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| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Review by Robert Cross,Computer Games Online  Rarely does a console launch with the latest game in a vaunted franchise. The last time it happened was with the Nintendo 64's Super Mario 64, a game hailed as revolutionary at the time. While The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will not re-define gaming in any way, it is one of the most impressive games ever made, and refines the Zelda formula by adding a heavy emphasis on story. Taking the classic gameplay of the series, incredible production values, and a 35+ hour adventure, Twilight Princess is a front-runner for game of the year.Once again, gamers take control of Link, a boy who lives in a forest village in the Kingdom of Hyrule. You'll spend time learning how to ride your horse, fish, and shoot your slingshot before heading into the kingdom to save the world. This time around, a mysterious man named Gant has spread twilight over the world. A strange creature named Midna comes to Link's aid when the twilight converts him into the form of a wolf. You'll spend the game between these two forms - though early on you will spend long periods of time as the wolf. That's the biggest new gameplay mechanic in the game - though you'll get a few items new to the series later on in the game. The main thing that Twilight Princess does well is drive the game with story. Other Zelda games generally had a loose story around collecting a bunch of pieces, and yes, that's still sort of the case here. But between dungeons you'll find some great story elements that manage to transcend the typical Zelda elements, even while still incorporating them. It's hard to explain, but some of the sequences in the game, play out like a fantastic action-adventure film, and leave you feeling exhilarated. There are so many amazing moments throughout the game, but we won't go into them here for spoiler reasons. The Wii remote plays a big role in the game, with you hacking and slash with slight wrist movements. I really like the sensation of hacking and destroying an enemy on screen. You can also literally aim weapons like your bow and arrow on screen. The controls are a little touchy at times, but it works. There was only one instance late in the game where I really hated using the wii remote for my sword, but fortunately there was an alternate method to get through the situation. That's not to say that the game is perfect though. My biggest complaint comes due to the fact that the game is very easy. I only got stuck once, and that only lasted for about 30 minutes. There was rarely a challenging boss fight - I really would've liked to have seen these be extremely challenging. The bosses are all epic, I just wish they weren't so easy because they end far too quickly. The puzzles never really give the challenge of some of the other Zelda games. The later dungeons also feel too short. Perhaps that's because the game is just so good you want it to keep going - but it's still the general feel that I have after playing through. The other issue for some might be in the graphics of the game. As Zelda is on the Wii, it's not going to wow you with high-definition visuals. Instead, the game presents a very cohesive and artistic look, and one that I think is quite stunning. I was fortunate enough get Component Cables prior to launch, and on my HDTV, the game looked great. I'm not sure what the complaints are - but I'm also able to look past some of the muddy textures. As a cohesive whole, Twilight Princess is a good-looking game. Sure it'll get blown away by Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games, but it's still solid. The sound is another issue though - it's overly compressed and doesn't sound that great on a good system. I would love an actual orchestrated soundtrack that doesn't sound halfway between real and MIDI. The sound effects are solid though, and I like the use of the Wii remote's speaker. Ocarina of Time is my favorite game of all time and had a revolutionary magic to it. Twilight Princess certainly matches Ocarina, even without that magic. Considering how much I've grown, how many more games I've experienced over the past eight years, it is easy to see that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is one of the finest games ever crafted. A true masterpiece, no gamer should go without playing it. Overall score: 5 out of 5 write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Game News :: home page |