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IGN: Top 10 Legend of Zelda games

Astral Dog

Member
Yes. TP is basically an OOT clone, only longer, with better dungeons and better graphics. It was an amazing game. Easily in my top 3 Zeldas.
TP is one of the worst looking games i ever seen, i played the HD version the other day and boy, HD does not do it many favors, even when it released was ugly :'(

Dungeons are fun (not sure if the best, but good) but they are behind endless filler content and fetch quest you become fed up before the 40 hour game ending.

OoT actually had the sweet spot of content at the time, sweet game.:-D
 

Lothar

Banned
OOT >>>>Lttp is still a debate?

I thought it was common knowledge. Besides nostalgia, what's special about lttp? I played both when they came out.

Nope, it isn't a debate. OoT is obviously far beneath all the previous 2D Zelda games for its lousy empty hub overworld alone. No debate.
 

zoodoo

Member
Oh, figured.


What's wrong with Skyward Sword?

-The worst boss design of any 3D main zelda except maybe for the final one. but the fight was boring.
-The dungeons were very forgettable except for the desert.
-Fi managed to top Navi in terms of being annoying.
-No challenge as the hand holding was constant. So much that everytime you turn on the game they repeat the description of common items.
-the motion controls put a lot of people off more so than TP
-no memorable item
 

Effect

Member
That's a weird list and its placement of the titles they pick is also weird outside of the #1. Skyward Sword shouldn't have been excluded and no way should the Oracle games be on it instead. I enjoy the original LoZ but it should not rank that high.
 

Revven

Member
What's wrong with Skyward Sword?

Many things are wrong with SS.

Tad tones, fighting the same boss three times (even if they are different each time, the way you end up downing the thing and disposing of it is generally the same result), escort mission, retreading the same areas you've been through already (hell you even retread a whole dungeon just to fight a Stalfos), the fetch quest you have to do, and a few other things. There's so many parts, while small, that really detract from the overall experience for SS. And really turn me away from ever replaying it again. They're just not... fun.

Don't get me wrong, the first time you explore the three areas and solve puzzles, it's great but that second act of having to go back to all three and do something different but way less fun (tad tones!!) just really ruins the game for me. I enjoyed the motion controls, too, but the overall ending experience for SS is just so, so bad to ever think about replaying that game again.There's so few things about SS I remember fondly. And the Sandsea, while one of those things, doesn't completely make up for all the really bad parts of the game.

And this doesn't even go into Fi, sidequests, the barren sky, etc etc. And some of the motion control decisions (ugh swimming).

SS has the lowest of lows of any Zelda game and that's why it's bad. Not even TP's bad parts go that low. They're boring but definitely not to the point where I'll never want to replay TP again. SS has so many more... just offputting and "ugh" moments that really bog down the experience/playthrough.
 
List is pretty much perfect. LTTP was the best all-around Zelda, OoT was an amazing transition to 3D and Wind Waker was a big digression from the standard art direction. I would have chosen the Eiji Aonuma directorial trilogy (Majora, Twilight, Wind Waker) as the top 3, but to each their own.

How can they not put Skyward Sword on the list after giving it a 10?
Yeah, it's almost as if individuals review games instead of the websites themselves
 

Ansatz

Member
I'm 100% convinced that this right here is the ideological split between Zelda fans. For me, I'd be cool with a Zelda game with no real dungeons. From the first game on the NES to the last, dungeons are just the downtime between overworld exploration. It's why games like Majora's Mask and Wind Waker resonated so strongly with me, and LttP and Twilight Princess fell so flat.

And there are Zelda fans like you who clearly see the series in the exact opposite light.

Well Nintendo is a mechanics-first company and the dungeons typically contain most of the substance in a Zelda game (that is to say clever and interesting mechanical contraptions). Skyward Sword took that concept one step further by making the outdoor areas like dungeons, hence why it's my favorite 3D Zelda.

If you play Zelda games for that reason then you'll love all of them except the NES Zeldas as I do, well the later dungeons in WW are kinda meh too and sailing is boooring. If OoT happened to get it right from your perspective then it was only a coincidence, there's no guarantee that the Zelda game after that will satisfy what you're looking for unless that thing is mechanical stimulation. The only Nintendo games that don't do much for me are the likes of Animal Crossing, where the gameplay consists of repetitive and mundane tasks. But that's ok because the appeal of those games is not their gameplay, they weren't designed with the same mindset as most of their other games.
 

Greddleok

Member
I've never managed to finish a 2D Zelda, so I have to disagree with #1. 3D Zelda is just so much more enjoyable for me.
 
I can't say I agree with much of it, but then it's not my list.

1. Wind Waker
2. Skyward Sword
3. A Link to the Past
4. Minish Cap
5. Link's Awakening

I can't point to Wind Waker's dungeons, items, etc. and say "the best", but playing it just makes me happy. Sailing, the music, art direction and so on. It's greater than the sum of its parts. Skyward Sword, on the other hand, has my favorite dungeons in the series and second best art direction. I even liked the motion controls, although I would've liked the option to play with a regular controller as well.
 
Hey, skyward sword

Chris-Pratt-Middle-Finger.gif
 

SirNinja

Member
Ocarina and Majora have always been my top two Zeldas ever since they came out, usually in that order. The rest tend to shuffle around quite a bit. I'm hoping Breath of the Wild is compelling enough to challenge the N64 duology.
 

GreatFalco

Neo Member
I'd agree with the titles chosen if Skyward Sword replaced Minish Cap.
I would change a bunch of positions though. My top 10 is:

1. Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
3. A link to the Past
4. The Wind Waker
5. Skyward Sword
6. Twilight Princess
7. Link's awakening
8. Oracle of Ages and Seasons
9. The Legend of Zelda
10. A link between worlds

I aknowledge my preference for 3D Zeldas, but overall I find it difficult to make a consensual list as every title here listed is actually amazing and very enjoyable.
 
I don't really understand why Oracle of Ages and Seasons are not looked at independently. They are complete different adventures however within the same universe. Mashing them together should automatically force them in the top 3 given the fact that it's two amazingly good Zelda games bundled together.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Twilight Princess is a mess. The controls are terrible in that game, especially the horseback. The bridge battles are a disaster. Wolf Link isn't fun to control at all.

The biggest offender is that the artstyle is BY FAR the worst in the series, perhaps even worst in video game history. The character design is horrific. I tried playing TP HD a few months back and had to get rid of it because of how bad it was. The problems were still there.
 

Flakster99

Member
Huh, I actually agree with the list. Seeing A Link To The Past claim #1 warms my heart. Also glad to see Skyward Sword in the garbage where it belongs.
 

mrmickfran

Member
Actual top 10:
10. Legend of Zelda
9. Majora's Mask
8. Twilight Princess
7. Link's Awakening
6. A Link to the Past
5. Minish Cap
4. Oracle of Seasons/Ages
3. Ocarina of Time
2. A Link Between Worlds
1. Wind Waker
 

Lothar

Banned
Actual top 10:
10. Legend of Zelda
9. Majora's Mask
8. Twilight Princess
7. Link's Awakening
6. A Link to the Past
5. Minish Cap
4. Oracle of Seasons/Ages
3. Ocarina of Time
2. A Link Between Worlds
1. Wind Waker

So it is possible to create a worse top ten than the IGN top ten.
 

schopaia

Member
Ha, we just did our Top 5 favorite Zelda game on our podcast that went up today. Interesting to compare different people's opinions. Spoilers for those who don't have the time to listen, my Top 5 were:

5. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Minish Cap above Majora's Mask is a sin!
 

Not

Banned
Making a new post for my list.

10. LA
9. TMC
8. ST
7. LoZ
6. WW
5. TP
4. ALBW
3. MM
2. OoT
1. ALttP
 

Not

Banned
Twilight Princess is a mess. The controls are terrible in that game, especially the horseback. The bridge battles are a disaster. Wolf Link isn't fun to control at all.

The biggest offender is that the artstyle is BY FAR the worst in the series, perhaps even worst in video game history. The character design is horrific. I tried playing TP HD a few months back and had to get rid of it because of how bad it was. The problems were still there.

tumblr_inline_mqxrtq8ely1qz4rgp.gif


It's the Zelda with the least amount of ideas. It's basically a rehash of OoT.

No, the presentation is way better and the world is more interesting than OoT. The wolf/Midna transformation stuff adds a decent shake-up, too.
 

Ninjimbo

Member
Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword should be top 3. No exceptions.

Anyone who disagrees doesn't love the Zelda games the same way I do.
 

Platy

Member
I don't agree with the original NES Zelda to be that higher or even on the list ... but I know they would have got anthrax letters if they made a list without it =P
 
I dunno why these lists put the Oracle games on the same spot. Seasons is a joke compared to Ages, even without playing them together the games aren't on the same level.
This list is trash. Majoras Mask is too high, that game is the most overrated game in the series.
You spelled "Ocarina" wrong.
 

Shepard

Member
Links Awakening > All

Best sense of adventure in any Zelda game. Great OST, great sidecharacters. Dungeons are a bit on the easy side, but the journey makes it worth it.
Also, Link between Worlds > A Link to the past.
 
Wind Waker overrated yet again.

Someday I hope people will respect gameplay far over presentation. But it seems today is not that day.
 

Firemind

Member
No, the presentation is way better and the world is more interesting than OoT. The wolf/Midna transformation stuff adds a decent shake-up, too.
You mean how it isn't a legend of Zelda at all? And Ganondorf is shoehorned in at the last minute? And the wolf stuff is just a half-baked Okami? I agree.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage

Malo. That's all I need to say. Even then, the rest of the characters are terrible. The artstyle of the characters is nightmare-inducing.
 
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