So for you those are not valid then? So let's also ignore the fact that Majora's Mask also received masssive critical acclaim when it was released?

Where did I say either of your polls were invalid? Did you read anything I said?

Every Zelda game has received massive critical acclaim upon release. Do not confuse this with public popularity. You yourself proved that Majora's Mask was decidedly less popular than Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past, Wind Waker, and Zelda 1 circa 2005. Again I ask why you think I have suggested that the polls you provided are invalid when I am in fact using them against you.

I don't know why it seems to have become more popular in the last few years, but it's always been one of my favorites. With exception to TP, it's the only entry that managed to make me care about the story and be motivated by the theme, rather than simply enjoying the core gameplay experiences (and since both often add to my enjoyment of the gameplay, TP and MM ended up becoming my favorites).

It's nice to see MM get more love though ^^

It's more about implying rather than saying they are not valid.

To quote OP: 5 years ago, you'd go online and people would barely mention it in their top 5 Zeldas, and when it came out many Zelda fans were disappointed a bit. I know Wind Waker eventually grew a huge fanbase when people finally accepted the graphics, but Majora's Mask's fanbase kinda came out of nowhere.

And like I said, posting popularity polls and even a thread from this very same site, and from various periods of time, the love was always there. It's just showing more now thanks to the remake being in vogue.

Maybe when we're younger we tend to dislike what's too different, and focus on it. When MM came out most people were put off by the time mechanic to the point that they didn't like the game or didn't even try it. But after so many years to reflect on it, we've started to really appreciate what made the game so unique. Especially with Nintendo's new initiative to remove depth and atmosphere from basically every future title to focus more on colorful fun, maybe we're realizing how much we took such a title as MM for granted.

But maybe that's just me.

Majora's Mask is also probably the game with the most fan theories in Zelda forums. This is an excellent read.

http://www.zeldauniverse.net/2006/11/03/the-stone-tower-why-termina-was-doomed/

Yeah, it has a lot of theory material. Popular subject from a theory community I'm in.

I am not the OP though... Your polls do not contradict the OP, they support it. You have shown that MM was much less popular than OoT and ALttP ten years ago, yet now it is more popular than the latter and able to hold its own against the former. Whereas ten years ago Majora's Mask ranked 5th out of 11 in popularity, now it is one of the top 3-4 out of 17. In 2011 there was no remake to influence its popularity. If anything, Ocarina of Time should have grown more popular due to being remade that year, but instead much of the buzz around its remake was about how overrated it is or it should have been HD or Majora's Mask should be remade instead.

There was an obvious increase in the popularity of Majora's Mask between 2005 and 2011. You have not identified a cause of it, therefore the question posed by the OP stands.

I think it being distinct at the time was a turn off and it was nowhere near the leap Ocarina of Time represented. It felt like a Zelda "Gaiden" type game at the time, not a "real" entry so many Zelda fans I knew back then foucsed on the infamous Spaceworld demo and the Gamecube.

As time has passed Majora's Mask stands out more and I think its darker story line is appreciated by older gamers. Couple this with upcoming remake and explains surge in popularity a bit.

Time was never a problem in this game with the secret songs to slow it down.