Support NeoGAF

[Tarextherex]

Taking both oracle games as one invalidates that list bigtime

Will post my rankings/detailed opinions later but this just seems like a random list to please egoraptor fanboys that severly belittle the quality of the 3D games

 

[JaseMath]

I disagree with this list big time, but everyone has opinions.

 

[BGBW]

The only thing I ever judge people on in their rankings is if Phantom Hourglass is above Spirit Tracks.

If it is, then I know for certain they've been on the ol' wacky backy.

Spirit Tracks is a massive improvement on Phantom Hourglass in every way and only gets hated on because people didn't like the first and barely gave it a chance.

 

[NESpowerhouse]

The fucking Oracle games ahead of goddamn OoT???

What the shit is this list?

 

[Mael]

That travesty Wind Waker as the 2nd best 3D Zelda game?
On that alone the list is wrong.
And seriously Zelda 1 & 2 are probably the only 2D Zelda games worth replaying and actually posing a challenge to begin with.
Zelda 3 is too easy to be interesting and everything it does is done better elsewhere (in the OGB Link's Awakening for example).

 

[Bakkus]

If any of you saying LTTP is overrated were born before 1990 hand in your god damn gamer card now.

Kyle Bosman is definitely born earlier than that, and I believe the user A Black Falcon is too. If you have ever read some of his threads you wouldn't dare to ask him to hand in his gamer card. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1329906

 

[Bakkus]

Majora's Mask is the Aliens to OoT's Alien.

I agree, it's better in every way.

 

[Oblivion]

If we're getting real, we have to admit that OoT is subpar in every way by modern standards, except puzzle design. And that puzzle design is usually buried in loads of boredom.

How on earth could anyone defend anything else about the game? Did OoT suddenly have a densely-packed and interesting open world? A well-written story? Combat mechanics that aren't horribly outdated? Anyone arguing for these things sounds delusional.

trumpwrong.gif

- Dungeons: superior to both MM and WW, about on-par with TP (dunno about SS since I haven't played it all the way through)
- Music: Superior to every subsequent Zelda, and this applies to both 2D AND 3D.
- Pacing: As with the music, will anyone argue otherwise?
- Story: imo, there was nothing wrong with it. It was cohesive, well flowing, and overall enjoyable. Was it simple? Yes. But there's nothing wrong with that, and it got the job done.
- Combat: Is it not as smooth as modern Zeldas? Sure, but it's not so old and primitive that it hinders enjoyment.

 

[The Xtortionist]

I went out of my way to equip the rocs feather to jump over a piece of power blocking my path in a single file corridor playing it last week, worth it.

also "this compass has a new feature...", it's not new after the 8th time gosh darn it!

can we at least agree that Wind Waker is poopy

 

[shandy706]

Spoiler

1: OoT
1: MM

.

 

[kunonabi]

Whats the best version of twilight princess? Gamecube or wii u (dislike motion on wii)

The Wii version is the best version so you're out of luck. GC over Wii U though.

 

[phanphare]

If any of you saying LTTP is overrated were born before 1990 hand in your god damn gamer card now.

::hands over gamer card::

::continues to play games anyway::

 

[kromeo]

I agree, it's better in every way.

There's some opinions in the world that are just plain wrong, Aliens being better than Alien is one of them

I think we should all agree that Wind Waker is Resurrection though

 

[swarley64]

From what I remember the Oracle games were solid, but don't belong anywhere near the Top Three. That's a pretty strange choice.

 

[antitrop]

I agree with the Top 3. I wouldn't really be able to pick between ALTTP or LA for #1, though, they're both pretty much equally the best, in my mind.

 

[GAMETA]

5 - ALbW
4 - MM
3 - LttP
2 - OoT
1 - WW

 

[letmetrythisname]

If you're going to discredit old games for "not aging well," then you are not cut out to write about video games. Period.

 

[GAMETA]

In my opinion the worst Zelda games are:

Majora's Mask: is too short and has huge design flaws because important tasks like finding all the Stray Fairies to upgrade your weapons are boring and nearly impossible to achieve without a guide. Also the time mechanic leads to very repetitive gameplay and stresses the player even in low speed mode. The masks cannot be found without a guide which makes it the worst Zelda game in my opinion, although the darker atmosphere is nice. And only four dungeons are not enough for a real and complete Zelda game.

Wind Waker is just childish and unplayable.

Oracles of Ages / Seasons was made by Capcom, is too hard and misses all the Nintendo magic.

Link between worlds does not feel like a Zelda game because it destroys the classic formula and introduces this stupid wall walking gimmick.

Twilight Princess: The boring and bad wolf link scenes destroy the game.

And potentially Breath of the Wild because everything that makes a Zelda game great will not be in this Skyrim clone.

Someone call CNN, we have someone urging to scandalize right here.

 

[spookyfish]

oh christ give me a break

both of them, CERTAINLY Zelda 2, shit on the DS Zeldas at the very least.

Zelda I and Zelda II are the ones that get constant replays on my GBA SP.

 

[IronicSonic]

If we're getting real, we have to admit that OoT is subpar in every way by modern standards, except puzzle design. And that puzzle design is usually buried in loads of boredom.

How on earth could anyone defend anything else about the game? Did OoT suddenly have a densely-packed and interesting open world? A well-written story? Combat mechanics that aren't horribly outdated? Anyone arguing for these things sounds delusional.

modern standard sucks

 

[Bucket Mouse]

People who don't like the Oracle games...I don't trust these people's opinions.

 

[big_erk]

Jason always puts Wind Waker way too high and the original way too low.

While I would argue that Wind Waker could never be put too high, I do agree with your second point.

 

[phanphare]

If you're going to discredit old games for "not aging well," then you are not cut out to write about video games. Period.

I disagree with that. I'd argue the opposite actually. if you can't separate a game's legacy and reception at the time of release from how it holds up to modern day standards then you are not cut out to write about video games. there's nothing wrong with saying something does or doesn't age well. it doesn't discredit what a certain game was at the time and the impact it might have had on the industry. the original super mario bros. is a great example. monumental game at the time that has been surpassed many, many times since. ideally a balance of both is needed to properly assess a game. I roll my eyes at the best ___ games of all time lists that just end with the top 10 games from before a certain year wholly based on their impact and reception at the time and not how they hold up as games today.

 

[WiiRevolution1]

The list couldn't be more wrong. Here is the correct order AKA my order, and what I say is fact.

1: Twilight Princess
2: Skyward Sword
3: A Link Between Worlds
4: Tri Force Heroes
5: Wind Waker
6: Phantom Hourglass
7: Spirit Tracks
8: Ocarina of Time
9: Majora's Mask
10: The Minish Cap
11: Link's Awakening
12: A Link to the Past*
13: Oracle of Seasons
14: Zelda 1**
15: Four Swords
16: Oracle of Ages
17: Adventure of Link*
*Never beat but played enough. Do plan to beat them someday.
**Actually trying to beat now.

Unnumbered: Four Sword Adventures. Would probably be in the middle but never played it. Do plan to play it, I have the game, but gotta find my GameCube/Wii with cords, who knows if that'll ever happen. >_<

Will be interesting to see how many spots BOTW can overtake!

 

[Bakkus]

There's some opinions in the world that are just plain wrong, Aliens being better than Alien is one of them

I think we should all agree that Wind Waker is Resurrection though

If you prefer only mildy scary movies with outdated special effects to magnum opus Sci-Fi thrillers with special effects that still holds up to this day then I can see why you would think that. But we're getting OT, Triforce Heroes is definitely Resurrection though.

 

[FTF]

Nope...top 3 is:

1) A Link to the Past
2) Ocarina of Time
3) The Legend of Zelda

 

[orborborb]

played them all at release in order and the correct ranking is:

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


My prediction for Breath of the Wild is it will come in somewhere between 10 and 15, but I'm still holding out hope it might make it up to 7 or 8

 

[Dad]

The Wii version is the best version so you're out of luck. GC over Wii U though.

What's your rationale here because this is the exact opposite order I'd recommend them

 

[FN-2187]

There's some opinions in the world that are just plain wrong, Aliens being better than Alien is one of them

Totally off topic, but Alien and Aliens are both 10s. One is perfect sci-fi horror; the other is perfect sci-fi action.

 

[Megatron]

Does being able to see encounters coming on the map suddenly make them fundamentally different than the random encounters in lots of old RPGs? It seems like fundamentally the same thing to me. It's still a problem of doing repetitive fights over and over.

Yes, because you can avoid them pretty easily.

 

[mindatlarge]

Not how my favorites rank up. But an interesting list nonetheless.

 

[Moon Presence]

Majora's Mask got robbed.

 

[Ninjimbo]

What a crappy list. 2D bias all over the place. Skyward Sword and Twilight are not worse games than Wind Waker.

 

[Dremorak]

In my opinion the worst Zelda games are:

Majora's Mask: is too short and has huge design flaws because important tasks like finding all the Stray Fairies to upgrade your weapons are boring and nearly impossible to achieve without a guide. Also the time mechanic leads to very repetitive gameplay and stresses the player even in low speed mode. The masks cannot be found without a guide which makes it the worst Zelda game in my opinion, although the darker atmosphere is nice. And only four dungeons are not enough for a real and complete Zelda game.

Wind Waker is just childish and unplayable.

Oracles of Ages / Seasons was made by Capcom, is too hard and misses all the Nintendo magic.

Link between worlds does not feel like a Zelda game because it destroys the classic formula and introduces this stupid wall walking gimmick.

Twilight Princess: The boring and bad wolf link scenes destroy the game.

And potentially Breath of the Wild because everything that makes a Zelda game great will not be in this Skyrim clone.

I know opinions are opinions, but calling WW "childish and unplayable" just makes you sound like a teenager not wanting to seem immature by playing "kids" games.

Besides, nothing about that games story or ending is childish.

 

[Beartruck]

That top 3 is honestly just disgusting. I'm not sure if I can sleep tonight after reading that mess of a list.

Top 3 is perfect. Its the rest of the list thats a mess.

 

[pariah164]

Me watching this thread after I've said my piece:

 

[Dartastic]

Spirit Tracks should unquestionably be lower. That game was fucking terrrrrrrrrrrrible. It's one of the only Zelda games past the 8 bit era that I haven't completed.

Me watching this thread after I've said my piece:

My only piece is how shit Spirit Tracks is. Fuck the train.

 

[Inferno313]

*Cracks knuckles*

All right, boys and girls, time for Inferno to show you how to rank some motherfucking Zelda games.

You take Wind Waker, alright?
You put that at the top.

You take Spirit Tracks next, ok?
Throw that shit on the floor and stomp on it.

then take the rest and scatter them all in between idk

 

[Human Trashcan]

7) Ocarina of Time

how can a human possibly fuck up this badly

ALBW over Ocarina... this is why we can't have nice things

 

[MisterGrey3000]

I still think Skyward Sword is underrated.

I think it's just a decisive game that doesn't mesh well with a lot of older LoZ fans' core idea of what Zelda should be (non-linear, naturalistic ala Skyrim, somewhat action-centric, cryptic, somewhat "scary", etc.).
And because many of these folks happen to be the staff of enthusiast sites, or popular backseat YouTube game designers/internet reviewers their voices often ring the loudest.

Give it 5 or 10 more years and the folks who experienced SS in their formative years will be singing it's praises.
It'll be an MM/WW situation all over again; those games topping people's "Bestest LoZ EVAR!" list is a somewhat recent phenomenon, they were quite decisive in their time despite the very positive critical reception.

 

[Peltz]

Honestly, not a bad list. I do think SS was better than TP though.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Our Top 10 over at USgamer was more correct! (Throwing shade, not serious.). A Link Between Worlds deserves more love.

Um... you have ALBW in the exact same spot Jason has...

 

[SweetJohnnyCage]

Holy shit I disagree

My top 5

Spoiler

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

YOU TOO CLOSE MAN

 

[Inferno313]

I think it's just a decisive game that doesn't mesh well with a lot of older LoZ fans' core idea of what Zelda should be (non-linear, naturalistic ala Skyrim, somewhat action-centric, cryptic, etc.).
And because many of these folks happen to be the staff of enthusiast sites, or popular backseat YouTube game designers/internet reviewers their voices often ring the loudest.

Give it 5 or 10 more years and the folks who experienced SS in their formative years will be singing it's praises.
It'll be an MM/WW situation all over again; those games topping people's "Bestest LoZ EVAR!" list is a somewhat recent phenomenon, they were quite decisive in their time despite the very positive critical reception.

Of course, that's absolutely how it was for me. OOT was my first Zelda game, but at 8, I was a little young to really grasp the mechanics and everything. I loved it, but I ended up getting stuck in the Fire Temple and not coming back for years.

Wind Waker though, blew my goddamn mind. I was 11 by then, which felt like the perfect age. ESPECIALLY for that Zelda game. Toon Link was a character I was able to see myself in, a lot moreso than Ocarina of Time Link. It was also the first game that I got hyped for pre-release, pre-ordered, bought a console for. Finishing that game for the first time is still an incredibly specific memory for me. It's my favorite game ever.

 

[Producer]

The Wii version is the best version so you're out of luck. GC over Wii U though.

Does the Wii U version have any bad changes compared to GC?

 

[Human Trashcan]

I still think Skyward Sword is underrated.

Are you kidding me http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword

If anything it's highly overrated. I found it to be the worst 3D console Zelda by a fair margin.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

First one I played was Zelda 2 on NES as a kid, just for context. I'd rank them:

Ocarina of Time
Link to the Past
Majora’s Mask
Link’s Awakening
Link Between Worlds
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword
Wind Waker
The Minish Cap
Oracle of Ages/Seasons (only finished Seasons)
Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
The Legend of Zelda (never finished)
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks (didn't finish)

 

[XandBosch]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

no

 

[bobone]

Correct Order:

MM
OOT
WW
LTTP
LA
LBW
Zelda 2
OOAS
MC
Zelda 1
TP
SS
PH
ST

Perfect. Idk where that Kotaku list came from. Makes no sense at all to me, and I've been a fan of the series since the beginning.

 

[LinkSlayer64]

I'm going to be an optimist and say it's a testament to the quality and diversity of the series that every person has completely different answers for which games are the greatest of all time and which ones are irredeemable trash.

Except for Phantom Hourglass. Fuck Phantom Hourglass

I can agree with this sentiment.