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Great, Involving Gameplay for All Ages

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 217 / 229
Date: November 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Zelda Twilight Princess has been eagerly awaited by legions of Zelda gaming fans. This version features a more adult Link who rides a horse, swings a sword and saves the day.

The title is available for both the GameCube and the Wii, and there are definitely some advantages with the Wii. First, you can see the game in 480p, which is DVD quality. It's not quite high definition, but it's still quite nice! Second, you get widescreen, which means you get much more game to see on the screen. Finally, you get to use the motion sensing controllers on your Wii to swing your sword, go fishing, aim your slingshot, and much more.

First, the gameplay. Most gamers will be thrilled to hear that Link is less cartooney in this game. That's not to say it's a mature title - it's still a game without blood. You kill evil enemies who vanish in a puff of smoke. You go on a variety of quests, and it's very much good-against-evil. Rather, with this Link you're not a little 6 year old on a toy sailboat. Your Link is in his late teens, has his own house, owns a horse. He is harassed by three little tykes, but there's a certain young lady whose large eyes catch at Link's heart.

In no time at all Link is out in a world which is not all butterflies and daffodils. There are dark things afoot in Hyrle. The land is covered in twilight, and you turn into a wolf to deal with the shadows. Your senses serve you well in this realm. It's not too scary for kids - but it gives the game much more depth for older players.

The graphics are rather impressive for a Link game. Remember, the game is still a cartoon, so you're not seeing detailed tanks or the pores in the characters faces. The world you are in is stylized. There is plenty of detail in 480p - or even in regular TV resolution - to show the orange pumpkins, green vines, and fluffy white chickens which make up Hyrule. The water ripples, the dust billows and the fire flickers in the fireplace.

How about the sound? The Link games were famous (or notorious) for the silly noises characters make. None talk. I suppose this makes it easy for them to convert the game to every language in the world - they just change the text out and are all set. Also, you can change your name and your horse's name without any speaking issues. The voices might not know how to pronounce "Shadowfax".

Gameplay is just amazing in its length and depth. There are numerous worlds to traverse and dungeons to delve into. There are the standard collection of mini-games, quests, things to collect, puzzles to solve. You could easily play this for months and not be done. This isn't a game to race through to say "I solved it" and move on to something else. It's a world to immerse yourself in, to get to know every hill and dale, to track down those secret locations.

I really like how the Wii controllers integrate into the game. It's not like you are using them constantly, getting exhausted with hand movements. Instead, you do a fair portion with the regular joysticks for fine movement. The joysticks are used in a more general way, for sweeping sword attacks or relaxing fishing. You can use small movements if you want - but it's much more fun if you get into the spirit of things and swing away. Just make sure you have that wrist strap properly connected!

Downsides? The little "he he he" voices can get annoying quickly, especially if you are stuck on a puzzle and they are tormenting you. Sometimes the checkpoints send you back further than you might like.

They do a good job of giving you little nudges if you get stuck, helping you figure out your way through the puzzles.

In general, I think they struck a great balance between "tame enough for younger kids" and "in depth enough for older players". There are a lot of teen and adult Zelda fans out there, and they'll be quite pleased with what the game offers. This is definitely one of those must-have for gamers who like adventure games even the slightest!

Absolutely Breathtaking

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 118 / 123
Date: November 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you loved Ocarina of Time as much as I did, this will make you happy.

The graphics are gorgeous. The scenery is amazing. Everything looks beautiful, and the best part is it still feels like a Zelda game. They decided to revert back to the N64 Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask style graphics (but much cleaner, of course) rather than the cell shaded Wind Waker. I like the realistic character design much more for Zelda than the cartoonish one from the other recent games.

You can also get Twilight Princess on Gamecube, but the Wii version has some extra benefits. One such benefit is the interactivity. When you go fishing, you use the motion sensitive controller to cast the line into the water and reel the fish back. This makes it a lot more fun than the somewhat tedious sit-there-and-wait-to-press-A fishing game in Ocarina of Time. I'm glad they revamped the fishing and brought it back. Also, it is much more integrated in the gameplay than the last fishing minigame in a Zelda game (which was, of course, in Ocarina of Time). You use fish in sidequests and for other purposes.

As far as the control, it feels very natural. You use one Wii-Mote and one Nunchuck together for it. You control Link's movement and targeting with the left hand and you use the right hand to move your fairy around with the motion sensor, and to supplement the left hand with looking around, that action button, and other functions. It's hard to explain without trying it yourself, but trust me, the controls are great.

You start out the game with your horse, Epona. You also get the option to name both Link and Epona when you start your file, although I'm not sure if this will have any effect other than what NPC's in the game call you. Sometimes games use naming for codes ("If you enter your name as ___, ___ will happen" type things) but somehow I doubt it for this game. Anyway, the controls for Epona are great too. Just like Ocarina of Time, you can press A to speed her up and jump over fences. She is very beautiful and detailed too. When you make turns, you can see Link pull in the reins. You use Epona for many minigames as well as just getting around. In the beginnig of the game, for example, you use her to herd goats into a shed. It's a lot of fun, and horseback riding is another feature I'm glad they brough back.

Also, don't worry if you saw Link with the weird goatherder outfit in all of the previews - he does get his original outfit later on. The dungeons are AWESOME. It's rated Teen, but Zelda games have never included inappropriate content in my opinion. You do kill monsters, but there is no realistic blood or gore, or suggestive themes. The rating says "Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence". Trust me, it's fine for kids. The action is all "hero against evil" type action. This game is a total blast, and both new and old-school Zelda fans will love it. Even if you've never played a Zelda game, try this one - it'll get you hooked.

Legendary -- Part II

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 16
Date: December 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Controls:

Another strong selling point for Twilight Princess is its appealing control system, made possible by the motion-sensing capabilities of the Nintendo Wii controller. Twilight Princess was a launch title for the Wii, meaning that it was available with the system when it first went on sale. As one of the first games to utilize the Wii's new controller, Twilight Princess certainly does an admirable job. Link's actual movement is controlled via the analog stick on the Nunchuck attachment, while swordplay and the use of other weapons is accomplished through the Wiimote. When the player swings the Wiimote, Link swings his sword onscreen. A slight disappointment for many players is that, while you can perform certain specific attacks with specific hand movements, there is no one-to-one swordplay: the way you swing your Wiimote does not impact the way Link swings his sword. On the whole, however, this more physical way of controlling action is extremely immersive. Many players, at integral parts of the game, find themselves slashing with their Wiimotes in broad strokes, becoming physically and emotionally engrossed in the action occurring onscreen. The Wiimote also functions as the means by which Link aims his bow and other projectile weapons. The Wiimote allows for a level of precision never before realized in console gaming: the player can easily fire arrows and hit enemies even at great distances, making archery an extremely enjoyable aspect of the game. One of the most memorable parts of the game takes place in an abandoned ghost town, where Link fires arrows at goblins in a old Western-like atmosphere. The tight control provided by the Wiimote enables this adrenaline-inducing battle. The Wii controller also has special uses in many of the minigames. In the frustratingly addictive and challenging Rollgoal, the player tilts the Wiimote to gently guide a marble ball along a small raised path into a goal. In the fishing pond, players use the Wiimost to cast their line and wiggle their lure, then use the Nunchuch to reel the line once a fish bites. These games help to add variety to the predominant fighting/puzzle-solving activites and are extremely addictive because of their creative and immersive controls.

Story elements:

The effective story elements used in Twilight Princess are another key reason for its success. Throughout the game, Link follows the archetypal storyline of the hero's journey. He starts off as a young rancher, leading a humble life in rural Ordon Village. A horde of monsters rides through the sleepy town, kidnapping several children before racing away, impelling Link set out on a rescue mission. Link finds that all is not well in Hyrule: a sorcerer named Zant has deposed the rightful ruler (Princess Zelda) and is transforming the land into a shadow realm, its inhabitants into phantoms. When Link reaches the shadow-infected regions of Hyrule, he is transformed into a wolf and is imprisoned. An imp-like creature named Midna (the Wise Old Man figure as well as a heroic sidekick) rescues Link, and together they search for the weapons that will allow them to destroy Zant and restore the kingdom to Zelda. After many adventures and trials, Link acquires the necessary Master Sword and magical Fused Shadows, but in the battle with their foe Midna is defeated, leaving Link alone to finish him and save the kingdom. This traditional story of good versus evil, a courageous youth coming of age, and bringing balance to a kingdom--as cliché as it may sound--appeals to the player's desire for a classic, mythical story. This story is told through in-game play as well as through various cutscenes scattered throughout the game. Many of these sequences have a cinematic feel to them, and incorporate elements from film to tell the story effectively. Elements of the plot are revealed bit-by-bit, often leaving the player with cliff-hanger moments that impel them to move through the game in order to discover what will happen next. These story elements are primarily what give Twilight Princess the legendary feel that players love.

The cast of characters is one of most endearing elements of the game: the main characters are fully fleshed out with personalities and attitudes that connect the player to the universe of the game. From the morally ambiguous and tragic Midna, to the strong-willed but tender Ilia, to the sarcastic yet ever-amusing Malo, these figures are well-developed. As the storyline progresses, the player becomes more and more attached to these characters, and the desire to protect them and discover their eventual fate motivates the player to continue on through the game. Much of the characterization occurs during the cutscenes of the game. These sequences are remarkably well-choreographed for a video game endeavor: subtle elements like facial expressions and body language serve to give characters life and personality. Often the characters and the situations they find themselves in evoke strong feelings of pathos. For example: in one cutscene, after scouring half of Hyrule to rescue his childhood friend (and love interest) Ilia, Link enters the tavern where she is staying. His face is bright and excited as he approaches her, but as Ilia looks for a moment at Link, there is no hint of recognition or joy: the blow to the head she received when kidnapped caused her to lose her memory. As she walks past silently, Link's face crumples and the player empathizes with the heartbroken and frustrated hero. Moments like this draw the player deeply into the story of the game and cause an investment of emotion and interest that makes playing more satisfying.

Detracting elements:

Despite its many strong points, the greatness of Twilight Princess is limited by small shortcomings, most of which were inherited from earlier Zelda titles. One of the greatest disappointments to many fans is the lack of orchestrated music. As a fantasy epic, the Zelda series has always been an extremely appropriate candidate for a fully orchestrated soundtrack. As orchestration has become more common in games recently, and as Nintendo delayed Twilight Princess for over a year, many fans were hoping to have a fully orchestrated score accompany the game. Nintendo instead opted for the synthesized music they have always used--which, although often very good composition-wise, fails to meet the caliber many fans expected. Nintendo also opted to follow the old road with the script: in a period where voice acting in games was quickly becoming the norm, especially for high-budget projects, Twilight Princess sticks to text-only. Characters gasp, laugh, scream, and even sing a little, but their lines must be read by the player. Good voice acting would certainly have made for a more immersive experience, something that Twilight Princess strives to do in almost every other regard. Finally, as a lesser complaint, the graphics in Twilight Princess are sometimes disappointing. While the graphical style is elegant and artistically appropriate for the game, the quality is simply not on par with many other games of otherwise similar quality. Often the visuals are slightly blurred, detracting slightly from the experience. Again, the level of expectation for this game was raised by its lengthy delay and considerable hype, and in this regard Twilight Princess is somewhat disappointing.

Conclusion:

In the end, however, any shortcomings fail to significantly tarnish the accomplishment that is Twilight Princess. What Twilight Princess has to offer in terms of gameplay, control, and story elements cannot be matched by many other available titles. It is a classic Zelda game, one of the best games available for Wii even today, and an innovative, engaging experience overall. Almost anyone who enjoys playing video games will appreciate Twilight Princess as truly legendary.

Near fatal bug can prevent the user from completing game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 19 / 23
Date: January 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is an amazing game, up until the point where software bugs prevent the player (i.e. me) from continuing the adventure. Therefore, since only about 2/3rds of the game was available for me to play I rated it no greater than 2/3rds of the maximum.

I'll just mention the bug without using any spoilers. You'll eventually encounter a cavern that you must enter and do something, but if you save after entering this cavern and then restart a confirmed glitch in the game will prevent you from ever leaving. I'm incredibly disgusted with this situation and am not yet done dealing with Nintendo because their solution was to start over from scratch or from an earlier save record if one was available.

If I had it to do over again I would wait for a second release of this game, like a "Player's Choice" release because it's likely that will contain an updated build of the game with bug fixes. You may also want to consider the Gamecube build because I've read accounts where people say that the bug was fixed for the Gamecube release.

This situation and others that I recently have had with Nintendo products has seriously dented the reputation for quality that the company used to have.

See The Light of Zelda

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: January 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Once again, Nintendo is able to give a stellar addition to the popular Legend of Zelda series. Despite the fact that the games usually contain the same three core characters (Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf), the games continue to be original. More importantly, though, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is engaging, challenging, and fun.
A few centuries after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the descendents of Link and Zelda, who themselves are also named Link and Zelda (the various games in the series take place across various time periods, with the main characters being represented by ancestors and descendents, all of whom strangely share the same names). Link is a farmer in a southern province of Hyrule while Zelda is, as always, the princess of Hyrule. In an interesting move, the people that link lives with may not exactly be Hylians; Hylians, including Link and Zelda, have always been characterized by their pointed elf-like ears, but Link's fellow villagers have rounded ears that we have.
The first few tasks of the game have Link dealing with mundane tasks in order to learn the various controls for the game, which, for the Wii version, is extremely important. However, after being asked to bring a gift to the royal family, mysterious and shadowy beasts show up and enshroud the land in a mysterious twilight. Link is turned into a wolf while trying to fight the monsters, and is subsequently knocked out and jailed. While in jail, he meets Midna, who helps free Wolf-Link in exchange for help with a yet-to-be-revealed task.
From there, Link and Midna work as a team to rid the land of Hyrule of the strange twilight. The quest takes Link and Midna to previously seen locales of Hyrule such as Death Mountain (where Gorons live), Lake Hylia, Zora's River (home of the Zoras), and Gerudo Desert. New places include Snowpeak (home to one of the strangest dungeons I've encountered in a Zelda game) and Link's home of Ordon.
As the game goes on, Link's quest takes new turns and has events that are some of the most epic actions I've ever seen in a Zelda game. While Ocarina of Time was an epic tale overall of how Link, Ganondorf, and Zelda first crossed paths, there are moments in Twilight Princess that seem to be taken directly from The Lord of the Rings. The final battle of the game is also very well constructed and fun to engage in.
The Wii gameplay is amazing. Swinging the Wii Remote to swing Link's sword, pointing the Remote at the screen to aim the bow, and using it as a fishing rod truly bring the player into the game in ways the traditional control system could never attempt. It also allows for a much smoother form of horseback combat than that present in the N64 versions (though it was still difficult). If you have a Wii, I definitely reccomend this version over the Gamecube one (the only downside is a loss of continuity; since Link is usually left-handed, the programmers were afraid that right-handed people, who are the majority, would have trouble using the sword, so they flipped the game around; what this means is that Gerudo Desert is now in the East and Kakariko Village and Death Mountain are now in the West, though in the Hyrule in Ocarina of time, the desert was in the West and Kakariko and Death Mountain were in the East).
I have to say that the only thing that I would change about this game is the inclusion (or lack thereof) of magic. For some reason, even though magic exists, Link does not have a magic meter. Therefore, there are no spells or magic arrows (or green potions), and the Magic Armor, which makes Link invulnerable while wearing it) is powered by rupees, which can be very annoying. Still, aside from the complaint, this is an amazing game. The story is fantastic, the gameplay is top-notch, and the graphics are amazing. This game may not be as good as Ocarina of Time, but it is very, very close.

Not perfect, but the next best thing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: November 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okay, i know there is a lot of hype about this game and i assure you, it's the best Legend of Zelda game ever, but there are a few negitive comments that should be adressed.

First up, the sword swinging is very cool, i'll admit, and it does add another level of immersion, however, you do not control the angle and force that Link siwings with (sorry to anyone who was really hoping otherwise). Pretty much, waving the controlller back and forth, will yeild the same results as complicated swinging motions (again, sorry).

Second, this game will have you banging your head against the wall several times throuout the story line, some of these puzzles are just immense! if you really like puzzles than this is your greatest dream, but otherwise, it can get a little annoying.

Finally, although the bosses are spectacular and will really wow you graphics wise, they are not all that challengin. I'm a veteran Zelda player so this may just be because i'm used to figuring out bosses, but sieriously, som of the Ocarina of Time bosses presented a much bigger challenge.

Now for the good stuff. Graphics wise, these are the best nintendo has produced and are ten times better than the Wind Waker ones. The story line is really long and has a ton of side quests so it will keep you busy for a while (60-70 hours at least!!) and some of the new features including horseback fights, and incorperating the wii remote into the game really adds to the completion of the game that we all know and love. Despite some of its drawbacks, it's a must-have game for anyone who owns a wii.

Graphics: 5/5
Music: 4.5/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Length: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

The Legend lives on.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 20
Date: November 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been dubbed one of the biggest launch titles in history, coming out with the Nintendo Wii on November 19th. The game's appearance on the Nintendo Wii was confirmed by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata at E3 `05, and has since been a target of hype and anticipation like no other. Numerous delays-including the delay of the Gamecube version of the game until December `06-have held Twilight Princess back, but rest assured that Nintendo's flagship Wii title is for real. It's not too bold to say that Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the greatest Zelda game of all time, and Ocarina Of Time sits playing second fiddle.

Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess takes our hero Link to the land of Hyrule (where else?), where a mysterious and terrifying twilight has taken the land by storm. This twilight is the product of the evil Twilight King Zant, whose shadow creatures begin wreaking havoc on the world. It's up to the blessed Link to save the day, but of course, it's not that simple. Early on, Link enters the darkness of the twilight and is temporarily transformed into a wolf. He also meets a strange character named Midna, a twilight being bent on driving the evil Zant from power. The story delivers on all counts, gripping the player to Hyrule and almost all of its NPCs like no other Zelda game before it. It's dark and twisted for Legend Of Zelda standards; and throughout the story you'll question everyone from Link to Midna to even Zelda herself.

Zelda games are all about adventure, and Twilight Princess gives the player a massive world to do all of the adventuring one could possibly want. The world is full of caves, towns, and dungeons to explore as well as lakes, forests, deserts, and mountains. The scope of the game is huge before even considering the hefty amount of things to do. Twilight Princess follows a very familiar Zelda structure, for the most part. Players are thrown into Link's world and eventually a conflict leads him towards a region's dungeon area, where Link will solve puzzles and defeat a boss character to restore peace throughout that region. This game does take the formula a little further; different regions throughout the world will be consumed by twilight throughout the game. Link must enter in his wolf form and seek tears of the region's inhabitants, which restores power to an overseeing guardian who drives away the twilight and restores the area. This extra factor in the gameplay really prolongs the game, but in a good way. Twilight Princess has a pace that never lets go of your attention but yields enough freedom to allow you to explore, which is the point in the first place.

Dungeons are a major highlight here, and the developers have mastered level design. Like the rest of the game, they follow a familiar pattern. Each dungeon introduces major challenges, new puzzles, and an important new item that will help you out with the former two situations. This structure has held strong since the series began in 1987, and it is rock-solid here as well. When you come across the bow in the second dungeon, for example, you're bound to use it a lot to solve the puzzles and open up some new areas as well as defeat the boss character. Zelda is very similar to another classic Nintendo franchise, Metroid, in that finding new items can really open up a lot elsewhere in the game. As I mentioned, exploring the world is a big deal in this game, and finding new stuff to uncover nooks and crannies is the trick to finding even more cool stuff.
The big controversy over the Nintendo Wii version of Twilight Princess was whether or not the controllers would be able to deliver familiar control mechanics so that Zelda fans wouldn't have to adjust much to a new scheme. Rest assured that Twilight Princess on the Nintendo Wii controls perfectly. That's really all there is to say about it, in general. It feels great, simply put. To go a bit more in-depth, though, you control Link's general movement with the nunchuck's analog stick. Unsheathing and swinging his sword is done with movements of the Wii remote, and for the spinning slash attack, the nunchuck. Z-targeting is back and works as well as it always has, and items can still be used and mapped to different buttons on the Wii remote. Using projectile items is a real treat; items like the slingshot, boomerang, and bow can be fired with the Wii's B trigger and aimed with the Wii remote's motion sensitivity as well as a targeting reticle on the screen. After some practice, defeating enemies, solving puzzles, and simply moving around is as easy as it ever was. Twilight Princess has as much of a learning curve as Ocarina Of Time did, and anyone who's played a Gamecube or Nintendo 64 Zelda game will have no trouble hacking and slashing through minion after minion, stopping only to scratch their head at the next befuddling puzzle or look at the scenery.

There are distractions everywhere that strongly support the rumored 70 hours of gameplay. Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess breaks a traditional Zelda mold by forcing you to find 5 Heart Pieces to restore a Heart Container (normally you'd collect four), and as a result, there are 45 of these pieces scattered throughout the world. Fishing was always fun on the Nintendo 64 Zelda titles, but it's an all-new experience here. With the Wii remote, you'll cast the fishing rod, set the hook, and reel in a fish rather than pressing buttons and moving analog sticks. There are 60 Poe souls and 24 Golden Bugs to seek as well as other mini-games scattered throughout Hyrule. If there's not enough for you to do here, well, I don't know what to tell you, because this game's loaded.

Twilight Princess is easily the best-looking Nintendo Wii title out of the gates. Hyrule has never looked so beautiful. Link's character model is detailed down to the chain mail protecting him underneath his tunic, and when you see the high towers of Hyrule Castle far off in the distance of the grassy rolling hills of Hyrule Field, it's hard to say the view isn't stunning. The character designs of the last few Zelda games have been superior to most games, but Twilight Princess takes it to a level so high that even those who don't normally appreciate such a thing as art style and design will be impressed. Enemy designs are some of the best in the series, and boss characters are more fearsome than ever before. The twilight structures enemies are very interesting, usually colored in a very dark palette with high-contrast, almost neon-colored designs covering them. Even the different weapons and items look interesting, and are much less conventional than those of previous games. The animation is smooth as silk. Link has no problem keeping up with your flinging of the Wii remote as you slash through keese and other familiar enemies. I was happy to see that some of Wind Waker's effects, like the exploding enemies and flashes of light during battle, were kept intact despite the otherwise polar opposite art direction. It also won't hurt to mention that the game's cut-scenes are choreographed beautifully, making for some of the best story clips I've seen in video games.

The music ranges from classic and memorable to completely new, but never leaves the high quality that you'd expect from a Zelda game. If there's anything as familiar as Link's green tunic, the Master Sword, or the Triforce, it's the different sound effects, jingles, and tunes that series veterans could hum in their sleep. You'll hear the familiar theme songs, that little tune that plays when you unlock a door or uncover a secret, and even the same jingle when you open up a treasure chest with an important item inside. There is still very little voice-over, with most of what's there coming from Midna's foreign twilight tongue. While most veterans of the Zelda franchise are happy with this, I would have liked to see other NPCs speak throughout the game. I wouldn't mind if Link remained his voiceless, wordless self, but everyone else could and should be talking.

After reading eight paragraphs of praise and little else, you might be wondering: Is Twilight Princess a perfect game? Sadly, it's not, though it's close. It's got a few flaws that keep it at a mortal status, though none of them are detrimental to the gameplay and are easily dealt with. First of all, the sole visual fault comes from slightly blurry textures that show that the game was intended to be a last-generation Gamecube game. Second, some of the alterations to small elements of gameplay bothered me a bit. For example, Link climbs at about half the speed he used to, making those all-too-common vine or grate climbs a major chore. Also, there are several lava, poison, and endless pits that will set you back-sometimes too far back. Early on in the game, you're to follow a monkey holding a lantern through an area filled with poison gas. If you get even an inch too far into the poison gas and away from the safety of the lantern, Link will pass out and return to the beginning of the area. The frustrating part in this specific example is that you battle enemies and can't control the speed of the monkey, so it's entirely possible to return to the starting point multiple times. Last of all, some of the twilight enemies-specifically the shadow minions that you'll encounter often as a wolf-are somewhat annoying to deal with. They present a definite challenge, but eventually they can become quite tiresome.

Even with those three gripes I mentioned above, Twilight Princess is a blast to play. It's tough to creatively elaborate on that; it's just fun, and that is the most important purpose of video games. Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an epic, and nothing less. It's a game that will test anyone, whether the player controlling Link with the Wii remote is a veteran or beginner. There is so much to do and so much to see that only the definition of time and meaning of life is more perplexing to think about. Nintendo couldn't have kicked off the Wii launch in a better way, but more importantly, they've one-upped a game that is considered by most as the greatest of all time. Ocarina Of Time, eat your heart out. There's a new legend, and it's Twilight Princess.

Fantastic Zelda experience

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

With the Wii and the new controller, and Nintendo's new ideas about bringing in non-gamers, it's refreshing to see that Nintendo still wants to please the long-time gamers. People that have been fans of this classic franchise should do what they can to get a copy of this game. It proves that Nintendo still has the hardcore gamer in mind, and is still willing to put time and effort into games that will please us.

If you are new to gaming and the Wii is the first console you ever bought, you may find this title to be a pretty intense experience compared to Wii Sports. You may find it to be a little too much for you, though I suggest you give it a try eventually. If you're a hardcore gamer, and better yet a longtime Zelda fan, the game is everything you want.

As far as the Zelda experience goes, as in exploring caves and dungeons and towns and finding numrous items and weapons, Twilight Princess has it all. Lots of things from previous games have been improved upon. There are plenty more dungeons than Wind Waker, and now you can swing your sword while riding your horse, which you couldn't do in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

Much can be said about the story presentation in Twilight Princess. There's definitely been a lot of effort put into the story of Twilight Princess. The graphics are only at a GameCube level, but they look good. Some have reported that it is the darkest and most serious Zelda story made. Personally, I don't think it's that much darker and serious than Majora's Mask. A cloud of twilight overcoming Hyrule, a giant moon crashing into Termina, one does not seem more apocalyptic than the other.

I said the Zelda experience is great in Twilight Princess, but there are also elements to Twilight Princess that are new to the Zelda franchise. The wolf is one. For portions of the game you control Link as a wolf. While I prefer Link in his regular Hylian form, there are cool things about being a wolf. With wolf Link's sense of smell, you can locate and dig up items such as hearts and rupees in the ground. If you're low on either, become a wolf and do some sniffing. Combat is a little clumsy with the wolf, though. Link certainly has less power in his attacks as a wolf than as a Hylian, especially when you obtain more powerful weapons.

There's also the Wii remote control. The Wii remote is great with the projectile weapons and other such aiming devices, like the arrows and the clawshot. It's great to just point at the screen where you want to fire your arrows and take down an enemy. For sword slashing, you swing the remote like you would a sword. The sword controls are the weakest part of the game, as they could have been more immersive. You swing the remote to swing your sword. It doesn't matter how you swing the remote. Whether you swing it left, right, up, or down, Link will always swing in the same combinations. To make a stabbing motion with your sword, you hold forward on the nunchuck control while Z-targetting and swing the remote. You don't actually stab forward with the remote, which makes perfect sense to me, and, in fact, was what I was trying to do for a while. I wasn't expecting the sword control to be 1:1, but they could have made it a little more intuitive than it was. In the end, it would have been easier to just press a button to swing the sword.

The sword is my biggest complaint. A few other minor complaints include the lack of a magic meter and thus any magical attacks, the lack of Octoroks, one of the mainstays of the Zelda franchise, and the battle mechanics, which are kind of a step backward from Wind Waker. I might be in the minority with my opinion here, but Wind Waker's timed parries have been done away with, and I liked how the timing brought in an extra level of concentration. For Twilight Princess, all the parry moves from Wind Waker can be done manually, so long as you learn them. Some gamers may like that they can do those moves whenever they want, but personally I miss the concentration on timing that was involved. Also, in Twilight Princess you cannot pick up enemies' weapons, which was one of my favorite things about Wind Waker.

Overall, the things that make Zelda what it is are all here and in top form. There are plenty of dungeons, challenging puzzles, lots of items and weapons, cool boss fights, and a gigantic overworld to explore.

I also really like Midna. I wondered whether or not it was a good idea to bring a new character into the franchise. We all know how Navi and Tingle turned out, and I was afraid we were seeing the next Tingle in all those trailers. But you don't need to worry about Midna. She is a cool character, and I like the way she develops. She starts out as kind of a punk, who just seems to be using Link for her own purposes, but as the game goes on we see a softer side to her.

I subtract one star from the overall score because I am convinced the sword controls could have been much more immersive than they were, but I had a blast playing this game and it was just a straight run-through, without paying much attention to sidequests and minigames. It took me about forty hours to finish the main quest, so if you play this game totally, you'll have a lot of playing to do. Whether you get this Wii version or the GameCube version is up to you. You may just prefer pressing a button to randomly swinging the remote, but you may feel that the more precise aiming with the pointer makes the Wii version better. It's your choice. But I do recommend you get one or the other.

Sure it's good, but it could have been great.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: December 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There are a lot of good aspects and a lot of bad aspects of this highly anticipated launch title for the Nintendo Wii. I'll start with the good and end with the bad and my reasons for only giving this game 4 stars.

The Good:
--The game is HUGE. Once, just for fun, I decided to walk Link at a relaxed gait from one end of the game to the other in order to see how long it would take. I gave up it took so long.
--I'm very glad that Nintendo decided to put a lot of creative energy into the art and look of the game, given the graphical limitations of the Wii. The game is absolutely gorgeous with creative characters and mysterious temples. It's worth it to waste an hour or two and just ride your horse around Hyrule and look at everything.
--Great cinema scenes.
--Wii remote works and is responsive, and really does enhance the experience. But....

The Bad:
--The way the player swings the remote has no bearing on what kind of swing Link does.
--Sword combat with the remote is too easy. It doesn't require a lot of skill. I would say any novice could pick up the remote, Z-lock onto an enemy, start shaking the remote back and forth and defeat a lot of the enemies in the game. After you whack some enemies, they just stand there and sway back and forth, waiting you to whack them some more.
--Along the same lines, bosses are too easy. Very fun and impressive, but too easy.
--Overall, the game feels like an Ocarina of Time on steroids. A lot of parallels to the N64 classic, like places, characters, weapons, dungeons (you have to use Iron Boots and walk at the bottom of a lake to get to the Water Temple again), etc. Some find these parallels nostalgic and cool, but I think they're kinda lame.

What would have made this game the classic that everyone was expecting? In my opinion, Nintendo should have coordinated the movements of the remote with Link's sword swings better--when I slash right, Link slashes right, when I tomahawk swing downward, Link does the same. Ocarina of Time revolutionized video game combat with its Z-Targeting system, and it would have been great if Twilight Princess had a similar breakthrough. Legend of Zelda sword combat has always been very precise, but with this new game, we're left waving the remote willy nilly back and forth, hoping to hit something. An even more immersive sword combat experience would have justified the hype and 5 stars for this game.

Conclusion:
Even though I've emphasized the negatives more than the positives in this review (I'm a pessimist), Twilight Princess is a great gaming experience. Every Wii and Gamecube owner should check it out.

Absorbed in Twilight

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular games of all time. When a new Zelda game marches forth, the fans are always there. Now, after spending years in development, with delay after delay and ultimately being pushed onto the Nintendo Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is finally here.

Twilight Princess is by far one of the most instantly absorbing in the series. The game begins with you as Link in the village of Ordan. Things are going well for Link and his friends until a band of monsters riding a boar come and kidnap two of his friends. When Link awakens, he's suddenly thrust into a twilight realm where he meets a creature named Midna, who decides to aid Link on his quest. From the get go, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess is instantly absorbing. The storyline is by far one of the best in the series and is very engrossing and absorbing.

The control scheme is not so bad at all. You'll control Link using the remote and nunchuck attachment. Swinging the remote makes Link swing his sword. It doesn't take a lot of work to do it either. A simple flick of the wrist is all it takes to make Link swing his sword. In addition, shaking the nunchuck causes him to do his famous spin-slash attack. The controls are surprisingly fluent and very well responsive. Its an interesting way to play Zelda, and there's no steep learning curve to it.

The heart of the challenge from the game mainly comes from the puzzles rather than the actual dungeon crawl itself. Simply because once you do get used to the Wii remote and controls you'll have a pretty easy time getting through the dungeons. The game provides a targeting system for you, and so you'll find it really easy. Using projectiles like the slingshot is also made easier with the Wii remote. You simply aim at objects and fire. If you miss its entirely your own fault.

A unique twist to the gameplay of Zelda is that Link not only goes around in his normal form, but can become a wolf as well. As a wolf the controls are virtually the same with the exception of Link being able to use senses and dig. You'll also be forced to solve puzzles in wolf form as well, and it does indeed add some variety to the game. As you progress in wolf form, Midna sits on your back and is there to offer advice for you. Gameplay wise, Twilight Princess knows how to keep you immersed in the game.

Visually its hard to judge Twilight Princess. Its a pretty game, but as you probably expected it pretty much looks like a late Gamecube release. This may be because Twilight Princess wasn't intended for the Wii in the first place, but the Gamecube. To the games credit though, it has a lot of detail going for it. Link has never looked better. The land of Hyrule has never looked better. Your enemies and some of the cinematics also sport some awesome detail. So while it does look like a late generation Gamecube game, keep in mind that it still looks good and that it probably even looks smoother and runs better on the Wii. Load times are virtually non-existant here.

The music still sounds pretty good. A lot of tunes you'll recognize from previous Zelda adventures, but the new stuff sounds pretty good too. There's no voice acting, though, and that still bothers me about Zelda to this day. The Windwaker could've used voice acting and so could Twilight Princess. The story is so absorbing, and it probably would've been better had they added voices to it. Link grunts and such and from time to time one of the NPC characters might yell something, but there's really no spoken dialogue throughout the game. It would've been really exciting to see some of the cinematics brought to life through fantastic voice acting. In the long run this probably won't bother anyone, and its a small price to pay for a game that's as fantastic as this.

For what its worth, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is very good. Its by far the most absorbing story in the entire series, and its gameplay is unmatched. Fans who have followed Zelda since its days on the NES will be pleased at just how far the series has come with Twilight Princess. Its one of the best in the series.

The Good

+Absorbing story
+Fantastic Gameplay
+There's a lot of great detail given to the game
+The puzzles are quite challenging
+The game still sounds good

The Bad

-Graphicwise, its really pretty, but you can't help but admit its just a late Gamecube game
-All this time and the series still lacks voice acting

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