The C-E staff give their views on gaming's most important issues.

Last time at the Roundtable we discussed which Mario game stood out in the series; here we turn to arguably a much more dangerous question, which Zelda is the most remarkable? Jeez, what a question. Does the impeccable excellence of Ocarina of Time make it the best? Of the time-travelling mask-morphing explots of Marjora's Mask? Or what about A Link To The Past, one of the SNES' great trimphs?

What is the best Zelda game, ever?

Dennis:

Ocarina of Time. Even though I never owned an N64 this game kept me busy at friends' places.

The first time for me experiencing that 'huge' 3D world, I went ballistic. The later (3D-)Zelda's didn't really give me that same feeling. Majora's Mask was a disappointment for me; it was more like a puzzle game travelling back and forth in time, than a nice adventure. Zelda: The Wind Waker wasn't exactly what I wanted to play either. I simply just didn't like the look of it... *prepares to be flamed to death*

Bas O:

OoT; it took 4 years to develop this game and it obviously paid off. Besides the always intriguing gameplay I was blown away by the whole look and feel of the game; the night/day feature, the sound effects and basically the whole visuals that resulted in this work of art. In a world where you could drift for days looking for something new.

My best moment of the game was when I climbed Goron mountain at night. At its peak I walked to the edge and looked down and saw the little lights of Kakariko village far, far down. I just enjoyed the view for a minute like you would do when you see a sunset or a beautiful landscape in real life.

No words can do it justice, so I'm not even going to bother

James:

Majora's Mask.

I was very young when I first played Ocarina of Time - I was too young to appreciate the game like countless others did, and found the game too difficult for my poor little brain.

When MM came around, I was older, wiser, and more skilled! I felt MM was so much easier for me, and the darker plot enthralled me more than the previous instalment did. The masks system was superb and great fun, and there was enough to the game to keep me playing for ages. Supoib.

Wouter:

I know there'll be a lot of OoT answers, but I'll go with Link to the Past. When I had a NES I had hired the first Zelda one time, but I didn't really get it. I got lost right away and went back to playing Mario. Because of this I didn't buy LttP for the SNES right away. I played a lot of other games on the SNES, I was wildly enthousiastic about Secret of Mana among others. Then a friend lent me his Zelda cartridge, I would surely like it if I was so crazy about Secret of Mana.

So I played it, and I immediately loved it. I really liked the way nothing was clearly the main quest or a side-quest, you just had a world filled with secret treasures and exciting dungeons. I didn't return the game until I had found every heart container and item the game had to offer, and I've played through it both on the SNES (got my own cartridge now) and the GBA again later.

I know OoT and Wind Waker offer the same pleasures and more, but Link to the Past was my first Zelda and it left quite an impression.

Iun:

I'm going to go with A Link to the Past. Although Ocarina Of Time was an absolute joy and wonder to play, the SNES version of Zelda had a wonderfully non-linear structure to it when you got into the dark world that didn't compel you to play every dungeon in order.

So long as you had the basic requirements to get into the dungeon, you could more or less go for it! True, it was harder, but the sub quests to to find the easter eggs was what kept you coming back time after time.

Better than OoT? James seems to think so

Franklin:

To me it is (and maybe always will be) the greatness that is Ocarina of Time. I still get chills playing it today years after its release. Everything from how it played, how it looked and how the story played out was just so wonderful and captivating. An experience that will be remembered forever.

It was... no it is a game in a league of its own in my opinion, still to be bettered by any other or even come close to being touched, even by Wind Waker.

The new Zelda shown at E3 looks great and could be the one that breaks Ocarina but it has a hell of a lot of work to do it.

Mark:

Well, it's hard to look past Ocarina of Time isn't it? And while Majora's Mask is an equally astonishing game (though quite different) it was Ocarina which first established the Zelda series in three dimensions. And by Shigsy, did they do a good job.

From the sweeping, epic score to the unprecedent level of graphical beauty, from the faultless camera (faultless camera in a 3D game? That's not something you hear every day) Ocarina of Time is perfect in every respect. Your first time visiting Hyrule Field, seeing that rolling plain in front of you, initially, is an extraordinary experience and not one you're likely ever to forget.

And it's not a small game either- brevity is one complaint of many games these days, but Ocarina is a monster. There are more than enough dungeons on offer. And the finale? Well, it knocks spots off Majora's Mask and Wind Waker's final battles, that's for sure. Few games boast such an impressive finale. Bundle in the Sheik/Zelda mystery, the innovative Ocarina conceit, some of the most imaginative puzzles you'll ever see, and a genuine sense of epicness and excitement, and you've got a dead-cert contender for Best Game Ever.

2D Zelda perfected?

Conor:

I don't want to sound like a broken record here (a pitfall of posting last I suppose) but it has to be Ocarina of Time. Not to stick a bullseye on my chest or anything, but I don't think the pre-N64 games in the series are all that good. I can see their achievements from a design point of view, but when I play them I don't feel the excitement I did when I played the 3D versions. I suppose I was in the minority by playing the N64 Zelda games first, and then going back to the 2D games. That backward transition really hampered my enjoyment of the games; I bought ALTTP on the GBA but it hasn't exactly had me gripped. Although I did love Capcom's two Zelda games - isn't that odd?

So much has been said about Ocarina of Time over the past six years, that the words have arguably lost their punch. When it gets called Best Game Ever time and time again, the title becomes almost clinical, the superlatives standard and the praise worn out. So perhaps a little reminding of OoT's excellence would be beneficial.

Remember galloping through Hyrule Field on Epona? Remember the chickens? And all those little sub-quests that had you gripped? And the final boss battle? And that feeling, that bubbling, tingly feeling you got just above your stomach you got when you played it? Remember the thrill when you started on your quest, and the sadness when you packed it all in? Or how about the awe you felt, viewing this techical marvel? Remember the...magic?

Because, ultimately, OoT isn't Nintendo's single greatest accomplishment because of the remarkable graphics, controls, tunes, dungeon design or longetivity (although they're obviously welcome). It is because it goes beyond simply entertaining you. It is a epic story with you as the protagonist. It is decades of experience, a wealth of talent and one man's vision crystallised in a single being. It is videogames' Lord of the Rings - an unforgettable adventure that never leaves you. That's why.

So what do you think is the best Zelda game? Ocarina of Time, like most people? Or appease the retro gamer inside of you and go with ALTTP. Or how about going for Link's Adventure? Go on, I dare ya.