(www.plasticpals.com) Never mind that it was designed for the Gamecube; Twilight Princess is one of the best looking Wii titles available. The character models are polished and textured with minute details; Link's clothing and equipment and the Zoras and Gorons have never looked better. Unique cultural cues for each of the game's areas enrich the world of Hyrule, resulting in a more believable and immersive adventure. You'll get to know many of the people you encounter quite well, either because they're integral to the story or because they test you with various side-quests along the way. Interesting and sometimes beautiful special effects spice things up, especially in the Twilight Realm.
As expected Link must save the day by exploring dungeons, solving puzzles, battling enemies, collecting special items, and slaying bosses – lather, rinse, repeat. Similar to A Link to the Past, there's even a light world/dark world set up. It's an old formula that some fans are getting tired of but it works, and somehow Nintendo has managed to improve it once again. All of the returning items with the exception of perhaps the standard bomb and bottle have been upgraded with some sort of new function. Where items haven't changed much, they've been improved thanks to the Wii remote's pointer functionality. Aiming the slingshot, boomerang, or bow feels incredibly natural and effortless. You can pick off enemies from afar so easily it's almost criminal. Say good-bye to the nightmare of aiming with the analog stick that was Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask.
One of the biggest changes is how Link attacks. Rather than pressing a button, players must now waggle the Wii remote in order to slash with the sword. At first this sounds like it might detract from the experience but once you get used to it, you won't want to go back. Sometimes, this can lead to frustration as there is a slight delay between unsheathing your sword and attacking that wasn't quite as evident in previous titles, but is forgivable because fighting feels more natural and satisfying. Players will pick up seven secret sword techniques as they progress through the game, which further enriches the battle system from The Windwaker, which was already pretty good. One of the biggest improvements that the waggle brings to the table is that Link doesn't come to a halt when he slashes his sword – you can run around freely slashing left and right.
As the game's introduction makes clear, Link can transform into a wolf. At first this is a bit of a curse, but eventually you can use this to your advantage. Link gains special abilities in wolf form that are indispensable to his quest. In addition, Midna (a lovable side-kick from the Twilight Realm) can stun a group of enemies for easy pickings, and point out where it's possible to jump long distances. You can also converse with animals and listen to spirits, which may provide you with the necessary clues to progress.
The puzzles aren't always new, and many chests are filled with rupees (that probably won't fit in your wallet anyway) but overall the dungeons are engaging to the last. Each one presents its own unique set of challenges and some are even inhabited by characters who will reward you for your help. The bosses look epic and are inventive and fun to fight, if a little easy for Zelda veterans.
There are some slight problems that mar the experience, such as the constant valuations of rupees per game session ("You got a Blue/Yellow/Red/Purple/Orange/Silver Rupee!"). Do I really need to see that prompt over and over again? It's a small, but annoying problem. Oh, and not having enough room for rupees ("so let's put it back") is annoying – let me carry 1000 rupees from the start, please.
Then there's the issue of the HUD, which takes up way too much real estate on the screen. You can hide the mini-map, but it's still annoying. In my opinion, everything (such as your hearts, rupees, items, etc) should be semi-transparent or invisible until needed. And it pains me to say it, but Epona just isn't as life-like and fun to control as Agro from Shadow of the Colossus.
Despite any minor flaws, Twilight Princess is an awesome experience, taking the best bits from previous Zelda titles and mixing them with new ideas, a new look, and new controls (in the Wii version anyway) to create a truly epic game. There's very little to complain about and a whole lot to love.
Some of the stand out moments for me are also the small ones; fighting a new type of enemy, using a new item, or meeting new characters. In other words, the kind of moments that make up every play session I had with the game. And it's a long game, too – it took me about 48 hours to finish it (collecting all the heart pieces and bugs, and most of the side quests – though I still need to find a few Poes), done over about a week a pretty good indication I was hooked!
More importantly, Twilight Princess feels complete (unlike The Windwaker) and is on the same scale as Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past, which is how a Zelda game should be. I can't imagine how they'll top this one next.
As expected Link must save the day by exploring dungeons, solving puzzles, battling enemies, collecting special items, and slaying bosses – lather, rinse, repeat. Similar to A Link to the Past, there's even a light world/dark world set up. It's an old formula that some fans are getting tired of but it works, and somehow Nintendo has managed to improve it once again. All of the returning items with the exception of perhaps the standard bomb and bottle have been upgraded with some sort of new function. Where items haven't changed much, they've been improved thanks to the Wii remote's pointer functionality. Aiming the slingshot, boomerang, or bow feels incredibly natural and effortless. You can pick off enemies from afar so easily it's almost criminal. Say good-bye to the nightmare of aiming with the analog stick that was Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask.
One of the biggest changes is how Link attacks. Rather than pressing a button, players must now waggle the Wii remote in order to slash with the sword. At first this sounds like it might detract from the experience but once you get used to it, you won't want to go back. Sometimes, this can lead to frustration as there is a slight delay between unsheathing your sword and attacking that wasn't quite as evident in previous titles, but is forgivable because fighting feels more natural and satisfying. Players will pick up seven secret sword techniques as they progress through the game, which further enriches the battle system from The Windwaker, which was already pretty good. One of the biggest improvements that the waggle brings to the table is that Link doesn't come to a halt when he slashes his sword – you can run around freely slashing left and right.
As the game's introduction makes clear, Link can transform into a wolf. At first this is a bit of a curse, but eventually you can use this to your advantage. Link gains special abilities in wolf form that are indispensable to his quest. In addition, Midna (a lovable side-kick from the Twilight Realm) can stun a group of enemies for easy pickings, and point out where it's possible to jump long distances. You can also converse with animals and listen to spirits, which may provide you with the necessary clues to progress.
The puzzles aren't always new, and many chests are filled with rupees (that probably won't fit in your wallet anyway) but overall the dungeons are engaging to the last. Each one presents its own unique set of challenges and some are even inhabited by characters who will reward you for your help. The bosses look epic and are inventive and fun to fight, if a little easy for Zelda veterans.
There are some slight problems that mar the experience, such as the constant valuations of rupees per game session ("You got a Blue/Yellow/Red/Purple/Orange/Silver Rupee!"). Do I really need to see that prompt over and over again? It's a small, but annoying problem. Oh, and not having enough room for rupees ("so let's put it back") is annoying – let me carry 1000 rupees from the start, please.
Then there's the issue of the HUD, which takes up way too much real estate on the screen. You can hide the mini-map, but it's still annoying. In my opinion, everything (such as your hearts, rupees, items, etc) should be semi-transparent or invisible until needed. And it pains me to say it, but Epona just isn't as life-like and fun to control as Agro from Shadow of the Colossus.
Despite any minor flaws, Twilight Princess is an awesome experience, taking the best bits from previous Zelda titles and mixing them with new ideas, a new look, and new controls (in the Wii version anyway) to create a truly epic game. There's very little to complain about and a whole lot to love.
Some of the stand out moments for me are also the small ones; fighting a new type of enemy, using a new item, or meeting new characters. In other words, the kind of moments that make up every play session I had with the game. And it's a long game, too – it took me about 48 hours to finish it (collecting all the heart pieces and bugs, and most of the side quests – though I still need to find a few Poes), done over about a week a pretty good indication I was hooked!
More importantly, Twilight Princess feels complete (unlike The Windwaker) and is on the same scale as Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past, which is how a Zelda game should be. I can't imagine how they'll top this one next.