If you could only buy one Wii game at launch, this would've, and should've been it. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is by far the best game in the launch lineup, and could well be the best Wii game until we see the likes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
STORY
Of all the Zelda games released to date I really feel that Twilight Princess has the best story of them all. Many of you have more than likely already heard bits and pieces of it so I'm not going to waste your time by writing a summary. However there are a few plot holes and things that are just never explained that really leave you hanging. Naturally if I were to tell you why Link becomes a wolf you'd think it would be a spoiler right? Wrong. In fact, all I can tell you about why Link becomes a wolf is that it was "foretold", and that's about all the info you get. There are a couple more, but I'm going to avoid getting into them since they show up later in the game and could really ruin it for you, but those who've completed the game know what I'm talking about. Another great aspect of Twilght Princess' storytelling is that it's the most cinematic of all Zelda games. You will find yourself watching some fairly long (although not too long) and beautiful videos. Just thinking of how great and engaging they were makes me want to go back and watch them all and regret that Nintendo didn't but in an option for you to be able to view them after completeing the game. It is one of the darkest Zelda tales ever told, rivaling that of Majora's Mask, and I really feel it's a good fit. This is what all future Zelda stories should be compared against.
GRAPHICS
Twilight Princess really looks amazing and is among the greatest graphically presented games on Wii. I understand the irony of it originally being made for GameCube, but when put up against the others only Red Steel can even come close to what Nintendo has produced. Things aren't perfect and you might notice a couple minor little jaggies if you look hard enough (the opening video is a good example. Just look at the bridge) but it does nothing to pull you away from the game itself. The art style and charcter design is unlike that of any other Zelda. The main villians in the game both have designs that would make anyone (other than Link) tremble in fear. But other than that the no other characters really jump out at you visually. Link looks great in his traditional green tunic when you get to see him up close in the cinematics, but since you're always looking at his back there isn't really much to see.
SOUND
This is where this game seemed to draw the most criticism from others. I personnally did not mind the soundtrack supplied for the game because when you're exploring Hyrule it's an after thought and barely noticable in the background. An orchestrated soundtrack would have been better, but what's there is fine. But there is one place where I would have loved to have to heard orchestrated music and that's in the game's numerous beautiful cinematics. It is truly the only thing that could have made them any better. Aside from music, the rest of the game's sound effects are great. Whether it's swinging your sword, blowing up a bomb, or an enemy or boss' growl it all comes together nicely. I personnally didn't mind the sounds coming from the Wii remote's speaker and it really didn't mean all that much to me. But if it's something you really don't want then you can get all the noises that would normally come from the remote, to come out of your TV by turning the remote's volume all the way down.
GAMEPLAY
Twilight Princess plays flawlessly with it's many puzzles and controls. You will NOT get tired playing this game in case you were worried because all it takes to swing your sword is a simple flick of the wrist. The pointer mechanism works really well with your bow & arrow and other projectile items. I however really enjoyed giving the nunchuk a shake for the spin attack. It's nothing big, but it feels better and dare I say easier than the old method of holding down B and releasing when ready.
The farther you get into the game, the more you will find yourself being swamped with so many different and unique items. One new appearance is the gale boomerang which is in essence a classic boomerang that creates a whirlwind around it. But without going into specifics I can say that there are a couple items which make their first appearance here and were great additions. However the biggest bone I have to pick with this game is it's bosses. You will have worked very hard to make it through to the end of the temple, only to meet a boss who would barely hold up as a mini-boss. It's just too damn easy. People new to Zelda may not have a problem with them but seasoned pros will be able to beat them with their eyes shut.
LASTING APPEAL
You better believe that you will never find yourself bored of this game. Frustrated perhaps, but never bored. Once you're in, you don't stop until you've completed every dungeon and the final boss. By itself the main part of the game will take you anywhere from 40 to 50 hours to complete, depending on how quick;y you really want to beat it. Now, if you were to try and complete all the side quests and collect all of the heart pieces to be able to say you've beaten the game 100% then that will take you a little longer.A couple of your side quests have you searching across all of Hyrule trying to gather either golden bugs or poes. As you may have heard Hyrule is massive in Twilight Princess so if you're going for that 100% completion mark it's going to take you 50 - 70 or more hours to get there.
BUY
If you consider yourself a gamer or even a slight Zelda fan then pick up this game ASAP.
DON'T BUY
If you've never been able to get into a Zelda game before try at least renting this one first. As great as it is, it's still very similar to those who came before it.
SCORE
STORY: 9.6/10
- The nagging plot holes keep it from getting a perfect score here.
GRAPHICS: 9.7/10
- It looks amazing but remember that this is essentially a GameCube port.
SOUND: 8.8/10
- Don't let the MIDI music fool you, it still sounds great.
GAMEPLAY: 9.1/10
- If the bosses were just a little more difficult.
LASTING APPEAL: 10/10
- I found it very difficult to put the game down.
OVERALL: 9.7/10 (not an average)
Excellent -
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Avoid
- Kindrik
) i'm not sure what to review...I still have to do a review on Madden NFL '07, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball, Link to the Past, Gunstar Heroes, Mario 64, legend of zelda, super mario. (maybe Rampage) But i'm not sure which one to do...
