The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Platform: Wii
Sure to go down as one of the greatest games on the Wii, if not of one of the greatest games of all time.
Review by Sirus

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the latest in the long running Zelda series of action adventure games. Twilight Princess is the first of the Zelda games to launch with a system. Gamers have the luxury of choice with this one because they can buy Twilight Princess either on the new Wii or their existing Gamecube depending on how interested they are in the new controller the Wii has.

The story in Twilight Princess starts out a little simpler then the average Zelda game. Link starts out as a farm boy not wearing a green tunic who helps herd the goats at the ranch. You spend the first part of the game doing little tasks for the people around the village to earn a fishing rod and a slingshot. Later in the day, while you are talking to your close friend Ilia in the spring, some monsters show up and kidnap Ilia and the other children of the town. When you wake up from it all, you are in a jail cell in the twilight realm where you meet a shadow creature named Midna. Midna helps you get out of the world and you go on a quest to clear the world of shadow and save your friends.

For those of you who have not played a Zelda game before, the games pretty much boil down to a succession of dungeons with bosses at the end and story sequences and fetch quests in between. Dungeons have you searching for small keys to unlock doors around the dungeon until you find the big key to access the boss fight. The dungeons in Twilight Princess are varied and fun. Many of the old themes are reinvigorated with new twists on the gameplay. Items that series fans have grown to love return along with some new items that make for some new challenges.

The combat in Twilight Princess comes in two forms. The first is the traditional human Link form that controls just like any other Zelda game except the Wii version is a little different. The analog stick on the nunchuk is used for movement while the C button on the front of the nunchuk is used to look around in first person. You also have the Z button on the nunchuk that is used for Z-targetting and you can execute the spin attack by shaking the nunchuk from side to side rapidly. Traditional sword swinging is done with quick flicks of the Wii Remote.

Your equipped item can be used with B and you can map three other items to the left, right, and down directions of the d-pad for quick swapping. The A button is context sensitive for the most part and has multiple uses depending on the situation. The map can be accessed with the 1 button, and the 2 button toggles your on-screen mini-map. The 1 and 2 buttons are a little hard to reach but you don’t need to open your map very often. While in wolf form, you can choose to attack either by swinging the Wii Remote or by pressing A depending on your preference. The B button is used to bring up an energy field that you can target multiple enemies with. Left and right on the d-pad have you hone your senses, allowing you to see spirits and scents. Finally, down on the d-pad has you dig in the ground in front of you.

The controls in Twilight Princess work great with the Wii Remote creating some of the most satisfying sword fights in any recent game. The controls may take some getting used to but after you have played for a while, the swinging won’t tire you out. Visually, Twilight Princess looks beautiful with some great uses of lighting effects and colors that make the game come alive. The music keeps to the old school synthesized melodies for the most part that helps Twilight Princess trigger nostalgic feelings in anyone who has played a Zelda game before. The game also uses the speaker in the Wii Remote for many sound effects most specifically sword slashes. The default volume can be a little excessive but a quick press of the home key can allow you to turn it down to whatever level suits you best.

Twilight Princess lasts from 35-40 hours just on the main quest. Collecting all the heart pieces, poes, and bugs can increase that value quite drastically, especially if you are not using a strategy guide or walkthrough. Twilight Princess manages to take the formulaic story and dungeons and breathe new life into them as if it was the first Zelda all over again. The facial expressions in the story sequences give the characters an emotional depth that I have not felt in any of the previous Zelda games. Players looking for a challenge might not want to go searching for all the heart pieces although the game can be fairly easy, at least as far as combat goes. Still, the new puzzles were fun and stimulating and the game left me satisfied. Twilight Princess is a game that all gamers should experience be it on Wii or Gamecube. If early Wii games look this good, I can’t wait to see what is to come.

Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Playtime: 35-45 hours
Final Score: 10/10