Globe and Mail game blogger Chad Sapieha writes:
We have a review of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for Nintendo DS coming soon, so rather than post my own take on Link's latest adventure I thought I'd use this space to reflect on the series.
One of the most storied franchises in the history of the medium, there are now 15 games (not including spinoffs and titles appearing on non-Nintendo platforms) that are official Zelda canon-though, canon is used loosely here, as most of these games feature different Links and Zeldas inhabiting dissimilar universes, allowing the classic hero-saves-princess story to be reinvented time and again with marked changes to characters and play.
And while many entries in the franchise have indeed altered Zelda's formula for better (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) and worse (I'm looking at you, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link), it's surprising how little the core experience has changed between the series' first release in 1986 and its most recent. We still control a spunky, green-clad warrior wielding sword and shield who explores puzzle-filled dungeons while searching for items including keys, hearts, and bombs en route to rescuing his princess.
That makes it a bit difficult to try to sort the best from the rest, but I've tried to do just that nonetheless. What follows is a short list, from great to greatest, of what I reckon to be the top five Legend of Zelda games made thus far...
Tears of the Kingdom may be about to become everyone's new favorite, but there's one DS game that deserves more shine.
KeenGamer: "Nothing says gaming royalty like the iconic duo of Link and Zelda. Let's discuss which version of the duo is best, spanning the entire franchise. There are some versions of the characters that are more memorable and recognisable than others."
For me...
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword
BotW
These are the best Link's in that order IMO based on their backstory and general percieved personality in my eyes. Since he is silent in the eyes of the player, gotta rely on hidden backstory, motivations, and interactions with other characters to define the personality part.
Definitely Wind Waker, up until Tetra turned into Zelda which magically stripped her of her spunkyness. But once she's back to being Tetra she's definitely the most badass of the incarnations. This wasn't Link and because of that we got a character that earned the triforce and rised up to be a hero.
OoT. Link's most masculine physique plus just look at how hard that version of Zelda pwns in Super Smash Bros Melee.
The future could be filled with revived Nintendo DS classics. Hopefully it happens!
My kid yesterday proclaimed he liked the DS more than the Switch because the controls work on the go. Then I asked if he would rather have Monster Hunter Stories 2 on Steam or Switch and he chose Steam. So proud!
oh god
that is likely the worst list ever