(according to official Nintendo site)
Ocarina
of Time
Story
Summary:
As a young boy, Link was tricked by
Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo Thieves. The evil human used Link to gain
access to the Sacred Realm, where he placed his tainted hands on Triforce and
transformed the beautiful Hylian landscape into a barren wasteland. Link was
determined to fix the problems he helped to create, so with the help of Rauru he
traveled through time gathering the powers of the Seven Sages. After a grueling
quest, Link eventually faced Ganondorf, and watched as the wicked soul
transformed into Ganon. When the battle was over, Link had successfully sealed
Ganon in the Dark World for the first time.
Majora’s Mask
Story
Summary: Link’s
Termina adventure. The Skull kid is possessed by
A Link to the Past
Story
Summary:
When Link returned to Hyrule after his Terminan adventure, many years had
passed. An evil sorcerer named Agahnim gained control of Hyrule and used his
power to free Ganon from his prison. After rescuing Princess Zelda from
Agahnim's grasp, Link freed the descendents of the Seven Sages and once again
strengthened the magical seals that kept Ganon safely locked away for the second
time.
The
Legend of Zelda
Story
Summary:
After imprisoning Ganon in the Dark
World for the second time, Link was ready for some relaxation. Unfortunately,
the King of Evil was able to break through the Sages' Seals and once again
capture Princess Zelda. Before she was caught, Zelda managed to shatter the
Triforce of Wisdom and scatter its eight pieces throughout Hyrule. Needless to
say, Link's vacation was cut short as he struggled to save his friend.
Wind Waker
Story Summary: The old world is long gone, and few remember what life was once like. But the Legend of Zelda (and of Link) has been passed down through the generations. Now the Dark Lord is back and a young boy must find the courage to stop him. Can he be like the legendary hero of old? *note* With the release of "Twilight Princess" Nintendo confirmed a "split-timeline" for the Legend of Zelda series. Wind Waker follows the adult Ocarina of Time storyline. In other words, it assumes that Link was not sent back to his childhood after defeating Ganondorf and instead life continued from that point. Majora's Mask did not occur in this storyline.
Twilight Princess
Story Summary: Twilight Princess follows the Ocarina of Time / Majora's Mask, storyline. It takes place many decades later. Long ago the people of Hyrule were split into those who used shadow and those who used light. Some of the shadow users began to plot to take over and were cast into the realm of Twilight. Now, Hyrule has been swallowed by Twilight thanks to Xant, who wishes to reunite the users of shadow and light and rule them all. In reality, Xant is being controlled by Ganon, who has broken his seals (yet again). Now the orphan Link must find the hero, and the beast, within to save two worlds. At his side travels Midna, the cursed Princess of the Twili (people of Twilight), and he has a little help from Zelda as well. Link must defeat Xant and Ganon, restore the corrupted Twilight world (and it's people) to its true state, and destroy the corridor connecting the two worlds forever.