Top 10 Zelda Games

As we all know, Skyward Sword’s release is just around the corner. The more we learn about Skyward Sword, the more we see that it is deviating from the traditional Zelda formula just enough to keep it fresh and innovative. Many are already saying Skyward Sword might be the greatest Zelda game ever made. I have never played a Zelda game that is less than awesome, so saying Skyward Sword might be the best is a very exciting notion.
Skyward Sword isn’t out yet though, so let’s recap the top 10 Zelda games (in my order of preference) that have been released so far.

10. Phantom Hourglass


Phantom Hourglass is by far one of the best games of the huge library of DS games. It refined the sailing system that was introduced in Wind Waker, and traversing through a small map is more accessible than Wind Waker’s. This game has some extremely clever dungeons, a ton of extras to do at sea, and some of the most innovative boss battle’s in any Zelda title – using extremely good use of the stylus during bosses.
The low point of Phantom Hourglass is the temple you have to revisit and tread through multiple times – after every regular dungeon to be exact. By the end of the game I was completely sick of going through that temple, but that was really the only low point.

9. Twilight Princess


I have a feeling most people would have this title closer to the top of their lists, however I had a lot of issues with Twilight Princess that hurt my overall experience with the game. I feel that Twilight Princess’s best parts are some of the best in any Zelda game, but it’s worst parts are some of the worst in the series as well. For example, the weapons may not be new, but they are very well done (The Boomerang, Claw Shot, Bow, are all familiar but refined weapons).  The dungeons in the game are fairly large and complex – yet the game rarely leaves you lost. Also, most of the bosses (in particular the fire temple and sky temple) are absolutely stunning.
However, the side quests in this game are what really killed it for me. When you’re not solving puzzles in dungeons, you are mostly doing annoying side quests that I never had fun with. I felt like I was doing work in between dungeons that I had to complete to actually get to the fun parts, and the non-fun parts lasted far too long in my opinion.
Also, despite the game’s dark and mature tone, the game is extremely easy to get through. However, the “bad” times I had in Zelda is mostly me being picky and the game was extremely good overall.

8. Four Swords


Four Swords is a special game. It’s the only co-op multiplayer Zelda game. It’s fairly short, but it’s all dungeons and no filler. It’s easy to pick up and play this game for 15 minutes at a time. None of those points exist in other Zelda games, and Four Swords manages to still feel like a Zelda game despite all of this. The dungeons in Four Swords are extremely well made, and the use of disposable equipment and co-op based challenges made Four Swords a title everyone needed for their GBA and Gamecube.

7. Spirit Tracks


Spirit Tracks is a refined version of Phantom Hourglass. Instead of using a boat, travel is made even easier by following rails on a train. This allowed the train aspect to focus more on action and shooting from the train. There isn’t much to say about this game except that it improves on everything that Phantom Hourglass already did well. This is an absolute must own for DS owners.

6. Wind Waker


This is probably the most hated Zelda game at launch. Nintendo teased us with that awesome video of N64 Adult Link sword fighting with Ganondorf, then actually gave us a cute cell-shaded cartoon Link sailing the seas. I was one of the people that actually liked the cell-shaded look – it reminded me of what A Link To The Past would have looked like if it was on the Gamecube. However, I wasn’t big on the sailing the seas aspect of the game. I only ever played a little bit of Wind Waker until recently, and playing it again made me realize just how good it really was.
This game strived to do things different in the Zelda universe – travelling by boat made for different challenges while travelling the world, and made exploration seem almost endless. With that said, it takes a lot of patience to enjoy the sailing. I enjoy it quite a bit, but even I get sick of it after a while.
Wind Waker also introduced some interesting takes on old weapons – the grappling hook, and the deku leaf are familiar-yet-different weapons. Even if the sailing doesn’t appeal to you, I’d argue that Wind Waker has the best combat in any Zelda game to date. The swordplay was very fluent and very fun. Also, the temples in this game were unique compared to other Zelda titles. They were also extremely well made, which is definitely the norm in Zelda games.

5. The Legend of Zelda


This game is probably the least fun to actually go back and play out of the 10 on this list. However, this is the game that started it all – and it still holds up fairly well 25 years after it’s release. The game had a huge amount of dungeons, an open world to explore, items and weapons to collect, and challenging and puzzling dungeons to conquer. Also, this game introduced us to the amazing Zelda music that is still around today.
Everything The Legend of Zelda did pushed the envelope on what video games could be – it was an open world game before that was a term.  The only real complaint with this game is the lack of a map, making it tough to know where you have been and where you should go.

4. The Minish Cap


The developer that made Four Swords got their chance at making a full-fledged Zelda title with Minish Cap. This is personally my favorite handheld Zelda game. It stayed true to the Zelda formula – it had a ton of extras, side quests, and collectibles, mixed in with some well-made dungeons featuring interesting weapons.
There wasn’t a moment of Minish Cap that I didn’t love, and I wish Nintendo could make another game along the lines of Minish Cap.

3. Majora’s Mask


Majora’s Mask is my favorite Zelda title. However, it’s not the most important. It deviated a lot from the Zelda formula, and did an extremely good job. I wrote about this game before, so I’m just going to paste this section:
To be honest, I think Majora’s Mask is a better game than Ocarina Of Time. I think it’s more fun to play, the world map is more populated, the 3 day timeline is very innovative, the dark and twisted tone of the game creates an amazing atmosphere, the dungeons are very clever, the ability to change physical form works very well, and the story was simple yet intriguing.  Furthermore, the controls are tweaked to be even better than Ocarina of Time.
To be honest I didn’t give Majora’s Mask much of a chance when it came out. I thought it was weird that you weren’t in Hyrule, I wanted to be adult Link instead of young Link,  and the 3 day thing threw me off. I never actually played through Majora’s Mask until it was released on Wii’s virtual console. When I played through it I was amazed at how much I loved it and couldn’t believe I disregarded it when it was released. However, the game’s biggest frustration came with not being able to find a couple of the masks that you need to get. I had to turn to a walkthrough a couple times, and when I found out what to do I could not have imagined doing it without a guide.

2. A Link To The Past


The SNES outing of A Link To The Past was the epitome of what could have been done with the original Legend of Zelda if technology were better in the 1980’s. A Link to the past is a huge game boasting 12 dungeons to play through – each of which having it’s own unique look, feel, and puzzles. It also has nearly 20 weapons/magic powers, 2 unlockable tunics, and weapon/equipment upgrades. This game had so much content and none of it was filler. The game was as perfect as it could have been, and is definitely one of the greatest titles Nintendo has ever developed.

1. Ocarina of Time




Ocarina of Time came out first, and everything in Ocarina was completely new and revolutionary. It was truly the step up from A Link To The Past in every way and no adventure this grand had ever been seen.
The world was huge and gave a great sense of size. The game’s tone was light hearted when it needed to be, and serious when it needed to be. The game’s story was the classic Zelda story of the triforce and defeating Ganon. The 3rd person control scheme was awesome, and the 1st person use of the slingshot and arrows were also awesome. Every temple in this game was very well designed. Even if you hate the water temple, it’s still a clever design with great art direction.
This is an epic adventure with a great story, great characters, a ton of sidequests, and a ton of temples. Even though I enjoy Majora’s Mask more, Ocarina of Time had more of everything. Even if the world map was a bit empty on enemies, it was still an awesome world to travel through. Ocarina of Time is one of the biggest improvements gaming has ever seen. There is very good reason why Ocarina of Time is arguably the greatest video game every created.

What about you guys, what are your favorite Zelda games and Zelda moments?