best-looking Zelda game ever. It's a real shame that Nintendo hasn't tried to make another Zelda game with something like its "realistic" style, I love that look. TP is a pretty seriously under-rated game which really is one of the all-time greats, period... story excepted, but outside of LA Zelda games don't have good stories anyway.

Majoras mask and ALBW are both criminally low on your list..

 

[Mister X]

ALBW has the same problem as the NSMB games, they hit you over the head with easiness. Can't disagree with #1 though, no game has aged better.

 

[jacobeid]

Holy shit I disagree

My top 5

Spoiler

5. Dylan
4. Dylan
3. Dulan
2. Dylan
1. Dylan

ahahahahahaha spit hot fire breh.

On topic, I really, really like this list.

 

[dragonbane]

Goddamn I disagree heavily with this list (tp and minish cap placement for the most part I guess)

10. Spirit Tracks
9. Skyward Sword
8. ALBW
7. Majoras Mask
6. Links Awakening
5. Wind Waker
4. Oracle of Seasons
3. Ocarina of Time
2. Minish Cap
1. Twilight Princess

Too long ago I played the originals and ALTTP. Can barely remember them atm. Didnt care for the other DS game or Ages

 

[Majukun]

wind waker in an higher rank than twilight princess makes automatically this list wrong

my list would probably something like


14) Spirit Tracks
13) Wind Waker
12) Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
11) The Legend of Zelda
10) Phantom Hourglass
9) Skyward Sword
8) The Minish Cap
7) Oracle of Ages/Seasons
6) Link Between Worlds
5) Twilight Princess
4) Link's Awakening
3) Link to the Past
2) Majora's Mask
1) Ocarina of Time

didn't play triforce heroes though

Man, I didn't realize so much of GAF hated Spirit Tracks.

Screw it, I love that game.

only zelda i never finished out of pure unadultereted boredom

 

[DrForester]

Agree with the top two. Wind Walker would nab the #3 spot for me though.

 

[Meowster]

Glad to see the Oracle games get so much love.

They are some of my greatest experiences in Zelda.

 

[Big Dog]

Well, even Link's Crossbow Training is better than ALTTP. Not a huge bar tbh.

This is the first time I have ever heard someone talk so badly about Link to the Past...

What is it that you don't like very much? I grew up playing this game on my dad's SNES it is a childhood favorite of mine and I believe it has aged very well too for what it is.

 

[LegendofLex]

This is the first time I have ever heard someone talk so badly about Link to the Past...

What is it that you don't like very much? I grew up playing this game on my dad's SNES it is a childhood favorite of mine and I believe it has aged very well too for what it is.

A big complaint I had when I first approached it years ago is that the content can often feel shallow and sterile compared to the games before it (the NES games are really challenging by comparison and had truly wide worlds and labyrinthine dungeons) and after it (LA's world has great character and dungeon design and OoT really developed the universe).

It was very clearly a turning point for the series, but I'm rarely compelled to play through it again and I don't have much of an attachment to most of what's going on in it.

It used to be my least favorite of the traditional-style Zeldas, but I've warmed a bit more to it because I've started to appreciate how little "fat" it has.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Majoras mask and ALBW are both criminally low on your list..

I added a bit to my list explaining why MM is where it is. I think it's right where it should be for what I enjoy in Zelda games. As for ALBW, it's good, but I don't really love it like the games above it on my list.

 

[baconcow]

I never liked how these lists put the Ages and Seasons games together. They are not the same game.

 

[Professor Beef]

I wouldn't put Ocarina in my top 5 either, but I also wouldn't put Link to the Past in it. Passable list, I would say.

EDIT: Also, no Hyrule Warriors? Come the fuck on. That's top 5 material.

 

[cartman414]

1. OOT 3D
2. ALBW
3. MM 3D
4. Skyward Sword
5. Twilight Princess
6. Wind Waker
7. Minish Cap
8. Phantom Hourglass
9. Four Swords Adventures
10. The Legend of Zelda
-didn't play LA or the Oracle games-
.
.
.
Zelda 2
.
.
.
A Link to the Past

Both your name and your rankings here make me question your tastes.

 

[Professor Beef]

Also I only have a Fave Five for Zelda games

1: Tie between Majora and Wind Waker
3: Link's Awakening
4: Hyrule Warriors
5: Link Between Worlds

I haven't played enough of the rest, but Ocarina sucks and LttP is ok but boring.

 

[2Smashed4U]

When did Wind Waker get to be so underrated? I know it has its flaws, but I still think it's better than either of the 3D console Zeldas to come out after it.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

I want to love Tri-Force Heroes but I always get paired up with either morons or people that don't know what they're doing when I play online.

 

[2Smashed4U]

EDIT: Also, no Hyrule Warriors? Come the fuck on. That's top 5 material.

lol

 

[MiamiWesker]

I'll do my list too, I've played them all, this is my favorite series.

1.MM
2.OoT
3. TP
4. ALTTP
5. LoZ
6. LA
7. WW
8. Oracles
9. SS
10. ALBW
11. MC
12. ST
13. Zelda 2
14. PH
15. FSA

 

[phanphare]

it's nice to see Link's Awakening get it's due, seeing it in the top 5 of a lot of the lists in this thread

as someone whose favorite Zelda game is Link's Awakening it wasn't always like this

 

[Reset]

Link to the Past deserves that #1 spot.

Spoiler

It's the only Zelda game worth playing.

 

[Bucket Mouse]

There isn't a truly bad game in the mainline series, just varying degrees of ingenuity.

1. Link's Awakening DX
This game has it all. Pitch perfect gameplay with unforgettable characters, surreal atmosphere, incredible music, a bittersweet story and fantastic dungeons. Established quirky self-referential humour as a Zelda staple and informed Ocarina of Time as much as ALttP did.

2. Ocarina of Time
Not as "pure" a gameplay experience as ALttP, it is nevertheless ranked higher because it showed that this series could be cinematic as well as mechanically fun. What more can be said about this game that hasn't been covered a million times? A game full of iconic moments.

3. Oracle of Ages
Almost as good as LA - feels like an expansion with advanced items and devious puzzles. Genius time mechanic and some of the best dungeons in the series.

4. A Link to the Past
While I miss the quirkiness of LA and its clockwork dungeoneering, this game served as it's blueprint. Expanded on the promise of Zelda 1 while streamlining it - one of the first "modern" videogames.

5. Oracle of Seasons
Utterly charming and a great companion to the other GBC Zeldas, it is only let down by the slightly simpler puzzles.

6. The Legend of Zelda
Brilliant open ended design unmatched so far in the series. Before the time of cracked bombable walls you had to explore every nook and cranny yourself to uncover the game's secrets. Awesome arcadey combat which almost feels like a bullet hell, crowd control shmup.

7. A Link Between Worlds
Great statement about the future of Zelda being rooted in its past. Better than ALttP in a lot of ways but points have to be docked because it doesn't give us a new mysterious overworld to explore - one of the greatest joys of any new Zelda game.

8. Twilight Princess
Very solid game with great dungeons. Its familiarity and glacial opening segment are its main blemishes.

9. The Wind Waker
A fantastic concept and a beautifully realised world. Style and atmosphere alone are almost enough to distract from the average dungeoneering.

10. Majora's Mask
A game I respect for its bold ideas and unique mechanics - it deserves to be in the top 10 even though I'm not as in love with the minute to minute gameplay as I am with other entries.

11. Zelda II The Adventure of Link
An underappreciated gem. I have only beaten this using save states, which may seem sacrilegious to some, but I had so much fun with this game's super tight controls and combat mechanics.

12. The Minish Cap
A greatest hits Zelda in a 2D form factor. I enjoyed my time with it - it is solid, if unremarkable.

13. Skyward Sword
Nintendo are better game technicians than storytellers - sadly, this game represents an unwelcome prioritisation of sophomoric storytelling and tutorialisation over emergent gameplay possibilities. On the other hand, I appreciated the attempt to make the overworld feel as dense as the 2D games and I really liked the motion controls on the whole. Inconsistent, flawed, but a good game.

14. Phantom Hourglass
Inessential and a disappointing Wind Waker sequel, there is nevertheless some good in this much maligned game. I did like the intuitive touch screen controls and some of the DS gimmicks - such as writing on the map - are clever and are missed in other entries.

15. Spirit Tracks
Mechanically builds and improves upon PH, but it is the most blatant example of Nintendo shoehorning a story into a game as an afterthought. The main conceit of a magical train is awkward and feels too far removed from the medieval fantasy of Zelda 1 for my liking. It's also the most contrained and linear game in the series.

 

[Professor Beef]

Link to the Past deserves that #1 spot.

Spoiler

It's the only Zelda game worth playing.

 

[Moff]

I'm glad Links Awakening is s high, it's generally underrated. However ALTTP is highly overrated imo and doesn't hold up. OoT was the ultimate 3d Version of it and ALBW is the ultimate 2d version of it.

 

[ScientificPizza]

lmao

no

 

[Theosmeo]

15) Skyward Sword
14) Four Swords
12/13) Phantom Hourglass
12/13) Spirit Tracks
11) The Legend of Zelda
9/10) Four Swords Adventure
9/10) Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
8) Oracle of Ages/Seasons
5/6/7) Twilight Princess
5/6/7) Link Between Worlds
5/6/7) Link to the Past
4) Ocarina of Time
3) Link’s Awakening
2) Wind Waker
1) Majora’s Mask

Of what I've played, still need to get to Minish Cap

 

[Wensih]

Having played all main entries except Triforce Heroes, my ranking of the series is as follows:

1. A Link to the Past
2. Majora's Mask
3. Wind Waker
4. Oracle of Seasons/Ages
5. Link's Awakening
6. Twilight Princess
7. Ocarina of Time
8. A Link Between Worlds
9. Phantom Hourglass
10. Minish Cap
11. Adventure of Link
12. Skyward Sword
13. Legend of Zelda
14. Spirit Tracks
15. Four Swords Adventure

Despite the hate, I enjoyed phantom hourglass a lot even placing it over my name sake although I do think the picori are great characters design wise.

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

WW above TP? How about no, WW is a mess overall.

 

[MechanicalWall]

So much Wind Waker shade in here. I get that the dungeons aren't as good as OoT or TP, but I actually loved the sailing and huge sea. It gave the game a sense of scale and wonder that the rest of the games' highly compartmentalized worlds could never touch. It and BotW seem much truer to the spirit of adventure of the original game.

The fact that Link feels like an actual normal kid who has to grow into the role of a hero instead of being told that he's the fucking greatest right from the get-go is also highly appreciated.

 

[Professor Beef]

WW above TP? How about no, WW is a mess overall.

If Wind Waker is "a mess," then TP must be vomit.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

I can get behind this, if it helps me sleep at night. Skyward is incredible.

I'm right there with you my friend, I think it's a great game.
I love the added interactivity, challenge, and adventure that the dungeon-like overworld brought to the table (The whole of Lanayru Province is an absolute treasure <3); I thought it was a great way to shake up the traditional gameplay loop that had been in place since ALTTP.
I also feel that the storytelling was excellent; the cutscene direction in particular was absolutely superb, it's clear that the work they'd been doing in WW and TP finally culminated into something that was very compelling from a narrative standpoint.
In addition to that I really enjoyed the 1:1 motion controlled sword fighting, it added a new intuitive twist to the combat without overcomplicating anything or being way too situational to leave an impact (I rarely used enemy weapons in WW).
It's...disheartening...that it's amassed such a loud and somewhat vitriolic hatedom, but understandable I think.
It was a long-awaited experimental game that was sort of half-way between Twilight Princess and something entirely new (that might not ever get the chance to blossom fourth) on a dying console that was quite divisive among the enthusiast community.

Edit: Again, I guarantee you'll see MM/WW-like love for the game in the future. Once people who were children or teens during the early 2010s start running their own versions of Kotoku, GameXplain, and whatnot.

 

[Majukun]

So much Wind Waker shade in here. I get that the dungeons aren't as good as OoT or TP, but I actually loved the sailing and huge sea. It gave the game a sense of scale and wonder that the rest of the games' highly compartmentalized worlds could never touch. It and BotW seem much truer to the spirit of adventure of the original game.

The fact that Link feels like an actual normal kid who has to grow into the role of a hero instead of being told that he's the fucking greatest right from the get-go is also highly appreciated.

problem is,that vast world was just a series of copy-pasted towers/submrine/map-fish woth here and there some stretches of lands with one puzzle in them that put together wouldn't make material for a single dungeon.
also it was way too easy,so much so that it hurts the experience

 

[Synless]

I agree 100% with the top two on this list.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

Link's Awakening is extremely overrated. 2 buttons make it an absolute chore to play.

 

[Phil Fish]

Zelda 1 has aged basly? Nah. He's probably just terrible at the game.

 

[The Big N]

I can agree with #1, but my list would be very different.

 

[MechanicalWall]

problem is,that vast world was just a series of copy-pasted towers/submrine/map-fish woth here and there some stretches of lands with one puzzle in them that put together wouldn't make material for a single dungeon.
also it was way too easy,so much so that it hurts the experience

I thought the little islands were tempting enough to serve as a reward for exploration. I found some shit while sailing that really threw me through a loop when I was younger. And I never found WW that much easier than most of the other games; it's not as obtuse as, say, AoL or MM, but combat and puzzle difficulty seemed pretty similiar to the rest of the games.

 

[Dranakin]

Two thoughts based on all these replies:

1. People who want to put OoT higher need to remove their nostalgia glasses. I've never had a N64 despite it coming out when I was a kid, so I didn't get to play it until it was on the 3DS. I didn't understand the hype when I finished. It's not that impressive of a game.

2. People who think LttP should be lower is correct. This game is also not that amazing, compared to MM, Link's Awakening DX, Wind Waker, etc.

 

[Manzanas]

problem is,that vast world was just a series of copy-pasted towers/submrine/map-fish woth here and there some stretches of lands with one puzzle in them that put together wouldn't make material for a single dungeon.
also it was way too easy,so much so that it hurts the experience

Just curious, what Zelda games do you think are not easy?
I consider all of them to be easy besides the first two games.
Wind Waker felt like any other Zelda in terms of difficulty.

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

This list is completely invalidated by the fact that Phantom Hourglass isn't Dead. Fucking. Last. on it like it should be.

Yup

 

[Majukun]

I thought the little islands were tempting enough to serve as a reward for exploration. I found some shit while sailing that really threw me through a loop when I was younger. And I never found WW that much easier than most of the other games; it's not as obtuse as, say, AoL or MM, but combat and puzzle difficulty seemed pretty similiar to the rest of the games.

it really,REALLY is not.
just look at how many hearts an hit in wind waker deals,and compare it to other zeldas, also count the number of fairies and hearts you find around...add to that the fact that the entire combat is a farce due to the counter that it's way too easy to pull off (and the developers knew that,since one of the secret objectives in the training was to deal 300 hits before you get hit 3 times...), and you will understand why wind waker it's way too easy,even for the low standards of the zelda series nowadays

in terms of puzzle,they are not easy by themselves,the problem here is that apart from the leaf (and in a minor part the grappling hook), the game doesn't have much in the way of new items and gameplay ideas, so you already know how to solve certain parts before you even get to them.

Just curious, what Zelda games do you think are not easy?
I consider all of them to be easy besides the first two games.
Wind Waker felt like any other Zelda in terms of difficulty.

wind waker is several times easier than any other 3d zelda i've tried...and 3d zelda like you said are not really dark souls,but wind waker was just embarassing.

 

[Makai]

I used to make these lists all the time. Of the ones I've played from best to worst:

Majora's Mask
Wind Waker

Okami

Ocarina of Time
Link Between Worlds
Minish Cap
Link to the Past

Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Ages

Links Awakening
Legend of Zelda

---------------------
giant gap of quality
---------------------

Twilight Princess
Zelda 2

Skyward Sword

Spirit Tracks
Phantom Hourglass

 

[cartman414]

Link's Awakening is extremely overrated. 2 buttons make it an absolute chore to play.

The overall design is miles above Link to the Past and Ocarina in terms of fun.

And I already concluded Ocarina felt pretty anemic when it was still recent. Only really enjoyed the Spirit and Shadow Temple. So I disagree with the "hipster" card.

 

[CrazyHorse]

WW popularity is very puzzling.

 

[MechanicalWall]

it really,REALLY is not.
just look at how many hearts an hit in wind waker deals,and compare it to other zeldas, also count the number of fairies and hearts you find around...add to that the fact that the entire combat is a farce due to the counter that it's way too easy to pull off (and the developers knew that,since one of the secret objectives in the training was to deal 300 hits before you get hit 3 times...), and you will understand why wind waker it's way too easy,even for the low standards of the zelda series nowadays

in terms of puzzle,they are not easy by themselves,the problem here is that apart from the leaf (and in a minor part the grappling hook), the game doesn't have much in the way of new items and gameplay ideas, so you already know how to solve certain parts before you even get to them.

wind waker is several times easier than any other 3d zelda i've tried...and 3d zelda like you said are not really dark souls,but wind waker was just embarassing.

It isn't so much that I think the combat in Wind Waker is hard; its more that the combat in all the 3D Zelda games is pretty damn easy.

 

[jax]

Ocarina below Majora?

Oracle of Seasons/Ages above both and Wind Waker?

Typical Kotaku shitpost

I used to make these lists all the time. Of the ones I've played from best to worst:

Majora's Mask
Wind Waker

Okami

Ocarina of Time
Link Between Worlds
Minish Cap
Link to the Past

Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Ages

Links Awakening
Legend of Zelda

---------------------
giant gap of quality
---------------------

Twilight Princess
Zelda 2

Skyward Sword

Spirit Tracks
Phantom Hourglass

That's more like it.

 

[harmonize]

wouldn't be a modern zelda list without gamecube nostalgics overrating the absolute fuck out of wind waker, while simultaneously decrying that ocarina of time being ranked anything above trash-tier is the result of nostalgia

 

[JeTmAn81]

Any Zelda ranking which doesn't include LTTP and Ocarina of Time in the top two spots is invalid, IMO.

 

[EloquentM]

Did Jason come in here and explain himself yet?