Zelda

[tolu619]

1. There are barely any offshoot Zelda games. Think of it like Power Rangers where each season completely changes the plot and characters, but there are certain things you can expect to see in any season. You will understand the new one without playing any previous zelda.
2. The Wii U is backwards compatible with the Wii. You can get every 3D Zelda game (5 so far) on the Wii U because some of these are on the Wii virtual console. Specifically: Windwaker has a HD remake on Wii U, Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess can be gotten on Wii and Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword can be gotten on Wii virtual console.
3. The game is being built from the ground up for the wii u gamepad. They might throw in a pro controller option, but trust me, if you actually use the gamepad for a few hours, you'll wonder what you were worried about in the first place.
4. 15-30 hours probably refers to the top down Zelda games that appear on handhelds and pre-N64 consoles. The 3D zeldas are usually in the 50 hour range, which is one of the reasons the games get so hyped. Those 50 hours are usually packed with lots of awesome stuff and little filler.

As a Zelda fan, I'd say you should aim to play almost the entire series. There's no deadline because you don't have to play them before the new one comes out. But if you insist on beating them before playing the new one, at least beat Ocarina of Time. Every other 3D Zelda is unique in a way that makes certain titles more loved or hated amongst Zelda fans because each of us loves a different aspect of the series the most. For example, I would say Skyward Sword is the best Zelda so far and you should totally beat it, while someone else would say Skyward Sword is one of the worst for the exact same reasons that I love the game.