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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Review (continued)
More User Submitted The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Reviews
Date: 2008-01-18
Best Zelda adventure yet!
This for me is the best Zelda adventure yet. I've played all the major Zeldas that came out on the gameconsoles (not the portable ones) and I have to say this is the best most interesting one with a great story and a great play
Date: 2008-01-16
The Master Sword fixes everything, trust me
I admit it; I liked Ocarina of Time better, but Ocarina of Time is basically an untouchable standard of the Zelda franchise. Let me get the little niggly things out of the way, first. For someone who has spent hundreds of hours on Ocarina and Wind Waker, the sudden absence of a real musical instrument is annoying. No longer can you tootle Epona's song to make her come running, or mess with the flow of time just because you felt like getting a little sun. Instead you have to go rolling all around Hyrule Field--which, by the way, makes Ocarina's version look like a back yard--to find Horse Grass and blow through it. Once you get the Master Sword, though, you have about 90% as much freedom with warping around. To warp, you must be in wolf form, but to transform there must be absolutely no NPCs in the area or Midna will have a fit about the uproar you'll cause and keep you from transforming. You can also only warp to where you've made a warp point, and without any spoilers, I have to say they're annoying to make and you have no choice in their placement. And of course, before you find the Master Sword, god forbid you should need to make a trip between, say, Kakariko Village and Lake Hylia; there are broken bridges and indestructible impasses everywhere, so even looking at your map constantly won't provide you with a sure route.
With that out of the way, this is an intensely enjoyable game. Some people have complained that it takes three hours to get to the first dungeon--to them, I say pfaw. Piffle. Etcetera. I, for one, have always enjoyed post-Ganon capering around Hyrule, and the game lets you have a brief taste of that, as well as acquainting you with characters you'll be expected to care about, before plunging you into abject torture (for Link, not for the player). I wasn't fond of the bughunt thing, true ("So, you're a god, and you got your essence sucked away by a bunch of giant cockroaches? Really? ...Really?"), but being a wolf is a great and different experience from normal human Link gameplay. Besides, if you can't handle a measly 3 hours in a franchise known for long sloggy stories, then you're better off trying Resident Evil, or GTA.
The plotline is nicely twisted, a bit darker than traditional Zelda fare, perhaps--there is, not terribly far into the game (after the second dungeon) what I would consider the creepiest cutscene in a Zelda game I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever seen Link be so vocal, either (screaming long and loud, et. al). The whole thing is conceptually very strong. Your tasks are also greatly varied, all the way to including sumo bouts! Watching Link sumo-stamp in his Ordon threads and face off against men and Gorons thrice his size is hilarious, let me tell you.
Audio-wise, I have to say I adore the music, to the point I went and got the soundtrack (the real 127-track one, not that sissy 24-track one). Hyrule Field has gotten very orchestral, and there's now a gorgeous song for Hyrule Field at night, which I find lovable enough to not mind riding back and forth across the expansive Field for hours at night. The Twilight theme is also pretty enough to keep you distracted from the fact, early on in the game, that you are CHASING ROACHES krhgkjshg Some people complain that after 20 years and counting, the series has yet to include any real voice acting besides Midna's gibberish and the occasional sharply-drawn breath or battle cry. Why are you complaining? It's such a small detail after years without words, not to mention rather a hallmark of the series (especially Link's total wordlessness and implied answers, which is rampant in other RPGs anyway).
I've never played the Wii version, so I can't comment on graphics, really, but to me they seem shiny and smooth enough. The only time I thought the graphics were failing, it actually turned out to be an enemy campfire. Har. In cutscenes, the graphics smooth out even more, and there are no such things as vertices on Link's baby face.
Date: 2007-12-29
You haven't lived till you've tried...
This is the greatest game ever. I would say it is probably the best adventure game I have ever played in my life. The graphics are amazing, it is long and challenging, it tests your ability to solve logic puzzles, and it is just overall extremely entertaining. If you own a nintendo game system, this is a MUST HAVE. The only thing I could say against it is if you already own two or more zelda games, you may find that the plots are a bit repetitive. IT IS WORTH EVERY CENT.
Date: 2007-12-21
I love Zelda: Twilight Princess on both systems
When I got my Wii, I traded in my Gamecube version of Twilight Princess for the Wii version. Now I miss the Gamecube version, for one main reason: You don't get camera control in the Wii version!!! This is a minor difference, however, so I'd be happy with either version.
Most of the reviews I had read led me to think they are identical except for the control and being mirrored, but they left out the fact that in the Gamecube version, you can control the camera with the C-stick, whereas in the Wii version, you can't control it. So for me, that makes me like the Gamecube version slightly more (plus, I am left-handed, so I prefer the left-handed Gamecube Link to the right-handed Wii Link).
Of course, in every other way, the Wii version is better. Using the Wii remote makes it more fun and interactive (I love controlling the little fairy by pointing at the screen, which makes up for not having camera control), and it seems like the graphics are smoother somewhat on my Wii (can't really tell though, might just be my imagination), and you get more item buttons on the Wii.
I just thought I'd write this to make sure people realize the difference so they can choose for themselves. Either way, this is one of the greatest games of all time! For Zelda fans, it ranks up there with Ocarina of Time, although in my opinion, the SNES Link to the Past will always be the best.
Date: 2007-12-14
Almost as good as OOT . . . Almost.
Loved it. Fell short of Ocarina of Time (which has ruined me for all other Zelda games), but I still loved it.
Just a few things I really liked:
Epona looks fantastic and the animation is just right. I was a tad bit worried about how Epona would carry over, but she ended up being an improvement over the original. Link can finally use his sword while riding, so that's a super plus.
The graphics. Nintendo has always been known for using the Zelda titles to push their hardware to the max, and this is no exception. They surprised the heck outta me, even for a Gamecube title. Link has gotten a huge update and looks gorgeous, but he's still the same fairy-boy you know and love. The environments are almost life-like - attention to detail is phenomenal.
Sound is pretty much the same to me. Link is still silent, and I actually prefer it that way as I think a voice would ruin him.
The sound effects have almost all been updated, but the entire scheme still sounds very similiar to OOT.
There is one new addition, however, and that is Midna. She is the only fully voiced character in the game - speaking a fictional language.
Controls are still the same old same old, and they fit perfectly. Link still doesn't jump (which is fine), and rolling is still a bit faster than running.
The Story. A good one, to be sure, and there is plenty to it. Again, they have expanded on the Dark World/Light World scenario which has proven to be tried and true. In the Dark World (Twilight), Link assumes the form of a wolf. In the Light World, Link assumes the form of the Hero of Time.
It's all very similiar to LTTP - complete with an object that allows Link to remain Hylian in the Dark World, and a mirror that allows travel between the two Worlds.
The cinematics. They looked good, and there were more of them than in past games. There also seems to be an added element of drama that wasn't there in the past.
What I didn't like:
The music in this game wasn't all that great to me. All the past games have had several catchy or memorable tunes, and this one is really lacking in that. The only theme I enjoyed was the Kakariko theme, and I think I despised the Overworld theme. There are some returning OOT and LTTP themes, and they sound good, but the rest are average.
Epona's movement while using the bow. She still runs straight in first-person view. I don't think it would have been that hard to give the player use of a thumbstick here.
Rupees. There are way, way too many rupee chests in the dungeons. I do like that you can actually put them back if you can't carry them, but jeez louise what a waste of time and effort.
They weren't utilized very well in the gameplay either - the balance was off in my opinion. Either you never had enough, or you were always full. I never found a happy medium there.
The dungeons. Honestly, I found them to be somewhat linear. In LTTP and OOT - I remember being lost quite frequently and having to memorize several areas before getting through a certain dungeon. In Twilight Princess, you are almost given the route you should take instead of having to figure it out. They also seemed smaller to me, but I'm not so sure that is true. It's hard to say.
The Cave of Ordeals. I just didn't care for this at all. If the rooms had been full of puzzles instead of enemies, I would have enjoyed it. But, I found the hacking and slashing rather tedious after a bit.
Sword upgrade. Yes, you do get the Light Sword near the end of the game. But, you only get to use it (with the pretty sparkles and stuff) for a short amount of time. I was very disappointed with that.
Shield upgrade. Missing altogether. No Mirror Shield here, which I was sure would have been in the Gerudo desert.
The Sages. Bringing back the 6 from OOT would have really been a special treat, but the Sages in TP are just generic characters with no real use.
Comic relief. There is hardly any of it!
Finally, the characters. This time around, the characters left much to be desired in my experience, and this is the single biggest kicker for me in a Zelda game. I never really connected with any of them, and even though it is a long game, I hardly got to spend any moderate amount of time with any of them other than Midna.
The children were a complete waste of time, effort, and game space in my opinion. I didn't much care for them, and thought them to be very annoying. I found myself not giving a hoot whether Ilia was dead or alive, and I sure as heck didn't want to go searching for her. The parts of the story regarding them - very boring and merely a barrier to get past.
All others - with the exception of the Yeti couple, King Bulblin, The Hero Spirit, and Coro - were just pixels with a certain use.
Side quests, or lack of them. There are poes and golden bugs to be found, but that's pretty much it. I can't recall any special item quests.
Everything else was okay. Most of my dislikes are based on my expectations from the Zelda franchise, and Ocarina of Time, and are not based on poor or low quality development. This game is Game of the Year material for sure - it's just not OOT.
Also, in regards to the comments regarding LOTR. I can certainly see it. The orcish creatures added to the Overworld, the Great Fairy that looks almost identical to the Lady of the Wood, the cutscene showing the greed and betrayal over the Triforce, and a few other similarities here and there do give me a bit of that LOTR feel. I don't really find it to be a big deal, I just don't want it to become the norm in future installations of the franchise.
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