Top Legend of Zelda Games (IMO)
Trying to put them in order here. I've had the pleasure to play them in order since release. Except Link's Awakening which I have still yet to play.
5) The Legend of Zelda
This was the first Zelda game I played. My parents had an NES and we played the heck out of it. I had my childlike wonder back then and this game was an adventure! There was so much to find, secrets to interpret, dungeons to explore, and you didn't have a map pointing you in the next direction, you found it yourself. Trying to figure out how to prove we could use the master sword, finding the dungeon you unlock with the flute, it was all magical. This was before the internet was really available and so you had to find everything on your own and it was an adventure that brought my whole family together, playing, speculating, and killing octoroks on every screen.
4) A Link to the Past
Fond memories of this one. It has such a great graphics update and the exploration motif is even greater. There's so much to find! Also the dark world is amazing! Just when you think that the game is over and you've seen it all, BAM! Dark World. The music is amazing, figuring out the puzzles (still really before the internet) was sometimes difficult, but rewarding. The little flute boy is such a tragic character and he was the first character to make me feel sad. Plus after playing Link's Adventure, this game was a welcome return to the formula. Not that I don't like LA, it was just way too hard for me as a kid. I'm surprised I got as far as I did.
3) Twilight Princess
I know I mention further down that Ocarina's Hyrule field felt disappointingly small. This one does NOT. It's HUGE and I loved riding Epona across it. I know people feel it's empty and I mean it is, but there's still things to find. I just love it. I love the scope of the game, the characters, I loved playing it with my best friends in High School, speculating about different things, continuing their stories, falling in love with Midna, the sheer size of the story, and so forth. The ending fight actually had me wanting to fight and I just wanted to get rid of Ganondorf after everything not to mention the epic music change when an enemy is down makes that moment all the more sweet. Oh god I love this game.
2) Minishcap
So many people forget about this one and I absolutely love it! I love the kinstones that really get you to go back and remember characters. The music is all just so enchanting and the world is just so awesome and has a great atmosphere. Zelda is so ADHD and I actually really like her. Vaati is adorable and really cool. Ezlo is hilarious and the fact that he's your hat makes him even more so. The Minish are adorable and exploring a tiny world is also adorable. If you've read the manga, the fairies based off bugs are really cool, but also really sad considering they are just like the bugs they're based on. Also there are a ton of adorable little buggies. This game is underrated and Capcom did an amazing job.
1) Windwaker
My FAVORITE Zelda game. I love exploration, as you may be able to tell from my previous choices, and this game is not short on it. People complain about the style, but it has held up so well because of it and it is really charming as well as well done, adding to the atmosphere and actually being really nice. The music is all phenomenal and matches the island hopping theme. The characters are amazing and you watch them grow into their own. Even random characters that are just there all have their own personality and purpose. I know people hate exploring the ocean and how big it is, but when you get to an island, you really feel happy to see land and see that shape looming in the distance is just such atmosphere. There is plenty to see and do in the ocean. I wish there was more and the map quest SUCKS but I hope that they'll fix that with the coming HD remake. The dungeons are really fun to navigate, the ability to use enemy weapons is really fun, using items in different ways that you find laying about it fun, the music hitches when your sword strikes an enemy is exciting. I love pirates and sailing and the ocean and this game is my game. Tetra is also one of my all time favorite characters.
This game was also awesome enough to garner a trilogy. I never finished SpiritTracks because it became a bit of a chore, but I love Phantom Hourglass. I'll never replay it and I have the manga if the urge hits (OCEAN KING TEMPLE) but I have so many good memories and the innovations that involved the microphone and closing the system and everything were amazing. I love Linebeck SO MUCH and the ending boss and the whole ending in general is very awesome. If only the Ocean King Temple wasn't the bane of my existence...
So that's my top five...and...
Ocarina of Time is absent from this list, I know. It's not that I don't like the game. I love it, but it's not in my top ten. I don't have as many fond memories of it. After all the exploration from previous Zelda games, Hyrule field just felt disappointingly small to me. I like Majora's Mask more than Ocarina. I still love it, don't get me wrong, it's just not in my top 5.