The Legend of Zelda series re-releases

Many games in the Legend of Zelda series have been ported to various consoles following their initial release. Most of the time, these ports are near exact replicas, but sometimes they are considered more of a remake.

The Legend of Zelda
Initially released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, The Legend of Zelda has been rereleased on multiple platforms, most recently on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006. The game was re-released in cartridge format on the Famicom in 1994. It is also an unlockable demo in the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The game was also included in The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition for the Nintendo GameCube, and is also obtainable in the GameCube game Animal Crossing using various cheat devices such as the Action Replay. The game was also re-released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004 along with its sequel as part of the Classic NES Series.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Initially released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, The Adventure of Link was rereleased in 2003 on the Collector's Edition for the Nintendo GameCube, and again in 2004 as part of the Classic NES Series for Game Boy Advance, with several changes. The death animation removed flashing colors in an effort to prevent seizures, replacing it with a solid red color (the same goes for the Virtual Console release). Several graphical and audio tweaks were made, and an enemy formerly titled Barba is named Volvagia, keeping with the naming in the Japanese release. It was released as the 100th title on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on January 23, 2007, in Europe and Australia on February 9, 2007 and was released in North America on June 4, 2007.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Initially released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992, A Link to the Past has been ported a few times. In 2002, Nintendo and Capcom ported the game to the Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Advance version was released in North America on December 2, 2002, and in Japan on March 13, 2003. This port was packaged with a newly developed multiplayer Zelda game called The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. The two games worked together; extra features could be unlocked in one game by completing tasks in the other. Additions to A Link to the Past include voice clips, an additional dungeon, an additional end sequence for clearing the new dungeon, Palace of the Four Sword, and the ability to unlock a continuous spin slash attack. Other changes include a less time consuming puzzle in the Ice Palace and a text overhaul. The GBA version received excellent reviews that considered it a faithful conversion, and it sold over 1.81 million units. On December 2, 2006, in Japan and January 22, 2007, in North America, the game was added to the Wii's Virtual Console. Players can download the game for 800 Wii Points.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Initially released on the Game Boy in 1993, Link's Awakening was remade in 1998 for the Game Boy Color. In addition to the mere addition of color, the DX version added numerous gameplay features.

One addition to the DX version was an entirely new dungeon, based on color. The Color Dungeon made use of the Game Boy Color's capabilities to deliver puzzles based on color. The reward for beating the color-based puzzles is the choice of a red or blue-colored tunic, which offer a boost in offensive power or resistance to damage, respectively. The Red Tunic allowed Link to become more powerful (the equivalent of always holding a Piece of Power), while the Blue Tunic raised his defense (the equivalent of always holding a Guardian Acorn).

Another new feature of the DX version was the addition of a Camera Shop and Photo Album; certain actions trigger cutscenes in which the Photographer would appear and take a picture. The pictures could be viewed in the player’s Photo Album at the Camera Shop, and printed using the Game Boy Printer. This feature included the addition of an invisible Zora in the Animal Village as one of the triggers.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Initially released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, Ocarina of Time was re-released for the Nintendo GameCube in both the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition as an emulated ROM. Ocarina of Time: Master Quest was given as a premium for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in Japan and North America, as well as in a special GameCube bundle at Wal-Mart. In Europe and Australia the disc came in the same case as the initial pressings of The Wind Waker. In Europe it was available for a limited time through a special offer on the Nintendo website. Master Quest contains both Ocarina of Time and a modified version with rearranged dungeons. Collector's Edition was available in GameCube bundles in Europe and North America, as well as by registering hardware and software, or by subscribing to official magazines or clubs.

The game was released in Europe and Australia for the Virtual Console on Nintendo's Wii console on February 23, 2007, for 1000 Wii Points. It was released in North America on February 26, 2007, and in Japan on February 27, 2007. The only absent element is the rumble feature, which includes the use of the Stone of Agony. The Wii is capable of playing the GameCube versions of the game with the rumble feature working properly. The Virtual Console is Version 1.2 of the original game with the exception of the crescent moon and star symbol of the Gerudo, which was changed to a new design and the exception of the original Fire Temple chant.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Initially released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, Majora's Mask has been ported two times to date. In 2003, Nintendo re-released Majora's Mask on the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Collector's Edition, a special promotional disc which also contained Ocarina of Time, as well as the original two 8-bit NES Zelda games. This disc could be purchased with a GameCube console, as part of a subscription offer to Nintendo Power magazine along with Mario Kart: Double Dash, or through Nintendo's official website by purchasing and registering a certain number of first-party Nintendo games. The offer expired in early 2004.

Similar to some other GameCube re-releases, the game is not a port in the traditional sense, but rather the ROM of the original game running on a software emulator; this has been proven by the ROM-dumping community, who have been able to extract N64-format ROMs from the disc that can even be booted on a Nintendo 64. The only differences are the colors of the action buttons due to the Gamecube's green A button and red B button and the pause screen's use and depiction of the L button as the left page scroller, as opposed to Z. Aside from these, because it is only emulated (rather than altered for the new console), there are some timing discrepancies between the two consoles, and some of the music sounds inaccurate on the GameCube. Another issue that has been raised is that the game unexpectedly crashes on the GameCube occasionally; this is once again caused by the inaccuracies of the emulator.

Majora's Mask was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe and Australia on April 3, 2009; in Japan on April 7, 2009; and in North America on May 18, 2009. The game can be downloaded for 1,200 Nintendo Points in Japan and 1,000 Nintendo Points in PAL territories and North America. It was the 300th game to be released on the North American Virtual Console.