There may not be another game in my "illustrious" gaming career that I have fonder memories of after a single play-through than The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I played through it one time, on my GameCube back in the day, and never turned it on again. Not because I didn't like it, but because I just ended the game feeling....satisfied. 
I've seen the criticisms of Wind Waker. Too much time is sent just floating around on the boat. The art style looks too childish. I was going to list a third one, but honestly, that's all I can really remember ever seeing anyone bitch about when it comes to this game. The "too much time on the water" complaint is slightly justified. I never felt it was a chore, but I guess I could see where someone is coming from. Anyone that complains about the art style is straight up crazy. 
 
For my money, this is the best looking game in the Zelda series (and yes, I'm including Breath of the Wild). I'm infatuated with the way this game looks. From the first time I saw it, I thought it was gorgeous. I think it's aged incredibly well, and I'd love to see another entry done in the same style. It's like playing one of the best looking cartoons ever. The bright colours helped make the time drifting around on a boat seem light and enjoyable. I'm not a graphics guy in the least, but I'd play this game again just to get another look at it. 
 
I'm a pretty fair weather Zelda fan. Mario has always been my guy, and while I've played a nice chunk of Link's games, few of them would be on the short list for my favourite games ever. Link To The Past, Link Between Worlds, and The Wind Waker would be the exceptions to that rule. I absolutely adore this game, and I pray the HD Wii U port we got a few years ago finds it's way onto the Switch soon. 
 
My buddy Mark is back this week. We've talked about a few Zelda games already, and we were both hella excited to add The Wind Waker to that list. Kick back, relax, and let's go on a boat ride!