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Every Legend of Zelda Game Ever Ranked by USGamer
- Thread starter Deleted member 249
- Start date
Can't really find too much to argue about. It's not my exact order, but it's pretty solid. The 3D games are in a good order relative to each other. For me I just swap MM and BotW's places, and with OoT and WW being somewhat interchangable with each other depending on how I'm feeling on a paricular day lol.
I think Majora's mask is the only other Zelda game, besides BOTW that isn't inspired by ALTTP. I always loved the characters from Majora's Mask and thought they were well done for the hardware they were on. Number 3 is a good spot for Majora's Mask.
Don't discount your love for Skyward Sword, I loved it as well, it's #2 on my list.
Well played my friend.
The game never clicked with me for some reason. I guess coming off of the GOAT game everything else is just not OOT.
Skyward Sword is underappreciated, but maybe only in "core" gamer circles because of the irrational hatred of motion controls. It's got its share of design quirks, but it's beautifully presented and does many things right. Some of the best dungeons in the series, with bosses to match. Best played with a mod to turn off Fi's hints though.
10 minutes into Skyward Sword and you still haven't even left the Knight Academy. 10 minutes into A Link to the Past and you've already rescued the princess.
I also liked Skyward Sword!
Yep, better bosses and dungeons and BotW would be much higher on my list. As it stands, I don't think I'll play through Breath of the Wild again for that reason. I replay Zelda games to re-experience the dungeons/bosses and BotW just didn't scratch any of those for me.
Way more hate. It's probably one of my favorite ones. 100%'d that game and couldn't put it down.
Aonuma says it's the most underrated Zelda, and he's right.
How can anyone put this behind Crossbow Training? what the hell. Tons of new powers, tons of new costumes, tons of new puzzle types, tons of new boss types, tons of awesome music. But people throw a fit just because they have to play with another human?
True, the start of 3D Zelda games has generally always been slow until BoTW (which is one of the things I appreciate from that game). Maybe Twilight Princess being the game before Skyward Sword made the beginning feel less long, because holy crap was Twilight Princess's opening town awful.
Yas queen! In the future of open world games with no dungeons and no quests and emergent gameplay and more towers, I will be writing articles remembering when you found unique items in dungeons that you never used again. And it will be a positive! Then I will step outside into the nuclear winter caused by UbiSkyNet.
Ha, it's true. I also remember Skyward Sword's intro being an improvement--even if it still takes way too long
Yeah, I've had people mention to me that they felt the motion controls "just didn't work" and I'm bummed people had that experience. One of my friends was using the Wii Motion Plus add-on adapter with a standard Wiimote while I played through the game with the Wiimote with Motion Plus built-in. That shouldn't make a different but I guess it's possible. It would be interesting to compare people's experiences with the game and which Wiimote they used. I also think those who were used to "waggling" didn't try to do the full 1:1 motions which you really need to do in my opinion to get the best experience.
Skyward Sword made me "feel" like Link more than ever before so that's why I loved it so much--it was very immersive for me.
That Top 7 is more or less mine, albeit with some games switched about.
Majora's Mask is still the best for me, but I ain't complaining about ALTTP being No. 1. That game is practically flawless.
Majora's Mask is still the best for me, but I ain't complaining about ALTTP being No. 1. That game is practically flawless.
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Honestly, I found Twilight Princess' intro better than Skyward Sword's. It did its job to set the tone and the place, and to me it felt like the idyllic Shire style openings so many fantasy books have.
But, that overworld is sooooooo good.
Dungeons are my favorite aspect of Zelda games, but I was okay with the terrible dungeons in BotW because I was having so much fun exploring the overworld. I'll be pretty disappointed if they aren't improved in the next 3D game though.
You don't need to spend 3 hours as a farmhand to understand Link's sense of place. They could have executed the exact concept with much greater brevity.
I always hate when these lists put Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons together as one entry. Oracle of Ages is my favorite handheld Zelda and I would put it at least two or three spots higher than Seasons on a list like this.
I still need to actually finish Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Then I will have beaten every game in the series and can properly rank them for myself.
I agree! I like Seasons, but Ages is a much better game. That might be a slight bit of nostalgia because my friend that lived down the street had Seasons and I had Ages so we would argue about which was better, but I have played both only a year ago and liked Ages far more still.
I agree! I like Seasons, but Ages is a much better game. That might be a slight bit of nostalgia because my friend that lived down the street had Seasons and I had Ages so we would argue about which was better, but I have played both only a year ago and liked Ages far more still.
Totally agree. I had no issue with it. Replayed it on Wii U.
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I'm not saying that it was good or anything lol, I still hated it, I'm just saying I liked it better than Skyward Sword's.
Lol fair enough. I preferred SS's, but I similarly wouldn't hold it up as a shining example.
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Yeah, the overdrawn intros were becoming excessive. I was so glad at how quick BotW gets you you going.
The funny thing is that Nintendo used to do really fast paced intros in Zelda games even post-OoT (which itself was pretty brisk). Majora's Mask starts you off with a chase, and The Wind Waker actually had a pretty cool set piece in the introduction too. I don't know what Aonuma and co were thinking with TP and SS.
Hard to argue with most rankings
I'd probably do top 5 of BotW, TP, WW, OOT and Minish Cap personally but as favorites and less of which is objectively better
I'd probably do top 5 of BotW, TP, WW, OOT and Minish Cap personally but as favorites and less of which is objectively better
MM at #3 disqualifies this list for me. I don't see how anyone can justify a content sequel be above the original invention. Will the sequel to BotW be a better game? Yes. Will it have the impact of BotW? Hardly.
The 3 day bomber book idea was interesting, but in the end not that good. Nobody even nintendo has copied the idea since. Other than bomber book MM isn't doing anything that other Zelda's didn't do. Also just 4 dungeons. BotW is forgiven that because of the shrines and Hyrule castle. MM isnt even top 10 imo.
The 3 day bomber book idea was interesting, but in the end not that good. Nobody even nintendo has copied the idea since. Other than bomber book MM isn't doing anything that other Zelda's didn't do. Also just 4 dungeons. BotW is forgiven that because of the shrines and Hyrule castle. MM isnt even top 10 imo.
Zelda ranking list, huh? Let me take a look at this garbage.
Correct list is correct.
What else can I say? Every one of these was both ground breaking and incredible quality. This list is approved. Next list.
Correct list is correct.
What else can I say? Every one of these was both ground breaking and incredible quality. This list is approved. Next list.
The true crime when I see Zelda rankings is how the 2D games are almost always ranked below the 3D games, even (arguably) mediocre ones like Twilight Princess. Or the fact that LoZ is always well-regarded, which to me doesn't make any sense.
To be fair, Majora's Mask has a really long intro considering that you have to wait out the entire first cycle before the game starts proper. It makes a lot more sense in that game though because the unique premise needed a lot more setting up to ease players in than the standard Zelda plots of TP and SS did.
I mean, what are we considering an intro here though? I'd say BotW's entire Great Plateau was the intro to that game, MM's was the first three days. They're just handled so much better and were so much more hands off than TP and SS' that you already feel like you're just getting into the game instead of mind-numbing tutorials
That's fair enough, we personally stuck to the in-game emotes and only used Discord for text chat in between levels or as a last resort if we really really got stuck somewhere (or decided to run out on a ridiculously uncooperative third player). It's a weird position where I think the provided emotes really add to the sometimes hectic or obtuse nature of the game's cooperation but it's easily overcome or overlooked in favor of the much more convenient communication that is readily available to your average player. Of course I can't go back and re-experience that game with voice chat instead so this is really just unfounded thinking, but I can't help but feel it has an impact on how one experiences (or immerses into?) the game, however big or small that impact may be. Maybe we'll try it out more extensively whenever we revisit the rest of the challenges.
Also how could one forget the theme/meme of pure chaos and frustration
(or the nice stage music in general)
BotW's intro was so refreshing after having to deal with TP and SS's lengthy intros. You are taught everything you need to know at the Plateau, and then they just let you loose on this massive world with only a little guidance. It gets straight to the point and is all the better for it.
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Yeah, I mean if you want to actually argue, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker both have long intros (the first cycle and getting the King of the Red Lions respectively), but they're so well contextualized and fun to play, it doesn't matter in those games.
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How long does it take for me to be given control to engage with the game's core gameplay loop? In OoT, it takes 20 minutes. In Majora's Mask, it takes 20 minutes. In Wind Waker, it takes 15 minutes. In Breath of the Wild, it takes 5 minutes. In Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, it can take up to 6 hours.
I have tried to finish ALttP multiple times, but each time I lose interest about one or two dungeons into the Dark World. Movement feels funny in the game and the atmosphere doesn't return to the incredible high of the stormy night at the start.
BotW is No. 1 for me, followed by Majora's Mask and then either Ocarina of Time, Link's Awakening DX or A Link Between Worlds.
BotW is No. 1 for me, followed by Majora's Mask and then either Ocarina of Time, Link's Awakening DX or A Link Between Worlds.
I disagree with the list on many counts. A lot of that is purely subjective- I definitely would have placed BotW on #1, while ALBW deserves to be ranked a lot higher. And Minish Cap below Zelda 2? No way.
But there's also some other stuff, like why did they list Seasons and Ages as one game? Also why'd they have to go and mention those CDi games? Low blow.
But there's also some other stuff, like why did they list Seasons and Ages as one game? Also why'd they have to go and mention those CDi games? Low blow.
As someone who'd probably say Wind Waker is their favorite Zelda, I wouldn't say it's intro is fun to play. The island bit is fine if unexceptional but then you gotta do the mandatory stealth Forsaken Fortress and that easily puts it as the worst Zelda opening.
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I love the intro lol. It was far more engaging than herding goats or chasing cats.