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It’s undeniable that “Link’s Awakening” was the greatest installment in the Zelda video game series. Here’s ten reasons why:

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Princess Zelda was my first love.

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Before Friday nights were the place where television shows went to die slowly in front of very low ratings (Chuck, Prison Break, Ugly Betty, etc.), ABC’s TGIF was a block of elite programming that featured legendary lineups over the years.

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I would allow my confections their proper cooking time, tenderly decorate them with the finest of icings, and enjoy them as they were intended to be enjoyed, sitting at a table with several stuffed animals in fancy hats, pretend-sipping out of empty teacups.

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The next day you will work on a novel about a lonely woman in New York City. I will work on a novel about depressed movie stars who don’t read books or look at blogs or have pets. We will meet in the living room at 3:30PM and eat watermelon by the window and watch small children walk home from school.

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And all of that time spent solving puzzles and repeatedly jumping from platform to platform in search of some obscure, poorly-named artifact like The Lance of the Argyle Dragoon or Whatever did wonders for my lateral and creative thinking skills. Indeed, like most boys, I even dreamed of one day designing my own videogames.