I'd just like to go into more detail about my own choices.
I was the right generation for catching the Nintendo 64 right at the tail end, and definitely for the start of the Gamecube era, but unfortunately I missed both of them. I didn't actually play Ocarina until I was about 13, which means that it can't win me over with nostalgia. Just to keep it simple, I'll go through all the games I've played of each bracket.
The original game was just too confusing. Enough said. I mean, even in the first quest, you had to burn down one very specific tree, with no clues as to which tree or where. So, although it probably worked a lot better when it came out, I just didn't like it.
Link to the Past was a pretty good game overall, but I feel like it also suffered a little from 'Where-the-hell-do-I-go' syndrome, despite stuff like the fortune teller or the little 'X's on the map. And that boss fight with the worm in the Tower of Hera...
Link's Awakening and the Oracle games were both good. Actually, I liked the Oracles much better than Awakening, so they'd be a pretty high choice for me. Awakening loses points for taking the worm boss from Link to the Past, putting it in a smaller arena and making it the first boss.
Ocarina and Majora, like I said, hold no nostalgic value for me. The swordplay takes a lot of getting used to, and if you prefer to aim without the lock-on system then you'll have a really hard time hitting anything. It also has the Water Temple. Need I say more?
Twilight Princess, although it looks more washed-out and hyper-realistic, made Hyrule (and Hyrule Field in particular) feel a lot more epic than Ocarina did. Most of its other inclusions such as using your sword while running also contribute to the game, and while Midna does seem a little bit...overbearing on the plot, she isn't Navi.
Out of the Wind Waker series, I've only actually played Phantom Hourglass, and I still think it's pretty fun. Stuff like the forced stealth sections in the Ocean King's Temple and the Ghost Ship are annoying, though. And personally, I still like exploring that game's ocean after picking up a treasure map or marking an island's possible location.
Minish Cap is the only game on the list I've ever totally finished, but I actually happened to dislike Ezlo (not the guy from Assassin's Creed 2) more than both Midna and Navi put together. The splitting-up mechanic was quite interesting but got old a little quickly, as did switching between being large and being small. And, why the favouritism towards dogs?
As for Adventure of Link, please don't go hating on it just because it isn't like the others. Like Hotel Mario or (as someone pointed out) Majora's Mask, it's a lot better if you forget about the word 'Zelda' in the title and just play the game.
So that's what I think.
I liked Zelda 2 as well.
