Favorite Zelda game?

[Ace_]

Mine is Skyward Sword. It's literally a perfect game.

Also,Groose is awesome

[vanguard333]

13 hours ago, Tanjiro said:

Mine is Skyward Sword. It's literally a perfect game.

Any Zelda game where Link is right-handed is not perfect; any Zelda game where Link is right-handed is an abomination I mean betrays every left-handed person on the planet I mean takes away one of the pivotal examples of positive left-handed representation in fiction, and, in Skyward Sword's case, also needlessly limits its potential audience with its lack of accessibility in this regard: I'd love to swing the sword via motion control like the game says I can do, but if I were to do so using the same hand I and Link himself in every other game would use for that, the game would register it as me raising the shield.

 

That out of the way, my favourite Zelda game is Spirit Tracks. I know it's not the best Zelda game, and it does have some problems, such as the spirit flute being by far the worst instrument in Zelda history, but I really enjoy it for all the things that it does really well: the spirit train is really fun, the game has a ton of charm, I love how it lightheartedly parodies and sometimes outright mocks various tired Zelda cliches in hilarious and clever ways, and of course: Spirit Zelda.

Spirit Tracks is the only Zelda game to have Zelda adventure alongside Link and work with him as a partner and equal throughout the whole adventure, and it is amazing; in gameplay, Zelda taking over Phantoms among other things enables her and Link to complement each other extremely well and makes her by far the most useful adventuring companion any Link has ever had, and in the story, she's a great character, and her dynamic with Link is absolutely adorable.

Oh, and it bothered to remember that left-handed players exist: right at the start, it asks if the player is left-handed or right-handed, and the touchscreen controls are adjusted accordingly. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by vanguard333

[Punished Dayni]

I don't feel like I have enough 3D experience to give a clear answer, but of 2D Zelda I'd personally pick A Link Between Worlds, mainly on the gameplay and world traversal but the story is actually pretty solid, Yuga doesn't get enough credit.

Of the 3D I have played, I've played BotW in part, barely MM and not even that for SS. And the only ones I've finished are OoT and TP. OoT didn't cause me to be stuck on one stupid jump for months and I kinda have have to pick it by default then.

[lenticular]

A Link to the Past. It's a comfort game for me at this point.

Also, the last time that Nintendo released an original single-player 2D Zelda game on a home console. Still waiting for another one of them to come out, 30 years later.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Adventure of Link for me. I'm old, I like side-scrollers, I like hard-but-fair games, it's a remarkably fun and replayable one.

Hyrule Warriors is the runner-up. It's pretty and probably still my favourite Warriors game despite Fire Emblem being much more obvious and direct fanservice for me.

... I guess you could say i'm not really a big fan of the core Zelda formula.

[indigoasis]

I'd feel remiss if I didn't say Ocarina of Time. It's far and away my most replayed video game ever, and I've beaten it enough times that I think I've lost count. Say what you want about Navi and the Water Temple, but there's a reason this game sits as one of the greatest games of all time, and I, for one, will forever cement it as my favorite game of all time... after Mother 3... and Xenoblade Chronicles 3... okay, so maybe not my absolute favorite, but definitely top 3.

I'll also take the time plug this phenomenal video about OoT. I'd highly recommend giving it a watch if you've got the time.

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

That out of the way, my favourite Zelda game is Spirit Tracks. I know it's not the best Zelda game, and it does have some problems, such as the spirit flute being by far the far the worst instrument in Zelda history, but I really enjoy it for all the things that it does really well: the spirit train is really fun, the game has a ton of charm, I love how it lightheartedly parodies and sometimes outright mocks various tired Zelda cliches in hilarious and clever ways, and of course: Spirit Zelda.

Spirit Tracks is the only Zelda game to have Zelda adventure alongside Link and work with him as a partner and equal throughout the whole adventure, and it is amazing; in gameplay, Zelda taking over Phantoms among other things enables her and Link to complement each other extremely well and makes her by far the most useful adventuring companion any Link has ever had, and in the story, she's a great character, and her dynamic with Link is absolutely adorable.

Not to mention it's also technically the first Zelda game to have a playable Zelda, I believe. Tears of the Kingdom can eat it's heart out!... if Zelda is even playable at all in that game, lol.

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Ocarina of Time. It honestly feels a little strange to say that, because I played other games in the series that came out after OoT before I actually played OoT, but something about OoT really stuck with me even though I didn't play it until it was a decade old.

[Florete]

Breath of the Wild. And I say that as someone who has been playing the series since OoT and has played most of the series. Breath of the Wild was exactly what I wanted from Zelda.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Florete

[vanguard333]

On 3/1/2023 at 10:05 PM, indigoasis said:

Not to mention it's also technically the first Zelda game to have a playable Zelda, I believe. Tears of the Kingdom can eat it's heart out!... if Zelda is even playable at all in that game, lol.

I would say that there's no need for the word "technically"; it's a mainline Zelda game where the player controls Zelda alongside Link throughout the game, therefore it's a Zelda game with a playable Zelda.

Yeah, I was really hoping that Zelda would be adventuring alongside Link in Tears of the Kingdom. Even at their worst (Navi and Fi), adventuring companions have always been a good complement to Link, and I really felt their absence when playing Breath of the Wild. Plus, Breath of the Wild ended on Link and Zelda reuniting and setting out together, so it would only make sense for the sequel to follow up on that, and the first trailer made it look like the game would be doing exactly that. Alas, it seems Link will be adventuring solo again.

Edited March 4, 2023 by vanguard333

[Phinius Dolphinius III]

For me, I'm stuck between Link's Awakening DX (the original GameBoy version) and Breath of the Wild.

Link's Awakening was my first ever Zelda game at around age 10 and I remember sinking so many hours into that game trying to beat it. I still consider it to be the gold standard of Zelda back when you really had to figure shit out.

That being said, Breath of the Wild was just different. I remember the number of times where I would just stop and say to myself "Wait, I can do that?!". Like when I first figured out how to cook (I think it was like 10~15 hours into the game) or snowboarding. It was just pure fun.

[lenticular]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

I would say that there's no need for the word "technically"; the player controls Zelda alongside Link throughout the game, therefore it's a Zelda game with a playable Zelda.

If we're talking technicalities, The Wand of Gamelon predates it by over 15 years. But. Well. It's The Wand of Gamelon. So I hardly blame people for not counting that. But it did have playable Zelda.

[Florete]

4 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

I would say that there's no need for the word "technically"; the player controls Zelda alongside Link throughout the game, therefore it's a Zelda game with a playable Zelda.

Yeah, I was really hoping that Zelda would be adventuring alongside Link in Tears of the Kingdom. Even at their worst (Navi and Fi), adventuring companions have always been a good complement to Link, and I really felt their absence when playing Breath of the Wild. Plus, Breath of the Wild ended on Link and Zelda reuniting and setting out together, so it would only make sense for the sequel to follow up on that, and the first trailer made it look like the game would be doing exactly that. Alas, it seems Link will be adventuring solo again.

I'm not exactly crossing my fingers, but we still know basically nothing about Tears of the Kingdom. When we were this close to BotW's release, we knew a ton because we'd had gameplay trailers and a full E3 dedicated to the game, but after the recent direct all I could think was, "So I still have no idea what's actually happening in this game." Sure, presumably it will play similar to BotW, but what's going to make it Tears of the Kingdom? What will justify it being a new ($70) game and not BotW DLC? We've gotten hints of stuff, but nothing concrete. Will Zelda be playable? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just not ready to call it yet.

[DarkSage861]

Might get flack from some hardcore fans but I gotta say Wind Waker, I grew up playing that for hours on the GameCube

[vanguard333]

7 hours ago, Phinius Dolphinius III said:

For me, I'm stuck between Link's Awakening DX (the original GameBoy version) and Breath of the Wild.

DX isn't the original Gameboy version; it's the Gameboy Colour version that added the colour dungeon and the photo sidequest.

 

3 hours ago, Florete said:

I'm not exactly crossing my fingers, but we still know basically nothing about Tears of the Kingdom. When we were this close to BotW's release, we knew a ton because we'd had gameplay trailers and a full E3 dedicated to the game, but after the recent direct all I could think was, "So I still have no idea what's actually happening in this game." Sure, presumably it will play similar to BotW, but what's going to make it Tears of the Kingdom? What will justify it being a new ($70) game and not BotW DLC? We've gotten hints of stuff, but nothing concrete. Will Zelda be playable? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just not ready to call it yet.

I suppose, especially since Nintendo is keeping their cards close to their chest in regards to Zelda's role in the game. However, we have repeatedly seen Link travelling alone, so, unless Zelda somehow is Link's new green magic arm, Link is travelling alone again.

 

3 hours ago, DarkSage861 said:

Might get flack from some hardcore fans but I gotta say Wind Waker, I grew up playing that for hours on the GameCube

You might have gotten flack for saying that between the years 2003 and 2006, but nowadays, you're not going to get flack from anyone except the odd, extremely rare anti-Wind Waker fanatic (which I have encountered only once in my time on the internet).

Perception of Wind Waker when it initially released was marred by people crying about the 'cartoony' graphics and demanding something more like Ocarina of Time in visuals and gameplay. After Twilight Princess released and was exactly that: an Ocarina of Time 2 for better and for worse, overall reception of Wind Waker improved immensely, especially since Wind Waker's art style and graphics have aged extremely well over the years, while Twilight Princess' graphics... haven't.

This was the start of what people called the "Zelda Cycle": where the release of a new 3D Zelda game caused Zelda fans to look back on the previous 3D Zelda game more fondly.

[Lord_Brand]

It's hard to pick one particular game, but these are thus far my favorite Zelda games:

• A Link to the Past - Practically my first Zelda game growing up, one for which I have a great deal of nostalgia. I love the look and sound of the game, not to mention the sheer variety of items you can find.
• Ocarina of Time - Another nostalgic entry for me, one that established many of the series' staple elements such as Hyrule's various tribes, the Sages, the Goddesses of Hyrule, etc. Like ALttP, there are lots of neat items to collect, and I love how this game in particular gives us 3D models of each one you find.
• Oracle of Ages & Seasons - A pair of titles that go best together, featuring collectible magic rings, neat seasons and ages-themed puzzles, regions other than Hyrule with lead villains who aren't Ganon, and game-linking features.
• A Link Between Worlds - A nice throwback to ALttP that also incorporates elements from later Zelda games.
• Breath of the Wild - The first truly open-world Zelda with tons of items you can find, lots of cool weapons and armor, cooking, environmental interaction, and honest-to-goodness voice acting.

Mind, none of these games are perfect, but these are the Zelda games I enjoyed playing the most and thus am the most fond of.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Lord_Brand

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I like Twilight Princess