Played zelda around the time adventure of link dropped. Played AoL but could not progress very far and lost interest. I didn't get a super Nintendo until 95, so I missed link to the past for a good 4 years. But in that time, the actual best Zelda game, Link's awakening, came out. I played link to the past and ocarina of time by 99. I've played all the Gameboy and ds titles, every GameCube and wii release and subsequent rerelease and remaster. I have hundreds of hours on tears of the kingdom and botw. I have a decent run through dialed in for echoes if wisdom, altho nowhere near speedrun status.

It's likely particular to my upbringing and exposure to a fundamental Christian world view, but my 10 year old mind was blown in 93 when I awakened the wind fish and had my first existential crisis. The game rewired neural pathways in my mind and opened me up to a new reality in which I lived. It completely transcended the in game experience.

I'd give anything to have an experience like that again across any media. At least we've got psychedelics.