I sold my N64 in 1997.  I didn't buy another until 2000.  I missed out on Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when it came out in 1998.  Don't cry for me, though.  When I pre-ordered Wind Waker in 2003, I finally got my hands on the game.  I was convinced.  Even with all of the amazing Gamecube and PS2 games on the market, OoT was the best game I had ever played.  That was eight years ago.

So, I got a Wii in 2007.  When OoT came out, I downloaded it.  For some reason, the magic was gone.  I finished the first dungeon and I turned the game off.  I haven't tried the game, since.  Had my taste in games changed that much in such a small amount of time?  No.  I bought Ocarina of Time 3D and I'm just about to fight the two witches (Twin Rova, I think they're called).  I'm a believer, again.  OoT is all  I can think of.  I'm going to try to finish the game today but, right now, OoT still amazes.

One of my favorite review sites is Spill.Com.  I like the reviewers there because their opinions closely match mine.  It doesn't hurt that their audio reviews  are normally halarious, too.  Well, I listened to their audio review of OoT and I wasn't laughing.  The guys on Spill.Com aren't gamers and don't pretend to be (despite having friends that work for gaming companies).  They present an "everyman" view of things.  They tore Zelda a new asshole with their scathing review of OoT 3D.  And they said that "They don't review a game based on its merits earned in 1998.  They have to review the game based on how good it is, NOW."

Thing is, I think it's still the king of the mountain.  Am I overlooking certain flaws because of nostalgia?  Is Ocarina of Time an outdated mess with spastic controls?  What do you think?

IMO is not the best game of all time but is one of my favorite games, the soundtrack still beat the shit outta
current- gen games.

i think it was great for its time.

"Turns on master quest for the gamecube and plays."
Nope those dudes are wrong, still best game ever made ever,

Its still the best game I've played, even after 13 years.

Yeah it is still a great game, the graphics have aged quite a bit though on the N64 version though which make it a little harder to play but it is still good.

Ocarina of time will always, to me be the best game ever created and my favorite.

i never beat a zelda game but i was always there from begining to end and i have to say Ocarina of Time is still my gave but not the best game ever, but it is the best zelda ever made.

In all honesty it did lose it's magic for me. It's still a good game but it has aged. I enjoyed Nier muuuuuuuuuuuch more than OOT. The Zelda game that to me still has some of its magic left is Majora's Mask because the concept is different and very well executed. If I were to pit it on current day 3D environment games at least remotely similar, I would say I loved Nier much more for many reasons (*disclaimer, personal opinion only): Enjoyed the audio much more, the music was superb and few OST's in any other game barely comes close. The music when Devola sings near the water fountain is the most soothing in any game. The boss battle music is epic, etc.

-Story is pretty damn good, and although it takes beating it about 4 times to get everything (well the other 3 times you are at about the halfway point), being able to see different points of view that lead up to the point of fighting the Shadowlord and the consequences some choices carry is wonderful. Also it doesn't fall under an everyday cliche thanks to the various characters you meet (Kaine is great, and the Ruler of the people of the mask was awesome growing up).

-Gameplay is solid, and although the beginning may be somewhat repetitive, it is the same in OOT. As a matter of fact, I was bored to death until Link grew up. I did like the water temple though. Nier's strong point was the variety and utilities of spells. Also having a mob being able to kill you in one hit spawn at random was humbling. My chief complaint was the double jump with the Hero throwing out his chest..... lol.

All in all, if the general population takes off their goggles they will see another gem from a dev that went under thanks to SE's poor marketing of a new IP. OOT is still good but the battle system and overall gameplay feels archaic. Majora's Mask still feels fresh because of the 72 hour limit and truly manipulating time and mask collection to continue to progress. Skyward Sword looks promising because of the control implementation and a more unique art style. Zelda's strength has been nostalgia more than anything with the exception of a few titles (wasn't a fan of windwaker due to art style but gameplay was better than expected).

Why do people think OOT is the best game of all time? Really, all I can think of is it's great level design and music. Don't get me wrong, I love OOT, but I think the best game of all time should have a great narrative and amazing characters. OOT is none of that. It's the same story as the other games, Zelda is kidnapped by Ganon and Link has to use the Triforce to defeat him and save the princess. I seriously don't care about what happens to the characters, for example, if Link died, I would be shocked that they did that, but I'm not in any way attached to him, besides just the good memories of playing the games. For me, the greatest game of ALL TIME has to have some sort of artistic value in the sense of morals or messages, not aesthetically. The greatest game of ALL TIME has to have fun game-play(duh), great music, well-developed characters that form a bond with the player, a good story, and some sort of artistic value.

For example, I think Metal Gear Solid is the best game of all time, because it has all of those attributes, mainly the character development and story, and OOT doesn't. MGS is the only form of media I have ever cried at, not even Toy Story 3, but OOT is just an extremely well designed game that is very fun and clever at the same time.

But I don't think people care, OOT is always going to be considered the best game of all time, no matter what, simply because of arrogance and shallowness in generally the whole gaming community, I'm not bashing on OOT or the fans AT ALL, I'm just trying to make a point here.

Just my opinion.