I have never played a Zelda game...

[PinkiePyro]

Id suggest twilight princess (gamecube version)and/or and windwaker

some of the others are suggesting majora's mask I dont think that would be a good starter its a little weird

really most of them are good to start with exption the following

zelda II(totally different style)
phantom hourglass and spirit tracks (requires knowledge of windwaker events)
the CD-I games (AVOID THESE AT ALL COSTS!)

 

[arnoldthebird]

I never played any of the Zelda games either. And they don't look that fun anyway. I also never played a Final Fantasy game.

I am the same as you, never touched Zelda or FF. Neither game series has interested me, and if it doesn't interest me I see no reason to play

 

[werty10089]

...And neither have I. That's not really that shocking or unusual.
Nor does it add any discussion value to the forums.

 

[Beautiful End]

I played my first Zelda game last year. It's not that the series didn't attract me as much. it's more like when I owned a NES, SNES and 64, I just didn't like anything else beyong Mario and DK and Kirby games. By the time the series appealed to me, I had already sailed the Sony ship a long time ago.

You see, I tried playing the original Zelda games, the ones I grew up with (But never played) because everyone kept saying they were the best. Well, maybe they are...but they just didn't attract me as much as Ocarina of Time. OoT is great; not the greatest game ever, like people make it look. But pretty darn good anyway. So, as you may realize by its many remakes and endless fan database, OoT is one of the best Zelda games out there. But hey, it's a matter of opinion. I'd recommend that one.

Story wise, it doesn't matter. You'll first read all the books in Skyrim before the continuity of the Zelda series starts to make sense. But I suppose if you wanna play the pseudo-first Zelda game in the series, Skyward Sword is the one. So far.

 

[LilithSlave]

Really, you can play any Zelda game and not worry about anything like continuity or the like.

That sounds like a pretty good suggestion, considering they're ALL solid games in the top tier of video game quality. Go with whichever looks immediately the most interesting.

Though personally, if I had one to recommend, it would be A Link to the Past. It's the one that spoke to me most as a child. Much like the entire SNES platform(which in my opinion, still has an unrivaled library).

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Almost all of the games are good, only exception being the original NES games.

I thought Minish Cap and A Link to the Past were two good top-down 2D ones, and Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess were my favorite 3D ones.

 

[DustyDrB]

Start just about wherever you want. It doesn't really matter. The story isn't the focus, no matter how much you hear people going on about the timeline. Zelda is the series that truly made me a gamer. The second game I ever played was Zelda II (which is why I don't look at it like the black sheep of the 2D games like some other people do). My cousin (and I'm eternally grateful to her for it) let my 6 year old hands on her NES to play it. Since then, I've gobbled up every game in the series except for Spirit Tracks (didn't care for Phantom Hourglass, so I passed on Spirit Tracks. I'll probably pick it up at some point anyway).

Old school be damned, though. I heavily prefer the 3D games. Take your pick from those mostly. The only one I wouldn't start with is Majora's Mask, because it's really not a good "Zelda" game (it's a great game nonetheless). It shines in areas where the series is usually weak (side quests and characters, darker atmosphere) and is weak in the areas where the series usually shines (dungeons and bosses). Play it eventually, but it might give you the wrong impression of the series if it's where you start.

I still do love the 2D games, mind you. Link's Awakening is my favorite of them, but they are all good. I actually like the original the least (it's weird how it's taboo to say that about almost any other series, but fans generally acknowledge that the first Zelda is among the worst. But...it's still good despite that). More people will probably say they prefer A Link to the Past, and I can't fault them for it. The ones that are the most different (aside from Zelda II) are The Minish Cap and the Oracle games. Capcom co-developed these games, so there are small touches that make the games feel different than the others.

 

[LilithSlave]

I haven't played any either. The whole anime-look about it just drove me far, far away..

Then you've missed out all all the of most important post-video game crash classic video games. As Nintendo and Japanese developers revived the industry in the West.

I can't stand Western aesthetics in video games in general, I think it has a completely unflattering representation of both Easterners(Jade Empire) and Westerners(Elder Scrolls: Oblivion). But it hasn't stopped me from playing hundreds of Western titles.

And Zelda is an important part of the video game heritage. I recommend giving it a second chance. Heck, I recommend anyone who hasn't already played half of the NES and SNES library to stop playing new games for a while, and go back and play the important titles. Considering yourself a video game fan, and saying you don't like games like Zelda, Metroid, Mario, or the like, is like saying that you like literature but can't stand Shakespeare. Or claiming to be a fan of cinema and saying you can't stand Casablanca.

 

[BathorysGraveland]

Then you've missed out all all the of most important post-video game crash classic video games. As Nintendo and Japanese developers revived the industry in the West.

No offence, but that crap doesn't mean anything to me. I'll play a game if I enjoy it and it interests me, not because it is historically important or significant or whatever.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

I suggest Link to the past(snes) Windwaker (GC) or of course Ocarina (N64), good a place to start as any. The only one i wouldn't reccomend starting with is Majoras Mask. Because it's rather...unique.

 

[Martijn Nijkeuter]

if you don't mind outdated graphics grab Ocarina of time.

if you want something better looking get windwaker if you prefer cell-shaded graphics and sailing. grab twilight princess if you prefer a bit darker and mature atmosphere.

ignore skyward sword if you like exploration though, it has sacrificed tons of additional npc's, minigames, depth and worldmaps to make it "more casual".

 

[dimensional]

I have only been playing zelda since the N64 and without a doubt my favourite is easily Four sword adventures the downside is of course you need at least two other (preferably 3 players) before it gets good and 4 GBA plus the link cables so yeah ok perhaps not a good one to start with.

My Two favourite single player ones are twilight princess and windwaker but my friend who has completed every zelda game released to my knowledge (except CDI games) says that Link to the Past is the highlight of the series so maybe you should give that one a go first.

 

[CitrusLover]

Thanks people, your responses have been very helpful.