The Legend Continues

Sorry Link, but the princess is in another castle. Oh, and it's another princess entirely, too. Our bad.

by Wootini

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess was originally supposed to be a GameCube title, but Nintendo decided to sit on it and release it with the launch of the Wii, seeing as how there wasn't a Mario title ready to go. But what should have been a quick and dirty port with some tacked-on Wiimote control turned out to be one of the greatest Zelda adventures ever. How did that happen?

One of the problems I have with the Zelda series is that the games tend to feel very simliar. You journey around the land of Hyrule and visit the same areas with the same denizens, and the only difference is that with each generation of hardware, things look prettier. However, while Twilight Princess starts off in the same vein, with Link heading off to rescue Zelda and save Hyrule, they add a few hiccups in the storyline, and by the end, it's refreshingly different. It's still the same Zelda we all know and love, though, with plenty of classic Zelda gameplay and references. Just with a twist

Although it's was originally developed for the GameCube, it still looks pretty. I'm sure the GameCube version probably looks pretty similar, but the Wii isn't about graphics. (Still, it did look quite lovely on a widescreen LCD HDTV...)It's just nice to have some solid gameplay, and that's where Zelda delivers in spades. My biggest concern going into this was how the motion controls would work. I should've known not to worry. You move Link with the joystick on the nunchuck, and use the button there to lock on to the enemies. The Wiimote is for the variety of actions. Whether it's simply pressing A to open the treasure chest you're standing in front of, or using it to aim your bow and arrow, it's all smooth like buttah.

But what makes this Zelda more fun to play than any of the ones before it is the swordfighting. A quick flick of the wrist swings Link's sword, and it is awesome. Instead of pushing a button, you're really swinging, and although a full range of movement isn't necessary, you'll get into it, and the action is so viceral it sucks you right into the game. In fact, there are a few prolonged sword fights towards the end of the game that are simply a joy to play because the controls are so spot-on. You never feel like you're just flailing around wildly hoping for a hit. You move, slash, block, jump, slash again, and rejoice in your well-earned victory.

Nintendo knew just what it was doing when it held off on the release of Twilight Princess. Sure, there's a GameCube version out there, but why wouldn't you want to play this awesome adventure on a console where you can really get into it? Well, aside from the fact that you can't actually find a Wii anywhere... but still. The story is epic, the graphics are terrific, and the adventure is the most fun you'll ever have playing a videogame. Go get a Wii and play this game!