The Legend of Zelda (series)

The Legend of Zelda series chronicles the adventures of a young hero, named Link. Throughout the series, there have been multiple Link's, although the exact number of incarnations is not known with any degree of certainty.

Creation of the world
Before the world was created, according to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, there was absolutely nothing. In time, though, three goddesses appeared from a nebula near what would soon become Hyrule. The first, Din, created and sculptured the land that will soon become Hyrule. Then Nyru, the second of the spirits, using her amass wisdom gave the world the spirit of law, and along with that gave light. Lastly, Farore created life that would sustain the spirit of law.

The Legend
Taken from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

"Long ago, there was a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and above all, it was in peace, as it had been for ages. But one day, a man of great evil lay his hands upon the golden power and attemtped to satisfy his evil intentions with it. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand, a young boy clothed in green appered out of nowhere. Wielding the Blade of Evil's Bane, He sealed the King of Evil away and returned the light to the land. This boy, rumored to have used the ability to travel through time to save the land was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations, and as we speak he has become a Legend...."

NES
Two years after the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985, The Legend of Zelda was released for the NES, becoming the first game in the phenomenal series today. The Legend of Zelda created many different styles and techniques still used in games today, such as a top down viewpoint, the ability to save, and the ever elusive dungeon boss.

A year after The Legend of Zelda was introduced, the next game in the series, The Adventure of Link was released for the NES. The Adventure of Link was different from it's predecessor, however. Instead of having a top down viewpoint, it was an action sidescroller. The Adventure of Link paved the way for many new genres in video gaming, including role playing games

Zelda III was the next game in the series. It was being developed for the NES as well. With the success of the Nintendo Game Boy and upcoming Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System the project was canned.

SNES
In 1992, a year later after the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released, the next groundbreaking game in the Zelda series was introduced. A Link to the Past returned to it's roots by using top down viewpoint instead of side scrolling. A Link to the Past redefined the Zelda series as most know it today and many believe without this game, the Zelda franchise would have never developed.

N64
The game that revolutionized the Zelda series, however, was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64. Ocarina of Time totally changed the graphical aspect of the series, by taking away the 2D aspect of the previous games, and turning the game into a 3D landscape. Game play also improved tremendously, by allowing players to experience 3D sword battles, 'Z' targeting of their enemies, the use of music to immerse the game, and also many new items and weapons never known to the Zelda series before. Many fans of the Zelda franchise still rave Ocarina of Time as a masterpiece of the series.

Two years after the release of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask was released for the Nintendo 64. Majora's Mask is the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, picking up where the game last left off. Majora's Mask is different than most Zelda games, allowing the player to transform into different races by the use of masks. The game also has a built in clock that gives the player only three days to complete their quest before the moon destroys the land. Though Majora's Mask is not as long as it's Ocarina of Time partner, the game allows for much more emotion and storyline.

GameCube
A few years later, in 2003, The Wind Waker was released for the Nintendo Gamecube (GCN). Wind Waker is one of the most controversial games in the franchise. Instead of using the traditional 3D rendering of Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker used cartoonish cel-shading for the graphics of the game. The next game, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, continued to use the cel-shaded graphics. The game itself was a mix of 2-D and 3-D graphics, with the characters and most everything else being 2-D, and some of the special effects such as light and Dark World Portals being 3-D. Also, some effects such as explosions and dust were Cel-Shaded. In Japan, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures came with another game called Navi Trackers. The game plays like a mini-game, where you have to search for stamps to give back to Tetra the Pirate from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Whichever Link returns the most stamps wins. The reason why the game was called Navi Trackers is because Tetra's name in the Japanese The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was "Navi". So, if the game were to have come to countries other than Japan, it would've been called Tetra Trackers. Many Zelda fans were angered by the non-realistic graphics, thus Eiji Aonuma (the overseer of the Zelda series) decided to have the newest game in the series Twilight Princess to be of more "realistic" graphics.

Wii
Nintendo's Wii console featured, for the first time, a Zelda video game at launch. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess incorporated the controls of the Wii Remote to allow for sword slashes and aiming with certain weapons. The game was released on the GameCube as well, though was much more successful on their new console, most likely because of the hype it generated. Overall the sales weren't entirely impressive, though Nintendo did make a profit off of it. Nintendo fans await the release of the next Zelda game for the console, which was confirmed at an E3 press conference in 2008, though no images or information was revealed.

Handheld
Other Zelda games worth mentioning is the handheld series. Though mostly shorter than the console games, the handheld Zelda games are believed by some to fit into the theorized series timeline. Handheld games include: Link's Awakening, Four Swords, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, The Minish Cap, and the newest addition to the handheld Zelda family, Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS.

Official Game List (Nintendo Systems)

 * The Legend of Zelda - Nintendo Entertainment System (8/22/87)
 * Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - Nintendo Entertainment System (1988)
 * The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1992)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Nintendo Game Boy (1993)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo 64 (11/24/98)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Nintendo 64 (10/25/00)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages - Nintendo Game Boy Color (5/13/01)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons - Nintendo Game Boy Color (5/13/01)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Nintendo Game Boy Advance (12/03/02)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Navi Trackers (Japan Only) - Nintendo Gamecube (12/03/02)
 * The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Nintendo GameCube (3/24/03)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Nintendo GameCube (6/7/04)
 * The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - Nintendo Game Boy Advance (1/10/05)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo Wii (11/21/06)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo GameCube (12/10/06)
 * The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - Nintendo DS (08/07)

Other Games or Cameos

 * Zelda GW - Game & Watch
 * Link: The Faces of Evil - Phillips CD-i (1993)
 * Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon - Phillips CD-i (1993)
 * Zelda's Adventure - Phillips CD-i (1995)

Cancelled Game List

 * Zelda III - Nintendo Entertainment System
 * The Legend of Zelda: The Mystical Seed of Courage (Japanese Translation) - Nintendo Game Boy Color