Topic: Best 3DS Zelda game for a newbie?

Link's Awakening

If it's just 3DS you get these Zelda games and the 2 retail 3DS games are the best palce to start imo.

3DS Retail Games:
Ocarina Of Time
A Link Between Worlds

DS retail games:
Spirit Tracks
Phantom Hourglass

Virtual Console;
Legend Of Zelda
Zelda 2
Link's Awakening
Oracle Of Ages
Orcacle Of Seasons

Not Ocarina of Time 3D. It was the most boring, tedious Zelda game I've played. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. A Link Between Worlds however is fantastic.

If you want to go back and try DS games; play Spirit Tracks and skip Phantom Hourglass, which is pretty much made obsolete by its sequel. As for the Virtual Console; I'd say Minish Cap were it available, so I'll have to say Link's Awakening. If you enjoy that a lot then maybe also get the Oracle games.

Link's Awakening is pretty fun. I liked the deluxe edition (3DS VC) more than the Wii VC version of Ocarina of Time.

It was only a suggestion. I wasn't trying to say most English speaking people live in the US. I'm well aware many other countries speak English as well. I'm sorry if I offended you.

I'd go Ocarina of Time 3D for a good introduction to 3D Zeldas, and either A Link Between Worlds or Link's Awakening for an introduction to top-down Zeldas. I have a soft spot for Link's Awakening since it was the first Zelda game i played

Both are good games, but Ocarina of Time is a better entry point and a better game.

The reason I say that it's a better entry point is because the original was released in the 90s and it's still the basic framework of every 3D Zelda game that followed, and well, a lot of 3D games in general. Any other 3D Zelda essentially builds on the Ocarina of Time foundation. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, but it's always interesting to have that reference point. Before playing "Ocarina with a gimmick," it's good to just play Ocarina.

It's also a huge branching point in Zelda lore. It's a central hub in the storyline, a reference point for games that follow and games that precede it. Most of the games in the series are actually some alternate timeline, depending on which "branch" of Ocarina of Time the game split from. A Link Between Worlds, for example, is set in a timeline where the hero actually fails in Ocarina of Time and the bad guy wins. However, each game is stand-alone enough that you don't have to know about the lore to understand the story. The stories are actually all pretty simple fairy tale type stuff. The lore is just there if you want to dig deeper.

On the other hand, A Link Between Worlds is easier, simpler, and shorter. For those reasons, it may be a better entry point.

I think you mistook what I was trying to say. I wasn't offended. I was pointing out that you were naming stores that only exist in the US. That's not much use to a non-american.

TIL Walmart only exists in America.

Phantom Hourglass isn't a bad place to start, as that was the first Zelda game I played.
But A Link Between Worlds is the best game to start out because it's fresh, fun and really enjoyable to explore the world,

Get ALBW, it's a fantastic game overall and it's quite easy.

If you want to play the worst first i'd definitely go with Phantom Hourglass. You might still enjoy it heaps since you probably won't expect the towns and their citizens to feel as alive and charming as they typically are in other Zelda games.

_{Edit: Dang, i keep reading "freebie" instead of "newbie" here.}

OOT 3D. I like WW, MM, and SS more, but you need to play OOT first. From there on, choose your own path. I HATE Alttp. Maybe ALBW is better, IDK tho.

Have you played any of the top down Zeldas?

Well, ALBW is basically ALttP with a polished presentation and watered-down design, so you probably wouldn't like that either.

@arronishere Yes. All of them besides Between Worlds. I love Minish Cap, LOZ, and the DS games. Oracle and Awakening were good too.

ALBW for sure. It's the first original 3DS Zelda title, and possibly my favorite in the entire series. Moreover, it's a better showcase for the capabilities of the 3DS. But yes, OoT3D is longer. 3D Zeldas are always longer.

@CaviarMeths

How exactly is ALBW "watered-down?"

Watered-down was poor wording, sorry about that. I was trying to say that I found the game design, including puzzles, dungeons, and bosses, much easier than ALttP. As far as mechanics go, ALBW actually did a great job at building on ALttP. My main criticism of the game is actually on the "unpopular opinions" thread, where I felt that the removal of progression and item-finding in dungeons was lazy rather than innovative.

My phrasing probably makes it seem like I enjoyed ALBW less than I actually did, and that wasn't my intent. It's a fantastic, albeit short and easy, game and probably the best original handheld Zelda game ever.

Ocarina of Time was my very first Zelda game and it made me fall in love with the series. It's fun and has a great story if you've never played a Zelda before. I highly recommend Ocarina of Time 3D!

Second best for me, nothing tops ALTTP in my book. But ALTTP and LA are still in a tier of their own.