The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Member Review for the Wii

Not a deserving legend


Everybody knows the Wii launch had its fair share of problems, mainly the fact that well, it had just a few games. Most of them weren't very good either. Party game, tech demos like Wii Play and Wii Sports are about as deep as George Bush's speeches.

So there's one big wolf here, and it's called The Legend of Zelda. It's basically a port of a game originally designed for the Gamecube, yet motion control is added. While it's without a doubt the best launch game, it isn't the best game ever. It's good, but not great. It's interesting, but not compelling. You get my point.

You play as Link, well, you don't, but the game gives you a standard Link name if you choose not to adjust it. You look like Link, too. The objective is simple: save Zelda, once again.
I won't tell much of the story here, but after the pointlessly long tutorial-ish story of you doing mini quests, you get to play the main game. You'll even get Link's tunic, so no matter what your name is, you're Link.

As the story continues, you'll be able to transform into a wolf on certain occasions, letting you see the world in a different dimension. I wasn't impressed by it at all. The fact that this is all lineair doesn't help at all.

You'll be fighting all kinds of monsters and you'll be spending hours in dungeons. Trying to solve some of the puzzles can be quite challenging, and defeating some of the bosses can be too. It's not quite an easy game.

Motion control? Sure. Swing your remote left and Link'll grab his sword and give it a dash. This doesn't enhance the experience at all. Pressing a button is just as effective and often not as frustrating. I'd rather see full motion control. This means the remote is your sword and every motion you do in real life, is being done in the game.
Sadly, this isn't the case and the motion control is mediocre.

This brings me to the graphics. Art design is terrific. There will be moments where you'll just wander around and gaze at your environment, but doing that will make you see the washed out textures. It does come with 16:9 support so that's a plus.

The sound is okay too, but the horrible speaker in the Wii Remote sometimes ruins that too. I also noticed some low quality samples (the whizzing sound of your Boomerang for example).
The score is very nice. It reminds me of old school MIDI tunes combined with modern day equipment. Only the song in the main menu is memorable though.

When it comes to lasting appeal, this game can go on for 40 hours, so Zelda fans will get their hands full.

Which brings me to my conclusion; this game is made for fans. I wasn't a particular Zelda fan before, and this game certainly hasn't changed my mind.
While it's the first Wii game with some serious meat on the bones, it's not as impressive as some people might say.


Sound: 7/10
Graphics: 7.5/10
Story: 6/10
Gameplay: 7.5/10

Overall: 7/10