Zelda in a nutshell:
(And by the way: there is
NO SUCH THING AS A ZELDA GAME. It would be like trying to break the principle of non-contradiction, or to postulate a circular rectangule)
NES Zelda, 1987
Zelda II (Also for NES), Very different from the first one (it's a side-scroller action adventure game with a lot of RPG elements) but still fantastic and with great music to boot.
Zelda III, a link into the past - 1991 For the SNES, more similar to the original but with 16-bit graphics, sound and gameplay. A masterpiece and a fan favorite.
Link's Awakening, for Gameboy 1993 Similar in look and feel to Zelda III. First portable Zelda; a whole new adventure and absolutely wonderful
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 (N64) For many, the best game ever made. It was revolutionary for its time. In my opinion the highest point of the series and it has aged well, not surprisingly.
Majora's Mask (N64) 2000 A side-adventure using the Ocarina of Time engine. A great game, but harder than the average Zelda game. It's hardcore Zelda, and with many interesting aspects that are unorthodox for a Zelda game
Oracle of Ages and
Oracle of Seasons Gameboy
Twin Zelda games developed by Capcom by Nintendo, using the Link's awakening engine. They have a certain amount of connectivity similar to the pokemon games.
Zelda: The Wind Waker The GC Zelda title. It stands out because it uses cell shading for its graphics, which gives it a very cartoony look. There's certain division among fans about it, but I believe it's a fantastic game, though not as good as Ocarina as the dungeons are a bit simplistic in comparison.
Minish Cap, 2005 (GBA) Also developed by Capcom, it's a completely new adventure in which you use a magic hat to guide you through a microscopic world you can access by turning minute. Also very good.
Twilight Princess The much anticipated Next-Gen Zelda sequel. Originally developed for Gamecube, it has now been upgraded to become the flagship Wii launch title (though it will be released for GC as well, eventually)
You can tell I like Zelda
