And back in 1987, the franchise started off with a bang with one of the most ambitious replica-gold-plated cartridges to ever grace the NES. What's funny about The Legend of Zelda's title was that ...

Several classic NES series seem to follow identical paths ... a game that strayed entirely from its origins. And then there was Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the follow-up to the smash hit ...

It sold 6.5 million copies and became the third bestselling title on the NES, behind Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. The story followed Link on his quest to save Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon.