Is Zelda Twilight Princess the best Zelda game?

[PowerLegend]

I'd say LTTP is the best. TP, 2nd best.

[jesse1596]

I haven't played LTTP in such a long time I forgot about it but their is no doubt it's one of the best zelda games. My gf's brother brought his DS while he is living with us and going to school this year so now I'll be able to play phantom hourglass which I'm happy about.

[chris_92]

well Zelda is probably my favourite game on the Nintendo console and i would say that TP and Ocarina of time would come 50\50 ocarina is just a classic and completeley got me into it and twlilight just re-reveloutionised the Zelda series

[gustavo]

my favourites are ocarina of time and majora's mask,because they're the ones i played when i was a kid,my first ones.but i think TP is the best game on the gamecube(or wii,so far),folowed by metroid prime and resident evil 4.I mean,i enjoyed wind waker to,but.....i guess it's a bit too diferent for me...

[Bald-as-a-Coot]

I just started playing Phantom Hourglass. Had my doubts, but now I have it there's no regrets. I can't fault the game. The control system is genius - all done with the stylus. Superb. Trouble is, I now have no life. All I want to do is play PH on my DS

[TwinCross]

It's very close, but yeah, I would say TP is the best. My only real complaint with the game is that the final dungeon/boss are a little anti-climatic, but the rest of game is definately my new standard for judging zelda greatness.

[Lando]

No, its one of the worst Zelda games ever OOT is the best and always has been

[mechanix]

I'd say that Twilight Princess starts off slowly, builds and probably fades out during the Third act. Link to the Past is probably my my favourite, although I've got a soft spot for Majora cause it's just so damn weird for a Zelda game.

[90's Gamer]

My Top 5:

1. Zelda III
2. Zelda I
3. Zelda IV (Gameboy)
4. Zelda TP
5. Zelda II

[Spore]

Oh yes, Link's Awakening. That one is probably the most overlooked good Zelda game. It really is one of the very best Zelda games. Maybe I have a softspot for it because it was my first game ever but it really is just special. It has some of the best characters in a Zelda game, I wish they were fleshed out some more. I think that is the reason I like the stranger Zelda games so much, like Majora's Mask.

[TwinCross]

Oh yeah, Link's Awakening kicks ass! My first Zelda, back when I thought Link was called 'Zelda' >_>;; (I was about 7-8 years old...)

[90's Gamer]

Yeah, very underrated game. I love it!

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

No, I don't think Twilight Princess is the best Zelda game. Its a fine game and quite fun, but it didn't do what a few games before it had done.

It did establish a dark feel for a Zelda game. Darker than any Zelda game before it in many ways, aside from maybe the actual underlying plotlines, which Wind Waker takes the cake itself. But it took the established Zelda formula and broke free a little of it, spinning its own tale (as the current team doing the Majora's Mask/WW/Twilight Princess seems to do pretty well) creating a tale that seems like a Zelda, but also like a separate darker fantasy story separate from the normal Hyrule world.

But more importantly, the characters, atmosphere and plot of Twilight Princess was more fleshed out than any Zelda before it. This helped and hurt it though. It hurt it because it made it more story driven and longer than some people liked. And if you didn't care for the plot or if you didn't pay attention to the plot, you might think other Zeldas plots (like Ocarina or Wind Waker) were bigger. But it also created one of the best and most character driven characters in a Zelda game no question. Midna.


Still, the game falls short of other Zeldas for 'revolutionizing' the Zelda formula or the 'gaming industry'. We can't say this is the 'next Ocarina of Time'. It was trying to just be Ocarina of Time 2.0 and it did that well. But just because it was trying to be Ocarina of Time 2.0 doesn't mean it surpassed it. Its not like Mario Galaxy and Mario 64. It was trying to be like that, but didn't quite make it. And it didn't come swooping into a brand new market or forgotten market like the original Zelda/Link to the Past and blow everyone away.

The game is good and fun, but its just not quite an Ocarina of Time/Original Zelda or in my Opinion as good as Link's Awakening.

[Estrada]

Originally Posted by link64

The 2D zeldas are pretty easy as well.

I have to respectfully disagree. The original Zelda (NES) may seem a bit easier now that many of the puzzle themes used in that game have been re-used and expanded upon, but when it was the only Zelda game around it was quite tough. There weren't many other games like it at the time, and that novelty made it particularly easy to get stuck and have no idea what to do next for quite some time (those old men were useless).

Zelda II (NES) was hard, period.

Perhaps it's all a matter of perspective, but if someone played the original 2 NES versions when they came out, I doubt they would classify those games as easy (at least with respect to the era, though I'd argue Zelda II is still a difficult game by today's standards).



As for the topic, I really like Twilight Princess but my personal favorite is A Link to the Past (though I'm probably biased by nostalgia).

[Ragnor]

Oracle of Ages/Seasons am goal

[nintendoduffin]

I prefer the 2D Zeldas to the 3D ones so I prefer Link to the Past.

[Faybro96]

I think that Twilight Princess is one of the epic masterpeices that have been blessed to us.
But OoT surpasses it, surpasses it by very far (In fun...ness)
(A side note... I have an Ocarina that replicates the one in the game lol)
You will like Twilight though, but it is... Just... To big.

[Spore]

Originally Posted by Faybro96

I think that Twilight Princess is one of the epic masterpeices that have been blessed to us.
But OoT surpasses it, surpasses it by very far (In fun...ness)
(A side note... I have an Ocarina that replicates the one in the game lol)
You will like Twilight though, but it is... Just... To big.

Too* big? How can a game be "too big"?

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Originally Posted by Spore

Too* big? How can a game be "too big"?

Simply put, the areas that are fun, more polished or you want to play more often are spread apart by long periods of wandering across a world map, pointless puzzles, randomly inserted side-quests, random battles every 2-3 steps, random dialogue that goes on forever and makes no sense. Take your pick depending on the game.

All of these periods making the game much longer and 'bigger' than it should be when the normal actual good content of the game would have sufficed.

That's the difference between Ocarina of Time and Twilight. Twilight is still a great game, but where Ocarina is a masterpiece with about 35 hours of epic win and 3-5 hours of 'tasks' to perform, Twilight Princess is about 20 hours of really fun Ocarina style OMG SWEET moments with about 20 hours of Midna and 20 more hours of '................................................. .......finally I'm done with that'.

[Spore]

I love having a big overworld. The one that really got me was Shadow of the Colossus. There is nothing to do in the overworld, but it is all there for you to see. It helps that that game was jaw dropping though.

[The shoemaker]

I also prefer a big over world. It adds more fun than in ocarina where it takes you 30 seconds to get from the castle to the desert. twilight seams more real and has a better atmosphere. And I love a good story. Twilight is my favorite, but I havn't played MM or some of the 2D ones.

Also the big over world lets you actually roam around with Eponia.

[Topher]

theres no way TP os better the oOT. oOt is a classic, twilight princess just doesnt have what oOt had in it. like the twilight zone just totally ruined the game if you ask me.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I don't know if Twilight Princess can compare to the original for the NES, or to the SNES A Link to the Past. Those two are the best in the series.

[The shoemaker]

Wind Waker is the best.

[Spore]

I'm still sticking with Link's Awakening. It is the best Zelda game.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Spore

I'm still sticking with Link's Awakening. It is the best Zelda game.

That's an interesting pick, too. I can respect this pick.

[ICEknight]

Originally Posted by 90's Gamer

3. Zelda IV (Gameboy)

...what




~~~~~~

[HiPNoTyQ]

I'd say Twilight Princess is the biggest and best story wise.
As far as my favourite though, I have to give it to OOT just because that was a huge game during the peak of my gaming years and I'll always have a soft spot for it, even though TP beats OOT on every level, it still won't replace the love for OOT in my heart (aww). The only thing I wasn't huge on was the whole wolf/twilight realm thing... which is a huge part of the game haha so that kinda bunks my whole argument. But in terms of core Zelda mechanics, TP is the most refined.

I remember the first time I played OOT and the initial wow factor, TP didn't have any of that for me. Instead TP just refines everything about OOT that I loved.

In second place would be Links Awakening followed by LTTP

[Spore]

Originally Posted by ICEknight

...what?

Zelda IV is Link's Awakening. Wait, were you saying you didn't understand what Zelda IV was or that it was crazy to rank it only as the 3rd best Zelda game? "What" isn't very descriptive.

Also, can we get the minimum of ten characters per post rule out of the way so we don't need to put filler text in or anything? Sometimes one word conveys a message better than a sentense.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Spore

Zelda IV is Link's Awakening. Wait, were you saying you didn't understand what Zelda IV was or that it was crazy to rank it only as the 3rd best Zelda game? "What" isn't very descriptive.

He was probably just confused because the Zelda games (other than II) aren't normally (or officially) identified by their numerical place in the series.

[darthmix]

Judging each game on its own, with the nostalgia goggles off and giving no extra points for being ahead of its time when it came out - in other words, looking at each game as if it was released today - yeah, TP is probably the best. But it's not nearly as groundbreaking or amazing as LttP or Ocarina were when they came out, so it feels really strange calling it the best Zelda game.

[HiPNoTyQ]

heres a major dent in TP side i didn't think of before:
I was thinking of replaying the game today... then I thought about how much of a chore it was to unlock all of Hyrule field or to even get to the first dungeon. I hated all the crap with the dog and collecting all the little tear drops to get rid of the shadow. That just wasn't for me, and thats why I was turned off of replaying the game...

I think my next Zelda game is going to be Wind Waker, a game I have yet to play

[Shortay]

Originally Posted by HiPNoTyQ

I think my next Zelda game is going to be Wind Waker, a game I have yet to play

I love Wind Waker, but it's a little too easy to complete. The sailing is extremely tedious though and would put me off playing through it again.

Even though lots hate it, the art style is my favourite part of the game.
It's just stunning.

[darthmix]

I liked Wind Waker and I absolutely loved the artistic style of the graphics. At the end of the day sailing around on the open sea just isn't as interesting as exploring a huge Hyrulian landscape, but everything else about it was tops.

[HiPNoTyQ]

I played through Phantom Hourglass which had its share of sailing as well, although I don't know if one games version is less annoying than the others?

[darthmix]

And I haven't played Phantom Hourglass, so I couldn't tell you. Really the sailing in WW is fine; it just isn't as fine as riding Epona over a vast Hyrule field, since endless ocean is inevitably not as varied or interesting as a sprawling countryside. But don't let that stop you from playing WW which still has plenty of great locations and dungeons.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

I only played a few Zelda games in the past (because I'm old and didn't get the N64), so when I got the Wii I decided to go back and replay the console Zeldas in order. So far I've finished The Legend of Zelda first and second quest, The Adventure of Link, and A Link to the Past.

Unfortunately, I don't have easy access to Link's Awakening, which is why I'm sticking to the console versions for now (I will probably go back and play the handheld versions in order later).

So, so far I've only just replayed the games I had already played before. But I haven't played Ocarina of Time before, so it'll be a new experience. I own both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess but I've been putting off playing them until the right time.

And I'm hoping Majora's Mask comes to the VC by the time I am done with Ocarina.

Anyway, this is all by way of saying that playing them all in order like this really gives one an appreciation of the different advancements and developments in the series.

[HiPNoTyQ]

OOT was def a game that was so huge just because of the time it was released. It still carries the same affect for me (i'll always have a soft sport for OOT, being 11 years old when it came out) but I see a lot of ppl say how OOT is nothing special, probably because they didn't play it when it was a fresh and new experience.

OOT spoiled me. So much so that when MM came out and it was drastically different and when WW came out with the new art styles, I didn't dig them, I didn't like them at all actually. It took me years to finally go back and play MM and I have to say, I love it! Its such a unique and twisted game and I can compare MM to Links Awakening as both games take place in a world outside of Hyrule (Terminia and Koholint Island respectfully) and now I think that the cartoon graphics from Wind Waker look SWEET. I can't wait to tear into that experience as well, however I completed Twilight Princess 100% from July-September and right after that I played through Phantom Hourglass which took about two weeks itself so I'm kinda Zelda'd out right now.
I'm gonna play through RE4 on Wii, Metroid Prime and MGS 1 on the GC before I go back to Zelda (because I have never played any of these 3 legendary games!)

[The shoemaker]

Originally Posted by HiPNoTyQ

I played through Phantom Hourglass which had its share of sailing as well, although I don't know if one games version is less annoying than the others?

I never get bored or annoyed of WW. Phantom hourglass is just a smaller version of WW. Like instead of there being what maybe 15 islands in hourglass, in Windwaker there's around 40 islands. Also Phantom hourglass had about 20 maps, windwaker has over 40. Also the islands are much bigger to explore. plus the story goes along much better. There's only a few things phantom hourglass does better. One is that you can upgrade your boat. But in WW you don't need to upgrade it, when you get bombs you get a cannon, when you get a new heart, you boat gets a heart, so there's no need. And also the nice little touch screen controls are cool.

But phantom hourglass doesn't have nearly as much side quests as WW does, and doesn't have the unique dungeons WW has. also In WW you can swim, and when you get to an island there's not loading time you can just sail there, or swim. Plus there's much more power ups, and every time I play WW I find something new. Also windwaker has night and day, which I was sad that PH left out. And Windwaker has better music and art style. So really WW is better than PH in every way. If you liked PH you'll love WW.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Since we're listing differences, another obvious but important one is that PH is portable, while WW is not.