Review of the First Quest

The Legend of Zelda is an endearing title that has earned its way into the hearts of millions of gamers, including my own.  It can be played on multiple platforms for a reason, and has been copied onto many an emulator as well.  It can only adequately be described in one word: "epic."  Despite what is to be desired because of the 8-bit graphics and the battle schema that results from such a limited engine, this game is ten loads of fun to play, a great way to relax after a hard day of work (or school) and is the benchmark for every Zelda to come.  All the things that are introduced in this game are simply expanded upon in future titles, using this game as the ultimate root (despite the fact that, chronologically, it is argued that Zelda I is the second to last title in the series).

The Legend of Zelda (The First Quest) earns an A-.  This game is so much fun to play, even though I have played it many times before.  It probably isn't the last time I will play it either.

Sword Class
Wooden Sword - your first item in the game, and your first weapon too.  This weapon can barely even be called that though, as it quickly loses any usefulness as your enemies gain defensive power.  It gets you through the first part of the game in order to get a better tool, though. 
Usefulness Rating: C.

White Sword - your second sword, which if you play things well, you can get rather early on.  This weapon doubles the attack power of the wooden sword and doesn't result in some of the undesirable effects of the wooden sword (the splitting of zols, for example) until much later in the game (i.e. vires)  This sword carries you through a great majority of the game and without too much trouble either.  Usefulness Rating: B+.

Magical Sword - your final sword which you will not get until the final third of the game.  Granted it would have been nice to have early in the game, but then, what would be the fun of that.  This sword quadruples the attack power of the wooden sword, maximizing Link's sword power.  No enemies split when hit by this sword and many annoying enemies go down now in two to three hits (i.e. darknuts)  Usefulness Rating: A.

Boomerang Class
Boomerang - the boomerang is a projectile weapon, and I personally have it set as my default B weapon after I get it in the first dungeon.  Why?  Well, it stuns many enemies (and kills some weaker ones) allowing an easier time in slaying them with the sword while they aren't mobile (especially tektites.)  However, the first boomerang has an extremely limited range, limiting its usefulness.  Usefulness Rating: B-.

Magical Boomerang - the magical boomerang does everything the boomerang does...only it does it better.  It flies further, which means when it curves to follow you, the path it takes is a bit more concave, allowing for better striking range.  The only problem is that once you obtain the magical boomerang from the second dungeon, all of your boomerang carrying enemies (the goriya) seem to find one for themselves.  Oh, well.  Everything must come with a little bit of a price.
Usefulness Rating: A-.

Defense Class
Magic Shield - a costly item but one that proves quite worth the expense, the magic shield blocks many a projectile and keeps Link better protected.  Also, it just plain looks cool.  The only thing with it is that it seems attractive for a particular enemy and they will stress you out trying to destroy them before they eat your shield.  But kind of worth the stress too...the shield you come with just doesn't do anything.
Usefulness Rating: B+

Blue Ring - Link finds the blue ring hidden in one of the shops in Hyrule, underneath an armos knight.  What an armos knight was doing sleeping on top of a shop, we'll never know.  Either way, the blue ring is an amazing item that you'll be wearing through most of the game.  It reduces your damage in half.  This helps you immensely, since this game is fairly action-based and likes to throw enemies at you that deal considerable damage, especially in the latter dungeons.  It helps to reduce the effects.  As well, there are many an over-world enemy that now have to touch you twice to take half of a heart off you.  Isn't that neat?  Best of all, your clothes change to blue, so you're not forced to stare at a green tunic Link constantly.
Usefulness Rating: A.

Red Ring - Link finds the red ring deep in the confines of Death Mountain.  It's too bad that he has to find it at the very end of the game, because otherwise, it would be incredibly awesome: it really only serves to increase his survivability through the final dungeon, which is l-o-n-g.  It again reduces the damage he takes and he goes through another costume change, this time to red.  It's useful, but because it's found so late in the game, it's kind of a downer.
Usefulness Rating: B.

Miscellaneous Class
Bombs - Bombs are found at random throughout Hyrule as an enemy drop.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the only game that allows for this...which means that this is the only item you add to your collection at random in the series.  After this Link must carry a bomb bag before he can carry bombs, and the bomb bag he uses limits his supply of bombs.  Bombs prove necessary for finishing the game, as you need them to create doors in dungeons to access rooms you otherwise couldn't have.  They also allow you to find all sorts of fun things in the over-world like shops, heart containers and other such things.
Usefulness Rating: B+

Power Bracelets - an item that you just find chilling underneath an armos knight (what is it with those guys and concealing stuff?) that is simply limited.  It solves no puzzles in the underworld for you...you do not need strength to move anything down there, as all the block puzzles are completed by pushing the blocks which Link can do, power bracelets or not.  All they do, really, is open up some side-quests options.  It's just a way to open up the game a bit, but in all honesty, they could have opened up the game anyway and blocked off these areas in a different manner.
Usefulness Rating: F

Whistle - this item is critical to do two things in this game.  You need it to access the seventh dungeon, and more importantly, it makes your life easier in defeating the fifth boss' dungeon.  However, otherwise, they found no more uses for this piece of junk other than having a tornado randomly take you from place to place.
Usefulness Rating: D-

Raft - the raft is another item that is critical to do a few things in the game.  It takes you to locations you can't get to because of water via the various docks in Hyrule and unlocks various other places in Hyrule as well as a few heart containers.  It doesn't do much else however.
Usefulness Rating: D

Stepladder - the stepladder is secretly very useful.  While it, like the raft and whistle before it, is useful only as transport to a few key locations in Hyrule, it also allows you to create bridges in all the underworlds, allows you to traverse the over-world a little bit easier, gives you more access in the over-world and as well, gives you a strategic combat location when you are in a dungeon room with water or lava pits.  When standing over them on this item, you are safe from non-flying, non-teleporting enemies.  This makes for an advantageous spot to attack from.
Usefulness Rating: C+

Magic Key - the magic key is found very late in the game, and like most of our miscellaneous items, it only serves one good purpose: to unlock the numerous doors that exist in Death Mountain.  If it were found earlier, though, it'd take a lot of fun out of the game's puzzles.
Usefulness Rating: C-

Wizardry Series

Magic Wand - the magic wand is often overlooked by both the novice and experienced Zelda player, and is one of the items that isn't explored in future Zelda titles.  It makes for an excellent long-distance weapon that fires rapidly, and very few enemies have a defense against its beams (or against fire).  It makes a great supplement when Link isn't at full strength and doesn't have sword beams.
Usefulness Rating: B-

Magic Book - the magic book only exists to enhance the power of the magic wand.  Now your beams create fire when they end.  Not terribly useful, unless your enemies happen to touch the fire.
Usefulness Rating: D

Candle Series
Blue Candle - Link puffs out some fire from this candle and creates several effects: he can burn down bushes, damage enemies that run into the flames and he can even light up dark rooms in the underworld.  This opens up a lot of exploration opportunity for Link, and several heart containers/items/rupee gifts are impossible to get without this item.
Usefulness Rating: B

Red Candle - The same as the Blue Candle, only this candle can fire more than once on the same screen.  This would prove useful offensively, only that you get the magic book and the magic wand soon after you get this.
Usefulness Rating: C-

Archery Series
Bow - the bow is simply that...a bow.  It doesn't come with a quiver or arrows...it's just wood and a string.  However, you cannot win the game without finding the bow, and once you buy arrows, the bow makes for a lovely secondary weapon, as it will in most every title afterwards.
Usefulness Rating: B+

Arrows - one of the only items that you are required to purchase and cannot find.  Once you purchase arrows, your rupees turn into arrows.  These make a great secondary weapon coupled with the bow.
Usefulness Rating: B

Silver Arrow - while the silver arrow has only one use, something I detest for an item, that use is to finish the game.  So its usefulness is quite high.  You cannot defeat Ganon without these (which makes me wonder if he's a lycanthrope).
Usefulness Rating: A+

Medicine Class
Letter - the letter is something one of the old men in Hyrule tells you to deliver to the old woman.  Sketchy.  Good thing you can't read it.  What it does is allows you to buy medicine.  While limited, this limited use is essential to your survival in this game, because going into these dungeons without a red potion is ludicrous.
Usefulness Rating: A

Blue Potion - the blue potion heals Link completely and fills all of his heart containers.
Usefulness Rating: B+

Red Potion - the red potion heals Link completely, filling his heart containers and turns into a blue potion.
Usefulness Rating: A+