So apparently Legend of Zelda seems to be one of them game legends or something. I started gaming waaaay after the 'zelda era' was over, so i have no idea whats with it. Was it THE game to play during its time? So was it really that good or is nostalgia just thwacking everyone in the [censored]?

Which zelda? The original ones for the NES? There are quite a few, and Zelda is still around even today, the last one(new one anyways) to be released was either for the Wii, or the 3ds(not sure if the newest one has been released yet or not, if it has, it's 3ds, if it hasn't, it's the Wii(Skyward Sword). And yes, all of them lived up to the hype, they were absolutely incredible games, on all levels. Even the second one for the NES that incorporated an EXP system was hella fun.

A Link Between Worlds has been released for some time.

I think the series' main claim to fame is Ocarina of Time. IIRC, it was recognized as "the greatest game of all time" for some time, though I'm likely wrong.