Videogames are a multi-billion dollar industry that began with Pong. Giant strides have been made since that time, and these are the series that were the landmarks along the way!
Videogames used to be reserved for the geeks or nerds. Now, however, they
have become a multi-billion dollar industry transcending both gender and age.
Everyone these days has a Sony Playstation 2, a Microsoft Xbox, or a Nintendo
Gamecube. But what is a great system without great games? Sure, everyone is out
playing Halo or Halo 2. Millions are playing Warcraft and Everquest. All of the
Resident Evils are huge. But beyond all these, there are those series that
stand out and shine. Some have lived through multiple consoles, renditions of
them continually popping up throughout videogame history. These are the series
of games that bring real life to videogames.
The Legend of Zelda:
I will start by saying this is the greatest series ever created, and I will
say it with no hesitation. The Legend of Zelda began on the original NES, or
Nintendo Entertainment System. It has been through years of trials and
tribulations, overcoming Nintendo’s lack of foresight in the development of the
Nintendo 64 and Nintendo Gamecube. Both systems met disappointing sales against
the rival Sony, yet every time a new Zelda game came out, it shot to the top of
the charts. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on Super Nintendo became
legendary; it was even ported to the Gameboy Advance. The Legend of Zelda:
Ocarina’s Time, during its time, was praised as one of the greatest games, both
in story and gameplay, to ever be created. Then came the most recent edition,
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This edition not only redefined the series
in gameplay, it also redefined it in terms of graphic appeal, opting to animate
using a cel-shading method, which creates a cartoon-looking environment. Many
fans cried out in protest, but the series pressed on, and the game was released
to critics who finally realized what Zelda’s greatest possession was: the
ability to change for the better.
The stories are full of fantasy and they will wrap any player in mystical
worlds they will surely love. Each game has a unique story and a unique style;
no one is the same as another. This is its greatest quality, as so many series
replicate previous successes, fearing a loss of fans if they divert. The Zelda
series was not coy and branched out. With this risk came rewards. The greatest
videogames series of all time was born.