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This thread has been linked to the game 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'.
The Gamecube, in spite of all its unappreciated beauty, was a disaster for Nintendo. Not only had it failed to succeed commercially but it was also a critical failure. Nintendo’s short and sweet approach which dominated the systems early years had divided a fan base. Whereas some found Mario Sunshine to be a worthy successor to Mario 64 and Wind Waker a breath of fresh air for the Zelda series, others felt they were too short, lacked polish and had been rushed to the shops. And it was these gamers that turned their backs on Nintendo and followed RARE onto Microsoft’s new machine.
So at E3 2004, with some harsh lessons learnt, Nintendo unveiled a title that made grown men weep. A game to prove the doubters wrong. A game that would see out the Gamecube (and with it the Nintendo of old) with style. A game that would also usher in a grand new era of Nintendo gaming, proving that their future was no mere gimmick.
It is safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the most important game in Nintendo’s history.
VISUALS
Not that the game ever really looked the part. Granted, for a Gamecube title, it is graphically superb and for a Wii title it certainly holds its own, but when compared to similar titles on rival systems you’ll start to think that a Zelda game should have look far better than this. Yet in the same breath you can’t help but commend Nintendo on a job well done. Lake Hylia is breath taking and the Twilight Realm is as eerie and uncomfortable as an alternate dimension should be. Couple this with unique character design and Zelda almost sidesteps its more illustrious rivals with its artistic flare. Indeed Zelda is a game that has always prided itself on atmosphere, and much like Wind Waker’s deceptive simplicity, Twilight Princess manages to wrap you into its own special world and keep you there, that is until Link’s sword mysteriously disappears into a wall.
AUDIO
The sound also does its fair share in pulling you into this land of make believe. Criticism over the use of MIDI tunes are cast aside when you find yourself humming along to the music of Hyrule field and bobbing your head to the ever-familiar Saria’s Song. Also, for those lucky Wii gamers, the in-built Wii remote speaker is used to awesome battery draining effect. Midna’s little giggles, the familiar Zelda chimes and the sword swiping sound effects are all emitted from the controller and make for a greater sense of immersion. Even with poor speaker quality.
The character of Midna, that little imp that sits upon Wolf Link’s back and steals the show away from both Gannondorf and Zelda, is the only character in the game to have a voice. Midna’s garbled nonsense (last heard in Banjo Kazooie) proves to the world that in game speech can work, even if it would triple the size of the game. Perhaps something for Zelda’s future.
GAMEPLAY
Graphics age, Audio can be improved, but a good game is always a good game. And thankfully Zelda is a good game. Although at one point even this could go either way. The opening segment to the game can be a laborious affair and the first third (the game lasting in excess of 40 hours) relies heavily upon Zelda nostalgia. Indeed the first part of the game could have been converted straight from Ocarina of Time, your tree house is back, your quaint home village is still there, the Zora’s are back, The Goron’s are back… hell even Kakariko Village is back. And you’ll spend most of your early experiences comparing the two titles, wasn’t the old Kakariko a better village and wasn’t Saria far more attractive than Lila? (or is that just me?)
Thankfully though, as the game truly gets going, Twilight Princess gets a mind and body of its own. The later selection of dungeons are the best a Zelda game has ever seen, with fresh, new weaponry that will hopefully find a home in Zelda’s of the future. The Spinner turns one room into a Tony Hawks esq. thriller, as Link bounces from wall to wall whereas the ball and chain is an incredibly satisfying weapon to wield. Even classic Zelda weaponry has been upgraded with the iron boots, boomerang, claw shot and bombs gaining some development of their own. Yet it is more than just these nuances that enables Twilight Princess to stand out from its predecessors. Zelda prides itself on moments where you snowboard against yeti’s, or play and talk to animals, fish on a custom built lakes or sail down rivers, fly as dragons or slay Mobolins whilst riding your horse. Twilight Princess is no exception to this, offering a host of enjoyable side quests to accompany the main adventure, all of which are improved courtesy of the Wii remote.
I can comfortably say that the Wii remote adds to and improves the whole Zelda playing experience. Accurate aiming with the bow cannot be matched and neither can the satisfaction of a stabbing a Skultula in the back with a well timed flick of the wrist. There are issues certainly, the need to aim at your sensor bar during dungeons can be frustrating at times and the menu screens were poorly mapped to the Wii remote (3 screens each with different button configurations, the Gamecube doesn’t have this problem). But these are minor issues, which don’t distract from your enjoyment. Perhaps my only criticism is that, at times, you barely realise you’re using any new controller at all. When you play as a wolf (which is also an exciting and interesting new addition to the game) you can get away with not using any of the Wii remote’s special features. Hardly a “revolution”.
CLOSING COMMENTS
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had a burden on its shoulder like no other. Expectations were high and perhaps Twilight Princess’ greatest achievement is reaching that target. Like every Zelda before it, you’ll be bewitched by it’s charm and give yourself up to its world. It may not push the boundaries but by combining the epic nature of Ocarina of Time, the darkness of Majora’s Mask and the combat of The Wind Waker it has become one of the greatest Nintendo games of the 21st century.
It is just a shame it had to end.
Dringo.
So at E3 2004, with some harsh lessons learnt, Nintendo unveiled a title that made grown men weep. A game to prove the doubters wrong. A game that would see out the Gamecube (and with it the Nintendo of old) with style. A game that would also usher in a grand new era of Nintendo gaming, proving that their future was no mere gimmick.
It is safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the most important game in Nintendo’s history.
VISUALS
Not that the game ever really looked the part. Granted, for a Gamecube title, it is graphically superb and for a Wii title it certainly holds its own, but when compared to similar titles on rival systems you’ll start to think that a Zelda game should have look far better than this. Yet in the same breath you can’t help but commend Nintendo on a job well done. Lake Hylia is breath taking and the Twilight Realm is as eerie and uncomfortable as an alternate dimension should be. Couple this with unique character design and Zelda almost sidesteps its more illustrious rivals with its artistic flare. Indeed Zelda is a game that has always prided itself on atmosphere, and much like Wind Waker’s deceptive simplicity, Twilight Princess manages to wrap you into its own special world and keep you there, that is until Link’s sword mysteriously disappears into a wall.
AUDIO
The sound also does its fair share in pulling you into this land of make believe. Criticism over the use of MIDI tunes are cast aside when you find yourself humming along to the music of Hyrule field and bobbing your head to the ever-familiar Saria’s Song. Also, for those lucky Wii gamers, the in-built Wii remote speaker is used to awesome battery draining effect. Midna’s little giggles, the familiar Zelda chimes and the sword swiping sound effects are all emitted from the controller and make for a greater sense of immersion. Even with poor speaker quality.
The character of Midna, that little imp that sits upon Wolf Link’s back and steals the show away from both Gannondorf and Zelda, is the only character in the game to have a voice. Midna’s garbled nonsense (last heard in Banjo Kazooie) proves to the world that in game speech can work, even if it would triple the size of the game. Perhaps something for Zelda’s future.
GAMEPLAY
Graphics age, Audio can be improved, but a good game is always a good game. And thankfully Zelda is a good game. Although at one point even this could go either way. The opening segment to the game can be a laborious affair and the first third (the game lasting in excess of 40 hours) relies heavily upon Zelda nostalgia. Indeed the first part of the game could have been converted straight from Ocarina of Time, your tree house is back, your quaint home village is still there, the Zora’s are back, The Goron’s are back… hell even Kakariko Village is back. And you’ll spend most of your early experiences comparing the two titles, wasn’t the old Kakariko a better village and wasn’t Saria far more attractive than Lila? (or is that just me?)
Thankfully though, as the game truly gets going, Twilight Princess gets a mind and body of its own. The later selection of dungeons are the best a Zelda game has ever seen, with fresh, new weaponry that will hopefully find a home in Zelda’s of the future. The Spinner turns one room into a Tony Hawks esq. thriller, as Link bounces from wall to wall whereas the ball and chain is an incredibly satisfying weapon to wield. Even classic Zelda weaponry has been upgraded with the iron boots, boomerang, claw shot and bombs gaining some development of their own. Yet it is more than just these nuances that enables Twilight Princess to stand out from its predecessors. Zelda prides itself on moments where you snowboard against yeti’s, or play and talk to animals, fish on a custom built lakes or sail down rivers, fly as dragons or slay Mobolins whilst riding your horse. Twilight Princess is no exception to this, offering a host of enjoyable side quests to accompany the main adventure, all of which are improved courtesy of the Wii remote.
I can comfortably say that the Wii remote adds to and improves the whole Zelda playing experience. Accurate aiming with the bow cannot be matched and neither can the satisfaction of a stabbing a Skultula in the back with a well timed flick of the wrist. There are issues certainly, the need to aim at your sensor bar during dungeons can be frustrating at times and the menu screens were poorly mapped to the Wii remote (3 screens each with different button configurations, the Gamecube doesn’t have this problem). But these are minor issues, which don’t distract from your enjoyment. Perhaps my only criticism is that, at times, you barely realise you’re using any new controller at all. When you play as a wolf (which is also an exciting and interesting new addition to the game) you can get away with not using any of the Wii remote’s special features. Hardly a “revolution”.
CLOSING COMMENTS
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had a burden on its shoulder like no other. Expectations were high and perhaps Twilight Princess’ greatest achievement is reaching that target. Like every Zelda before it, you’ll be bewitched by it’s charm and give yourself up to its world. It may not push the boundaries but by combining the epic nature of Ocarina of Time, the darkness of Majora’s Mask and the combat of The Wind Waker it has become one of the greatest Nintendo games of the 21st century.
It is just a shame it had to end.
Dringo.
Dringo, you just said it was, well basically crap, now you say it is brilliant? DUDE! Do you EVER think for yourself?
No doubt the Gamecube was brilliant. I totally think it was. But critics were torn over certain major franchises, unlike before, and the sales for a Nintendo console was at its lowest. The indifference of the critics and the poor sales makes the Gamecube a critical and commercial failure.
I don't think the gamecube was a disaster. It breathed new life into many tired franchises. Mario>New weapon and gameplay. Zelda> Great new graphical style. Metroid> totally new FPS style.
Nintendo totally redefined many of it's games with the cube. And get over it haters, Mario Sunshne makes 64 look like crap.
Nintendo totally redefined many of it's games with the cube. And get over it haters, Mario Sunshne makes 64 look like crap.
The Gamecube, in spite of all its unappreciated beauty, was a disaster for Nintendo. Not only had it failed to succeed commercially but it was also a critical failure. Nintendo’s short and sweet approach which dominated the systems early years had divided a fan base. Whereas some found Mario Sunshine to be a worthy successor to Mario 64 and Wind Waker a breath of fresh air for the Zelda series, others felt they were too short, lacked polish and had been rushed to the shops. And it was these gamers that turned their backs on Nintendo and followed RARE onto Microsoft’s new machine.
So at E3 2004, with some harsh lessons learnt, Nintendo unveiled a title that made grown men weep. A game to prove the doubters wrong. A game that would see out the Gamecube (and with it the Nintendo of old) with style. A game that would also usher in a grand new era of Nintendo gaming, proving that their future was no mere gimmick.
It is safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the most important game in Nintendo’s history.
VISUALS
Not that the game ever really looked the part. Granted, for a Gamecube title, it is graphically superb and for a Wii title it certainly holds its own, but when compared to similar titles on rival systems you’ll start to think that a Zelda game should have look far better than this. Yet in the same breath you can’t help but commend Nintendo on a job well done. Lake Hylia is breath taking and the Twilight Realm is as eerie and uncomfortable as an alternate dimension should be. Couple this with unique character design and Zelda almost sidesteps its more illustrious rivals with its artistic flare. Indeed Zelda is a game that has always prided itself on atmosphere, and much like Wind Waker’s deceptive simplicity, Twilight Princess manages to wrap you into its own special world and keep you there, that is until Link’s sword mysteriously disappears into a wall.
AUDIO
The sound also does its fair share in pulling you into this land of make believe. Criticism over the use of MIDI tunes are cast aside when you find yourself humming along to the music of Hyrule field and bobbing your head to the ever-familiar Saria’s Song. Also, for those lucky Wii gamers, the in-built Wii remote speaker is used to awesome battery draining effect. Midna’s little giggles, the familiar Zelda chimes and the sword swiping sound effects are all emitted from the controller and make for a greater sense of immersion. Even with poor speaker quality.
The character of Midna, that little imp that sits upon Wolf Link’s back and steals the show away from both Gannondorf and Zelda, is the only character in the game to have a voice. Midna’s garbled nonsense (last heard in Banjo Kazooie) proves to the world that in game speech can work, even if it would triple the size of the game. Perhaps something for Zelda’s future.
GAMEPLAY
Graphics age, Audio can be improved, but a good game is always a good game. And thankfully Zelda is a good game. Although at one point even this could go either way. The opening segment to the game can be a laborious affair and the first third (the game lasting in excess of 40 hours) relies heavily upon Zelda nostalgia. Indeed the first part of the game could have been converted straight from Ocarina of Time, your tree house is back, your quaint home village is still there, the Zora’s are back, The Goron’s are back… hell even Kakariko Village is back. And you’ll spend most of your early experiences comparing the two titles, wasn’t the old Kakariko a better village and wasn’t Saria far more attractive than Lila? (or is that just me?)
Thankfully though, as the game truly gets going, Twilight Princess gets a mind and body of its own. The later selection of dungeons are the best a Zelda game has ever seen, with fresh, new weaponry that will hopefully find a home in Zelda’s of the future. The Spinner turns one room into a Tony Hawks esq. thriller, as Link bounces from wall to wall whereas the ball and chain is an incredibly satisfying weapon to wield. Even classic Zelda weaponry has been upgraded with the iron boots, boomerang, claw shot and bombs gaining some development of their own. Yet it is more than just these nuances that enables Twilight Princess to stand out from its predecessors. Zelda prides itself on moments where you snowboard against yeti’s, or play and talk to animals, fish on a custom built lakes or sail down rivers, fly as dragons or slay Mobolins whilst riding your horse. Twilight Princess is no exception to this, offering a host of enjoyable side quests to accompany the main adventure, all of which are improved courtesy of the Wii remote.
I can comfortably say that the Wii remote adds to and improves the whole Zelda playing experience. Accurate aiming with the bow cannot be matched and neither can the satisfaction of a stabbing a Skultula in the back with a well timed flick of the wrist. There are issues certainly, the need to aim at your sensor bar during dungeons can be frustrating at times and the menu screens were poorly mapped to the Wii remote (3 screens each with different button configurations, the Gamecube doesn’t have this problem). But these are minor issues, which don’t distract from your enjoyment. Perhaps my only criticism is that, at times, you barely realise you’re using any new controller at all. When you play as a wolf (which is also an exciting and interesting new addition to the game) you can get away with not using any of the Wii remote’s special features. Hardly a “revolution”.
CLOSING COMMENTS
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had a burden on its shoulder like no other. Expectations were high and perhaps Twilight Princess’ greatest achievement is reaching that target. Like every Zelda before it, you’ll be bewitched by it’s charm and give yourself up to its world. It may not push the boundaries but by combining the epic nature of Ocarina of Time, the darkness of Majora’s Mask and the combat of The Wind Waker it has become one of the greatest Nintendo games of the 21st century.
It is just a shame it had to end.
Dringo.
So at E3 2004, with some harsh lessons learnt, Nintendo unveiled a title that made grown men weep. A game to prove the doubters wrong. A game that would see out the Gamecube (and with it the Nintendo of old) with style. A game that would also usher in a grand new era of Nintendo gaming, proving that their future was no mere gimmick.
It is safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the most important game in Nintendo’s history.
VISUALS
Not that the game ever really looked the part. Granted, for a Gamecube title, it is graphically superb and for a Wii title it certainly holds its own, but when compared to similar titles on rival systems you’ll start to think that a Zelda game should have look far better than this. Yet in the same breath you can’t help but commend Nintendo on a job well done. Lake Hylia is breath taking and the Twilight Realm is as eerie and uncomfortable as an alternate dimension should be. Couple this with unique character design and Zelda almost sidesteps its more illustrious rivals with its artistic flare. Indeed Zelda is a game that has always prided itself on atmosphere, and much like Wind Waker’s deceptive simplicity, Twilight Princess manages to wrap you into its own special world and keep you there, that is until Link’s sword mysteriously disappears into a wall.
AUDIO
The sound also does its fair share in pulling you into this land of make believe. Criticism over the use of MIDI tunes are cast aside when you find yourself humming along to the music of Hyrule field and bobbing your head to the ever-familiar Saria’s Song. Also, for those lucky Wii gamers, the in-built Wii remote speaker is used to awesome battery draining effect. Midna’s little giggles, the familiar Zelda chimes and the sword swiping sound effects are all emitted from the controller and make for a greater sense of immersion. Even with poor speaker quality.
The character of Midna, that little imp that sits upon Wolf Link’s back and steals the show away from both Gannondorf and Zelda, is the only character in the game to have a voice. Midna’s garbled nonsense (last heard in Banjo Kazooie) proves to the world that in game speech can work, even if it would triple the size of the game. Perhaps something for Zelda’s future.
GAMEPLAY
Graphics age, Audio can be improved, but a good game is always a good game. And thankfully Zelda is a good game. Although at one point even this could go either way. The opening segment to the game can be a laborious affair and the first third (the game lasting in excess of 40 hours) relies heavily upon Zelda nostalgia. Indeed the first part of the game could have been converted straight from Ocarina of Time, your tree house is back, your quaint home village is still there, the Zora’s are back, The Goron’s are back… hell even Kakariko Village is back. And you’ll spend most of your early experiences comparing the two titles, wasn’t the old Kakariko a better village and wasn’t Saria far more attractive than Lila? (or is that just me?)
Thankfully though, as the game truly gets going, Twilight Princess gets a mind and body of its own. The later selection of dungeons are the best a Zelda game has ever seen, with fresh, new weaponry that will hopefully find a home in Zelda’s of the future. The Spinner turns one room into a Tony Hawks esq. thriller, as Link bounces from wall to wall whereas the ball and chain is an incredibly satisfying weapon to wield. Even classic Zelda weaponry has been upgraded with the iron boots, boomerang, claw shot and bombs gaining some development of their own. Yet it is more than just these nuances that enables Twilight Princess to stand out from its predecessors. Zelda prides itself on moments where you snowboard against yeti’s, or play and talk to animals, fish on a custom built lakes or sail down rivers, fly as dragons or slay Mobolins whilst riding your horse. Twilight Princess is no exception to this, offering a host of enjoyable side quests to accompany the main adventure, all of which are improved courtesy of the Wii remote.
I can comfortably say that the Wii remote adds to and improves the whole Zelda playing experience. Accurate aiming with the bow cannot be matched and neither can the satisfaction of a stabbing a Skultula in the back with a well timed flick of the wrist. There are issues certainly, the need to aim at your sensor bar during dungeons can be frustrating at times and the menu screens were poorly mapped to the Wii remote (3 screens each with different button configurations, the Gamecube doesn’t have this problem). But these are minor issues, which don’t distract from your enjoyment. Perhaps my only criticism is that, at times, you barely realise you’re using any new controller at all. When you play as a wolf (which is also an exciting and interesting new addition to the game) you can get away with not using any of the Wii remote’s special features. Hardly a “revolution”.
CLOSING COMMENTS
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had a burden on its shoulder like no other. Expectations were high and perhaps Twilight Princess’ greatest achievement is reaching that target. Like every Zelda before it, you’ll be bewitched by it’s charm and give yourself up to its world. It may not push the boundaries but by combining the epic nature of Ocarina of Time, the darkness of Majora’s Mask and the combat of The Wind Waker it has become one of the greatest Nintendo games of the 21st century.
It is just a shame it had to end.
Dringo.