Okay, I've only played the original Zelda. Where do I start?

[jess_and_luigi]

I have played the original Legend of Zelda like a zillion times. I was never very good at it, but it's incredibly fun, and there have been times when it's been one of the only games I had access to - so hey whatever. I'm kind of interested in the rest of the series, but there are too many games! I don't know which one to play first.

Should I just play them all in order, or are some of them worth skipping - and which ones should I definitely not miss?

Thanks for the help! ♥

 

[CarpeNemo]

You can easily get the Gameboy Colour and Advance Zeldas for emulators on PC easily, and they all were pretty good (Most people thought Legend of Zelda DX was just...odd...though) so you really can't go wrong there.

If you have a Wii or a Gamecube, Windwaker and Twilight Princess were really well recieved, and I enjoyed them.

I also think it's worth going back to play Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. It's fairly controversial but many people (myself included) consider it to be the best Zelda game ever. It's on Super Nintendo, if you're wondering.

 

[crunchyg]

Play them in order, and skip the Capcom-developed games both on GBC and GBA. You might get stuck on Zelda II though--it's really tough to beat.

 

[CarpeNemo]

Play them in order, and skip the Capcom-developed games both on GBC and GBA. You might get stuck on Zelda II though--it's really tough to beat.

I completely disagree. The Oracle series was awesome and Minish Cap were pretty damned good, all things considered. I do think that the Four Swords was a worthless publish, but it at least got LTTP on GBA.

 

[jess_and_luigi]

You can easily get the Gameboy Colour and Advance Zeldas for emulators on PC easily, and they all were pretty good (Most people thought Legend of Zelda DX was just...odd...though) so you really can't go wrong there.

Ooh I hadn't thought of using an emulator for the Zelda series. What a great idea. I'll look into those, it seems like they'd run on my system just fine. I'll let you know if it works or not, hehe.

I completely disagree. The Oracle series was awesome and Minish Cap were pretty damned good, all things considered. I do think that the Four Swords was a worthless publish, but it at least got LTTP on GBA.

Thanks for the suggestion! Probably going to play them through in order but maybe I'll take a look at those? Always good to hear opinions on which games in a series are high points and which are low points : )

 

[Valentino]

If you can get your hands on I'd definitely recommend trying out A Link to the Past, I think you'd really enjoy it if you had fun with the original I've heard a lot of great things about Ocarina of Time too, though I haven't played it all the way through myself.

 

[kawmeenar]

I would definitely suggest just going down the list in order, because you can definitely see progression and it's just a lot of fun. However, if you're pressed for time or money, and really want the best Legend of Zelda experience, definitely go for Ocarina of Time. Loads of fans, myself included, say this is one of, if not the best game, in the series, and it really is just an amazing experience.

 

[Mr. Blue]

I would definitely do them in order. Play all the ones you can on the emulators you can also. Only one I wouldn't do that for is Ocarina of Time, great game and it is so much better if you get the actual feeling for it.



When you actually get to playing on the console I highly suggest Wind waker and Twilight Princess. Each time you go up a generation playing the games you gain more experience and the games become funner.

 

[shdws]

I thought I was the only person alive who has only played the original Zelda. But I think I'll go with the advice on this thread and play them in order. Makes sense to do it that way.

 

[LALucien]

Just go straight to Ocarina of Time as it is the best Zelda Experience you will ever have!
I have played it and completed it as well as the master quest over 5 times!
It is engaging, challenging, fulfilling and rewarding. I haven't had another quality gaming experience like it and I'm 26 and have had pretty much every console going.

 

[BTCGuru81]

Many people would say you should start where the first one left off, with the Adventures of Link. I would politely disagree and suggest you move on to A Link to the Past. This game is sort of the foundation on which all the rest of the series is built. It established long running themes such as the golden land, the goddess mythology, the collection of three gem to unlock the Master sword, many of the game mechanics and story elements that would be built upon in the years that followed. On top of all that, it's one of the SNES's shining moments. And keep in mind, that was a system that had an unusually generous share of shining moments.

From there I'd move on to Ocarina of Time, then Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. You can fill in the "lesser" titles if you find a want for more or you become a real hardcore fan of the series. These I've listed are sort of the essentials. But that's not to take anything away from Minish cap on the Gameboy Advance or the GBC Zelda games, especially Links Awakening, made by Capcom.

I would go as far as to say, at this oint, there is no such thing as a bad Zelda game. There are just ones that shine a little brighter, but I'm obviously heavily biased in favor of the series.

 

[Donkey Punch]

Link's Awakening was made by Miyamoto's original Zelda team, not Capcom.

 

[clubbingbabywhales]

If you have a Nintendo 64 or have access to one, I highly recommend you start with Ocarina of Time. It set the bar for every Zelda game, and is the most widely appreciated Zelda game for a reason. After OoT, you will immediately want to play Majora's Mask. This is my favorite game because it combines the OoT feel with a while new story. Tons of quests, items, masks, and more. Just make sure you get the full feel of it by playing them in order of their release; OoT - MM.