Over the past few weeks, I’ve declared that Ocarina of Time beats Majora’s Mask as the best N64 Zelda, and that Twilight Princess beats Wind Waker as the best GameCube adventure. And as far as 3-D home console Zelda’s go, I’ve covered them all until Skyward Sword soon releases. But one question still remains, which of the two best Zelda games are better, Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess? In my original reviews Twilight Princess received a 9.7 and Ocarina of Time 3D received a 9.8 (as well as the original), will my decision here match up to my previous review scores? Let’s find out!
The graphics in both games are some of the best on their respective systems; Ocarina of Time was a masterpiece and the first 3D Zelda, while Twilight Princess took a more mature realistic art style and looked phenomenal in nearly every way. If I based my decision on the level of quality for the time of release Ocarina of Time would more than likely win, but this is not a review, and therefore I do not need to review based on original release. And if I were to pick the prettier of the two games Twilight Princess would certainly win. The massive world and unique characters all look great and are supported by a adequate frame rate.
Best Graphics: “TLOZ: Twilight Princess”
Perhaps the most lopsided victory for Ocarina of Time comes in the field of audio. Both games sound effects are great (Twilight Princess has great sound effects), and character noises sound fine on both. However, Ocarina of Time has easily some of the best themes in the series ranging from Gerudo Valley’s desert Arabian theme, to the sketchy Shadow Temple theme, from the royal Zelda’s Lullaby, and even fun upbeat songs like Lost Woods. Ocarina of Time is one of the most musically inclined games ever released. Twilight Princess on the other hand, more than likely has the worst music in any Zelda game ever. With only a few highlights, Twilight Princess gives up its chance for best audio.
Best Audio: “TLOZ: Ocarina of Time”
The story is similar in both of these games, and the characters and worlds are just as engaging in both. However, Ocarina of Time maintains a more traditional approach to storytelling and has a better main hook than Twilight Princess, which complicates things by bringing in the Twilight, Midna, and some uninteresting characters. Overall my choice is clearly aimed towards Ocarina of Time.
Best Story: “TLOZ: Ocarina of Time”
The most important comparison category: Gameplay is also the toughest category to choose the winner and don’t forget, this category is worth two points so this could be the deciding point for the winner. Twilight Princess has better dungeons, a bigger world with more sidequests, and better and a more variety of items, plus the bosses are bigger and better. On the other hand, I much prefer going back in forth in time, than turning into a wolf, and the Twilight sections of the game are sometimes annoying. The biggest deciding factor however, is the fact that Ocarina of Time came out nearly a decade before Twilight Princess, and had much more innovation including the L-Targeting system. Because Ocarina of Time revolutionized the way we play Zelda, and Twilight Princess was more of evolution: I choose Ocarina of Time as the best playing of the two adventures.
Best Gameplay: “TLOZ: Ocarina of Time”
Another close contest is the determination as to which game has more content overall. Both games have nine main dungeons, and I’ve found Twilight Princess’s dungeons to be a bit lengthier. Twilight Princess also has a larger world to explore, and it seems to have more to do in that world. So to keep it short, Twilight Princess is our winner but both games have just about the same amount of content.
Best Gameplay Amount: “TLOZ: Twilight Princess”
Verdict:
Both of these games are absolute must-plays and on my top five games ever list. As to which is better? Why should it matter. In all honesty both games are games you should own and nearly perfect in their own way. Picking my favorite is like picking my favorite child but perhaps even harder, but, If I had to pick one Ocarina of Time would have to win because of its way of revolutionizing gaming as we knew it. It was the first 3D Zelda, and what better way to end out my comparisons of 3D Zelda’s than to give the crown to the one that started it all!
These are my final decisions for each category including overall:
| Graphics | Twilight Princess |
| Audio | Ocarina of Time |
| Story | Ocarina of Time |
| Gameplay | Ocarina of Time |
| Gameplay Amount | Twilight Princess |
| Overall | Ocarina of Time |
“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”
Is our Winner!
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