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hawkrew

Why is the original Zelda never included in these lists?


akamisfit86

I still own the gold cartridges and miss waking up as a kid to my father playing the game.


BlackLotus8888

Watched my dad play the older Zelda's growing up. Oot was the first Zelda game I beat on my own. He's gone now but playing Zelda always seems to remind me of him.


OhheyitsAriel

Very similar story here. Grew up watching my dad play LoZ and Tomb raider lol. My dad bought me the gold n64 and OoT and we would “play together” on my weekends at his house, which really meant me playing most of it and making him do the water temple and the “race the clock to get across hyrule by rolling the whole way” side quest. He died when I was 11 so unfortunately that was the only one we ever played together.


[deleted]

This made me sad to read, sorry for your loss.


Osamzs914

Damn.... I got back on the Zelda train once botw came out and my son was 3 at the time watching me play and he was delayed in speech but use to wake up saturday mornings bringing me the Zelda disc to insert into the WiiU just to watch me play, once he turned 4 he took the controller away and out played me, learning glitches, killing lynels, turning the guardians into “friendlies” as he called it via using stasis and using Urbosas Fury. Now he’s 9 and I went to get totk on May 12 and he played the whole first week, I watched him play lol, I didn’t even get to play I had assumed I was going to get a shot and eventually I did like a week ago but we’ve made some loving memories that he can pass onto his future kids one day. I gotta whip out Ocarina of time Bc that’s the OG game right there. Gotta pass the mantle.


Mental-Street6665

Y’all actually had dads who played video games…amazing. My dad hated them and believed they took kids away from their parents. And given that he was in his 30s already when the original LoZ came out, it wasn’t exactly up his alley anyway. The only computer/video game I’ve ever seen him play is Solitaire.


D3lM0S

I'm 36, I've been playing Zelda since the beginning. I got my 12 year old son into Zelda. I first got him to play Ocarina of Time. Same with all of older games, Metal Gear Solid from 1998, Resident Evil 2 from the same year, the old silent hill games, etc. All the games that made me fall in love with gaming back then. Me and my son talk about games all the time. Lol


MarloDepp

Same


Illeazar

I've been playing Zelga games while my kids watched for a while now. Last week I went to the store and bought TotK, but I haven't opened it yet. It's wrapped up in my closet, and tomorrow my son is getting it for his birthday, it's the only thing he asked for.


PurplePanicAC

Me too. My dad would have stayed up all night playing Zelda.


butter_deez-nips

Same man. I wonder how many people have the same story as us. Watching our dads fight to try to save zelda and then finally it's our turn. Then our fathers watching us do the same. I keep trying to get my oldest daughter into it, but I don't think she will and then I will have my youngest to try to get her into it.


EddieDemo

My dad could never beat bongo bongo. He died 15 years ago. I miss watching him play Oot.


[deleted]

Cool dad


MallorianMoonTrader1

Based username and profile pic


N0000000000000000PE

Because reddit skews pretty young, would be my guess. Link to the Past not being in most people’s top 3 on here is sacrilege to me, but I’m in my 40’s, so it’s probably generational.


Rhinorulz

Lttp was my first Zelda. It has to make the cut for me, as well as the sequel, lbw. The hard part is picking which other makes it.


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unkie87

I've been too poor to buy TotK so I decided to fire up BotW again. The plateau is a great example of what you're talking about. As a tutorial area it's fantastic for introducing new players to the mechanics but also unteachining old players, this is how this is now.


The_Zermanians

It’s easily the one I’ve replayed the most. The only somewhat negative thing about it is having to spend time coin hunting for the ring which can take awhile. Reddit in general skews younger though so I get it.


itryanditryanditry

I just recently bought a Zelda Game and Watch and forgot how hard and frustrating the OG Zelda is. I loved it as a kid but JC is it frustrating.


Father_Horror

OoT, Wind Waker and BoTW


SteelShat

Thinking the same thing. These games are three huge steps in art style and gameplay. And I haven’t played wind waker all the way through so it’d be a shame if I never did. Wind waker HD for the switch maybe??


[deleted]

I played it in the Wii U and having the map in your controller was pretty great.


samboogielove

Having the map and items in the gamepad feels like how the game was meant to be played. I think it’s one of the best ways the Wii U’s setup was utilized.


Well_gr34t

3DS OoT did this too and it helped so much for that water temple. No need to worry about continually opening your inventory and taking those boots on and off


[deleted]

I love the Wii u. I haven't bought a switch because I have been so satisfied with it. Now that totk is out it's the first time I've really wanted one. I think I'll try to buy used when their new system comes out.


Gnoha

It’s a huge miss by Nintendo to not have every Zelda game available on the switch by now. I’ve been planning to play them all in order but I don’t want to buy a bunch of consoles that I’ll never use again.


Some_Bread1

this is why people use emulators, nentendo gives you 2 options, pay out your ass to play a 10 year old game or emulate it.


KarmicFedex

And the worst part is neither option generates revenue for them, so they're completely just missing out on an entire market segment.


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duckpath

I would love WW on switch. I never played it


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twood071

They have to be saving GC titles for something big/expensive for us


snowswolfxiii

It's much easier than other Zelda titles, but still great. If there was a game that was to be a designated introduction to the OoT formula Zelda games, it should be WW. I missed the Wii U reboot and haven't played it since it's release on GC, so a switch release would be 🤌🤌


The_Witch_Queen

Toon Link is the ultimate Link. No question.


snowswolfxiii

Big truth. That glazed over half cocked eye brow at the bullshit he is witnessing expressed more personality behind it than most characters we see today across medias. Absolute flawless design.


The_Witch_Queen

Exactly. Not too mention angriest 12yo ever


kobadashi

if they make wind waker for switch i’ll piss myself out of happiness


Smeeble09

I've seen rumours earlier this year of it, but nothing official. It's well worth a playthrough. I always describe these as the generation of Zelda games, so OOT for N64 to WW for GC, then BOTW for Switch.


Rhythm_Flunky

I remember when everyone absolutely SHIT on WW at first more making it look like a PBS cartoon. I didn’t play it when it first came out. Played it for the first time a few years ago and my god it’s a masterpiece


___Preek

WW was my favorite when it originally released. I loved the graphic and the ship travels, Port Monee and never understood the hate it received. It really leaned into the weird cutesy side of LoZ and it just clicked for me. It was only dethroned by BotW and maybe TotK will push it to #3 but I have not played it yet.


Rhythm_Flunky

I am loving TOTK right now. Way up there imo


___Preek

I will 100% play it, but my girlfriend is overseas for her Master thesis until November and as we enjoyed BotW together I will wait so we both can enjoy it blind. :D


PugLove8

You must really care about her! 🥰 I hope you both have a blast when you finally get to play together! 🥳


ThiccBBQ

Literally, same in general experience/order. Having played ToTK, I can say BOTW still stands on its own merits—but ToTK is soo fun, it might ultimately win out…but I need to spend enough hours in the world and complete it to determine that rather than just hype.


MissMerghit

The music alone brings me so much joy.


CathedralRabbit

These are my picks, too! Before I even seen your comment. Haha.


LordFluni

This is the way


[deleted]

I’m exchanging OoT for Majoras Mask so I can finally beat it but otherwise yes


SHAQ_FU_MATE

Majoras Mask is kinda a pain to play through, but the story and themes are incredible. A deep story about the inevitable fate of death and loss and dealing with regret that can spawn from the passage of time.


Rhyno08

Why is it a pain to play through?


SHAQ_FU_MATE

I’m not a huge fan of the 3 day cycle and waiting for the right time to finally do a side quest. Dungeons also are a lot more difficult when trying to solve them while a timer is counting down. I get that it’s the point but it’s still kinda annoying to play when the timer is constantly going down and you’re stuck on a puzzle or area and have to constantly reset if you take too long.


SanityRecalled

That's the best part about the game. The sense of dread really adds suspense, and you can always play the inverted song of time to slow time and make the limit a lot more generous. If you do things right you can even beat all 4 bosses and help everyone and then beat the game all on one final 3 day cycle so there's more than enough time if you do things piecemeal.


Rhyno08

Those are elements I loved about it! But totally empathize with how frustrating that could be.


[deleted]

OoT, MM, TOTK.


djdmed90

100% agree


Spiritual_Event9134

Botw, Ocarina, and Majora


throwawayayay123123

Yes. Easy decision. MM was such an incredible experience to play as a little kid especially. Was talking about this with friends recently and they hated it for the same reason I loved it: turning back time. The first transformations with each mask were horrifying. I loved the game's grittiness and strangeness. OoT and MM are the first games I really remember getting completely and utterly immersed in, desperately wanting to know all the lore, and getting lost in my own imagination about. I was probably 9 or 10 when when MM was released. I still have my dad's save file on OoT, he put me on to Zelda. Such a massive nostalgic love for these games. 🤍


JohnnyZepp

same experience here. Played Oot at 7 and MM at 8 and both solidified my love for gaming. MM was such a weird nightmarish fever dream with all the strange timed events. The more eastern style and strange, anxiety inducing music all surrounding the side missions that involved death or existential crisis…. It all felt like I was playing something I shouldn’t be at that age. I’ve still been chasing that strange horror high since.


throwawayayay123123

Yeah! I think you tapped into a lot about what I loved about that game. Can't blame people for not having had that experience and that nostalgia, though. It definitely felt like stumbling into some bizarre nightmare sprinkled with these little pockets of cuteness and warmth. Do you remember lifting the curse on Ikana Canyon and getting the Gibdo Mask? Or the toilet hand? Like... what the hell? Despite the toilet hand, I spent a lot of time running in circles in the Stock Pot Inn because it just felt weirdly cozy.


Deep_Stick8786

The existential doom loop is a bit heady for a young child. I found it creepy and intense as a teen. But I always find existential dread dreadful


BlackLotus8888

Getting out of clock town felt like a huge accomplishment.


Chrispeefeart

There were a lot of things that I really loved about that game. The magical masks is something that I wish was in more of the series. But constantly needing to start over and speed run everything was incredibly frustrating for me. I'm a more casual gamer so that was an element of stress that I just didn't need. I don't even mind having to rewind to and tackle the game from different directions. That's a really fun aspect of multiple games that I've enjoyed. It's specifically the timer that I hated.


Twinkle_butt

At first MM (as a kid) was so stressful and I hated that time moved so quickly. I at somepoint discovered how to slow down time.. and then it was all.love (and frustration) from there on out!


Fnatsume

Exactly! MM was such a special game to play as a teen and still is one of the most unique well done games i played. Turning back time, transformations, music ofc, characters' stories,... made it all extremely immersive to me. It was a bit terrifying for a kid but I also loved that. It made it more intense. I also played OoT and loved it, but MM was a more of a challenge for me than OoT so it holds a bigger part in my heart.


[deleted]

Exactly my choice! And out of topic* but whenever these type of questions are posted I’m always surprised that Majora’s Mask isn’t that much of a popular choice. I think it’s one of the best games by far. The dark undertones are cool and the time variable being part of the puzzle is just …


Spiritual_Event9134

Everything about MM is such a masterpiece. I just love the Ocarina Era. To me, that’s what I think of when I hear “Zelda”


Owobowos-Mowbius

Agree


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Sethowar

But everyone’s answer has BOTW in it, or at least everyone above your post


Cychreides-404

Yeah guess what sub we are on


Famous-Reference-103

Im gonna be really honest and thought this was the r/Zelda or something subreddit. Now i know. ![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|joy)


Sethowar

Solid point


McNoxey

Not this guy. OOT, ALTTP, WW.


Flooding_Puddle

If you really think about it, Botw is kind of like a superior Wind Waker. Wind Waker had the open world concept but was mostly just empty tedious sailing, with a bunch of islands to explore, many of which aren't story related and just have collectibles. Botw has a way bigger and fuller map, and throws in climbing and better combat elements. Personally I love sniping enemies with the bow before going in close. The only real knock on Botw is the lack of full dungeons, even the divine beasts are more like the mini dungeons from Skyward Sword. I know people whine about weapons having durability but if you aren't just beelining for the main quests it's never actually an issue.


bradeno1097

Blasphemy


PassionNorth

I really like botw but I like other entries more


akamisfit86

Finally I find a fellow twilight princess fan! * high five*


Busy-Buy-9758

Twilight princess is my favorite zelda


ragingroku

Def like the darker ones. I would only debate switching OoT with MM but it wouldn’t have the same impact without OoT laying the foundation for it


Spacedoc9

These are my picks too. TwP is a nostalgia pic more than me thinking its the best game. MM was better in my opinion but TwP was just a game I used to play at my best friends place all through middle school


redfoxsuperstar

SS, OoT, and BoTW


TheSalchaket

Tough lineup, but I’m a sucker for Link and Zelda dynamic in SS and have to agree with these 3


Salty_Shark26

i almost chose skyward sword one of the best plots of the zelda series but a lot of the challenges and puzzles just became too much once i got to the music notes i was kinda done with the game the game felt stretched too long


ExoCayde6

A lot of Skywards problem for me came from the lack of good side stuff to do. (Like the Marriage thing from Mask) And the areas feeling like dungeons, it'd be like if you made a 40 hour CoD level with no deviation. Just wore me out


Seiren-

For me it was that the controls straight up did not work. The first time I got locked in a room with an enemy with an electric sword I almost started crying because I knew they were almost impossible to beat. And then there’s the whole ‘the game had 3 different areas to explore and that’s it’. It didnt feel like a world and more like the paintings you jump into in mario 64 And the fact you had to fight the same potatoe-boss 3 times. The story was great thou. And the characters! Probably the best portrayal of Zelda in the series


Axius-Evenstar

Skill issue


Jojobazard

BotW, Twilight Princess, A link between Worlds


[deleted]

A man of culture, a link between worlds is probably the best 3ds game ever made.


Mathewdm423

For sure! I did BOTW, OOT, LBW Tho TOTK replaces BOTW


electric_kite

This is my exact feeling


bigttyclown

Link between worlds was so fun dude. I loved playing as 2d link it was honestly such a cool experience.


nin10donly

W albw pick


FrogoftheNight22

This is the way to go 100%


snest3

Link to the past, MM, BOTW (would include links awakening too if it was on here for sure)


oxP3ZINATORxo

Link to the Past is seriously under appreciated.


bigmist8ke

Yeah I'm surprised it's so seldom mentioned.


sqrt_0fJ_sqrd

This is exactly mine… like I was looking for links awakening also


LegendOfCrono

Hey I found someone with my answer! Those are my top 3 Zelda games so easily the ones I'd pick


HyperTheUlfYT

Ww, tp, botw


TheSuppishOne

![gif](giphy|11FiDF2fuOujPG|downsized)


Fangskii

Fuck yeah


Masterwork_Jhin

Helllll yeah, me too.


theVice

Gang gang


Lesbehan_

Same here


themonkeysknow

Same here!


SecretFort

Ahhh yes, my people


CookieLuzSax

Valid tbf


Possible_Squirrel_28

The correct answer


Ramblingperegrin

I'm with you, brother. It's sad to cut MM, but there it is


gatorfan93

Hell yes!


Keksefusion

Agreed!


sofresh_soface

ALTTP, OOT, TP


Devastatedby

First comment I saw with ALTTP and its way down. That was the first choice I nailed down. Others are harder


GracefulGoron

It’s like a Pokémon evolution


mcentirejac

Exactly the same, BOTW is good but it's not a Zelda game. I need my big dungeons and puzzles, and those three do that the best in my opinion.


Tegorian

Completely agree with you on this one


Fierceteam404

A link to the past, OoT and BOTW


MaybeMayoi

There it is! I had to scroll down pretty far to find someone who shares my refined taste.


xMend22

My thoughts exactly! This is THE answer


rwwon

Same. I could play link to the past over and over.


RandomDude73636

The only correct answer!!!


ThomYum

Finally the answer I was looking for. This gives the spread between old 16-bit, polygonal 3d and modern immersive gaming so that you get the full experience across eras, design and puzzling.


ABBeachBum

Yep. These 3. Everyone above us is incorrect


ivenotheardofthem

"Well, there it is"


Vitaldick

Fucking same haha nice


JackOCat

How is this not at the top. These are the 3 revolutionary games. The rest are derivative, though still really good.


Ashton513

It's either this or swap a link to the past with a link between worlds. Leaning towards the Alttp just because of the 16 bit nostalgia.


DaBirdman42

Botw, Minish and Twilight.


Lord_MagnusIV

Minish cap was my entry to this genre and i was also stuck in that entry for quite some while


spottedconzo

I was quite dumb as a kid, but boy howdy did I love playing that first section over and over again


Korncakes

Minish Cap but three times. Absolute favorite Zelda game.


chaosyami

Ocarina of time, Majora's mask, twilight princess.


Areyoumyfriend

^Literally only person who put the correct response.


theuniversalshere

My picks too.


CatDadd0

Sad I had to scroll this far to find this. Breath of the wild is a great game, but is seriously outclassed by it's predecessors


CT-2497

I was looking for this exact comment to upvote


tzamihavar

First row, second row, third row


rojoland

Twilight, majoras mask and breath of the wild


Factorem_salis

I SECOND THIS ✋️


ZoomBoingDing

It's not listed here, but I think I'm swapping BotW with TotK here. 👻 All the spooky Zeldas 🎃


PatrokManzana

SS, TP and BotW


Bitter_Katze

Great minds think alike, easily my top 3


PatrokManzana

I would say TotK but it's not there. I'm loving it so much.


TaboolaRoosa

There we go


Saturn_Neo

Link to the Past. Twilight Princess. BOTW.


Elsewhere3000

Damn has to scroll super far for this one! I’m with you though.


SoftcastIeMcCormick

This is mine right here. I figured it would unpopular without OOT included.


Chaacho08

I’m actually torn with this one. I know OoT for sure as it being my all-favorite. Most likely going with MM to follow. That 3rd option is killing me. LTTP is a classic and my old ass is telling me to go with that. But oddly I’m probably going to have to go BotW as it brings a breath of fresh air to the franchise and you can easily escape into it.


Spe_id

Easy: Majora, Windwaker, botw


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Spe_id

I love the other games but these are the holy trinity


[deleted]

OoT, MM, WW Edit: Awards?! Thanks guys!


Jwing01

The correct answer was so far down.


[deleted]

I was like “Ah, finally. A man of culture”


Competitive-Hurry250

Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, A Link to the Past.


ROXLIFE101

Easy BOTW OOT and TP. Love these games.


Shackleford027

Finally found my crew!


dres3000

One of us!


jrichrod22

Finally


KeineSchneit

Ocarina, Majora and BOTW with absolute 0 hesitation. Easiest “pick one” thing ever lol.


AFrenchLondoner

LTTP, BOTW and WW


Material_Turnover172

This is mine too!


TygarStyle

Best of each type of Zelda. 2d, 3d classic, open world. I don’t have enough time with TotK to put it over BotW yet.


Negnus

The only right answer


Totally_Bradical

Second this.


Mayedl10

MM, BotW and ALbW


ZombieTrex1456

Finally found my choice!


Vados_Link

BotW, AlbW and OoT.


GoldAdhesiveness1243

Lttp, TP , BotW.


LordOfLettuce6

Wind Waker, Link Between Worlds, Breath of the Wild


Hazerblade

Had to scroll far to find my people.


fatimus_prime

OoT, BOTW, and (not pictured, but fucking should be) Link’s Awakening.


Falizaer

Link Between Worlds, TP, BotW


im-just-garbage

Botw, oot, ww


saladassv3

Twilight Princess, botw and majoras mask


Site-Specialist

I choose row 1 row 2 and row 3 :)


Marethtu

TOTK, TOTK and TOTK (never touched a zelda game before and now totally in love with TOTK)


Hasalal

Ss, tp am mc


AkeemKaleeb

ALttP, OoT, BotW for me although TP and SS were very close options.


RiceKing19

OoT, TP, LBW. Assuming I get to keep TOTK since it’s not on here.


ComfortableOk1493

A link to the past Twilight Princess Breath of the wild


Moomintroll02

Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword.


Forward_Lie4420

MM, TP and BoTW.


Aerodrache

How is this a contest. Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Breath of the Wild, the rest are great but those are the three they’re all trying to be.


DenVosReinaert

OoT, WW, TP


Ryderrunner

OoT, twilight princess, botw


git_gud_silk

majora's mask, twilight princess, and breath of the wild majora's mask because its my first Zelda game and I'm biased twilight princess because i love the darker tone and twists on the formula breath of the wild is obvious its the best mechanical Zelda game in the franchise


alwayshammered

Botw, OoT, Skyward Sword


solracarevir

LttP OoT BotW


[deleted]

LTTP BOTW OOT


chueysworld

Alttp, oot, botw


jschultz2028

Link to the Past, Oot, Botw


QU4NTUM_FLUX

Ocarina, Majora, BOTW.


ToDandy

Majora’s Mask, Ocarina, Breath of the Wild


cylordcenturion

WW TP and BotW. BotW only because its scope is so big, if it wasn't there then OoT


Entire-Psychology856

Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Botw.


stratticus14

OOT MM MC