Wow...That's All I Can Say

I feel the need to make a bold statement here. While I can say with almost one hundred percent certainty that this is the best Zelda game ever made, I think I can also say, with some certainty, that this is the best game I have every played. Period. I may retract that later, but nothing I can think of even compares. Let me get into why that is now.

First of all, when reading the above statement, you have to understand that I am a huge Zelda fan. The Ocarina of Time used to stand as my favorite game of all time, and with the exception of Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64 and Zelda II for the NES, I have loved every Zelda game I have ever played, and I've played most of them. So let me say right now that if you're not a Zelda fan, than you skip this review and move on, because this probably won't convert you. However, if you are a Zelda fan, and you find yourself perhaps a bit jaded by the last entry for the Gamecube, this is just the game to get you back in the spirit.

Ok, I have to do this so this can be a quality review. I don't want to, but people will get irritated with me if I don't mention the graphics (I'm letting out a long dramatic sigh at this point). While it is true that the Wii does not have the graphical power of the other two big systems, this game still blew me away with its visuals. It's not so much the quality of the graphics themselves, but rather the way they're utilized. Graphical power without imagination is nothing, and Twilight Princess has imagination in visuals to spare. When you're leaping from tower to tower on a huge castle that you could only look at in previous games, or just looking at the characters, you'll forget all about the limitations of the Wii.

Now that that's over, let's talk about the game itself. If you've never played a Zelda game, they all pretty much play with the same basic mechanics. You go into various dungeons, performing side quests along the way, beat monsters in said dungeons, and eventually rescue Princess Zelda. While games in the Zelda series have been described by some as RPG's, I think they fit more comfortably in the adventure category. That's it in short form, but of course there's so much more to it than that.

In Twilight Princess, you play Link, as per usual, and you find yourself living peacefully in your little forest hut when destiny calls upon you. This time, a land, or dimension if you will, called the Twilight, has imposed itself on the real world, and it's up to you to defeat it. Along the way you'll pick up new and nifty items, beat huge monsters, and even spend part of your time as a wolf, which is the most awesome Zelda gimmick I've ever seen, and opens all sorts of new avenues for depth. You use your powers as the wolf to dig, and use your senses to either listen to mourning spirits or find useful quest items, or talk to other animals. You also get a sidekick named Midna, who also proves useful. And of course, you have your faithful horse Epona, who is a blessing in such a huge world. If you had to traverse it all on foot, you'd get bored pretty quickly.

To complete your quest, you'll have to traverse huge (and I mean huge) lands that range from huge mountains to lush forests. Pretty much everything is covered here. In fact, if you played the Ocarina of Time, think of this as Ocarina of Time II. You'll see a lot of the same areas, and meet a lot of the same characters, with some minor name changes here and there, but you'll do it so much more so you'll forget that you've already been to all these places. Every place has at least double the detail that Ocarina of Time did, and that's saying a lot because Ocarina of Time was also a huge game.

Along with that, many of the side quests are almost like games in themselves, such as the fishing. You can literally sit for hours and fish if you wanted to. But of course, who wants to do just that?

While the plot seems simple, as with other Zelda games, it's filled with all sorts of twists and turns, and you'll find yourself sucked in. I remember playing Ocarina of Time every day when it first came out, determined to save Hyrule, and wondering what new plot development would transpire. I've got that same feeling all over again.

Now for the next big question. How does the Wii's wacky controller stack up? Pretty darn well, I'd say. You use the nunchuk attachment to move, and control your camera, as well as target, and you use the remote for setting items for use and swinging your sword around. While the item switching is a bit awkward at first, the learning curve isn't that steep and you'll be able to function with it with no problems. In fact, in many areas it's an improvement, like when you're firing a bow and arrow, or a slingshot. Just point and click. It's an innovative and welcome change from the usual games that are on the market.

The sound is probably where the game suffers most, depending on perspective. The music is engaging, but not as advanced as it should be, but is reminiscent of other Zelda games. You'll recognize much of the music and the sound effects from years and years ago. The one bone of contention with some is the lack of any real voices. I personally am not that bothered with reading all the lines. While hearing great voice acting is just fine and dandy, the Zelda games have gone twenty years without them, and expectations for voicework would be high, and would probably only disappoint. Best leave that alone I say. Your Wii remote also incorporates sound through its speaker, from the giggling of Midna to signal that she can help you or that oh so familiar sound of unlocking a puzzle, it's all just basically gloss, but it works.

Here's the deal. If you have a Wii, buy Zelda, if you can find it. You'll spend hours and hours playing it, the plot is engaging, the gameplay is action packed and exciting...really, the game succeeds on every level. Get out there and find it.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is rated Teen, and is the first in the series to get that rating. While it is darker and more violent than other entries in the series, that's not saying much, so parents shouldn't have too much to worry about.