The first of what I consider my all time favorite stealth series. Growing up, I actually played Chaos Theory before this one, so I got pretty spoiled by the time I played this. That being said, I think this holds up pretty well actually. Looking at the time it was released, this really did bring something new and breathed life into the stealth genre, even if it comes off as dated today. I think one of my main obsessions with stealth games as a whole is the ability to perfect a certain area through trial and error, which can be irritating for some, but I've always found rewarding when you get it right. With this game however, they're a little demanding when it comes to perfection. Almost every mission restricts you from getting a certain amount of alarms and killing a certain number of people, which is definitely a bummer. The gameplay itself is insanely addicting as you feel like this overly acrobatic and sly stealth operative that it's kinda silly when you get stuck on a part just because of one guy who keeps seeing you and you just wanna kill him. You can knock out guards with a variety of ways, including a fist to the head from behind, or gas grenades, sticky shockers, and air foil rounds with your SC-20K, (though you don't get that until later in the game) but even then, the game forces you to hide the bodies since the game will instant alarm if they're not well hidden, even if there's nobody else around. The level design is fine, but the missions you go are not as well defined as in later games, usually consisting of a lot of office buildings. I guess they were going for a more realistic approach since Sam Fisher is looked at as an actual soldier working for the federal government, but yeah the missions can sometimes come off as straightforward and not too terribly hard to figure out. That being said, it's still fun to infiltrate areas through sneaky means and completely get through an area without being detected at all. They need to hurry up and release the remaster of this game because I'm anxious to see how they do. Even though it's been improved upon since then, this game holds up for the most part and set the standard for the rest of the series.

What many (including myself) consider the best 2D Zelda game. A true return to form of the 16-bit era that every game since then has built off of. Although Ocarina of Time is considered the game changer (which to some extent is true) this is the one that transformed Zelda from a simple and straight forward game to an epic and groundbreaking adventure. The first game that implements world building and lore, with incredibly engaging story elements. Even though every Zelda game pretty much contradicts the one made before it, this, to me, is one of the more easier to tie into the others of the series. The visuals and design of the world is breathtaking even to this day. The combat is significantly improved over the first two, where your sword is considerably more satisfying to swing, and the ability to sprint, walk diagonally, and achieve new items to interact with the environment, all add to the engagement. The designs of the dungeons are also impressive, with each one having upper and lower floors, which give off the illusion of 3D, which still blows my mind today. The designs of the bosses are great, with each one having a unique way to defeat them, typically with the item you gain from the dungeon. Link's character gets more attention as you interact with more people in the world, which makes it so much easier to root for him to overcome his obstacles. Easy to pick up for lovers of the series and casual gamers as well. One of the main essentials of the series. From beginning to end, beyond satisfying.

Although generally considered the black sheep of the series, Zelda II has a special charm about it that many fans adore, giving it its cult status today. Many were critical of its side scroller gameplay instead of the overhead view of the first. Don't get me wrong, I get why people weren't into that, but also keep in mind that when it came out, there was only two Zelda games, so there was no real standard yet. I appreciate their attempt to do something fresh and different even if it didn't pan out. Not to mention this is one of the first games to implement RPG elements such as leveling up and RNG enemy spawns. One things for damn sure, this is the hardest Zelda game. On top of the gameplay being tricky to get used to, the difficulty balance is just off. The hardest levels are at the beginning when you're underleveled, and you pretty much have to be at max level to have any luck againist the later ones. And its not done for any sense of accomplishment, it feels like its done to be mean. The puzzles and dungeons feel very needlessley cryptic, I have no idea how anyone is able to beat this without a guide. The sense of exploration is still there however, with the addition of visiting towns, interacting with NPCs, doing side quests to get magic spells being a satisfying element to the series. Unfortunately it is hurt by an awful overworld. The theme is not as good or classic as the first, graphically its a mess, everything is a block and is unappealing as hell, and navigating some areas is very frusturating. Like yeah you're only in the overworld to get to other places so it doesn't take up that much time, but it's still easily the worst part of the game. I do think this game gets a bit too much hate, because for what it is, its still a pretty good game overall, and has its place in the Zelda series. It was an ambitious title for the franchise, and if that meant it had to be the sacrificial one to know how to improve later one, then for that alone, I salute it.