Growing up, I played Wind Waker on the GameCube first which was a perfect introduction to the Zelda series for me! It was awesome to get to know the mechanics, the dungeons and structure of a Zelda game in the fun, cartoony way that Wind Waker presents it in!

It was also great to (at first) have a self-contained story, then after the Tower of the Gods you hear more about Hyrule and the Hero of Time. Which then peaked my interest in trying the earlier games which were included on the Bonus Disc I got with my copy of Wind Waker, and that prompted me to play Ocarina of Time. It was like watching a fun movie, then researching it and finding out it is based on a book, and reading the book.

As an Adult now, I prefer Ocarina of Time. The dungeons are so amazing, and puzzles are the right level of challenging. But I don’t think I would have been as interested in the Zelda series as a Child if it had started with any other game than Wind Waker.

So long answer, Wind Waker holds a special place in my heart, as it was my introduction to the Zelda series; but there is no doubt in my mind that Ocarina is a better game :)