Yeesh, didn't wanna come to this thread in case of spoilers (just borrowed Skyward from my brother and I just got to the fourth dungeon,) but if we're weighing in on the various Zelda games, I feel somewhat obligated to chime in. I effing love Zelda. I've beaten all of the games except for Zelda 2 and Spirit Tracks (no, I'm not counting the horrible CD-I games, thanks.) I have the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield hanging up in my bedroom. I have a frickin Triforce tattooed in the middle of my back.
Anyway, I'm REALLY enjoying Skyward Sword. I'm trying to reserve my judgement until I finish it, but I'm already tempted to call it my favorite. Previously that accolade belonged to Twilight Princess. I can really only find one fault with TP, in that the items weren't implemented well outside of dungeons. Other than that, the case could be made that some of the early wolf parts were a little blah, but I enjoyed them. I agree with Malaki when he said that TP felt like the realization of the direction they were heading with Ocarina (another strong candidate for best Zelda.) It's a HUGE Zelda game on every level; content, length, epic feel, emotional impact, etc. I love that game something fierce.
As to Wind Waker, I love that game very much as well. It has many fine qualities, and perhaps the one that I enjoy the most is just how whimsical and charming it can be. It does have one glaring flaw, though; the end game Triforce hunt is pretty damned annoying. It's one thing to be sent on a collectathon. It happens alllll the time in games. But the sheer time and effort required, not to mention the ridiculous timing, really made that one a new breed of lame. That having been said, the end was WELL worth it. SO EPIC.
I saw that you guys were discussing Majora's Mask as well. I feel like MM is the most unjustly forgotten game of the series. I know, everyone loves it and is always talking about how brilliant it is, but it always seems to get swept under the rug when put beside the big, epic Zelda games like TP, Ocarina, or WW. The thing of it is, MM is more of a personal journey, rather than the world-altering quest. This is despite the fact that Link still saves a world. It just feels more personal in MM. Really, it reminds me of Link's Awakening in many ways. Needless to say, it's fantastic, and up there on my list, but yeah, I like the big epic Zeldas more. C'est la vie.
Skyward thus far has felt like the marriage of TP and WW, and that is a potent combination. Throw in the terrific combat (the realization of what we all hoped the Wii could do from the get-go,) and I feel like I'm gonna have a hard time not calling this one the best. We shall see.
Ummm...I wrote a book. Sorry.
I JUST LOVE ZELDA, DAMN IT!