A Link to the Past was my first Zelda...and I love it. I have played the game on SNES, emulators, Game Boy Advance...shit once I get a Wii I'll play it on Wii.
I hate how some "gamers" did not play Wind Waker because it looked "kiddish." Great, under rated, game.
What still strikes me about OoT is how great it was. It was the first 3D Zelda...and it was just a marvel. Everything felft new and different(3D) but it still had that Zelda flavor.
I feel the same way about Metroid Prime and it's many sequels...Metroid Prime/OoT was just too big of an accomplishment. That excellent level is what made next Metroid Prime/Zelda games great. After all...so long as you don't screw up what works...it can only get better IMO.
Who knows what would have become of Zelda had Miyamoto screwed OoT.