As a long time Zelda fan since the 80's, I wanted to share my thoughts. I always like the overhead games the most (NES/SNES/GB), but my opinion is biased since they were from my era (I'm getting old). It's impossible to say one is the "best", so here's my personal opinion on them all and why I like (or dislike) them. My ratings reflect both my initial opinion, and how I feel today.
Console:
The Legend of Zelda (10/10) - The original is a timeless classic which I still play at least once a year and is my personal "most times beaten" game. This game will never get old to me.
Adventure of Link (9/10) - Many people say its too hard, I never thought so. I love that it's the only official side scrolling Zelda game (and I love 2D platformers).
A Link to the Past (10/10) - Probably one of the best games ever made. There's no point in elaborating on my thoughts, it's truly a masterpiece of its time.
Ocarina of Time (10/10) - Really wowed me on release, and in my eyes still one of the best games ever made. Master Quest on GC was a nice bonus to this already great game.
Majora's Mask (5/10) - I could never get into this one, and I never finished it. I didn't like the mask collect-a-thon, the transformations, or the three day cycle. I know others like it though.
Wind Waker (6/10) - It was okay. I didn't care for the cartoony art style. The stop motion when attacking was annoying. The ocean was awful to explore. I may try the HD remake someday.
Twilight Princess (3/10) - I couldn't finish it, didn't feel like a Zelda game. I hated wolf Link, heart pieces in dungeons, I didn't like some elements (like the bird riding sequence).
Skyward Sword (5/10) - I didn't hate this game, but it felt lazy. Exploring the same areas over and over again, the sky was boring, motion controls ruined the experience.
Breath of the Wild (10/10) - The only other 3D Zelda I can give a 10/10. It manages to capture the feeling of exploration from the 80's and 90's only in 3D. It made me feel like a kid again. I'm kind of bored of it now, but it would be unfair if I docked points for that after putting well over 300 hours into it.
Handheld:
Link's Awakening (10/10) - One of my personal favorites. Interesting story, the first Zelda with a trade sequence, the first Zelda to allow jumping, the first Zelda with the Owl.
Oracle of Ages/Seasons (8/10) - While I loved these games, and they resemble Link's Awakening, they are missing something that made Link's Awakening special. Still amazing games.
Minish Cap (8/10) - A great Zelda game that too few people have played. My biggest gripe is they used child Link's voice from OoT for all his actions.
A Link Between Worlds (9/10) - A blast from the past with new elements. It wasn't quite as good as a Link to the Past, but it had some interesting new elements.
Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks - I can't rate these ones because I never played them, although I bought and own them both on DS. I think it's the WW-esque art style that always made me say "I'll play them eventually". Maybe some day...
My opinions and ratings are mostly based on what Zelda was to what Zelda became. Since I'm of an older generation, my expectations of what Zelda should be are probably different than those who started the series later on in its life. I started to lose hope after it entered the realm of 3D (aside from OoT), it was as though Nintendo could never bring back that magic (at least for me) that Zelda games had since its conception. Some games I may need to sit down with and try again (Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, WW HD) since my first impressions from years ago are what I still go by. Breath of the Wild has restored my hope though, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for the next game.
Console:
The Legend of Zelda (10/10) - The original is a timeless classic which I still play at least once a year and is my personal "most times beaten" game. This game will never get old to me.
Adventure of Link (9/10) - Many people say its too hard, I never thought so. I love that it's the only official side scrolling Zelda game (and I love 2D platformers).
A Link to the Past (10/10) - Probably one of the best games ever made. There's no point in elaborating on my thoughts, it's truly a masterpiece of its time.
Ocarina of Time (10/10) - Really wowed me on release, and in my eyes still one of the best games ever made. Master Quest on GC was a nice bonus to this already great game.
Majora's Mask (5/10) - I could never get into this one, and I never finished it. I didn't like the mask collect-a-thon, the transformations, or the three day cycle. I know others like it though.
Wind Waker (6/10) - It was okay. I didn't care for the cartoony art style. The stop motion when attacking was annoying. The ocean was awful to explore. I may try the HD remake someday.
Twilight Princess (3/10) - I couldn't finish it, didn't feel like a Zelda game. I hated wolf Link, heart pieces in dungeons, I didn't like some elements (like the bird riding sequence).
Skyward Sword (5/10) - I didn't hate this game, but it felt lazy. Exploring the same areas over and over again, the sky was boring, motion controls ruined the experience.
Breath of the Wild (10/10) - The only other 3D Zelda I can give a 10/10. It manages to capture the feeling of exploration from the 80's and 90's only in 3D. It made me feel like a kid again. I'm kind of bored of it now, but it would be unfair if I docked points for that after putting well over 300 hours into it.
Handheld:
Link's Awakening (10/10) - One of my personal favorites. Interesting story, the first Zelda with a trade sequence, the first Zelda to allow jumping, the first Zelda with the Owl.
Oracle of Ages/Seasons (8/10) - While I loved these games, and they resemble Link's Awakening, they are missing something that made Link's Awakening special. Still amazing games.
Minish Cap (8/10) - A great Zelda game that too few people have played. My biggest gripe is they used child Link's voice from OoT for all his actions.
A Link Between Worlds (9/10) - A blast from the past with new elements. It wasn't quite as good as a Link to the Past, but it had some interesting new elements.
Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks - I can't rate these ones because I never played them, although I bought and own them both on DS. I think it's the WW-esque art style that always made me say "I'll play them eventually". Maybe some day...
My opinions and ratings are mostly based on what Zelda was to what Zelda became. Since I'm of an older generation, my expectations of what Zelda should be are probably different than those who started the series later on in its life. I started to lose hope after it entered the realm of 3D (aside from OoT), it was as though Nintendo could never bring back that magic (at least for me) that Zelda games had since its conception. Some games I may need to sit down with and try again (Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, WW HD) since my first impressions from years ago are what I still go by. Breath of the Wild has restored my hope though, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for the next game.