Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Am I?

Don't get me wrong, I love the first Zelda, it's like a light A Link to the Past (or rather, ALttP is like a more complex Zelda). And it basically spawned a new genre. However, this one added a new dimension to the whole thing, in my opinion. You had an overhead world (granted, not one you could fight in), but you also had side-scrolling adventuring in the vein of Metroid -- only with a completely different theme. And there are towns with people to talk to. Some give you clues, others deceive you. And on top of this, you had RPG elements this time around, other than just equipment. Being able to level up stats is awesome. Getting skills is awesome. And so is learning abilities like the upwards/downwards thrust.

I think this is much more... "complete", than the first one. Yet it's nowhere near as loved. It's one of my favorite NES games, and that says a lot to me, because it's my favorite console.

Ugh. Man. Play Battle of Olympus or Faxanadu. They're both pretty much exactly like Zelda 2, only (in my opinion, of course) way better.

I can't stand Zelda 2. It's a grind. I guess I'm just like that.

I have played both Battle of Olympus and Faxanadu. I think they're fun, but not as fun.

I like it better than the first but that isn't exactly singing the praises of Zelda 2. The first game has aged terribly and isn't all that much fun anymore. Zelda 2 is still playable for me at least.

Incidently, I would love to see a new Zelda done in the Adventure of Link style. Oh the possibilities.

I can't say it's my favorite in the series (that honor goes to Wind Waker), but it was a very experimental title all things considered. It would be nice to see a new game taking on Zelda II's core concepts and crafting something new out of it. Unfortunately(?), Metroid has had a much wider influence in the indie scene, so I don't see that being particularly likely. Nintendo seems to have largely distanced themselves from the game and stuck to OoT/LttP style for the 3D and 2D titles, respectively.