A plumber's hammer or an elf's sword... Take your pick!

[Kriven]

Nitpick: Link is a hylian, not an elf.

[E-Man]

Nitpick: Link is a hylian, not an elf.

I know he's a Hylian, but not everybody knows what that is, so I used a general term to confuse less people. Please forgive me for that.


Anyway, it seems like a fair number of people love the Mario games (despite the poll favoring the Zelda games) for the reason that you can play them again and again. For this reason, I respect the Mario games in that aspect. Of course, I like playing games to see how the old characters I like interact with new stories and characters, which is why I mostly play the Zelda games. One is like reading a novel with additional fun and exploration, while the other is a nice little way to kill time.

On top of that, I seem to enjoy how many appealing female characters are in the Zelda games. All of them are different and I would consider the girls in Zelda my answer to the ever so popular Touhou characters. Mario has some nice characters, too, but there aren't that many of them that are appealing female characters. Still, I gotta say that some male characters in the series, such as Doopliss and Dreambert, are very appealing to me in their own right!

[Stasis Rune]

I'm gonna have to go with Mario on this one. Lots of Zelda games I love, but here's one thing. Mario is named after the main character, he's always playable (unless he's Missing...) and many of his friends are also usually playable. Zelda, is named after an NPC, who's never playable, except in crossover party fighters...(which is one of my favorite things about Smash really)

But there's much more to it than that. Mario is it's own thing. So weird and whimsical...mushrooms that make you grow, flowers that let you throw fire, dinosaur mounts that can eat almost anything or spit them out as a projectile...and that's only scratching the surface!

Also, Mario's more about platformers, my sorta-favorite genre. Might be one reason I like Adventures of Link as much as I do!

I prefer Link's original design though; brown hair, sleeves and pants. It looked the best out of all of them.

The original Link did not wear pants.

On top of that, I seem to enjoy how many appealing female characters are in the Zelda games.

None are appealing as Princess Ruto though.

Seriously, what's up with her? Why is she so strangely sexy? It's like, crazy! She's also really sassy too, which is honestly a plus...Umm...yeah. I like the Zoras anyway, but she's a step above the rest. Well, you know, she's probably my favorite Zelda character for some reason. I really wish she was playable some how! Wouldn't that be something else? I happen to love underwater segments in most games, yes, even the infamous Water Temple. Just imagine a character who can really swim with Legend of Zelda gameplay! It will probably never be though...I guess if I want playable Princess Ruto, then, I've gotta do it myself. Actually, I was gonna include her in one of my RPG Maker projects, but maybe I should mess around with some Zelda engine or whatever for something. A Zelda game with various playable characters has always been a dream of mine. (I like Link, but c'mon!)

[Koh]

Z2's artwork depicted Link with brown pants o.o. Z2 is a direct sequel to Z1, so it's the same Link. Therefore, your argument is invalid!

....

I kid (sort of). The Water Temple wasn't even that hard for me. I will say Dark Link (without hammer abuse) is a little rough around the edges, but manageable. The hardest Zelda game has to be Zelda 2. I mean come on, that last stretch of the game and Death Mountain is like, a huge steep difficulty curve in the game.

Mario never had that sort of challenge. Like, sure you'd end up dying to a Goomba or something from time to time, but the games were never HARD. Beginning with Super Mario World, I'd say the games turned into more of a 100% completion type of thing, like Kirby, instead of a game presenting a challenge. All the secret paths and stages to find and such. Even Doki Doki Panic (Super Mario Bros 2 USA) wasn't TOO bad; the Phantasmo Masks were annoying, but you can get through the game without using a continue o.o.

[E-Man]

I'm gonna have to go with Mario on this one. Lots of Zelda games I love, but here's one thing. Mario is named after the main character, he's always playable (unless he's Missing...) and many of his friends are also usually playable. Zelda, is named after an NPC, who's never playable, except in crossover party fighters...(which is one of my favorite things about Smash really)

I'll give the Mario games that. If I ever get to play a Zelda game that lets me play as Zelda that isn't on CD-i and does not portray Zelda as a mice fearing girly-girl, I'll be happy! I need to get my new friend and I together to create a ROM hack of a Link to the Past and see about doing that.

On top of that, I seem to enjoy how many appealing female characters are in the Zelda games.

None are appealing as Princess Ruto though.
<Big, honking image of Ruto goes here.>
Seriously, what's up with her? Why is she so strangely sexy? It's like, crazy! She's also really sassy too, which is honestly a plus...Umm...yeah. I like the Zoras anyway, but she's a step above the rest. Well, you know, she's probably my favorite Zelda character for some reason. I really wish she was playable some how! Wouldn't that be something else? I happen to love underwater segments in most games, yes, even the infamous Water Temple. Just imagine a character who can really swim with Legend of Zelda gameplay! It will probably never be though...I guess if I want playable Princess Ruto, then, I've gotta do it myself. Actually, I was gonna include her in one of my RPG Maker projects, but maybe I should mess around with some Zelda engine or whatever for something. A Zelda game with various playable characters has always been a dream of mine. (I like Link, but c'mon!)

I'm guessing it's her nudity and the fact that she is a fish woman. Plus, she gets humor points for actively trying to get Link to love her.

By the way, if you're looking for a character who could swim with Zelda gameplay, what about Zora Link? I have to tell you that playing as him was the best swimming experience in any game I could think of! Besides, it beats the Mermaid Suit out of the water with a barbed stick!

I kid (sort of). The Water Temple wasn't even that hard for me. I will say Dark Link (without hammer abuse) is a little rough around the edges, but manageable. The hardest Zelda game has to be Zelda 2. I mean come on, that last stretch of the game and Death Mountain is like, a huge steep difficulty curve in the game.

Mario never had that sort of challenge. Like, sure you'd end up dying to a Goomba or something from time to time, but the games were never HARD. Beginning with Super Mario World, I'd say the games turned into more of a 100% completion type of thing, like Kirby, instead of a game presenting a challenge. All the secret paths and stages to find and such. Even Doki Doki Panic (Super Mario Bros 2 USA) wasn't TOO bad; the Phantasmo Masks were annoying, but you can get through the game without using a continue o.o.

I don't know if this was true when I was younger, but the Water Temple never gave any trouble these days. How it appears in the 3DS remake really brings out the Asian design that makes it so cool! The temple is surprisingly easier in the Master Quest for the game, though.

As for heavy collecting in video games, I like doing that. Having a chance to explore the world, find hidden goodies, and learn new tricks on the way gives me a ton of joy! That's why I always get a kick out of playing one of the first two Banjo games and DK64. Super Mario 64 is nice, but Rare did a good job of refining that type of genre. Give me Banjo-Kazooie over Mario 64 any day! I would like it if there was a Zelda game that was similar to a Banjo-Kazooie game. Maybe the boys at Nintendo could look into that?

[puggsoy]

The original Link did not wear pants.

I could be wrong, but it looks to me like he is wearing pants, they're just the same colour as his skin. The outfit just looks weird if you consider that they're not pants.

[E-Man]

The original Link did not wear pants.

I could be wrong, but it looks to me like he is wearing pants, they're just the same colour as his skin. The outfit just looks weird if you consider that they're not pants.

Well, Link was a little kid when that game came out, so how about this thought? If you look at Young Link's model in Melee (and the 3DS remake of OoT if I'm no mistaken), he wears green shorts under his tunic. If this version of Link is not wearing any pants, then he is at least wearing very short shorts, like Youngster Joey.

[Koopaul]

The Gamecube was a very interesting era. Zelda became more cartoony in the Wind Waker, while Mario became more explorable and personable in Sunshine.

They spawned some of my most favorite titles in the series.