When I think of epic PC games the first name that comes to mind is Zelda. Growing up, I cannot remember a day going by when I didn’t try to rescue Princess Zelda by assembling the Triforce from her malicious captors. Zelda games have come and gone but there are a few that left their mark on me forever. Zelda PC games have come a long way since the 1980s but continually makes my all-time great list anytime I’m asked to write a game review or suggest a game for a newbie.
Ocarina of Time: This is the fifth installment of this Zelda game series and in my opinion with all the fancy visual effects that are out there now, it still holds a very special place in my heart. It all happens in The Hyrule Kingdom. This is the installment in which Zelda went 3-D and quite frankly changed the world of PC games as we know them today. The Shadow Link or great bosses battles introduced the concept of side quests which have now become a mainstay in many other PC and console game versions. The Twilight Princess and Wind Waker battles are truly my all-time favorites along with the last boss battle featuring Gannon.
Majora’s Mask: Ocarina of Time is a hard act to follow. But guess what, Majora’s Mask managed to pull it off. Especially with the intricate storyline of Ocarina of Time, only Majora’s Mask could truly follow. Some critics were bothered by how dark it was but as far as I was concerned it was a natural progression from its predecessor. This features Bunny Hood transformations that increase the Shadow Links running speed. But what truly has audiences captivated is having a 72 hour countdown before which the game must be completed or it would result in the end of the word. This concept was quite novel in gaming and caught on like wildfire once it was introduced.
Twilight Princess: The jury is out whether this one tops Ocarina of Time. But the truth is that it took nearly a decade to complete and release it. This is much more difficult to complete than anything previously released even making Wind Waker look like a walk in the park. What makes this truly so much more difficult is that the effort it takes to collect hearts is the highest it has ever been. Also Shadow Link is much more vulnerable than in any other installment. Some critics have pointed out that they really missed the voice acting and orchestrated music we have grown so accustomed to, but hands down this TP installment is one of the best of any other PC games I have ever played.
A Link to the Past: In my opinion this is definitely one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s greatest achievements. Here again the overhead perspective was introduced along with never before seen tools that would soon become a mainstay in both PC games and console games.
The truth is that PC games are released almost every month, but very few can hold a candle to the Zelda game series. Try these four games and you will definitely be coming back for more!
