/vr/ - Retro Games

Because OoT relied on being a 3D game. We now have thousands of 3D games that look better and play better than OoT.
Consider the targetting system. It is good just as a placeholder. You don't really want to play an action game where you don't have to aim, but it was better than nothing at the time, the priority was "show a 3D action game". The consequence is that, nostalgia and popularity aside, the first three zeldas are better gameplay wise. Once you know the story and looks of OoT, you will get more engagement by playing the older games.

Mario 64 on the other hand exploted the 3D environment in a way it had not competitors. It wasn't just one of the first 3D games, it was a great 3D game. It seems that even in this day and age indie devs are still copying Mario 64 (contrast this with the popularity of zelda 2d in the indie scene as opposed to OoT).