do you think the zelda series is going down hill overall

I remember the nintendo 64 zeldas both were very god especialy zelda 64. Also a link tot he pasted is onof the best SNES games and is still a great game to play, but after the 64 it did not feal as good as it used to be. I didnt play much of the game cube zelda but from what i heard the other ones are better. TP was good but not great. After i finished it i never wanted to touch it agin where the others i can replay as many times as i want

Twilight Princess was my second favorite Zelda game ever. So for me no.

I think the SNES/N64 era is the peak of what we've gotten from the Zelda series so far. I don't think any of the other games (WW comes close) tops Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask.

The series has certainly gotten weaker in difficulty, puzzles, and memorable characters (especially Twilight Princess). They have tried to make the story a little deeper in the newest iterations...they weren't entirely successful in that venture.

My hopes for the new Zelda is that they will have an epic main story like OoT, a plethora of sidequests like in MM, and the sheer difficulty of ALttP. There were some really hard temples and bosses in Link to the Past like the Water Temple (forget what they call it) and that giant worm boss that could knock you down several floors below in one hit. Another thing that I also enjoyed were those times where I had no idea where to go and the game wouldn't tell you anything (it took me a while to find Turtle Rock or whatever). One last thing about ALttP that I really liked was how I owned the first three temples or so; but once I got to the Dark World, the difficulty increased by several times. It really went wonders into showing how much danger you were in once you stepped off of the Pyramid of Power.

I think with their new in-game guide system, they will be able to do this without alienating all of the more inexperienced gamers (as can be seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Also, since they are incorporating Motion+, I have hope that this will be the greatest Zelda ever if they put in some of the things I mentioned.

p.s. Another thing I forgot about Link to the Past: I LOVED it when Ganondorf's minions made you into a wanted criminal in Kakariko Village and how there were so many well hidden secrets (like the man who lived under the bridge). It went a long way into making the game extremely immersive.

I think the SNES/N64 era is the peak of what we've gotten from the Zelda series so far. I don't think any of the other games (WW comes close) tops Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask.

The series has certainly gotten weaker in difficulty, puzzles, and memorable characters (especially Twilight Princess). They have tried to make the story a little deeper in the newest iterations...they weren't entirely successful in that venture.

My hopes for the new Zelda is that they will have an epic main story like OoT, a plethora of sidequests like in MM, and the sheer difficulty of ALttP. There were some really hard temples and bosses in Link to the Past like the Water Temple (forget what they call it) and that giant worm boss that could knock you down several floors below in one hit. I think with their new in-game guide system, they will be able to do this without alienating all of the more inexperienced gamers (as can be seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Also, since they are incorporating Motion+, I have hope that this will be the greatest Zelda ever if they put in some of the things I mentioned.

If Wii Sports Resort is any indication of how the next Zelda will be with 1:1 MotionPlus controls, it'll definitely introduce and innovate a new genre of gaming to be copied by future 3rd-person sword-action games. I expect good things for the future of the Zelda series.

TP is my favorite but I played it before Ocarina and I think I would have liked Ocarina better uf I'd played it first. All the zeldas are amazing except 4 swords and I trust Miyamoto to make a true masterpiece out of Zelda Wii

Phantom Hourglass made me love Zelda again with its touch screen control, so I would disagree, although I do agree that the SNES/N64 Zeldas are the peek of the series, but I don't think it's gone all downhill since then.

Well play Wind Waker before judging because I don't know who you're talking to, but now I'm pretty sure I would never listen to their opinion. Wind Waker is just as good if not better than Majora's Mask. Complaints about Twilight Princess are pointless, while maybe not as good as OoT, WW, or MM, it wasn't far behind, and it provided Goron Mines, one of the best dungeons yet in LoZ. It was a great game, Legend of Zelda doesn't have to pump out 10/10 games every time, it can make a 9.5 like TP and that's fine. Also try Phantom Hourglass. That one is fantastic too.

Well play Wind Waker before judging because I don't know who you're talking to, but now I'm pretty sure I would never listen to their opinion. Wind Waker is just as good if not better than Majora's Mask. Complaints about Twilight Princess are pointless, while maybe not as good as OoT, WW, or MM, it wasn't far behind, and it provided Goron Mines, one of the best dungeons yet in LoZ. It was a great game, Legend of Zelda doesn't have to pump out 10/10 games every time, it can make a 9.5 like TP and that's fine. Also try Phantom Hourglass. That one is fantastic too.

DeeDeeDee-er

Windwaker was an excellent Zelda game as was Twilight Princess. TP actually among Zelda games is one that had more varied gameplay, take the boss battles for example, alot of people cried how easy they were(what game isn't easy these days) but they were much more varied then past Zelda battles which many just required you to stand there with your weapon and wait to strike. TP the battles were pretty kinetic, take for example the battle against Morpheel, Stallord and Argorok. Thats something I hope they continue with in the next Zelda and even further refine.

^lol TP was too short, it was like 3x longer than Ocarina of Time, and in regards of story it had the most well thought out story of any Zelda to date. I would agree that it lacked side quest but that was because they put so much into the main story, unlike say Majora's Mask which was mostly side quest. The Zelda series in regards to storytelling and varying up gameplay mechanics, it has been improving since Majora's Mask. The only thing I would like to see improve if possible is the number and execution of side quest.

Since TP is my favorite game of all time, i'm going to go with no. Besides, there are tons of people who still love the zelda series. After all, we're talking about it right now! I think Nintendo is doing really good with it. Besides, nothings perfect.

No. Yes, the N64 ones were great, but some people need to move on.

You didn't play much of Wind Waker but nonetheless allow your opinion of it be formed by what you heard about it? :P

Anyway, no. I think that, contrary to popular opinion, the Zelda series is getting better, not worse. Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess I all consider to be better than Ocarina of Time. Quite frankly I think people tend to have their memories of Ocarina of Time heavily colored by nostalgia - I played it again after a long time away from it, and I found that it just didn't hold up to later games.

[QUOTE="DeeDeeDee-er"]

Well play Wind Waker before judging because I don't know who you're talking to, but now I'm pretty sure I would never listen to their opinion. Wind Waker is just as good if not better than Majora's Mask. Complaints about Twilight Princess are pointless, while maybe not as good as OoT, WW, or MM, it wasn't far behind, and it provided Goron Mines, one of the best dungeons yet in LoZ. It was a great game, Legend of Zelda doesn't have to pump out 10/10 games every time, it can make a 9.5 like TP and that's fine. Also try Phantom Hourglass. That one is fantastic too.

EmperorZeruel

I don't necessarily think it's went down hill, I just feel it hasn't gotten any better (in terms of the past installments acheivments).

I know people most likely think I'm crazy when I say this, but I honestly feel that Miyamoto needs to just let Aunoma have complete controll over the series (unless he completely destroys it). He's already shown what he can do creative wise when it came to Phantom Hourglass

to me, TP shows that Aunoma tried to change the series a little bit with out tweaking the formula completely. Like Seperath said, in the form of a (tried) deeper story, boss mechanics, etc. I don't find the game to be that enjoyable though....

I understand that some of the people in TP were killed off by the Twili-monsters, but everything was a wasteland. I also felt like the filler material in the game felt exactly like what it is.... filler. You have to keep people interested, and happy. Don't just throw bs in there to make the game longer, I don't care how long it plays, that doesn't make the experience better for everyone.

You didn't play much of Wind Waker but nonetheless allow your opinion of it be formed by what you heard about it? :P

Anyway, no. I think that, contrary to popular opinion, the Zelda series is getting better, not worse. Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess I all consider to be better than Ocarina of Time. Quite frankly I think people tend to have their memories of Ocarina of Time heavily colored by nostalgia - I played it again after a long time away from it, and I found that it just didn't hold up to later games.

No not at all. Even if TP wasn't as good as the others, that doesn't mean that the series has gone downhill. Afterall, TP is still an awesome game. It's not like WW and TP scoered below a 7, it scored around a 9.0.

Besides Twilight Princess is an overall beter Zelda game then Ocarina of Time. It just isn't as revolutionary.

my top 5 zeldas are

OoT

WW

TP

Oracle Of ages

Link to the Past

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so no i dont think they are going down hill at all

even if its unfair not to mantion the others, all are excelent games. apart from Zelda 2

to me zelda is clearly my favorit series of all time

Wind Waker was outstanding and Twilight Princess, despite being the weakest 3-D Zelda, was also fantastic. Phantom Hourglass had great controls and creative boss battles. I don't think it is going downhill.

I personally found Twilight Princess to be a HUGE improvement over Wind Waker. I found Wind Waker to be the weakest 3-D Zelda game.

I personally found Twilight Princess to be a HUGE improvement over Wind Waker. I found Wind Waker to be the weakest 3-D Zelda game.

DragonQuestHero

[QUOTE="DragonQuestHero"]

I personally found Twilight Princess to be a HUGE improvement over Wind Waker. I found Wind Waker to be the weakest 3-D Zelda game.

JebranRush

Unfortunately, I think it is slowly going down. But maybe this could change with the next game coming up on Wii Let's hope for it!

I haven't played Wind Waker or the newer gameboy and ds ones but all the other ones i have loved besides links adventure which was just too different for me to get used to. I thought twilight princess was great and hopefully a new wii one will be even better.

Not even a little bit.

The formula is far too predictable. Enter dungeon. Find item. Use item to solve dungeon. Use item to defeat boss. Never use item again.

Don't get me wrong, the excellent dungeon-design makes the Zelda games great, but in Twilight Princess I already felt that despite the game's overall polish (I think it's fantastic, I rated it 9.5 so don't get me wrong here) that it just wasn't a truly unique experience.

That and the bosses are ridiculous pushovers. You hit them three times and they die. They never change their patterns. The bosses are the weakest part of the dungeons. Solving puzzles is really rewarding, but the formula is a little rote right now. The next one had better be different or it simply won't stack up any more.

If you just look at any one 3-D Zelda game from the past and then look at TP, then yes it is going down hill. And really you can't say down hill, but down a slight slope, maybe just a few degrees. But there is really no trend, it hasn't been on a downward spiral since OoT. And also, you really need to go play Wind Waker. Best 3-D Zelda in my humble opinion. Arc2012

Yeah, Wind Waker is hands-down the best of the 3D Zeldas. It's the only one with a truly discernable story that doesn't suck. You face the antagonist (Ganondorf, duh!) early on and get your ass beat and then meet your awesome new boat! Seriously though, it's dungeons are done so much more meaningfully than Twilight Princess'.

I mean, TP just goes, OK, we need to get these Crystal Tears or whatever it is, so let's clear these dungeons and head to the desert to end this thing. Great. Then it's, aw, that mirror-thingy is broken up, so let's travel around the game collecting them from the dungeons. There's no meaning to the quest, whereas Wind Waker starts unassumingly builds up to this wonderful climax and it all pays off in the end with one of the saddest finale's I've seen.

Wind Waker rips Twilight Princess to shreds. It's the stellar level design and ingenious puzzles that make Twilight Princess so amazing because the plot is pathetic and the gameplay is a little too familiar. Some may view that as a good thing or a bad thing. Still, TP's overall polish makes it my second favorite Wii game. It's excellent in it's own right and I did play through it twice. It's awesome. But when you look back at it, Wind Waker is the better game by a nautical mile. Even that Tri-Force hunt at the end can be forgiven because in TP you're hunting for the whole game. :P

Well, overall I'm not really sure but all I can say is that I have not felt inclined to replay TP since I finished it. I bought it when it was released. I haven't played PH so I can't really speak about the other recent installment in the series. I really hope Zelda Wii makes me keel over with excitement because I think the series has lost a little of its shine for me.

The formula is far too predictable. Enter dungeon. Find item. Use item to solve dungeon. Use item to defeat boss. Never use item again.

Don't get me wrong, the excellent dungeon-design makes the Zelda games great, but in Twilight Princess I already felt that despite the game's overall polish (I think it's fantastic, I rated it 9.5 so don't get me wrong here) that it just wasn't a truly unique experience.

That and the bosses are ridiculous pushovers. You hit them three times and they die. They never change their patterns. The bosses are the weakest part of the dungeons. Solving puzzles is really rewarding, but the formula is a little rote right now. The next one had better be different or it simply won't stack up any more.

NeonNinja

i respect you opinion, but i just wanted to point out that you do use the items alot outside of dungeon too.

to solve smal puzzels and some backtracking stuff.

in TP its mostly the spinner.

Twilight Princess was my second favorite Zelda game ever. So for me no.

bobcheeseball

Same. Even though most people disagree, I think Phantom Hourglass is the best 2D one too (I think I've played every 2D one except Oracles of Ages).

Not so far, I thought TP had a great story. I wouldn't mind a little info on where the series is going though, the future does concern me some what.

[QUOTE="Arc2012"]If you just look at any one 3-D Zelda game from the past and then look at TP, then yes it is going down hill. And really you can't say down hill, but down a slight slope, maybe just a few degrees. But there is really no trend, it hasn't been on a downward spiral since OoT. And also, you really need to go play Wind Waker. Best 3-D Zelda in my humble opinion. NeonNinja

Yeah, Wind Waker is hands-down the best of the 3D Zeldas. It's the only one with a truly discernable story that doesn't suck. You face the antagonist (Ganondorf, duh!) early on and get your ass beat and then meet your awesome new boat! Seriously though, it's dungeons are done so much more meaningfully than Twilight Princess'.

I mean, TP just goes, OK, we need to get these Crystal Tears or whatever it is, so let's clear these dungeons and head to the desert to end this thing. Great. Then it's, aw, that mirror-thingy is broken up, so let's travel around the game collecting them from the dungeons. There's no meaning to the quest, whereas Wind Waker starts unassumingly builds up to this wonderful climax and it all pays off in the end with one of the saddest finale's I've seen.

Wind Waker rips Twilight Princess to shreds. It's the stellar level design and ingenious puzzles that make Twilight Princess so amazing because the plot is pathetic and the gameplay is a little too familiar. Some may view that as a good thing or a bad thing. Still, TP's overall polish makes it my second favorite Wii game. It's excellent in it's own right and I did play through it twice. It's awesome. But when you look back at it, Wind Waker is the better game by a nautical mile. Even that Tri-Force hunt at the end can be forgiven because in TP you're hunting for the whole game. :P

If you want plot, then read a novel or watch a movie. I don't care in the slightest bit about plot. I want action, puzzle-solving, and adventure. I want dungeon crawls and I want to loot chests. The story is just the frame, and I pay little if any attention to it. I enjoy the Zelda games without keeping up with the story at all.

I don't think so. :)

I don't think the series has gone downhill at all, but I do think that they've hit a few bumps along the way.

I absolutely love Ocarina of Time. I've played it repeatedly since the day it came out up to more recently, and it never gets old. Majora's Mask was also extremely superb, albeit a little short, but it is definitely a prime example of "Quality over Quantity". I feel that Wind Waker was where the bump was hit. The game had a great story and good dungeons, but the sailing just killed it. It felt more like a chore than an adventure. Twilight Princess, however, was better than Wind Waker, but not as good as Ocarina of Time. The adventure was epic, yes, and it had a fantastic story, but the dungeons were a bit too casual for my tastes, and I love a good challenging dungeon (which is probably why I love OoT Master Quest so much).

Anyways, this is all just my opinion. :D

No Twilight Princess was an excellent installment in the series.

the last 2 zelda games (twilight princess and phantom hourglass) were both disappointing to me.

I have faith that Zelda will be redeemed though

The formula is far too predictable. Enter dungeon. Find item. Use item to solve dungeon. Use item to defeat boss. Never use item again.

Don't get me wrong, the excellent dungeon-design makes the Zelda games great, but in Twilight Princess I already felt that despite the game's overall polish (I think it's fantastic, I rated it 9.5 so don't get me wrong here) that it just wasn't a truly unique experience.

That and the bosses are ridiculous pushovers. You hit them three times and they die. They never change their patterns. The bosses are the weakest part of the dungeons. Solving puzzles is really rewarding, but the formula is a little rote right now. The next one had better be different or it simply won't stack up any more.

Eh, I thought Twilight Princess was really average, it was the first zelda game I've played that felt like a total rehash of the same gameplay.. not to mention it was WAY too easy... no challenge kills a game for me.

NOt at all. I loved Twilight princess, and thought Phantom Hourglass was good. I think all Zelda games are great, with the excption of the NES Zeldas, where Zelda 1 was just okay, and Zelda 2 was very disappointing, IMO.