Topic: after playing through Oot3d

It reminded me why I've always considered it the best Zelda. Seriously, this game is so well-balanced with all the things that make Zelda great.

1- a phenomenal sense of adventure & discovery (arguably the most important aspect for this action-ADVENTURE series)
2- great, memorable dungeons both in design and puzzle creativity.
3- a fair amount of sidequests, optional things to do
4- great combat, that gives you an "epic" sense where you feel like you're in a duel with a formidable opponent. Some of these guys take quite a few hits and counter/block, especially the...
5- Minibosses- Seriously, a ton of creative and cool mini bosses.
6- Awesome Bosses- While i personally did not enjoy the "hookshot the ball" boss of the water temple, the rest were awesome. While SLIGHTLY less epic than TP's, it more than makes up for it in difficulty. These are actual fights vs TP's boss fight's shows of spectacle with no real danger.
7-Just enough story to push it along. This game really has a good amount of story compared to most Zelda games (in a series that is admittedly very thin on story). Gannondorf makes multiple appearances, as does Sheik. Sheik's dropping poems and getting all emotional and talking about the past n future. I expected Minish Cap to have a good story as there's a subset of people who love Vaati as a villain, however he basically made an appearance at the beginning, we saw him betray Ezlo in the middle, and we fought him in the end. I was very disappointed in that story, whereas I'm pleasantly surprised with this one's.
8- Finally, the mini dungeons. The Ice Cavern, Bottom of the Well are freaking awesome little non-dungeon areas that, while smaller, do have multiple rooms with a fair amount of challenge.

It's been so long since } last played this game, so long that I don't remember a thing about it as i replay it now, but I'm getting reminded why it's so loved. This truly is a contender for Best Game of All Time, and tops of the Zelda series, imo.

I'm glad you really enjoyed the game Ocarina of Time 3D is amazing. My favorite Zelda game is Twilight Princess for the Wii!

@blastoise-san,

Just curious, what did you find better about TP over OoT?

I personally felt the boss battles were better in Oot (for the reasons listed above), as well as TP's overworld was bigger but emptier. Oot seemed to be the perfect size with no wasted space.

Just curious, what did you prefer about TP?

@LetsGoRetro I loved TP's story. I give Ocarina of Time and TP both 10/10.

Yeah both games are great, I was even fine with TP's whole wolf gameplay thing. xD
To me it seems like 3D Zelda's bosses in general are always epic, especially recent ones. (personal favorite being Koloktos)

Ocarina of Time is still my favorite as well, for basically all of the reasons you listed, though all 4 of the 3D Zelda games I've played are a 10/10 in my book.

Yet to play Majora's Mask. Been holding out for the inevitable 3DS remake.

My only gripe with it is that, after playing it twice (regular quest and master quest), I no longer feel any motivation to play it again... basically, I know exactly how everything works now, so much of the magic it had the first time I played it is gone... it was an amazing game while it lasted, though; I'll give it that.

@Gioku I have about.... 4 different save files on Ocarina of Time 3D. 2 for regular quest and 2 for Master Quest. I never got bored with either

@ topic creator

you very much summarized why this zelda is best of all time and the new zelda link between two worlds pales in EVERY aspect.
ALBTW got:

• no sense of real exploration. since over world copied from old game. too small world , too few secrets or easy secrets.
• short nonmemorable dungeons ( only ice dungeon is maybe memorable of 3d effect, but isnt that just gimmicky? )
• nearly no side quests at all, no interesting NPC who even could give cool sidequests
• outdated combat with only spamming A button for sword slash or holding A button for op spin move kill all
• 4 non memorable minibosses who die like after 5 seconds ( no good fighting mechanics)
• boring mainbosses who seemed copy and paste with just different setting ( fire and ice bosses felt particularly copy and paste) yes one had lava and other ice setting but the fight was the same
• nearly non existent story in ALBW. No epic cutscenes. Only one plot twist "who is ravio really"
• non existent minidungeons or other areas to explore. ( no i dont consider the "stereo 3d get the 100 rupee chest areas" as dungeons, since getting rupees in ALBW is pointless ((too easily done anywhere)) and they felt rather gimmicky)

thats why if you search for zelda for 3ds for the love of god get OoT instead of ALBW , because its just clearly the better game with more immersion and heart !

I just finished OoT 3D for the first time 2 days ago. I don't think I've ever put in 40 hours on a game to 100% it and not been ready for it to be over by the end. It was just such a genuine joy to play. Haven't started Master Quest yet, but I am very much looking forward to it.

Yeah, I definetly agree. OoT hits the nail on the head in terms of being what I think a Zelda game should be. Overall, OoT is just a fantastically balanced game, with the right blend of everything that it should have. The first time I played it was on the 3DS, and it was wonderful. I was totally immersed in it. My biggest problem with the game was replaying it, which I agree with @Gioku on, after playing the regular quest and Master Quest I don't feel like playing the game again. That's true for most games, though(it's one of the advantages of simpler and shorter games, I enjoy replaying those more).

@Stereoman I hate to say it, but I agree with some of your points, and this is probably amongst the least favourite out of the several Zeldas I've played(I think I only liked Four Swords AE less)... To me the biggest problem is the plot, I don't like how there wasn't much lore given to the game, and it's one of the rare games I've found too simplistic to really hold my interest. It does a lot of things right, especially with some of the really clever puzzles in the game, but it's missing a lot of stuff that made older Zelda games great. This is not an argument about which is better, though, and I think ALBW is still a very good game in its own right.

In my opinion OoT was good for when it was made. My first time playing through the game completely was on the Wii VC. I personally think the first Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past are the best examples of what a Zelda should be, full of exploration and mastering different skills. OoT while good, I think is overrated. OoT 3D is a better version of the same game.

OoT was great on the N64. Majora's Mask is what got me into the Zelda games, though. I rented it at Hollywood video and I was sold. I borrowed OoT from my cousin, beat it, then eventually got every Zelda for each console. OoT 3D is definitely the best version, and I can see why it sold pretty well to the new gamers that bought a 3DS or never had the chance to play it, before.

My favorites:
1. Majora's Mask
2. Skyward Sword
3. Wind Waker(HD)
4. Twilight Princess
5. OoT 3D
6. Minish Cap
7. 4 Sword Adventures
8. Link to the Past
9. Link's Awakening
10. Zelda II
11. Zelda
...

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to play ALBW, because of money, but I definitely plan on buying it eventually. Sorry for the list, but I think sharing your favorite in a series tells alot, since we've all been playing the same series, afterall.

Is it really much better? I have the N64 version for the Wii VC which I've never got round to playing, but was wondering if I should try to get hold of the 3DS version instead...