I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but until today I had never beaten
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Having just done so, I think it's safe to say I consider it my favorite Zelda game, a position previously held by the original Legend of Zelda. You probably don't need me to tell any of you how amazing this game is, but what I found particularly wonderful was how much better the later dungeons are. Starting with the Ice Palace on, each dungeon is filled with more traps and tougher enemies, on top of the dungeons themselves getting larger and more convoluted. Ganon's Tower was easily my favorite, combining all the most challenging aspects of previous dungeons (ice floors, treadmills, spikes
and helmasaurs chasing you!?

).
The game does a great job of blending the discovery and exploration of the original game but adds a little more depth to the world that helped coax me along to the end. All the hidden secrets in Hyrule were a pleasure to find and I haven't come close to 100%ing it; I'll probably peck at it over the next few days. It would be so great if Nintendo could replicate this game's approach to hint-giving with the sequel, and by that I mean not giving any hints whatsoever. It was cool figuring stuff out (the warp, some key items like the ice rod are in hidden locations), rather than being led by the nose to the solution. Between this game and Super Metroid, Nintendo nailed the character/player progression. Not only is Link decked out with gear by the end, but I also became much better at using the different items in tandem. It was weird to adjust to the way this game's bottles are
actually used. Like, I had to
buy potions. You never do that in a 3D Zelda game. But in this game you practically need it. Dat final battle with Ganon

Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how Nintendo handles the sequel, though I doubt it'll live up to this game. Now to move on to another Super Nintendo classic I've neglected over the years.
Chrono Trigger...