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 - Not Ocarina of TimeWell it's not Ocarina of Time, but then again is not Wind Waker. Way better than its horrific cell shaded counterpart for the game cube. But then again it still lacks a little of that amazing Ocarina feel. Overall it was quite fun, for all you Zelda fans out there, give it a shot for sure. Rating:  - Amazing for each second!I loved this game. Despite overreactive critics, this game was well worth the wait. It was simply and utterly amazing! The beginning was fast paced and well-written, the middle was challenging, with puzzles that had you pulling out your hair or running to a walkthrough, and the end was surprising and beautiful. Love! Anyway, I highly suggest you buying it. This videogame is not a hitman videogame were the entire thing is shooting people. This videogame makes you THINK. Not for the faint of heart nor for idiots. Anyone else: this game is perfect for you. Rating: - Ocarina of Time, Part II (Gamecube version)As you've no doubt guessed from the title of this review, I've noted many similarities between this game and Ocarina of Time from the Nintendo 64 console. Which is a good thing, since I absolutely *loved* Ocarina of Time. Just to make a point, I will say that while playing Ocarina of Time, sometimes I felt like I had a little too much help figuring out the dungeons from the increasingly annoying Navi, who never seemed to shut up sometimes. Well, you won't have that problem in Twilight Princess. In this game, your sidekick Midna stays silent most of the time except when you solicit her help (then she usually says something generic like "let's go, what are you waiting for"?), she appears in a cutscene, or when you need her to pull off a special move, like super high jumps with Wolf Link. Thank goodness the developers fixed the "Navi bug", as I call it. Ideally, you will have played Ocarina of Time (either on the N64 or the Gamecube reissue) before you start Twilight Princess. This is not required of course, but it will make the controls feel more natural than if you are literally starting from scratch. It also makes the layout of Hyrule and its characters/enemies make more sense. Picture the Hyrule of Ocarina of Time expanded threefold, and you will have an idea of the scale of this game. Hyrule field is simply huge! As a previous reviewer noted, it makes the Hyrule field of Ocarina of Time seem like your backyard by comparison. As with OOT (Ocarina of Time), TP (Twilight Princess) has 9 dungeons, counting Hyrule Castle. You have the 3 "before" the Master Sword, and 6 "after". But the dungeons are considerably more challenging and intriguing in this game. For example, in the Forest Temple (the first dungeon), you have to enlist the help of monkeys to get to certain parts of the temple (recall the swinging technique from Wind Waker you learn on the pirate ship). In other dungeons, foes become friends and friends become foes (Fyrus --> Darbus in the Goron Mines and Yeta --> Blizzeta in Snowpeak Mansion). Very cool. Also, remember the disappointment of OOT in never showing us a detailed look of the inside of Hyrule Castle? Well, now you can feast your eyes on the stunning decor of TP's Hyrule Castle. The torches crackle, you can see the paneling on the wood doors, the interiors are dim but not excessively so, etc. The weapons arsenal from OOT is expanded to include things like a Ball and Chain and a Spinner. The Spinner serves as transportation and a weapon. There are others, but I won't spoil the surprise. Unlike OOT and Wind Waker, you don't have a musical instrument to play with, but for me this was no big deal. You can still call the horse Epona, but it is inconvenient until you get a special item later in the game. Concerning Link/Wolf Link: this may seem strange/annoying at the start of the game, especially when you realize you are "stuck" as the wolf for a while. However, when you figure out how to utilize your wolf abilities, you will see how essential the wolf is to complete the game. Certain enemies can only be killed by Wolf Link, and Link cannot access certain areas in his human/Hylian guise. Instead of playing a tune for warps, you now create "warp points" in the game (set by the game, not by you) as you explore Hyrule. However, there is a long stretch in the game (I'm not telling when) when you cannot use them, so learning the layout of Hyrule should be a top priority. Maps are essential in this game (especially in the dungeons). The dungeons are so huge that without them, you're bound to get lost or at the very least overlook items like treasure chests, which are often very well hidden. As usual, the bosses are somewhat challenging, but not too hard once you learn their weaknesses. Considerable coordination is required for some of the final bosses, especially in the City in the Sky where you literally battle a monster in midair. You may want to obtain a player's guide to help you with this game. OOT was still easy enough to play without one. TP is complex enough that you could be chasing your tail for hours at a time trying to figure out what to do if you don't have a guide. I used Prima's TP walkthrough (Gamecube version) which was extremely helpful. The only warning is that due to the mirroring effect between the Gamecube and Wii versions of the game, certain directions may seem backward in the guide(s) (e.g., when they say "east", they may really mean your "west", etc.). For those players that are bored after fighting through all the dungeons (unlikely, but possible), there is a "Cave of Ordeals" in this game that will test your mettle. Beating this Cave of Ordeals requires almost every special technique and Hidden Skill you have (taught to you by a phantom swordfighter, similar to the swordsmen from LOZ II: The Adventure of Link from the NES). Near the end, in particular, you have to fight several Darknuts at one time, quite the harrowing experience. What is a Darknut? Picture Iron Knuckle from OOT, now give him a huge shield, tons of armor, and a very bad attitude. :( Luckily, you can get Magic Armor that protects you (for a price: loads of Rupees) from ubermonsters like the Darknut. The NPCs (non-playable characters) in this game are just like people you know from your everyday life. I.e., you'll like some and really dislike others. But almost all are important in their own way. Naturally, women of all ages fawn over you (OOT anyone?). Must be the green Hero's clothing... Of course, the graphics are spectacular, and the music, well...let's just say I never found it disappointing or repetitive. Some of the tunes from OOT and even A Link to the Past find their way here, in subtle ways (for example, the Hyrule Castle theme). Also, as other reviewers have noted, there is a Lord of the Rings feel to the game, as far as the enemies go, at least. The Bulblins look just like Orcs, and the flying monsters are right out of The Two Towers. Some have suggested that this may be due to the epic scale of the game, which may be true. Anyhow, I am grateful that Nintendo decided to issue this game for the Gamecube, since Wiis are in high demand right now. If you have a Gamecube and don't own this game, well, you're just missing out. This game is very replayable...not something you can do in the span of even 2 or 3 days, unless you are slugging energy drinks and foregoing sleep altogether. Highly recommended. Rating: - 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 Rating: - The Master Sword fixes everything, trust meI 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.
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