The Zelda Awards, Part 1

I have just gotten into a debate about Zelda, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Please note, I have not played every Zelda game. This knowledge comes from the 3D games, which I have played quite a bit or have learned enough about I can comment on them. There may be some spoilers.

Best Link

Link is a silent protagonist. He has very little, if any, personality. He barely has a name, considering he can be named whatever you like (I go for Ralin). If he does, it's mainly what you're feeling as you play him, but occasionally his personality will show in the animation or character relations. The best Link is the one who shows the most of his own personality.

OOT/MM Link were scarcely animated, if at all. They showed some emotion, but it was mainly just him looking startled or angry. (I remember those eyes so vividly as he approaches battle, treasure or even a puppy)

With Twilight Princess, you have more animation. You can see he has a love interest and a good care for many characters, following this quest through a mixture of a birthmark and a despair for his friends. Still, he's not elaborated on beyond the love interest, since he's the guy fighting for the real main character's cause.

Skyward Sword has probably the most detail in facial animation, giving Zelda soft and tender looks, Groose a few optional insults and having a look of enormous panic as shit hair goes down.

And finally, my favourite Link is Wind Waker's. The art style allows for over the top expressions and therefore more expression as, say, he screams for his life or he celebrates another character's continued life. His motivation is probably the best, since he technically was never chosen. He couldn't see the heroes clothes his grandmother gave him and only actually went with the pirates to rescue his sister. Once he saved his sister, he was in so deep that only a massive jerk would ditch the mission. At the end, he's a hero for real and has his heart set on adventure. That is why he wins.

Best Zelda

It's her legend (somehow). She's important to quite a few stories. Not MM, cause she's only in one scene to teach a song. Let's not focus on that.

Twilight Princess comes in last. She barely acts. Honestly, I like the design, but she is so stoic it's unbelievable. The most her expression changes is a widening of the eyes before she says (in I assume monotone) she knows about Midna and then sacrifices herself to heal her. She was more interesting as the Tennis Boss.

Then comes OOT. She's got child-like innocence and awesome mystery in the different time periods, and she is a lot more expressive than Link. She knows something bad is happening, so tells Link to help stop it, and then tries to atone in ninja costume when things go belly-up. She does lose points for revealing herself to Link for no real reason, and then being helplessly kidnapped when she was a ninja moments ago.

Then comes a tough closeness. I put Spirit Tracks Zelda here because she is hella-developed. She's your bleeding companion. She worries for her close ones, has the best freak out scene and "damsel in distress" line of all time, and shows herself to be both helpful and enjoyable to see. Even if she doesn't have a stomach.

Then comes Skyward Sword. The Zelda that, if I could, I would hit on. Playfully pushing Link off of a floating sky-rock, actively helping Link whenever she can (harp, loftwing, magical powers), and having an explanation for why the legend is about her. She was even a designated hero reward as designed by a now mortal goddess just so Link would get off his sorry arse and save the world.

And the winner? Wind Waker. Again. Not because of Zelda, but because of Tetra, the pirate girl who travels around and founds new Hyrule. She's snarky and brash, yet understanding enough to manipulate her crew and live in a basement. She joins Link in the final battle, apologises for oversleeping, then proceeds to try and shoot Ganondorf with a magic arrow. She's a fun, yet empathetic Zelda.

Best Ganon(dorf)

Ganondorf was around from the first game, even if he was in his superpowered form. He is the ultimate evil in Hyrule, and will always be there to try and smack Link in the face. He needs development. Big time.

At the bottom is OOT. Sure, he was interesting. From the top of his horse at the start of the game, you know he's one to fear and a man you will enjoy fighting. He's manipulative and forceful, trying to starve creatures for a gem and using a snot-nosed kid to enter the sacred realm when he can't get there first. He was probably the most cautious planner in the game, and a very worthy Ganondorf. And he was fun to fight, too!

Then we have SS. This is technical, since it's more the source of everything that became Ganon. Demise was strong and fearsome, being a looming force that grew exponentially stronger as time passed, and badass enough he was willing to duel a kid that had just beaten his servant time and time again to see who is the strongest. He's fun to fight in his sealed (yet larger) form and tonnes of fun and challenge to fight as the hulk with a lightning sword. He does lose a lot of points for technically not being Ganon.

Then we have Twilight Princess. He is so menacing! I walked into the throne room and saw him leaning on his palm, smiling. He was executed (got better), sent into a different realm of existence, made a lunatic invade the place that executed him, then forced you to attack the princess, turned into a giant boar, killed your companion off-screen, summoned ghost knights to fight you in a horseback duel and finally fought you one on one in which you had to STAB HIM THROUGH THE CHEST to finally kill him. And he still had time to swear his vengeance before every form of life support hesitantly stopped supporting him. Not developed, but definitely fearsome.

And then there's Wind Waker. Again. They really nailed their main characters. He's threatening the whole way, being the guy quietly fighting people above land to get control of the world below the land. He drains power from the thing that killed him last time, slowly regains his powers, waits for the princess to reveal herself again (she needs to stop doing that!), then kidnaps her for her triforce piece. Then takes yours, which you got just to fight him. And then he explains exactly why he tried to take over Hyrule and why he's still after it. He only actively tries to kill you when his dream is stolen, where he laughs like a madman and pulls out swords. Even then, he sheaths his sword to simply backhand Zelda and smiles in the wind of Hyrule after being STABBED IN THE HEAD! The most sympathetic villain yet.

Best companion

You always have someone follow you around, telling you where to go and what you should do, whether or not you're doing that at that moment. Spirit Tracks is not included, since that one has Zelda.

Skyward Sword comes last, since Fi is pretty bland. She was made to be a little appealing with numbers and "what you would call sadness" in her speech, but then there's her telling you there's a 90% chance that the thing we want is exactly where someone said the thing is or that an obvious symbol is related to the wall someone said is linked to a symbol. And her ringing of "your health is/batteries are low". It flashes for a reason. Fi. She does gain points for having to deduce that the talking shrub is not Zelda.

Navi. I don't have to say anything about why she annoys- HEY! I am not pressing that button just so you can tell he the mountain I am climbing looks odd. But as a metaphor for childhood innocence, she's dramatic and despite the anger, you felt a little something when she flew off. And it wasn't forced. Fi, I don't care.

Then there's King of Red Lions from WW. You're a King with loads of regrets, but you don't really do much. You help me travel, but in terms of hints or reminders, you just sit there. You're integral to the plot, but you're only barely a companion. It's the character that makes you here, not the actual gameplay.

Winning this round? Twilight Princess with the Twilight born imp lady Midna. She instantly gains your attention from her presence and taunting, seeming so mean and uncaring to everything you do and being enjoyed for that. When Zelda goes, she starts to really bond with you and her uncaring nature dissolves, but her sass stays right where it is. She even gets resurrected and jokes about Link not saying anything. And then there's her final goodbye which needed no help in moving the audience.

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These were the first four categories, and I look forward to working on the next lot.