Sure, there have been topics in the past about video games, but I thought that I would start one about one of the most classic video game series there is. Sure, Mario came first, but the Legend of Zelda series has a more defined plot line and much more of a rich back story that is built upon with each new game. Personally, the series includes my favorite games. As a general statement, the series got off to a bit of a rocky start, but got better over time. There are also (from my experience) 3 types of graphics, two of which relate directly to gameplay. There is the classic 8-bit style with overhead/direct side-on views, the darker "realistic" style that features lowered lighting levels and has an overall more "action-adventure" type feel with more detail, and the newer cel shading which resulted in a "cartoon" style with simplified images and a lighter tone to the game in general. What I would like to know from you guys is which is your favorite Zelda game and why? What is good and bad about it? Also, which style is your favorite? Vote in the poll and explain below.

My personal favorite is Wind Waker. Perhaps I am biased because it was my first, but the long story and multiple side quests make for a long-lasting and involved game. My complaints are that it takes too long to travel between islands (I used to set the boat pointing in one direction then go and do something else for a while), but there are several minigames and options for extras that you can purchase with rupees. The music is very catchy and well-composed.

I personally like the cartoon style best, finding the other styles too serious.

Wow, how cool is this - I literally JUST beat Majora's Mask five minutes ago. I bought the game when it came out 11 years ago, and just now finally got around to beating the game. Voted for Twilight Princess though since it's my favorite...

OK.....My two favorite LoZ games are LoZ:OoT and Link To The Past. (I guess you can say MM too....seeing that it's set right after OoT) I'm not big about the "cartoon" style games. (I still played Wind Waker though) Twilight Princess is the longest of the series. That's another reason I like it.

twilight princess was my favorite. More puzzles and less priority on fighting, I absolutely loved the graphics!, and I really liked the fighting combos that you could learn, also the items were really fun.
Actually I kinda want to play again...

Ditto. Every word, ditto. I was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing.


All three points are what make these games so amazing:
-Side Quests. These include subplots as well as finding the extra star pieces and bottles and skulltulas and golden bugs and songs and fairy upgrades and minigames...
-Music is so well composed. This has been consistent throughout all of the games. The music alone is enough to cream Mario since the Mario series only got better with music after they failed to do anything with the Italian plumber brothers battling the koopa king to save the Mushroom kingdom. The only series that comes anywhere close to Zelda's musical aspects is Castlevania, which is my personal favorite tied to Zelda.
-Minigames. Yes. The original Shooting Gallery theme in so many modern games comes from Zelda. Others include the aLtP time trial through the yard, OoT-on fishing, cartoon sailing games, sliding puzzles, OoT two doors, ST frolicking with the bunnies, OoT jamming with the frogs... There are so many memorable games that can be addicting of themselves.

Lastly, I have to point out a series of games that held a plot like Zelda; abstract timeline, but each new Link then has an effect on the next Zelda game. It's the same formula for what kind of gameplay to expect yet you look forward to the new twists, minigames, music, side-quests, and plot (which just happen to be ll the things that make Zelda so great). The series is, as I mentioned before, Castlevania. They too had a bad start and they too have had remakes for how the gameplay works, from 2-d arcade style to 2-d overworld to 3-d awe. If you haven't tried this out and you loved Zelda, it's worth taking a look.

Ocarina of time... totally kicks ass...

Just saying. Glad to see that most agree with me. Probably just my generation...

I have never been a fan of the darker "realistic" style for some reason, perhaps I could be convinced otherwise (I have tried out the original games and Ocarina of Time to see if I liked them, but quickly found myself bored). My main argument against the realistic style is tone; the overall feel is very dark and more of a battle game (almost in the style of today's RPGs). For those who say they don't like the cartoonish style, what is the argument against? I think that it could be argued that the two main styles of Legend of Zelda games could be considered nearly two different series altogether, or games with different intents and different audiences (perhaps I simply fall into the target audience of the cartoonish style). One notable difference between the two styles is the addition of Epona, the horse. Furthermore, in many ways the two game styles differ in their era. The earlier games take place in medieval times, whereas the cartoon style games take place in more modern times (combination of exploration-age and modern). The types of magic used are also quite different. Twilight Princess, for example, have the "Tears of Light" and has a heavy emphasis on the supernatural rather than the simple "magically unusual" items like the wind waker in the game of the same name.

I like all the ones I've played, although I haven't finished WW or TP yet (need to get around to it...).

Since I grew up with handhelds instead of consoles, the Game Boy Zeldas will always be special to me. Link's Awakening was just brilliant!

Not sure how people can say that the Zelda series got off to a rocky start. The original Legend of Zelda is one of the best games of all time. The only one in the series that *may* have been a little bit better was A Link To The Past. In my opinion, those two games are head and shoulders above the rest. Of course, I also played them when they were released, back in the 1980s and 1990s.