Top 5 Zelda Games

Top 5 Zelda Games

Written by Zeromage 92 Comments
Last Updated:: November 5, 2008

Has there ever been a better video game series than the Zelda series? Maybe the Super Mario, Castlevania, Metroid or Mega Man series, but after those, Zelda has no competition. The single factor that contributes towards a great gaming series is the amount of great games in the series. The same cannot be said for the Double Dragon series, for example, where it fell drastically in quality after Double Dragon 2. In the Zelda series though, as the games seemed to get better with each subsequent addition. This is rare for a video game series, and the Zelda series has been able to accomplish this with flying colors. Controversy will be heard in the sequencing of this list, but that only goes to show how strong each game in the series was.

5. Link’s Awakening

Who would have thought that Link’s Awakening would be as good as it was on the Gameboy? This game packed in as much information and detailed story line as any of the Zelda games for any of the other systems. The map was just as large, you had just as many tasks to accomplish, and the bosses matched the mettle of the bosses of Link to the Past. The only downside of this game was the black and white background, which would soon be forgotten once one was immersed in the journey given to them in the dream-like sequence of Link awakening on a beach. Don’t let the mere black and white background of the Gameboy fool you. The graphics were as detailed as Link to the Past and were made with the care known only to the Zelda series. Link’s Awakening was the same format as Zelda 1 and this was fine, considering how entertaining of a game Zelda 1 was. Gameboy’s best game? This will be answered in one of our future lists.

4. Zelda 2

The often overlooked Zelda 2 was an astonishing game when looking back at it. It was clever, entertaining, and subtly morbid in it’s content. The music was some of the best in the 8 bit Nintendo medium. Townspeople talked a diction that perfectly epitomized indigenous caricatures, and even sometimes turned into bats in a Dudleytownesque town in the bottom of the map. The down-thrust was one technique that would be used over and over again with how fun and pragmatic it was in many situations throughout the game. The bosses of Zelda 2 were also something to write home about. They weren’t easy, and required precision timing, like the boss in the water town who threw a ball and chain that took an excessive amount of damage from Link. There was something very mysterious about this game and sometimes misleading to the regular Zelda gamer, but this unique quality is championed by Old-Wizard because of the severity of its memorability.

3. Twilight Princess

When the Zelda series first went to the 3D medium, the avid Zelda fan questioned whether Zelda could make a successful transition into this new-age platform. While Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask were good games, its not until the release of Twilight Princess for the Gamecube and Nintendo Wii that there is a truly great Zelda game set in in three dimensional space. The map is large like every Zelda game before, and the storyline is far superior to most games to be released in the modern era. Solving expertly designed puzzles and traversing a wildly variable topography gives Twilight Princess it’s rightful place on this list. With Twilight Princess the Zelda series proves that it will be successful no matter which system it’s played on.

2. Zelda 1

Zelda 1 started the whole series. You were on a “flat screen” (or as some call it a “bird’s eye view”) platform walking on an absolutely massive world. This was the first of its kind. The amount of places you could visit in the game gave the gamer a freedom he never understood before. On top of this, you were given the freedom of not having to just play level-by-level in a sidescroller, but could choose where you wanted to go at any time, even into dungeons that would pulverize you because you were not ready for them. Having to conquer dungeons and the outside world to find the nefarious Ganon made for one of the greatest themes in video game history. The greatness of the Zelda series starts here.

1. Link to the Past

You know a video game series is great when one of it’s sequels was as good as Link to the Past. As many Old-Wizard readers know, Link to the Past was deemed the greatest game of all time in our “Top 100 greatest games of all time list“. The reasons why are numerous. Where to start? How about the whole light/dark world shifting that made you have to do something in one world to effect the other? How about the massive map that encompassed illustrious water worlds to radiant sand dunes? Let’s not forget the top left portion of the map where you were in the best and most mystical forest environment in the video game medium. The cloudy haze over the forest before Link captured his sword created one of the most distinct moods for any game before or after. There’s also the intricate and perfectly thought-out dungeons that required mental skill along with sheer power. It’s hard to imagine a game better than Link to the Past. It’s amazing to think that it was a game that was far down the line in an already massively successful series.

92 Comments

#1 Agreement says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:28 am

OOT is NOT the best Zelda game. It’s decent, but not the best. I agree with this list just about 100%, though I’d put Link’s Awakening at #4. OoT is seriously overrated. I’ve played it twice, and I still fail to see why people are so impressed with it. The storyline is epic, but it isn’t as good as LttP. The graphics were decent at the time, but they’re horribly outdated now. And the camera deserves to be taken out and shot. The only thing about it that hasn’t been captured since is the difficulty level. Not only that, but OoT is the only Zelda without the traditional overworld theme. OoT is certainly the most fairly challenging Zelda (Majora’s is harder, but it has a lot of “fake” difficulty.) Really, OoT is an overrated game, and the number of people throwing a temper tantrum merely proves to me that most of them probably played it first, and then moved on to the other Zeldas. Get past the fact that OoT took your Zelda virginity, and start looking at the game like a real reviewer: fairly, objectively, and rationally.

#2 Surgical Precision says:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:59 am

@ Agreement

Well said… Mind you I clearly had a better experience playing OoT then you seem to have had unfortunately but I do agree that the game is hopelessly overrated to this day…

That being said I’ve seen plenty of fanboys who speak WAY to highly of the old school as well…

I’ve been with the series sense it’s first instalment on the NES and to be honest I get a lot of flak from other old schoolers when I mention that Wind Waker is my favorite pick out of the entire series… (It seems to be more tabu then admitting to have liked Zelda 2 AoL)

Supposedly after a few more release’s as WW moves closer into that older gen territory people might finally start to ease up on it and see it for what a surprisingly good masterpiece it really was…

Sure it’s faults where some of the worst in the series, But it easily made up for them in a great many other ways IMO…

#3 thezeldafan says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:15 am

@ pikminlink

you’re not the real pikminlink so stop posing as them.
Pikminlink actually loves twilight princess.

#4 Jc says:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:05 am

I honestly think that you can’t make a list of best zelda game, they are all good in different way (unless you are talking bout phantom hourglass, i honestly even regret having one day started playing zelda so that i played this incredible piece of shit)

#5 James McCloud says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:40 am

wow dude
no ocarina of time
i know everyone has already said the exact same thing
because its true
you fucked up

#6 Allan says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:06 pm

I definately agree that Ocarina of Time should AT LEAST be #3. Majora’s Mask wasn’t that bad either. Twilight Princess IS my favorite Zelda game, and maybe even one of the best games period.

#7 Julian says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:32 pm

What?
I’ll agree that Link to the Past is the best Zelda game (It’s my personal favorite) but why is Zelda 2 up there? That game, for a zelda game, was horrible compaired to the first one.

And why is everyone gettin’ all pissed off and saying that they hate Majora’s Mask? That was my 2nd favorite. It was great. Everyone is makin’ fun of it because its too “kiddy”, what game are you playing cuz last time I checked, Majora’s mask was about you stopping the end of the world. It might just be me, but thats not kiddy.

#8 Relayer71 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:19 pm

Zelda 2 shouldn’t be on ANY list.
Much less one that doesn’t contain Ocarina Of Time or Wind Waker.

And I’d replace Link’s Awakening with The Phantom Hourglass.

#9 Relayer71 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:20 pm

“And I’d replace Link’s Awakening with The Phantom Hourglass.”

Heck, I’d replace it with any of the two Capcom produced portable games (the “Oracle” games).

#10 DerkaDer says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:07 pm

I dont think Ocarina of time has to be #1 on every list (although it certainly is the best zelda in my mind) but the fact that its not even on a TOP 5 list is sad… and the fact that zelda 2 is on here is just… indescribable

#11 yourdaddy says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:29 pm

zelda II = fail for a zelda game

Oot = good game but way to overpraised

I dont agree with this list its simply not good in my opinion

#12 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:42 am

hmm 5.minish cap 4.links awakening 3.wind waker 2.oot 1.majora’s mask

#13 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:03 pm

ermmm yes the zelda series still has some competition i am surprised u did not mention ff or metal gear heres my top 5 franchises 5.Metroid 4.Mario 3.Zelda 2.MGS 1.FF

#14 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:23 am

after playing all 4 3-D Zelda Games, WindWaker deserves #1. Zelda 2 was a good game, it just wasn’t a good ZELDA GAME. I was not a big fan of TP. OoT was great, Majora’s Mask improved on every aspect, and WindWaker was even better. Twillight Princess just felt like it took it back to OoT.

#15 dan says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:42 pm

yah Tp was nice but it was just a port from a gamecube game(next zelda game for wii will be 100% made for wii) Also does PH count as a 3-d game?

#16 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:37 am

never layed phantom hourglass.

#17 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:45 am

how could OoT be rehashed TP, when TP came out before it?

#18 Avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

I meant ”when OoT came out before it?”

#19 brad says:
March 15th, 2010 at 5:12 pm

I like how you can’t even get the titles right. It’s not called “Zelda 1,” it’s called “The Legend Of Zelda.” It’s not called “Zelda 2,” it’s called “The Adventure Of Link.” I mean, at least get yr shit right.

#20 Avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:21 pm

who the fuck cares?

#21 Avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:34 pm

fairly, objectively and rationally, OoT may notbe #1, but it’s definitely top 5, so are Majora’s mask and windwaker. this website left oot and majora’s mask off probably because they didn’t want to admit the N64 had great games on it. the reason everyone else is saying this is because it’s true.

#22 gbfdude says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:41 pm

wach you mouth avi or your mom will know

#23 eduardo says:
March 15th, 2010 at 5:32 am

whats wrong with zelda 2?
it brought something new to the series.
in case you havent noticed,every zelda game does that

#24 Journeythroughhell says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:35 am

Twilight Princess but no Ocarina of Time? The hell?

#25 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:21 am

why don’t i want my mom to know?

#26 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:24 am

zelda 2 wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t zelda.

#27 Azelfknight says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Zelda 2 sucks! Why isn’t Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask on this list

Who ever wrote this doesn’t know what a true Zelda game is!

#28 todd says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:31 am

the reason people liked Oot so much because it was revolutionary for the n64 not as revolutionary as super mario 64 but very revolutionary, but Oot was a better game then super mario 64 another reason many people consider Oot as the best game on the n64 so thats why people make such a big deal about Oot

#29 nick says:
March 15th, 2010 at 5:34 pm

shut the fuck up “Azelfknight” OOT is over rated and zelda 2 rocks, these guys know exactly what there talking about, and twilight prinncess is an awesome game m.r. “Journeythroughhell” you guys that are making these coments need to get your head out of your ass and stop being a winy 40-year-old virgin internet troll fanboy!

#30 Palace Midas says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Very strange list in my opinion. The fact that OOT is overrated doesn’t mean that’s one of the worst games in the series. That’s doesn’t make any sense to me. Because i see now reason why i must prefer Zelda II over OOT. Because it’s underrated and OOT not? And TP is included in the list..and that is just a rehash of OOT with better graphics and bigger worlds. Link to the Past perfected also the gameplay of the first Zelda, and that one is included to. Why? Because it’s the first one? Isn’t the gameplay just as dated as OOT’s gameplay? Sorry, but i don’t get it. It’s the same as making a list of Mario games without including Mario 64…but Sunshine and Galaxy instead. The fact that Sunshine is underrated doesn’t make it a far better game then M64 or Galaxy. Zelda II was different but i don’t call it a bad game. Just not as good as the other ones i think. And here we see a that Zelda II is far better then OOT but not as good as TP?! Weird..:P

#31 Palace Midas says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:09 pm

“shut the fuck up “Azelfknight” OOT is over rated and zelda 2 rocks, these guys know exactly what there talking about, and twilight prinncess is an awesome game m.r. “Journeythroughhell” you guys that are making these coments need to get your head out of your ass and stop being a winy 40-year-old virgin internet troll fanboy!”

The way you act makes you more a troll fanboy…a very agressive one. Wy are you so anger because of the fact that most people love OOT? Do you must prove the opposite way? TP was awesome in my opinion and i don’t care what some people say about that game. TP was called a OOT-clone..and maybe it is because it’s not as original as WW. It was hyped like hell and at the end it look to much like OOT. But i love the game any way. But you wanted to hate OOT only because everyone loves it. So it’s the worst Zelda game then? Or maybe the worst game ever? Wy don’t you make a list and include the CDi Zelda games in it? Talking about underrated:P

#32 Palace Midas says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:28 pm

Agreement said:

“Not only that, but OoT is the only Zelda without the traditional overworld theme”.

Wrong:P Zelda II, WW and TP have also a different overworld theme. Check your facts please.

“Really, OoT is an overrated game, and the number of people throwing a temper tantrum merely proves to me that most of them probably played it first, and then moved on to the other Zeldas. Get past the fact that OoT took your Zelda virginity, and start looking at the game like a real reviewer: fairly, objectively, and rationally”.

Does that mean that we must hate OOT and act like it’s the worst one of the series? Sorry but the reason wy people make a top-10 list is because they want to show other people what ‘their’ favoriete Zelda games are. Someone who include Zelda II and not OOT isn’t really a professional reviewer. It’s just a opinion….not a fact. It’s also not a fact that OOT is the best but there is a reason wy gamerankings put it on #1. Are they all mindless people?

And wy is the first Zelda included in this top-10 while ALTTP is far better. It’s the first one..so what? At least ALTTP is more original then let’s say…TP. But that one is a masterpiece of course. TP is getting dated faster because it wanted to clone OOT..nothing more. And that doesn’t make the game better. Because ALTTP has perfected the first Zelda…so that one is dated too…if you take it objectively of course. When you do that…every Zelda game is dated exept dor TP right?

#33 Azelfknight says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:05 pm

Who ever played Zelda 2, that’s who I feel sorry for. A side scroller? Yeah thats a zelda game… almost evry other Zelda game is better. Stop defending this disaster of agame, nobody important gives it a second thought.

#34 Gustavo says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:17 am

No Majora’s Mask? No The Wind Waker? NOT EVEN OCARINA OF TIME?!! Epic Fail.

#35 Danyelle says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:26 am

oOt shoudl be number one since the only game that bet it was super mario on the top 100 games of all time. The oOt made zelda it was the starting of a whole new level of gaming, the only reason the later ones are so great is because of it.

#36 Ray says:
March 15th, 2010 at 6:56 pm

I’m not too sure I agree with this list. Also, it is hard to put them in order. If you look for gameplay you may put a different game in front of how revolutionary another game was. For example, The Legend of Zelda was absoultely revolutionary in the fact of how big it was and intricate it was for the NES. Not many games did that. Gameplay for me however, this game would not rank #1. My list: #5-Majora’s Mask, #4-Twilight Princess, #3-The Legend of Zelda, #2-Ocarina of Time, #1-A link to the past. This is compiling gameplay and revolutionary together. Very hard to make a best game Zelda list however since they are all so different.

#37 dakota says:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:14 am

dude oot was by far the most fucking amazing zelda game ever. how can you say its over rated at all. im playing lttp right now and its not nearly as epic as oot. first off oot has the most fucking amazing dungeon in all of the games which is the forest temple reasons why? 1. the music is so awesome 2. it looks awesome 3. its fucking cool lol, and when you get the masters sword omfg how cool was that, and then you turb older i guarantee you this is some of the comments ppl said when they saw that : “wholly fucking shit links like 18 years old wtf!!!” “oh shit dude wtf im older now check me out bro!”. and then dont even get me started about the final boss ganon. how much more fucking epic can you get the music the lightning going every where and then link finishes him off with the masters sword. well i can go on and on about how bad ass oot is but damn it dont say its a fucking over rated game

#38 Ray says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:30 pm

I don’t know if your comment was directed toward me Dakota. I never ever said it was overrated in any way. OOT was pretty epic. That’s the reason it’s number 2 on my list. Most people grew up with that game. I grew up on LTTP for the most part. That happened to be my favorite one. Sure, the graphics weren’t as good but it’s still great in my opinion. Plus, my list was based off of how revolutionary for gaming it was and on gameplay. Not just on one or the other.

#39 dakota says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:59 am

no dude it wasnt towards you i said that to someone else i dont remember who but they said it was over rated

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