 Preview By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | Nintendo |
| Publisher: | Nintendo | |
| Genre: | Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Memory Card | |
| Estimated Release: | 12/11/2006 |
Twilight Princess is also making a name for itself as the best-looking Zelda game, too. As I said above, when Ocarina of Time came out, it simply wowed people. And, as a sort of a last hurrah for the GameCube, Twilight Princess will likely do that too. After going with the child Link for the past two games, and one of them being cel-shaded (for an almost cartoon-like look), Nintendo is finally taking a more mature stance with Link. In fact, there won’t even be a child form in this game – Link starts out as an adult (or at least a teen) and stays there...well, except for the whole turning into a wolf thing.
However, while this game might be impressive on the GameCube, it doesn’t quite impress on the Wii. Oh, don’t get me wrong, from what we’ve seen so far the game is still beautiful and it stands to be one of the better looking games at launch, but the wow factor doesn’t quite make the jump to the next system, especially when you consider the new generation we are in. And, one major problem we’ve seen already, even with only a handful of screenshots and video, are the "jaggies." While most of the game pulls the look off quite nicely, Link looks very pixilated, with lots of sharp edges where you would expect to see smooth lines. Sadly, with launch upon us, this won’t change, but we’re still holding out hope for the next Zelda game. Nintendo does try and make-up for it however, as Twilight Princess will be displayed in widescreen...but only in the Wii version. As the GameCube and the Wii are using basically the same audio hardware, the sound will likely be very similar, but that, my friends, is an excellent thing. The music in this game is enough to bring a tear to your eye, featuring a variety of original songs, but also some remixed (and much-improved) classics – expect this game to have a soundtrack you will want to buy. Also, in the Wii version, the Wii-mote speaker is used, too, though for simple things like the twang of your bow, the classic Zelda discovery tune, and Midna’s laugh when she needs to tell you something.
While The Legend of Zelda games have never really been big on multiplayer, Twilight Princess is at last one game where you won’t need it. In fact, you might as well call your friends now and tell them you won’t be seeing them for a long while. Though we can’t vouch for it personally yet, Nintendo (and most personal accounts) have the game topping in at over 50 hours, and there are even (as of yet unconfirmed) rumors of downloadable content in the works, which could make it last even longer! Apart from the main story, Twilight Princess reportedly has a wide variety of optional side quests that you can partake in during your adventure. However, easily the most anticipated of these is the fishing mini-game. A staple of the Zelda series for a long time, this newest one rises to new heights on the Wii, with controls built around the new controller. First you’ll use the Wii-mote to paddle out to a location, then you’ll whip it to send your line flying, and finally you’ll wind the nunchuk attachment like a reel to reel in the fish, much like you would in fellow Wii launch title Rapala Tournament Fishing.
The more I thought about this game, and the more I learned about it, the more I realized that for purists, the GameCube version may be the way to go. Sure, the Wii-version looks to revolutionize the way we forever play most games, including The Legend of Zelda series itself, and likely for the better, but this game was not built ground-up for the Wii system and is therefore not a "pure" vision of what the creators originally intended...and that goes far beyond the controls too. For the Wii version, Nintendo switched Link to be a right-hander instead of a lefty, so as to match the way most players hold the controller. The easiest way to do this, with such little time, was to mirror the game: now the Wii maps will be the mirror opposite of the GameCube maps. As a result, there will be some little changes, but for those strange few fanboys that take months at a time decoding all the text that has appeared in past The Legend of Zelda games (yes, it can be translated), you have your work cut out for you this time. Yes, I admit, this is a minor thing to be sure, but that’s why it was directed toward said "purists." For the rest of you, this game is one of only three Nintendo launch titles, so you can pick it up on November 19th when you get your Wii. Or, for those of you still looking for the GameCube version, you can get that on December 12th.
Posted: 2006-11-16 17:46:56 PST