14. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
GameCube, Wii U (2003)
Nintendo EAD
I'm still bitter that I never got the Ocarina of Time Master Quest game because I didn't pre order Wind Waker. Hrmph! All that aside, let's talk about The Wind Waker. The Wind Waker is a beautiful game. Not only for its visuals, but for its music, its portrayal of the characters, and the story that it tells. Even the villain is shown in a more sympathetic manner, and by the end I could relate to the pain that ate at him and the goal that he wanted to achieve. The game also presents our hero with the most explorable overworld in the series, and it's always a joy to set sail on the high seas thanks to some amazing music and diverse locations and events. And although the main game offers the fewest amount of dungeons in the 3D Zelda games, it makes up for them by offering so much other great content. In the end, The Wind Waker was an instant classic back in 2003 and holds a place in my heart to this day. I haven't even bought the HD remaster yet, but that's #1 on the ol' Christmas list.
