The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess user review

An epic to end all epics (until the next Zelda game comes out)

Review written by
Epsilon

I know what you're thinking. Wow, this guy MUST be a fanboy, he gave it a ten in everything. The fact is, it's that good. This might not necessarily be the fairest review as I haven't yet played through it all, but I'd say at 20+ hours, halfway through the third dungeon says it all for lifespan.

This game is massive, but it may not seem that way at first. Although you may quickly find yourself with two of three fused shadows and three of the four light spirits freed and despair at how short it is, remember the spiritual stones? It's pretty much the same thing (or so I have heard and hope).

If you compare the graphics to a Xbox360 or a PS3 game (sans Gundam), this scores only about a 7, but on the Wii it is beaten only by Red Steel (so far).

The game's music is fantastic, especially the background music from the video that plays after the menu video has finished. But the big thing about the sound of the game isn't just the music, it's also the use of the wiimote's speaker. Every time you swing the controller, you hear the sound of your sword cutting the air. Whenever you knock an arrow and pull back the bowstring, you hear it right next to you, immersing you that much more into the game.

However, one of the biggest questions remains. Does motion sensitivity make it that much more fun? The answer, yes. I myself thought about what my friends' reactions would be when they see me flinging the controller like a maniac, but while playing Ocarina of Time (which I have yet to beat, having only gotten it a month ago) I found myself wanting to swing around the controller, which resulted in my Gamecube being lifted up about half a foot in the air and my controller flung from it's socket.

One of the biggest improvements is aiming. Instead of tilting a control stick back and forth in frustration trying to hit a target, you simply point and shoot. The improvement is also due to a large pair of crosshairs now showing where you aim, contrary to the Wind Waker's red dot and the Ocarina of Time's lack thereof (save for the hookshot's red dot and z-targeting).

Link's wolf form also leads to some more depth in gameplay, including unique features such as the ability to see spirits (poes included), sense digging spots, trace a scent and howling. A particularly interesting part of howling is when you howl next to a small statue with a hole in it's center allowing you to trigger the unveiling of a spirit that, when you are in human form, will teach you new abilities unseen in previous games, such as a finisher move and a shield attack.

If you don't pick up this game with the Wii you're only hurting yourself by not playing a Zelda game better than the Ocarina of Time.