Ocarina is a fabulous game, but I have a paradoxical relationship with it.

You see, it has aged fantastically compared to other early 3D games, but it matures for an older audience terribly. Consequently, Ocarina is still a fantastic game...for a six year old. It's still a good game if you're older, but nowhere near as great, and it certainly doesn't replay like it, either.

This is one of the reasons that come around 2006-7 you started to suddenly hear about how fantastic Majora's Mask is when it had such a tepid initial reception. Majora's Mask has matured phenomenally compared to Ocarina so replaying these games in your late teens/ early 20's is a completely different experience from playing through it as a kid.

I am completely serious, and I mean even by 1998 standards.  That's why I never finished it upon its initial release. Link to the Past was one of my all time favorite games back when I played it in like 1994 or something, so I was - like everyone else - super excited to play Ocarina of Time, but I barely got to the adult world before giving up because, even back in 1998, I felt the game was sloppy and ugly.  it felt wrong.  it felt bad.  it wasn't crisp or clean or effective, it was an absolute mess, and there were far too many instances where the 'puzzle' wasn't a puzzle, it was just you meandering until you found something, or having to look things up to find out what the solution was to a puzzle because it was incredibly unintuitive.  

I didn't finish it until I forced myself to do so upon picking it up for the third time on the 3DS (had the N64 Cart, the Gamecube collectors edition disc with 1, 2, Ocarina, and Majora).  Even then I couldn't help but laugh at how terrible the puzzles were in that game. 

Ironically, my favorite dungeon was the Water Temple.  Even though there was a lot of back and forth with the raising and lowering of the water, it was one of the only dungeons where I felt the 3D was really used to good effect at making unique, interesting puzzles that consisted of more than 'Find a way to shoot this eye on the wall).  It was a bit more challenging and required actual thought, but it wasn't unfair and didn't rely on an element of chance to successfully get to the next stage or the next segment of the puzzle.  

Also, Wind Waker is the best overall Zelda game.  Impeccable controls, the most cohesive and well-written of the plots, and a graphics style that not only perfectly fit the mood and tone of the game, but also remains beautiful to this day.  It has aged incredibly well, and is the best, and most interesting of the plots.  Plus Zelda and Link both have the most clearly defined personalities, and the side characters were not nearly as annoying as they were in Ocarina or Twilight Princess or especially Skyward Sword.  (Zelda in Twilight sword was interesting and fun, but she was one of the only things good about that game) 

Erp, Skyward sword.  My bad! 

Make sure to have the 3D ON and at max. And also have surround sound headphones plugged in.

Pad the sling shot is True Panarama View, thanks to motion controls.

Its a great experience, and I don't like Zelda games, but loved Ocarina of Time definitive version. I also plan on playing Skyward Sword & Wind Waker HD follow by original Wind Waker and A Link Between Worlds and Majora's Mask 3D & Zelda U & Hyrule Warriors. But I will convert 2D into 3D for the Home Consoles games, and have my Surround Sound headphones plugged in for all of them.

Just call Mii a late bloomer, but without 3D I could only get into Skyward Sword and maybe also Hyrule Warriors, but same applies to Platformer genre games since 1995, where I need stereoscopic 3D to get into them at all.

@bolded
This is how I feel, but the Definitive Version (3DS exclusive) is my first game of the Zelda IP.

It's his opinion, man! Besides, the controls and graphics aren't amazing or anything! I wouldn't consider the gameplay to be "broken" though..

Enjoy!

I'm a bit jealous. I wish you could play through a couple game "for the first time" forever.

To me it's basically the perfect game. Everything about it is just right. I can't see any flaw, anywhere. And the best part about it is, the game only gets better and better as you progress. Even today, I unconsciously compare almost every game to it, and always find something (well, a lot of things actually) that are wrong in them that OoT did right. Even today, I feel there is just no better game. It is the only game I would ever rate a perfect "10/10", and it will probably stay my favorite game of all time forever. I'm glad it still has the highest metascore ever at 99, and by the standard which games are rated today it should probably be a 120 (judging by some things that go for a 95 these days).

It was also the very first game I remember I was really hyped for. I had played A Link to the Past before, so I knew of the franchise, and even at the young age of 10, without the internet, I knew what was going on and I knew I had to have that game day 1. And so I did, got it as an early Christmas present after nagging my parents and grandparents for half a year back in 1998. There's nothing to playing something for the first time ever, but the 3DS remake could almost give me that feeling again. It's a really well-done remake.

I respect his opinion but for its time graphics and controls were amazing nothing comes as close its simply a fact..

yeah and broken gameplay...*_*

Yeah, I really don't get what he meant by "broken gameplay"..

The problem with the 3DS version is the dumbed down Water Temple and Final Battle versions.
Damn, the Water Temple is for babies.