If you are reading this article, chances are that I don’t have to tell you how important the Zelda franchise is as both a Nintendo Wii launch title and a sacred piece of gaming history. Naturally, expectations are through the stratosphere. Does Twilight Princess deliver?
Reviews:
IGN: (9.5 out of 10) “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is, in my opinion, the greatest Zelda game ever created and one of the best launch titles in the history of launch titles – second only, perhaps, to the at-the-time ground-breaking Super Mario 64. It is also one of the finest games I have ever played. The experience is made better and not worse on Wii. The Wii remote and nunchuk add accuracy and speed to exploration and combat for a heightened sense of immersion. While the game has just about everything going for it, including improved controls, a long and engrossing quest, brain-teasing dungeons and some beautiful graphics, it’s not perfect. The difficulty has been upped over Wind Waker, but I wish it were harder still – the boss fights are oftentimes too easy, for example. Additionally, while the visuals are generally impressive, some textures remain blurry to the point they are noticeable. And finally, I still question why Nintendo refuses to add either voice work to the side characters (especially since Twilight Princess features such an improved, dark storyline) or orchestrated music to the soundtrack.”
Gamespot: (8.8 out of 10) “Objectively speaking, it’s still a little disappointing that the series hasn’t evolved much at all with this latest installment. You’ll almost certainly enjoy the game for its terrific puzzles, colorful characters, and compelling story, but at some point the feeling of nostalgia crosses the line and holds this game back from being as unbelievably good as some of its predecessors. So as impressive of a game as it is, Twilight Princess seems like it could have been so much more with a few presentational updates and more effective and interesting uses of the Wii’s unique control scheme. But even without those things, Twilight Princess is a great game that stays extremely true to the Zelda franchise’s past.”
1UP: (9.7 out of 10) “Truly fantastic. It’s not a reinvention of the genre like Ocarina was — but it’s much better, because it takes all its predecessors’ raw ideas, perfects them, and creates an experience that’s at once new and familiar. It’s rare to find a launch game that truly justifies the purchase of a new console, but this is precisely that.”
Screenshots and Videos:
Click here for screenshots and videos from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Product Information:
Price: $49.99
Website: Zelda.com
Bottom Line: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess definitely meets expectations, maybe even exceeds them. Even though this game is also available on the Gamecube, the best Zelda experience is to be had on the Wii.
