its just time i guess, all it was, like it was 16 years or so ago with those first three for me.  im a jaded old dude now!  lol.

Maybe, just maybe this could be the game that restores the faith of this jaded old dude.

Most people who drool like faboys over this played it back when it was groundbreaking for gaming and the series so it was a game for it's time.

It still holds up as a wonderful game but as great as it was in 1998. Personally I like Wind Waker better and Like Okami better than most Zelda's (and I go back to the NES days also)

If you never played it then yeah it's worth it to play but be warned it may not be as great to a more objective player like yourself to an 11 year old game.
Be warned that Water temple is rough but still worth it.
Gameplay still as solid as ever and the music still is haunting(maybe the best in the series),open areas and visuals of course have long been surpassed.

The story should not drive you to play the game it's fairly simple and charming with a couple twists thrown in that now are more common knowledge so the element of surprise maybe lost but really it still is a worthy game if you go into it with a blank slate and not give into the fan hype otherwise you might be let down.

I kind of agree with this but it has aged very well compared to many other games from this generation.  1st Gen 3D visuals have not aged well.

The beginning of all of the 3D zelda's is very slow. Once you get past the training dungeon and beginning it becomes iconically ZELDA. You will love it if you just give it a solid effort of an hour or so. Especially if you liked the other Zelda's.

Skip it and get a real game, Link's Awakening for the Game Boy. Best Zelda ever, and it's the perfect cross betwen Link to the Past and The Adventure of Link.

And Ocarina gets way better after the really slow intro area.

LADX and WW my fave Zeldas ever.

ok you guys have convinced me

i'll update tonight on what i think of the first bit

The most boring part of that game is trying to get the sword and shield so you can begin the first dungeon. I don't even think the first dungeon is boring - I enjoy it. Especially since there are so many different possible strategies to beating the final boss.

You aren't allowed to NOT play Ocarina until after you've completed the Water Temple (blue dungeon, second half of the game). If you've decided after that stage that you don't want to play any more, that's your decision and there's really nothing after that point that'll change your mind.

But you need to at least play that far. Any stage up to that point could make you decide to play more. After that, though, if you still feel you don't want to play any more, none of the later stages will change your mind. They're awesome dungeons, but they won't draw you in any more than what you'll have already done.

But that's okay, though, since the story and action by then should have you interested enough in finishing the game. Final battle against Ganondorf + Ganon is one of my favourite boss fights in all gaming, and it's EASILY the best Zelda final battle, if you ask me.