With the creation of
The Legend of Zelda spawning many brilliant games, which are the best? Well, Carl B. (Zeypher) and I have put together a well written article over what we believe is the answer to this question. Below you will find my take on things.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker was truly a great game to behold for anyone that's a fan of the series or action-adventure genre. The first noticeable change over the other titles is its use of a cartoon-like artistic style and cell-shaded graphics. While some tried to downplay the visuals, they were beautiful and spawned several other games featuring this artistry. The Wind Waker features a unique storyline that ties heavily with the events of
Ocarina of Time. Also notable is the use of a large open map that helps with the adventurous aspect of the title and has many islands that host subquests, ships with extra items, and treasure to find.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Phantom Hourglass is the first game to feature the use of the Nintendo DS' touch screen, and along with the use of the dual screens of the hand-held, proved to be rather interesting in how the controls were set up; this allowed for a good amount of maneuverability that was needed to overcome several of the challenges that the dungeons of Phantom Hourglass posed. One such use is the ability to draw the path for the Boomerang to follow. While certainly not the most all-around difficult title in the series, Phantom Hourglass did present a formidable challenge in the Temple of the Ocean King. We are also introduced to the franchise's first implementation of online multiplayer.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game to feature the use of a fully 3D engine, similar to that of Super Mario 64, when Nintendo could have taken the easy road and made a 3D top-down Zelda title (think 3D Dot Game Heroes). This revolution has allowed for the adaptation of a fantastic targeting system that allowed players to strafe around an enemy during combat. This targeting system was ground-breaking at the time and allowed for the addition of many new challenges not seen before in a Zelda title. A large open map has allowed for the inclusion of several side objectives that are both fun and exciting. The concept of multiple realms returned in Ocarina of Time in the form of time travel; once players reach a certain point they can travel seven years into the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Unveiled at E3 2004, Twilight Princess has a far more dark and mature art style than any game in the series, apart from
Majora's Mask. This entry also features the inclusion of several special attacks, similar to the ones present in the
Wind Waker, and made combat with enemies that much more enjoyable. As with other games in the series, Twilight Princess features a host of new side quests for players to experience and enjoy. The storyline featured a darker plot centered around an evil race known as the Twili. As with several other games in the series, Twilight Princess also makes use of a different realms concept.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past is the third game in the franchise. It has many new mechanics and equipment in it not found in the previous games, such as the Hookshot and Pegasus Boots. It features the introduction of a different realms concept which has since been seen in titles such as
Ocarina of Time and
Twilight Princess. The game also sees the reintroduction of the top down style of graphics with beautiful visuals and artistic style thanks to the power of the SNES. A Link to the Past makes great use of a large open map that is host to a plethora of side activities and adventures that everyone can enjoy. With more than four million copies sold, A Link to the Past is a staple of the series which every fan should play.
So there you have it. This is my newest list of what I believe to be the best of the Zelda franchise. Carl B. puts his spin on things over at the site where this article first launched,
iNintendo. Please go by and leave your comments
here and let us know all of your opinions.
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