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What's the worst 3D Zelda game? (poll)
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
Assuming the DS Zelda games don't count, it's definitely Wind Waker for me. Some of the worst/boring dungeons in the series and it has the second worst pacing in the series. It really gets away with a lot of bad stuff just because it has charm (which it has a lot of and is one of the reasons why I don't mind replaying it) but almost all the other Zelda games are just more enjoyable to actually play through.
Skyward Sword, the only one I couldn't complete.
For me, from best to worst: Majora's, Breath of the Wild, Ocarina, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword.
I should add that I'm not a huge fan of 'what the worst ... game' threads though. Why celebrate negativity instead of a what's the best game in a series?
But that's the internet for you I guess.
For me, from best to worst: Majora's, Breath of the Wild, Ocarina, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword.
I should add that I'm not a huge fan of 'what the worst ... game' threads though. Why celebrate negativity instead of a what's the best game in a series?
But that's the internet for you I guess.
I missed the Wii games, so I'm having to plump for Majora's Mask. I LOVED OoT, but I found being dumped into a busy confusing locale completely at odds with what I wanted from a Zelda game. I put it down. Actually, I did have about 30 minutes with Twilight Princess. Again, I got frustrated with being hemmed in and put it down. OoT was a stone cold fave and I really enjoyed Wind Waker.
Generally, I want the villages etc. to be light, just let me experience the world. It is why the re-visioning of BOTW has been a revelation. Intro -> 5 minutes -> go play. We've put in 1,000 hours on it as a family. The impact is that I would probably struggle to go back to the old form of Zelda now.
Generally, I want the villages etc. to be light, just let me experience the world. It is why the re-visioning of BOTW has been a revelation. Intro -> 5 minutes -> go play. We've put in 1,000 hours on it as a family. The impact is that I would probably struggle to go back to the old form of Zelda now.
Jeez damn near 1000 votes for SS.
Makes me laugh at the guy who pat himself on the back because BOTW was "3rd" on the list. 30 votes from WW and 60 from MM in an era poll. Yet, he knew it would age badly.... lol
Compared to nearly 1000 for SS. Lol
Edit:
Were you the 178th?
Makes me laugh at the guy who pat himself on the back because BOTW was "3rd" on the list. 30 votes from WW and 60 from MM in an era poll. Yet, he knew it would age badly.... lol
Compared to nearly 1000 for SS. Lol
Edit:
Were you the 178th?
Never before has a more wrong opinion been uttered. Congratulations.
Real toss-up between Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword, but I am gonna say TP is worse.
So many of Skyward Sword's problems stem from Twilight Princess, but it also atleast brought some interesting design to the table through environmental design, visual design, and gameplay design that was unique for the series and also lays the groundwork for Breath of the Wild. Twilight Princess wants to operate on a major scale, but there really is not alot to fill it, but also, it's just really dull and uninspired. In so many ways, it has just no character. It's not charming, it's "dark" in that it plays creepy music, but there's nothing meaningfully dark about the text of that game. You can tell in so many ways it wants to be Ocarina again, and it comes off as desperate at times. Like it's not that there aren't good ideas, and the WiiU version improves some things, but there's also so much lost potential. Skyward Sword has some frustrating shit, but it also impressed me more when it showed its more creative and ambitious ideas.
So many of Skyward Sword's problems stem from Twilight Princess, but it also atleast brought some interesting design to the table through environmental design, visual design, and gameplay design that was unique for the series and also lays the groundwork for Breath of the Wild. Twilight Princess wants to operate on a major scale, but there really is not alot to fill it, but also, it's just really dull and uninspired. In so many ways, it has just no character. It's not charming, it's "dark" in that it plays creepy music, but there's nothing meaningfully dark about the text of that game. You can tell in so many ways it wants to be Ocarina again, and it comes off as desperate at times. Like it's not that there aren't good ideas, and the WiiU version improves some things, but there's also so much lost potential. Skyward Sword has some frustrating shit, but it also impressed me more when it showed its more creative and ambitious ideas.
Utterly and almost absolutely... Save for a FEW things.
No toss up, it's SS.
Easy, OoT is by far the worst, and most boring, title on your list. Thankfully, it was saved by the incredible Majora's Mask in the end.
No disrespect implied, but how many Zeldas have you played?
You say this having played SS?
Hated being hemmed into a weird world with odd salesmen and citizens, with a falling moon and 3 day reset gimmick. Felt grueling and strenuous to me but even so I enjoyed it leagues more than SS.
I feel like skyward sword is the best puzzle game in the franchise. If you love Zelda puzzles, this is your game. Even the enemy design were puzzles. Brilliant game
The areas outside of the dungeon; reaching the dungeon, is arguable better than some of the actual dungeons in game like windwaker and BotW.
Unfortunately there is a lot of extra bs in the game that could be taken out
I'm 41 years old and played the NES Zelda's at release and i really hate it when ppl try to spin criticism like that.
BotW is nothing like LoZ. The dungeons in LoZ are still some of the best in the series, and the Divine Beasts are just disgraces to an otherwise good game. The item system in LoZ started it all and while it wasn't dependent on it for the most part, it made the game unique and always had you thinking and utilizing resources accordingly. The weapon system in BotW, while is not inherently flawed, it creates a fake sense of difficulty. Many people say the game is difficult, but the majority of that cones from the weapons you have available to you. By the end of my third play through of the game, I had a full screen of incredible weapons. I was NEVER going to be in a situation that I felt defenseless or actually in any danger. Even Calamity Ganon isn't a threat in any way.
LoZ had a world full of secrets and hidden details. There are still many that you have no idea how people ever found it. Burning some random bush in a random screen opens a stairway to get an item, like why would you ever try that, right? BotW has an enormous world full of secrets too....but it doesn't. The world is so massive that it feels empty. Sure it looks pretty and all, but looking at the same environment for 150-300+ hours makes that magic go away. Sure, I get the argument that the world is empty and the civilization is mostly gone and Hyrule is dying and all of that, but there's better ways to convey that. The world is too big. And yeah it has a lot of shrines and a lot of Korok seeds (............enough said), but is it really exciting to see the 80th shrine or finding the 200th Korok seed? It's all the same and you never really feel like you see anything unique after you leave the plateau.
Majora's Mask because of the time limit.
I don't understand the Skyward Sword hate.
The game has some of the best dungeons of the IP
I don't understand the Skyward Sword hate.
The game has some of the best dungeons of the IP
The low point of the Zelda franchise to me was the streak of Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. All three feel rushed and less polished than the other games in the franchise. I still enjoyed two of them, a reasonable amount, but just a lot less than other entries in the series.
Majora's Mask also features my least-liked dungeons in the series, and is very heavy on the recycling. While I also respect what it set out to do and accomplished, a lot of it necessitated things I find inherently unfun. Now games don't have to be "fun", sometimes a deliberate use of that has its worth, but when putting the Zelda games next to each other, I can't help but keep it in mind.
Wind Waker is also rushed, but in a different way than Majora's Mask. Wind Waker feels like they didn't intend to push it on to the shelves yet, but were forced to. I'm guessing the performance of the Gamecube forced their hand. Most of what's there is great, but it has several dips in the game that wrecks any sense of pacing. It also starts with the stealth section, which is the bit that makes me not want to touch the game again.
Twilight Princess, which probably gets my pick for my least liked one, feels rushed in yet another way. This one feels like they were making one game that just never really came together, and they ultimately stitched together with "classic" Zelda staples at the eleventh hour. Seeing as how pretty much nothing of the game's unveiling ended up in the final game, and how the Twilight stuff doesn't go anywhere, I'm guessing it was one of those development hell projects that was just pushed out the door. This is most evident with how it treated its main villain too. Just as you're about to square off with Zant, the undermines him by turning him into a bouncing screaming clown, just so he won't step on the toes of Ganondorf. Ganon was foreshadowed a bit earlier in the game, but essentially had nothing to do with rest of the plot until then. Felt like he was there to check some boxes. This game has no sense of flow at all, from its unbelievably lengthy opening, the constant busywork quests as the wolf, to its back to back dungeons. The dungeons themselves are great actually, some of the best in the series, but I was getting absolutely sick of the game by the time I arrived at the city in the sky, and somehow the game still kept going for hours after that. It also features some of the absolutely ugliest character designs I've ever seen in any game. I can easily see a good game in this, which makes it all the more disappointing to me that it's not. I do give it props for leaning in heavily on the pointer controls of the Wii though. I ended up enjoying that version of the game a bit more.
Majora's Mask also features my least-liked dungeons in the series, and is very heavy on the recycling. While I also respect what it set out to do and accomplished, a lot of it necessitated things I find inherently unfun. Now games don't have to be "fun", sometimes a deliberate use of that has its worth, but when putting the Zelda games next to each other, I can't help but keep it in mind.
Wind Waker is also rushed, but in a different way than Majora's Mask. Wind Waker feels like they didn't intend to push it on to the shelves yet, but were forced to. I'm guessing the performance of the Gamecube forced their hand. Most of what's there is great, but it has several dips in the game that wrecks any sense of pacing. It also starts with the stealth section, which is the bit that makes me not want to touch the game again.
Twilight Princess, which probably gets my pick for my least liked one, feels rushed in yet another way. This one feels like they were making one game that just never really came together, and they ultimately stitched together with "classic" Zelda staples at the eleventh hour. Seeing as how pretty much nothing of the game's unveiling ended up in the final game, and how the Twilight stuff doesn't go anywhere, I'm guessing it was one of those development hell projects that was just pushed out the door. This is most evident with how it treated its main villain too. Just as you're about to square off with Zant, the undermines him by turning him into a bouncing screaming clown, just so he won't step on the toes of Ganondorf. Ganon was foreshadowed a bit earlier in the game, but essentially had nothing to do with rest of the plot until then. Felt like he was there to check some boxes. This game has no sense of flow at all, from its unbelievably lengthy opening, the constant busywork quests as the wolf, to its back to back dungeons. The dungeons themselves are great actually, some of the best in the series, but I was getting absolutely sick of the game by the time I arrived at the city in the sky, and somehow the game still kept going for hours after that. It also features some of the absolutely ugliest character designs I've ever seen in any game. I can easily see a good game in this, which makes it all the more disappointing to me that it's not. I do give it props for leaning in heavily on the pointer controls of the Wii though. I ended up enjoying that version of the game a bit more.
Skyward Sword or Windwaker. Windwaker feels like it has cut content which really drags it down in my book.
Skyward Sword easily for me. It's the only 3D Zelda I couldn't bare to play after the first 3 hours, it's just awful.
I was very lukewarm on Toilet Princess, but Skyward Sword can suck my ass. Holy shit I was so disappointed :(
I choose Twilight Princess because that's the only one I haven't beaten, even though it's sort of my fault.
I tend to forget to save a lot and I was in snowpeak ruins and ran out of bombs. While looking for more I died and I guess I reset the game and it sent me back to right after the dungeon before, and I didn't want to redo everything I did so I gave up on it.
I tend to forget to save a lot and I was in snowpeak ruins and ran out of bombs. While looking for more I died and I guess I reset the game and it sent me back to right after the dungeon before, and I didn't want to redo everything I did so I gave up on it.
For all the gripes about hand holding, at least it actually had puzzles to hold your hand through (if you weren't fast enough). TWW and TP were more subtle by never asking you to think about what you were doing in the first place.
If I could lump the two DS Zeldas; Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass, together into a single entry and put it on that list, it would get my vote hands down. As it stands, Skyward Sword is the emissary for bothersome control mechanics ruining a game that had potential (even though I still kind of liked SS)
Twilight Princess for me. I actually love that game and finished it twice but the game doesn't even really start until 30 hours in. Too slow of a beginning.
I loved Skyward Sword and loved the motion controls at the time. Unfortunately it makes me not interested in replaying it since I can't just chill in bed and play. I still enjoyed it more than TP though.
I loved Skyward Sword and loved the motion controls at the time. Unfortunately it makes me not interested in replaying it since I can't just chill in bed and play. I still enjoyed it more than TP though.
For me it was close call between TP and SS.
Skyward Sword has controls that are very interesting, but would sometimes be frustrating and could even physically tire me. It's the only one where the controls are even a thing I would think about, the rest on that list have that nailed so well.
Skyloft is a neat town, but the frequent trips back to it are distracting and get tiresome.
The large parts of the game are reused more than once. I actually liked the Silent Realm, it recontectualized the areas and got me to strategize a path through them. Much better than bug hunting in TP. But some of the other reuses were really annoying. It's kind of neat to swim through the forest, but not if I'm just collecting tadpoles.
Skyward Sword has controls that are very interesting, but would sometimes be frustrating and could even physically tire me. It's the only one where the controls are even a thing I would think about, the rest on that list have that nailed so well.
Skyloft is a neat town, but the frequent trips back to it are distracting and get tiresome.
The large parts of the game are reused more than once. I actually liked the Silent Realm, it recontectualized the areas and got me to strategize a path through them. Much better than bug hunting in TP. But some of the other reuses were really annoying. It's kind of neat to swim through the forest, but not if I'm just collecting tadpoles.
I genuinely believe all Zelda games are 9+/10 games, I love them all! My least favorite though is probably Majora's Mask.
Disappointed but not surprised that Skyward Sword is leading the poll. I totally get it and in a lot of ways I agree, but for all of its problems I really did love the dungeons and puzzles. And I always look back on sailing in the desert with the ocean being created in front of you because of the time stone as one of my all-time favorite Zelda moments
I voted for Twilight Princess. It's not a bad game, and I even loved it when it first came out. But playing the Wii U remaster a few years ago really showed me just how much I didn't like about the game, and I don't think I'll ever have the urge to replay it again
I voted for Twilight Princess. It's not a bad game, and I even loved it when it first came out. But playing the Wii U remaster a few years ago really showed me just how much I didn't like about the game, and I don't think I'll ever have the urge to replay it again
Knew it was going to be SS going into this thread, which is a shame because it's a great game. TP is the low-point for console Zeldas in my opinion. The wolf stuff isn't fun and the world just felt so small. I do love some of the designs in the game, but I love designs from every Zelda game.
SS has problems for sure, but it'd definitely not be my least favorite personally. Game has a lot of charm, and I have a lot of positive memories from it. It also has some of the best set pieces for penultimate+final bosses in the series.
BotW is very much my least favorite: meh story, meh dungeons, bad ganon, bosses aren't that distinct, and the most distinct boss, the final boss, is by far the most disappointing final boss in the series I can think of off hand. World is too big and while there are some interesting things to find, I found it mostly empty with just random rock puzzles for korok seeds and mostly uninteresting shrines that I quickly stopped caring about once I got enough hearts for the master sword.
BotW does have my favorite designs for Zelda and Link though, and Sidon is pretty cool, so there's that.
BotW is very much my least favorite: meh story, meh dungeons, bad ganon, bosses aren't that distinct, and the most distinct boss, the final boss, is by far the most disappointing final boss in the series I can think of off hand. World is too big and while there are some interesting things to find, I found it mostly empty with just random rock puzzles for korok seeds and mostly uninteresting shrines that I quickly stopped caring about once I got enough hearts for the master sword.
BotW does have my favorite designs for Zelda and Link though, and Sidon is pretty cool, so there's that.
MM is my favorite but I agree that all zeldas are 9/10. I don't get anyone who says any of these games are "bad games", there is no such thing as a bad 3D Zelda game. They are so so so so much more ambitious, unique to almost any action adventure games out there. This is the highest quality series for a reason.
I agree with you. Playing as Wolf Link and the pace just dragged the whole thing.
The second worst would be Skyward Sword, though, mostly because of wii motion controls and inferior design.
(just to make sure, I still think they are good games and better than 95% of everything being released....)
Alright, I never stated they were any better or worse in that regard. What was subjectively worse were the characters (Groose and/or FI), controls and to a large extent, for me, the bird. The way link held the sword also irritated me.
What was objectively worse: The slow pacing for most of the beginning and other periods interspersed throughout the game, unstoppable cutscenes, slow dialogue menus, FI's constant interruption and badgering, the inevitable and too frequent readjusting of motion plus, fighting sealed demise over and over and over again (Which is why it boggles my mind people actually complain of the Beasts. The audacity! At least they were different even with their similarities, bosses and all. Meandering feather monster with puss gout toes was the SAME every time. Down to the circular path he slowwwwly meanders up)
... Also how terrible Fi's Interruptions about items broke my immersion, Lastly the camera controls leave much to be desired.
I could go on with the objective failures of SS but it hand holds to the MAXIMUM with FI's iron grip on skyloft and Hylia related knowledge. They casualized Zelda to the point the only challenge was getting the motion plus to register your swings correctly... lol. WW has cute half-dungeons and only about 5 of them and TP I hate the twilight portions. Forcing the wolf area of attack mechanic wasn't very fun by the 100th time (exaggerating, it dulled much quicker.)
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