I'm 46. From the moment I played the original back in the day, I've been a huge fan of the entire series.
My all time favorite (so far) is Wind Waker. I played that for the first time a few years ago and spent so much time goofing around. Before I played that, I was a huge fan of Ocarina, having bought it when it first came out on the N64. Every Zelda game I've played has been a huge step up from the previous.
Another favorite of mine is Link to the Past. That one kept me involved for a few years. I kept going back through it because I really enjoyed the story and gameplay. Link Between Worlds was a fantastic sequel.
I've thoroughly enjoyed all the remasters on the switch too. 100%'d Link's Awakening and finally got the play through Skyward Sword. I'm sincerely hoping for a reissue/remaster of Twilight Princess because I didn't get to play that much on the Wii. My kids hogged that system so I rarely got to play anything beyond Wii Sports.
I recently started Breath of the Wild and after initially being stuck and giving up trying to get into the first divine beast, I'm now ready to infiltrate Hyrule Castle a couple years later. I only picked BotW back up because of all the TotK hype. I can't wait to play it!
I absolutely loved the design of Windwaker when I first saw screenshots. Cell shading was brand new and it looked incredible to me. I never played it when it was new (I didn't really play any GameCube games), or when it was remastered for WiiU. I finally played it and was hooked.
My son has been playing through TotK and I've caught glimpses of it here and there. The sheer size of the map is mind boggling in comparison to BotW. So excited to get to it... after BotW, of course!
when i was a kid i had the option of playing on n64 with ocarina or a gamecube with wind waker. unfortunately ocarina didn't stand a chance to a kid easily impressed with bright colors. funny how it caught flak for that design, but nintendo was effortlessly reaching its target audience.
Both of my kids were HUGE GameCube fans. They were right at the target audience age range. I kinda got out of gaming around that time so I missed the whole GameCube era. Tried to get into the Wii and WiiU eras but my kids stayed on those systems 24/7 so I didn't stand a chance. They let me play briefly every now and then, but not long enough to get invested in anything. I can't just play Zelda games for a couple minutes. Especially these days.
Even after all this time, Nintendo reliably produces games I consistently play and go back to.
I agree dude, that's my favorite thing about Nintendo - the first party games are so well done. The Wind Waker is my all-time favorite, with sometimes Majora's Mask creeping up and threatening to take the title.
It's tough to pick a favorite because each one you've played is so special. I haven't ran into any Zelda game I've played that I'd consider average or a dud. They're all fantastic in their own right.
Meanwhile I hope one day, if you have that desire, you'll play some of the other titles you've missed out on. Skyward Sword for example is great, despite its flaws.
It is definitely very difficult to pick a favorite Zelda game. They are all really well done.
I have to admit, I was never a big fan of Majora's Mask. I played a TON of Ocarina back in the day, but MM just didn't resonate as much with me. Life started getting hectic with the kids getting older, which is when I started having a lot less time for gaming for a while. I need to go back to it and give it a playthrough regardless of my initial impression.
I did play a good bit of Skyward Sword HD on the Switch. My son let me use his account so I could play some new games, but I don't have access to it now. I just need to buy it so I can finish it. It was a little different, but I was enjoying it. I could emulate, but I'm already so far into it lol.