Can’t believe I have to say it, but I’ve run into a second Zelda game I’ve decided to shelve and leave unfinished. Phantom Hourglass is a quirky spin on the handheld Zelda formula, but unfortunately doesn’t particularly work for my tastes.

The big issue for me here is the controls. Everything is controlled with the DS stylus. EVERYTHING. Movement, combat, interaction with items, the whole shebang, and frankly it never got to a point of feeling intuitive.

I always appreciate Nintendo wanting to include new gimmicks to Zelda releases, but this one wasn’t doing it for me. I got a little over halfway with the game and decided that was enough, so for now, Phantom Hourglass will be left unrated and unfinished in my pile of shame.

I was interested in getting some more backstory in the FFVII universe, and decided to jump into Crisis Core right after finishing the recently released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. While this game was extremely underwhelming in a lot of ways (I give most of it a pass being a remake to a PSP exclusive), it was extremely additive to understanding characters in the series' universe.

Bullet points: Combat is fine, story is pretty overcomplicated, but the final moments of the game are absolutely ACE. I really like Zack and really get his importance being highlighted in the new Remake series now, so overall, I'm glad I burned through this, even if it wasn't the hottest gaming experience I've had recently.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was an absolute roller coaster of an experience for me. There were moments the game had me clapping and cheering over what was occurring on-screen, and others that had me scratching my head, wondering why anyone would leave this in the final production.

It's tough for me to explain this dissonance thoroughly, but in short, I think my biggest complaint is the game feels incredibly bloated - both from the amount of optional side content it throws in your face, and from actual main beats in the main path. Even when attempting to mainline the story, you are thrown through constant diversions and an almost grueling level of over-indulgence of the original source material.

However, the presentation, characters and their minute to minute interactions are some of my favorite in video games. There is little more enjoyable than traveling around with a group of pals as they tackle an adventure to save the planet. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and the gang live in my head rent free on a minute to minute basis - if anything, this will be a franchise I continue to revisit just to ensure I can check in with my best friends again. The combat continues to be best in class, although I will say some of the additions were a bit nuanced and were hardly ever utilized.

To summarize, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth feels like a game tailored and aimed at its hardcore fanbase of its original release in the 1990s - if you just can't get enough of your favorite game and characters of all time, this decadent open world adventure will tickle your fancy immensely, but for those of us on the outside, trying to understand and appreciate the love this entry has, there are a staggering amount of roadblocks that are keeping me at bay from falling head over heels for this boisterous remake trilogy.

Combat in this game is ridiculously addictive. I absolutely love the tactics/card combat combination and Firaxis did an incredible job creating a new spin to their tried and true tactical formula.

Only gripe - WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much talking. Like, an extraordinary amount of completely useless dialogue takes up almost 50% of the game. My final hour count was 85 hours of gameplay, and I bet I spent half of that listening to conversations. It's entirely skippable, so that is on me - hence why I'm not dinging the game too much for it, but I do not understand why devs feel the need to pad their games in this manner. Maybe it hits for hardcore comic book fans, but as a casual super hero fan like myself, it was a huge demerit to my experience.

As I set out determined to play and finish every single Zelda game in the franchise, I knew this entry could be my downfall. Indeed, it was. Zelda II is known as the Black Sheep of the series, and for good reason.

I can totally see what Nintendo was aiming for with this second entry - attempting to deepen the gameplay by bringing in RPG elements and shifting to traditional side scrolling action sequences, but none of it feels like Zelda, aside from the familiar town names utilized for the first time in the series.

I won't provide an official rating since I bailed a little after finishing the first dungeon, but I can safely say this is my least favorite Zelda and I do not intend on attempting it ever again.

The Wind Waker has the best form of exploration amongst the old formula Zelda. Sailing the open seas to epic music (also the best in the series) and discovering little bits of secrets amongst all the islands is such a treat and truly stands out against the other titles. With such a hurdle to overcome given the stark change in animation style, WW ended up shining as one of the best titles in The Legend of Zelda. Plus, you finish off Ganondorf by plunging the Master Sword straight into his face. Perfection.

Oracle of Ages was a much more enjoyable experience when compared to its counterpart, Oracle of Seasons. However, I believe a vast majority of this came from utilizing the linking ability between the two titles on my playthrough.

This linking ability still dazzles me even 20 years later - the ability to trade prior game overworld occurrences and progression between the two games by trading generated passwords is just fantastic. It also made this title a much easier experience than Oracle of Seasons was (I received extra hearts through the linking ability, better weapons, etc).

I think Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are best judged as a package, and frankly I think the combined experience elevates both titles in their own ways. Overall, however, I enjoyed my time with Oracle of Ages moreso, and it was a very satisfying conclusion for this recent Zelda outing.

This is another well designed 2D Zelda held back by what I find most infuriating in these entries - poor sense of direction and punishing checkpoints. These sort of game mechanics are of course a product of their time, but it all stings the same when I'm forced to replay several rooms in dungeons over and over after failing a boss fight (and the boss fights can be pretty difficult!).

I'm interested to continue this Zelda outing in Oracle of Ages, especially since I will be able to use the linking ability to unlock specials. However, it's safe to say the 2D Zelda entries don't quite hit for me the same as 3D Zeldas do.

I don't really know what to say - Breath of the Wild is borderline a perfect game. It reinvigorated the Zelda franchise in ways the fandom didn't anticipate. Minute to minute exploration is exciting, combat is approachable in an endless myriad of ways, and the art direction is the best the series has ever had.

Breath of the Wild is an all timer - full stop. If you like Zelda - you must play this game. If you like open world titles - you must play this game. If you like video games in any capacity - you must play this game. I can't wait to see what the series has in store for us next.

I played this Zelda for the first time in 2022, and while obviously a profound, foundational title for gaming, it seems borderline IMPOSSIBLE to properly progress without a step by step walkthrough. The map is littered with random walls and bushes that need to be burned or destroyed to find dungeon entrances or crucial items, and dungeons, while extremely familiar for a Zelda title, are just as obtuse to navigate.

I respect the hell out of this game for expanding the medium’s scope and approach to game design, but its not a Zelda I’d recommend to those looking to play an entry in the series for the first time.

Skyward Sword is a good video game masquerading as a 3D Zelda. In other words, it’s better than most games released, but lacking as a 3D entry in this classic franchise.

The dungeons are excellent by Zelda standards and the story is intriguing to follow as it is the self dubbed “first” in the timeline. The areas below Skyloft become overly revisited and the motion controls are somewhat frustrating. These frustrations can be tampered with the new option of stick controls for your sword with the HD port to Switch, but it’s obvious the game was created with motion in mind and it feels awkward to bypass them.

Any Zelda entry is always worth a play, but with so many absolute classics stacked in comparison, Skyward Sword falls in as my least favorite 3D Zelda.