12. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Even when dealing with such a highly regarded series, youre bound to come across a few haters every now and then. One of the most common criticisms of Zelda is that every game in the franchise is the same because they all follow the same tired formula. This is my response to those people: They did try a different formula once. It was a bold new direction that changed everything you thought you knew about Zelda. And it was only the second game in the series. And you know what? Everyone hated it! Okay, not everyone hates Zelda II, but there arent a whole lotta people who would claim it as their favorite game either. Its become universally known as the black sheep of the Zelda family, and that reputation isnt undeserved; it really doesnt fit in with the other games in the series. Theres an RPG-style overworld, strange side-scrolling combat, and its much more difficult than any of its brothers or sisters. The results werent terrible by any means, but the game was far less beloved than the original LoZ, so Nintendo decided it would be best to stick with the originals formula from that point on. So the next time you complain about the Zelda series being stale, just remember this one entry that dared to be different, for better or worse.