The Legend of Zelda

Debuting in 1986 in Japan this is the first game for the hero Link. In this adventure Link must save the Princess and the land of Hyrule from the evil clutches of the Ganon by collecting the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. Along the way you will defeat many monsters and find mystical weapons along the way.

The Legend of Zelda is an excellent top-view RPG. This means that as you play Link you will encounter countless enemies to defeat while traversing maze like dungeons and collecting treasure and weapons. There is even a second quest available to those that have enough skill to beat the game.

This became an amazing sucess for Nintendo being the second game to sell over a million copies on the Nintendo Entertainment System and was re-released in multiple formats. It has also been on more than a few "Best Video Games of All Time" lists and even recieved the title of "Highest-Rated Game of All Time" from the Guiness World Records Gaming Edition.

Following the original Zelda only a year later in Japan came "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link". This was a direct sequel to the first game, this time involving Link saving Zelda after she had been placed under a sleeping spell. After that, the resemblance to the first game seems minimal.

The game play in the sequel had been changed drastically. The designers had chose to move to a side scrolling mechanic as opposed to the original top down view. Along with the point of view change they also decided to add in an experience and leveling mechanic, extra lives and 1-up dolls, and a changed combat system. All of these changes led to a game that was similar in name but very different when played.

Overall the game wasn't really a disappointment or triumph for Nintendo. Taking away some of the best things of the time from the game might have really hurt it. In fact, it is sometimes considered the least liked of all Zelda games and is the only one to not officially bear the phrase "The Legend of Zelda" in it's title.

The third installment of the Zelda series was released in 1991 on the Super Nintendo. This time Link is out to save Hyrule and the descendants of seven sages who have been captured by Ganon. This game brings back the top-down play style and was quite a success for Nintendo selling over 4 million copies and being called one of the best installments of the series.

This game brought about a few changes in the series that have stuck with it. Many key items such as arrows, bombs, the hookshot and the Master Sword all make their debut in this title. It also introduces the concept of parallel worlds that the player has to travel between in order to fully explore the game. In this game it is the Light World that is Hyrule and the Dark World that was once the Sacred Realm before Ganon stole the triforce,

This game was a major success for Nintendo. In fact, it spent 5 years at the number one spot of Nintendo Power's Top Games list and was only taken down when the system was retired. Link's Awakening was also placed in many top games lists and received much admiration.

When people talk about Zelda they tend to be referring to this game. Released in 1998 on the N64 system, it is the best selling Zelda game of all time with just over roughly 7.5 million copies sold. This title was the first in the Zelda series to use 3D graphics.
The story saw the player controlling Link once again and fighting off the evil Ganon who has kidnapped princess Zelda and taken over Hyrule. The player begins by controlling Link as a child and as the story progresses you will be able to acquire the eponymous Ocarina of Time. With the right music played on the Ocarina it allows the player to move forward or back in time to complete the games objectives.
Ocarina of Time was an epic advancement in video games at the time and went on to win many prestigious award in the industry. It is still considered as one of the best games of all time.

Majora's Mask, released in 2000 was the final Zelda game to be featured on a cartridge system. This game takes place in the land of Termina and features the child version of Link as the playable character.
This story follows Link's adventures as he tries to recover Majora's Mask from a rebel skull kid. Under the influence of the mask he is slowly forcing the land's moon to descend from the sky, threatening to crush all of Termina.
This game takes advantage of a unique game play feature where Link is forced to perpetually travel back in time over the same three day period. At the end of the three days, if Link hasn't defeated the skull kid, the moon will crash and destroy everything. The game also has the player use many different masks some of which have special abilities, including the ability to transform into different creatures.
The game was very well received by critics and gamers alike and was the most different and innovative games of the series at the time. It has even seen a few re-releases including one on the Gamecube and the Virtual Console.

The Wind Waker was the one and only original Zelda release on the Nintendo Gamecube. It is also the first game that is done with cel shading which provided a unique visual appeal to this title.
This title takes a new outlook on the series by setting it at sea! Link travels across a series of islands with the help of a magic baton called the Wind Waker which helps control the wind. Like many other games this one features Link's struggle with the evil Ganondorf and gaining power and items while traversing dungeons and temples.
The Wind Waker features many new things to the series including characters and items and utilizes many new types of side quests along with taking the art style in a new direction. It also spawned the first direct sequel to the DS, The Phantom Hourglass.

Twilight Princess was the first Zelda game to be produced for the Nintendo Wii and was one of the system's launch titles. This was also the first game of the series to receive a "Teen" rating,
This title see Link defend the land of Hyrule from the impending darkness that is the Twilight Realm. Throughout this game Link is aided my Midna, a mysterious figure from the Twilight Realm, who helps Link overcome puzzles within both worlds. This game was unique because it was played with Link also taking on the form of a wolf for certain sequences of gameplay. This title also introduced many new weapons to the franchise and new gameplay mechanics.
This was considered by many critics to be the best Zelda game yet. It won many "Game of the Year" awards from various venues.