By: TSA
SPOILER WARNING - This article has big spoilers. Avoid if you don't want spoilers.



Yes, I know many of you haven't even completed Twilight Princess yet, and some of you haven't even played it yet, but I've been playing with this game for just about three weeks now, and after playing through it several times, it's time to give some post-review reflections. Twilight Princess is a rock solid game and deserving of the 9.6 rating I gave it. It's not so bad that it was worth the 8.1 one site gave it, but I would argue for how long it was in development, the game does have several shortcomings if you are a fan.

Twilight Princessd oesn't really deliver on the promise of being a "historical" Zelda title, or even the best Zelda title. When I say that, I mean Twilight Princess really is the best Zelda title ever made, but it's like saying, "you're the richest person in the world because you inherited all your fortune". Twilight Princess sort of just landed into this title of "best Zelda game ever" because of everything it had going, stemming from Ocarina of Time's success and The Wind Waker's shortcomings, rather than establishing itself on its own merits as the best Zelda game ever. In that regard, Twilight Princess is a disappointment.

The biggest disappointment in my book is the difficulty. While I found the game to be as difficult as Majora's Mask, which I viewed as the hardest 3D Zelda game leading into Twilight Princess, it wasn't at the insane difficulty level of the original Zelda titles, or even A Link to the Past. Sure, the boss battles were epic and the dungeons were long and creative, but Nintendo once again baby-stepped players with too many cues and too many in-game guide elements. Midna isn't really Navi, who offered advice in every single room, but even still at points you don't even need a cue from your counterpart. A monkey will lead you in the right direction, or a character will flat out reveal where your next destination is, or a sign will explain what a device in a room will do if you don't know how to use it. Nintendo was catering to a larger audience with Twilight Princess, and at that expense was destroying any chance this game would be the most difficult Zelda ever. Maybe next time Nintendo can consider a difficulty option?

Part of the magic of a Zelda title is "exploring" the world. Sadly, Nintendo made the most linear Legend of Zelda title to date with Twilight Princess, probably equaling The Minish Cap that was released only a year ago in this regard. While the world is vast and huge, most of the time you are only traveling to any one place because the story or some in-game device revealed, rather easily, that you should be heading to that destination. It's not so much that they tell you where to go, but most of the time you receive detailed directions. It's almost, at points, like having somebody write you a manual on how to tie your shoes. I personally felt Twilight Princess was spoon-feeding me over and over. Bill Trinen, next time you say Twilight Princess is the hardest Zelda game, and that the E3 2006 demo was toned "way down", try to sound more believable because this game was not as hard as you and Nintendo claimed it to be.

That being said, I've heard a lot of complaints about the puzzles. In all honesty, Zelda is Zelda and you always have to have certain puzzles, but in some cases, I have to agree with the dissenters. How many times and I just going to have to push a block or step on a switch or have to kill every enemy in the room to solve the puzzle?. The puzzles in Twilight Princess aren't necessarily "clever" more so than they require good skill. Having to navigate using the dual clawshot, or have good timing with the Spinner is not what I call a "hard puzzle", but a "hard challenge". There was nothing in the game that rivaled the Water Temple's water level changing at any point, or the multi-floor dungeon puzzles found in dungeons like the Ice Palace in A Link to the Past. Sure, the puzzles in The Wind Waker got annoying at points, such as the Mirror Chamber in the Earth Temple, but they were at least more intricate than most of Twilight Princess' puzzles. Twilight Princess is more about clearing obstacles than solving puzzles in most dungeons.

Part of the problem with the puzzles, and the dungeons themselves, is the fact the game borrows so heavily from Ocarina of Time. There is no way around this; Twilight Princess is an Ocarina of Time fan service. How many of you reached the Arbiter Ground's and saw the four lights being put out by the Poes and immediately thought "rip off" (See the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time)? I mean, come on Nintendo, we can do better than a giant version of Morpha (Morpheel), a more sinister looking version of Gohma (Armogohma), and a fire-breathing rip off of Helmarok King (Argorok). Zelda bosses have really only been difficult in games like The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past, but I mean...I really was expecting hard, multi-form bosses in Twilight Princess. In Nintendo's defense, the final boss in Twilight Princess is the hardest to date (save for maybe the Thunderbird in Zelda II, which isn't technically the final boss).

Yet, for as much as Twilight Princess went back to Ocarina of Time, it simply abandoned it on the most important front - the storyline. Nintendo (Miyamoto and Aonuma, listen up), it's time to put an axe in this damn storyline mystery. It's been a great 20 years of not knowing what the hell is going on, but you keep promising the games will make more sense, yet with each new installment, the timeline becomes an even bigger mystery. It's like you purposely do this just to annoy fans. Seriously, I'd like to know the timeline before I have children of my own, seeing as how I played this game as a child myself. The in-game story in Twilight Princess is very good, but most fans will look past the in-game story and look for a series arc aspect. Part of the problem fans who are disappointed with the ending are having is they expected something they didn't get - a tragic ending. Nintendo's hype machine for the past year which said the game is darker, and that Princess Zelda's future wouldn't be bright, really amounted to nothing but hot air.

Not only was the ending not satisfying in terms of the overall series storyline, but does the game even try to connect to Ocarina of Time other than references to old characters through NPC names (Impaz, Rutela) or geography (you do visit old locations which have developed over time)? The Triforce, the Seven Sages...Ganondorf's sealing and the ruin of Hyrule...they all go unspoken for the most part. Hell, we are even given a cut scene that shows the creation of Hyrule, but it totally neglects the word "Triforce" in the entire sequence. Sure, you see the Triforce in the game. But is the word Triforce mentioned once in the whole damn game (I can't recall)? What about those Sages from Ocarina of Time? Where are they? Where were these "old characters" we would see back in Twilight Princess that were in Ocarina of Time, Nintendo? Again, nothing but empty promises.

Maybe it's a bit unfair. The game, on the surface, appears to be a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, but in reality, it's a game that takes place in Ocarina of Time's world with a totally new storyline. In most respects, Link, Zelda and our faithful villain Ganondorf aren't even the main characters. Real quickly, I want to say right now Midna is not a Navi. Yes, she performs the actions of a Navi, but she is a main character, and in many regards, the main protagonist of the story. The entire game is about Minda trying to save her world; about her sad story, about her struggle against Zant, the Twilight King. Link, Zelda and Hyrule are just caught up in the middle of this battle, which does stem from Ganondorf, but in reality, the focus is on Midna and Zant. Link does not develop in this game like in other titles. In fact, I felt less connected to Link in this game than any other Zelda title before it. The Wind Waker is superior to Twilight Princess in the realm of the characterization of Link, and that's something I will find myself admitting over and over again to remind people "realistic" is not always better.

But the major disgrace in Twilight Princess is the bastardization of Princess Zelda. Nobody and I mean nobody who has beaten this game that I've spoken with in detail about Zelda has found her role to be a "good" one. She has reverted back to that helpless Princess with no character. Dear Nintendo, just because Zelda "gives her soul" to save Midna halfway through the game doesn't mean it will evoke emotion in players, especially if she is poorly developed! You barely see her in the game! You only see Princess Zelda three times - in the beginning where it seems promising, then when she gives her soul to Midna, and then at the end when she is part of the final boss battle. What happened to the progress made in games like The Wind Waker, where Tetra has spunk, or Ocarina of Time, where Zelda became Sheik, a rebellious Sheikah defying the dark king? You should be ashamed of yourselves, Nintendo, for what you teased us with. Romance? More characterization of Zelda than ever before? Bull shit. You screwed her over, and you really pissed off much of the fan base with this move.

Let's not forget the "more Ganondorf than you could ever expect" quote from last year. Was that supposed to mean that his final boss battle is more epic than before? Thank you Nintendo for the great final battle, but where the hell was Ganondorf in the rest of the game? No - Zant was Zant. He just had Ganondorf's power. Same for Midna - she was not Zelda; she just had her soul inside her. You can't say Zelda and Ganondorf had huge roles because they didn't. Sure, fans would love a game with less roles from both Zelda and Ganondorf - but if you're going to use them in the game, then DON'T NEGLECT THEM. That was the utter and immense failure with this game - the ability to understand this aspect of most fans' perceptions. Also, what was with the ending of the game? Yes, the Midna part was touching, and running Ganondorf through felt good...but what did the ending achieve? More ambiguity? Teasing us with a sequel? Next time, if you're giving us a fan service, go all the way - you should have flooded Hyrule or killed off Link.

These complaints are merely the ramblings of a Zelda fan, and really are nitpicky and that is why I didn't count any of this against Zelda's final review score. If I did, Twilight Princess would have scored below a 9. I would, however, like to elaborate on a few things I touched upon in my review. The controls of the Wii work fine. If you have the proper setup, that is. Playing on a PC monitor trying to record footage made me hate the Wii so much I was ready to smash it a few times. But even on a normal setup, I still found some things to be annoying. Aiming is fine, and it is the best reason to get the Wii version. Swordplay is fine...to an extent. There is a part in the final boss battle where you volley energy balls with Ganondorf...and all six people I spoke with who passed this part all agreed the Wii remote made this sequence very...annoying. I would swing my remote very gently to swing, but if I moved it back into a neutral position to prepare to swing again, Link swung his sword a second time, leaving me exposed! I had to be very careful and delicate to handle this boss' phase. But that wasn't it. I found trying to do any sword fighting with precision to be very bothersome.

Not to mention, about 20 times in the game, I had trouble changing out items effectively and had near deaths or mistakes result from the having to push the D-pad, then the B-button (or sometimes just pushing the D-pad activated the item) to use items. Also, there are just times where I wanted to shout because there was no camera control. Oh yeah, remember that Zora's River part where the monster carries Wolf Link upstream while flying? The mini-game you can do after...with the Wii remote, it is ridiculously hard and cruel - and it shouldn't be. I yelled at my girlfriend about 10 times saying I wanted my damn GCN controller because I was so fed up with the Wii remote's inability to do simple tasks. But it all leads up to one conclusion - as great as Twilight Princess is, it was a GCN game ported to Wii, and it works fine, but not perfectly. It was never enough during the main quest that I wanted to cry or that it ruined the experience, but it sure as hell didn't make it any better, and at points, it did get annoying. All of my score's deductions came from the Wii remote shortcomings, with a partial point from the sound and visuals. The graphics I didn't dock off for much because it is a GCN title, and those, like Jeff at GameSpot, need to learn that if Nintendo made a superior looking title for Wii, then an inferior looking one for GCN would be required, or else you'd have a huge, multi-disc GCN version that would cost way too much. It was not in Nintendo's best interest to begin developing the Wii version as a unique version, but just stick to a port of the GCN version.

However, because it is a port, it doesn't feel like the best version it could be. I still need to finish the GCN version to know for sure, but I am betting I will prefer the GCN's controls, only lamenting the lack of the quick spin's ease with the Nunchuk and possibly the older aiming mechanics with the analog stick. With sounds, however, I must concede I have some gripes that coincide with the concerns of others. I don't care how good you can make MIDIs sound, but after playing Twilight Princess through, I went back and finished Final Fantasy XII, and that game makes Zelda's music look like crap. It's the Wii. We're not on proprietary GCN discs or cartridges anymore. Digitally recorded, orchestrated (or live recording, if you will) music is a must from here on out. Nintendo making another premier Zelda game with MIDIs, and I will scream. Oh yeah, while Link should probably remain a mute, if there isn't voice acting in the next premier Zelda, I will also heavily mark down on the review score because Nintendo already puts in several hours of gibberish voice acting. I mean, Midna speaks enough gibberish that I just didn't get why they didn't give her English voice work (or at least a Japanese voice work). Nintendo, it's time to try some new things, and voice acting is something I believe, despite some fans' reservations, needs to happen.

That's not to say, with all this I've ranted about, that Twilight Princess is bad. As a whole experience, comparing it to the other games, it's really an achievement. But, with how much time it had to be developed, it's shockingly not as "grand" as many thought it would be. If Twilight Princess really needed another year to get to what it is now, I'd hate to see what it was last year when it was supposed to come out. The overall world and dungeon design in Twilight Princess is superb, the in-game story is better than any other Zelda title, and most of the characters are very memorable. The graphics and sound, for a GCN title, are good and the controls work fine. The main gripes after taking it all in are the quality of the music tracks, the lack of voice acting, the butchering of the Link, Zelda and Ganondorf's roles, the lack of a high difficulty factor and the excessive reliance on Ocarina of Time's laurels. Again, this is all coming from a long time fan, so I'm being very over analytical and demanding, but when it comes down to what I think now that the euphoria has left, this is what I see with Twilight Princess. A great game that should have been a historical game, but stumbled somewhere along the lines. As a professional, 9.6 is what I gave Twilight Princess. As a fan, I'd give it around an 8.5.

Still, thanks for the great experience Nintendo, and we'll certainly be talking about Twilight Princess well into next year. But I would be lying if I said I am not looking forward to the true Wii installment of The Legend of Zelda. Then again, considering Phantom Hourglass is next...Twilight Princess might start looking like a godsend compared to what I've played of that DS title. Perhaps one day I will see Link kiss Zelda, or Link fall in battle, or the timeline resolved. Until then, I have Twilight Princess, and that's good enough for me.

I skimmed a bit of the beginning of this (trying not to finish reading cause I\'m still taking my time in playing my first run-through.)

I just wanted to say: If you think ALttP is harder than Majora\'s Mask.. I\'m gonna have a hard time taking you seriously when I come back to read this. :P Will try to be unbiased, but that\'s just silly. Especially for such an infamous speedrunner.

To further address the difficulty.. In my opinion, Twilight Princess succeeds Ocarina in every area, but still doesn\'t quite tap Majora\'s difficulty level. The dungeons are genius, but the bosses have been pretty weak up until this point - all show and no damage. Kinda like Majora itself. :P haha.

Thrilling nonetheless though, that\'s a given. :)

I said MM was hardest 3D Zelda game.

I agree TSA. Nice game...but a very disappointing Zelda game.

I agree with everything you said about the story. And to think this is the game I thought would finally start to tie things together. Oh well, maybe the next Zelda...

Amen...

I have to admit, for how long it was in the works, Twilight Princess did dissapoint.

It is still a fantastic game and I love it, but it wasn't the "Greatest Zelda ever!" title we were told it was going to be.

And yes! Finally! TSA touched on what bothered me the most! Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf's diminished roles. The game is called Twilight Princess but we only see Zelda three times?

And two out of those three times we're a wolf. Why wasn't the third time a more dramatic meeting? With both of them finally human?

Yes, I am terribly dissapointed, especially because TP had the potential to be the next OOT. Instead, it feels more like an add-on to OOT, just with better graphics and a larger map.

But I still adore this game, because it is wonderful. The only problem is, it is wonderful by normal game standards. By Zelda standards, it is only average.

I agree with a lot of what you said TSA. Voice acting is needed, but even you can't say you have no doubts about it. Zelda and Ganon need to be in the game more than 15 minutes. Link needs to be un-muted. He clearly says stuff to people. They can hear, why can't we?
For difficulty, I want a SSB type thing (Levels 1-10 in terms of difficulty). This would be about a 6. Majora's Mask would be an 8. Ocarina about a 5 (Except for the Water Temple).
They really need some fan input of what the next Zelda game should include. If the next game takes 4-5 years to produce completely, comes out on the next system? Fine. Get it done.
It's still a great game, with lots to do. But, you do get frustrated.

i admit i didn't read this whole thing cos i'm tired but...

"Perhaps one day I will see Link kiss Zelda"

wait, what? ...you really think that should happen? o_O

"Link does not develop in this game like in other titles. In fact, I felt less connected to Link in this game than any other Zelda title before it. The Wind Waker is superior to Twilight Princess in the realm of the characterization of Link, and that's something I will find myself admitting over and over again to remind people "realistic" is not always better."

i totally disagree here. i think link shows more personality in this game than any other game. i mean, my favorite part of the game is the cut scenes. even though link is supposed to be a "blank slate" type character, you can tell what he's feeling and thinking throughout the game. when he's being yelled at by ilia, when ilia doesn't recgonize him in the bar (and then that weird doctor with the glasses comes in, i laughed.), after saving colin on the bridge, ilia's memory returning, and even as a wolf when you first meet midna. i mean, i hope in the next zelda there's even more development of link as a character but i think that TP has the most in any zelda game so far. out of all the "links", he's my favorite.

"Teasing us with a sequel? Next time, if you're giving us a fan service, go all the way - you should have flooded Hyrule or killed off Link."

maybe that is saved for a later title. well, i don't think link has to die...but maybe the reason why hyrule didn't flood in TP is it just didn't happen yet.

i agree with the point of TP not being hard enough. i didn't die for real (jumping off a building with one heart doesn't count ;_;) until snowpeak ruins. and i agree that it's not dark enough (even though like i said i don't think link has to die for it to be dark) but hopefully the next title will be flat out depressing/scary.

oh and a good idea, if they want to keep zelda playable for "normal" gamers (i don't know if this is the reason they keep zelda games easy, i'm just taking a guess), they could have a difficulty setting. like, before you start you have to choose battles and puzzles to be easy/medium/hard.

Having different difficulty settings could be a LITTLE problematic, doncha think?

Now, I haven't played this game yet, but you made the game sound flat-out depressing just after you totally praised it.

I'm confused.
This very well could be my favorite Zelda game so far...we'll see.
I kinda learned a couple spoiler-type story bits (though I skipped most) but for some reason I kinda saw them coming.

Anyway, I guess that's my own fault and takes out some surprises, but, eh. My own fault. =P

But anyways, I guess I'll learn for myself soon enough whether or not it meets up my own personal level of hype.

I expect:

-A very solid smooth Zelda game
-Puzzles that aren't too frustrating but not too easy, either
-Easy boss battles that are still fun and epic-feeling
-The best and most cinematic Zelda story so far
-(now, because of you) a story that makes no sense when compared to the others and abandons many Zelda staples of storyline...which could or could not be a bad thing in my opinion. Honestly, if you're going to gripe about how it copies gameplay, why would you gripe about it being ORIGINAL with story elements? At least, it sounds like you're upset because the story didn't follow same boring spiel it usually does.
-An awesome, lengthy, fun game that I will enjoy immensely.

Are those bullets too much to ask?
I'll find out soon enough, I hope.

Thats the dumbest thig I ever heard, Zelda should never have difficulty settings.

The fans deserve to know what happened to cause the Great Flood of Hyrule. We want to know. We want to see Link get off'd in the end. Why? Because it'd be COOL!

Dude, TWW told why Hyrule was flooded....

Sure it would. What's to say you won't see that eventually?

Besides, when did Nintendo ever say this Zelda would answer those questions?

And what's wrong with leaving it up to our imaginations?
That's the problem--people let their imaginations run wild and come up with amazing ideas and then intended reality doesn't live up to it.

I really think a lot of fans will be upset because they're EXPECTING this game to be some end-all-be-all.
That's not Nintendo's fault--not entirely.
Though I will agree with some statements they've made.
But it's not all them, it's the player, too.
I'm going in with relatively little expectations, so I feel confident I will enjoy it more than those expecting a lot.

Also, did it occur to you that OoT blew us away because no one was EXPECTING it to be so good?
I mean, sure, you knew it would be, but, like, didn't it just sorta come out and blow you away, whereas we've been waiting for 2.5 years with this thing dangled over our heads?

I remember playing OoT near the end of the N64's life span and having never played a Zelda before, so yea, it blew me away.
But then I liked Majora's Mask MORE.
Heck, I even like Wind Waker more than OoT.
But I definitely know one of the main reasons why is because it borrows the good elements from OoT and builds on them in different ways.

Kind of like how just about every platformer borrows from Mario but expands upon it in a different way.

Pleading_Eyes were you paying attention during the game Zelda isn't the Twilight Princess *spoilers* Minda is *spoilers* As for the game I thought it was good but like most people I thought it total wasn't worth the three year wait. One thing you didn't touch on that I was disapointed in was hyrule field Five times the size of OOT, bullshit more like lots of OOT hyrule fields connected together with small little crappy pathways leading to eachother.

Great, great article. It really brought out some of the main problems I found with the game, too. The games was definitely a good game, it just seemed like the "Zelda" elements were tacked on, besides taking place in an expanded Ocarina of Time overworld. It was like a typical Zelda sequel sidestory but with Ganon thrown in to make it seem epic. It just didn't feel quite right. I was very happy that the game wasn't as dark as people were saying. I was expecting it to take itself waaaay too seriously, but it stayed true to the Zelda roots and had lots of strange elements that make Zelda so loveable.

@Kahuna686

Just goes to show that we shouldn't raise our hopes too high, no matter what the producers and directors say. I think Ocarina of Time was so great because it was basically the first of its kind, with nothing we could compare it to. Now, with Twilight Princess, we have games that "beat" it in certain areas, such as music, voice acting, etc. In order for Zelda to ever live up to a longtime fan's expectations now, not only is it going to have to be on par, if not better in each area of the game (sound, gameplay, etc.) than the best games in these areas, it is also going to have to include something that has never been seen in video games, or is so completely refined, it seems like a whole new feature. This is the only way Twilight Princess will ever beat Ocarina of Time in a Zelda fan's mind. Of course, all of this is IN MY OPINION.

Bravo. Great review. I honestly think that Ocarina of Time was a bigger accomplishment comapared to this game. Besides the big map, epic boss battles, and nice graphics, this didn't amaze me as much as OoT did. I am rather scared and excited about the next LoZ game. We most likely won't be seeing it for 4 or 5 years, i'm hoping it resolves everything, and knocks OoT off my #1 spot.

I really hope we don't see the flood or Link falling in a Zelda game, that would most likely just piss me off. The WW explained that the hero never came, thats good enough for me. As for the game being more about Midna and Zant than Link, in a sense I agree that it wasn't the greatest idea but then again I really have no problem with it being about someone besides Zelda and Ganondorf. The problem that I had was when we did go after Ganondorf he didn't even acknowledge Link I think. He was talking to Midna the whole time and I was sitting there thinking, "Midna did shit, I'm the one who pwned everyone". I agree with you that its not OOT but its not an 8.5 either.

That was my main complaint too, the lack of Zelda, Ganon and basically any part of Zelda lore in the game, and the extreme ease of the game... a quarter of a heart getting taking away with a hit is not cutting it nintendo. I did not die once in the whole 34 hours of the game.

In my mind they made Midna to much of the main character in the game. Its not that she was bad, she was great. But when Ganon only talks to her at the end of the game it seems like he doesnt even realize Link is standing there, like Link is the not the person he will fight. I was really hoping for more Ganon Link interaction, but I guess we hope for that in ever game.

Also, I was thinking after the game, this Link will not really be mentioned in any other Zelda game as OoT was because he really is the Hero of the Twilight realm, the people of Hyrule seemed like they where never really in trouble in there minds, but of course the Twili where. They mentioned they had a story that a Hero beast would save them and it did. So the only other time you will hear this story in another game is if there is a direct sequel, or another Link goes into the Twilight Realm.

My hope for the next game is probably like every other person out there, voice work, have EVERY main character in there in a MAJOR role, try to connect it to some sort of timeline within the series (if they want fan service, doing this is a no brainer), actually have a 50+ hour gameplay, extremely large and difficult bosses that make you use more then just 1 item to beat (its getting to obvious how to beat each boss), give Link some major character development, and have the triforce play a huge role in the game.

Kill....Link....why??? haha, I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ve seen him die enough in game play with game overs ;P...I don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t know, I guess it would fit into the multi-link part of the time line. From reading this, the floods a no show...HOW THE HELL DID IT FLOOD!! There had to be some other epic Link vs. Ganon battle that the King of Hyrule had to flood the land (killing off Link and everyone but the King and Ganon\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s spirits) BUT! then...how did Tetra become related to Zelda?? She(one of her many clones ;D must of survived too!) Sooooo....HOPEFULLY all this will be explained and more when Nintendo gets a new Zelda game out....hopefully it WILL BE the PERFECT Zelda game...EVER! The LEGEND OF ZELDA: ETERNAL FLOODING! OHHH OHH!! MAYBE IT WILL BE A TIME BASED GAME LIKE MM!! (one Zelda game I can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t get my hands on...:(... )Link has one week to stop the evil(weither it be Ganon, Vatti(even though he\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s a lame ass villan) or BOTH??) before the world compleatly floods....he uses the oot(the instriment) to play the SONG OF TIME to go back in time....hmmmm.....

((Spelling errors have been made...I can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t spell....which really sucks...but I hope you don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t hate me...))

...??? where the fuck did the //////////////////////'s come from...???...wtf...sry.... wait... h/o...Test 1' 2' Test 1' 2'

huh....nope...that's really weird...

I dont think you guys will every be happy with a new zelda if you not happy with this. This is an amazing zelda game. but its to different, to the same not "zelda" enough haha... i think it is a great game tons of fun good puzzles. And im sure this game will be plenty hard for people who are not crazy zelda nuts like us.

I didn't read the full article either, so I might be out of context.

The argument on how the difficulty level isn't present in the game, just adds reinforcement to the article posted a few days ago about how the "video game industry" is a "business" and Nintendo is there for the ride as well. Nintendo's philosophy was to target as many genres of people as they could, and I believe Nintendo has done just that. Keeping TP on an all genre level in terms of difficulty was most likely their goal. Nintendo may have disappointed some veteran Zelda fans in terms of difficulty, but who is to say difficulty is what makes a Zelda game a “good” Zelda game. If Nintendo is marketing to all genres, making it too hard would spoil it for a lot of first Zelda players. (I could be wrong, maybe that is what the players’ guides are for)? But like others are stating, maybe an options level for difficulty in this type of game could be the next step in the video game industry.

`As for story lines and lack of characters and conclusions to the Zelda saga…that is another story.`

*somewhat spoilers*

Hardest final boss to date? Are you kidding? I lost four hearts in all four final battles total. I assume you only mean the VERY last battle though, in which case, it has to be the easiest. As long as you know how to dodge, all you have to do is wait until you can Chance him. It's actually easier than TWW. And that's sad.

Sorry...I just don't like this game.

Touching.

Thanks... I was expecting too much untill now.

What's up with the double negative? Don't read unless you don't want spoilers? I'm confused.

*spoilers*
1. i agree with everything you said, TSA. You really spoke my mind.
2. Pleading Eyes, Midna is the Twilight Princess, you know, cuz she is the princess of the twilight realm
3. the one thing that annoyed the crap out of me was the length. this game took me 35 hours to beat, 40 with every heart and extra. No more of that "100 hours if you do everything" crap, nintendo.
4. This game needs more interactivity. Seriously, there are not enough villagers or sidequests. If there was a village in the snowpeak, maybe a sheikah and gerudo villages, a longer game, more items (in my opinion there werent enough items, since most of them were crappy [im looking at you, dominion rod], better roles for zelda and ganondorf, a storyline that connects all the pieces, a bad guy that doesnt look stupid (heres to you, zant), a ganondorf that doesnt die when a dead zant cracks the ligaments in his neck, a hyrule that isnt just mostly scenery but has something to do, and last of all, TINGLE!
this game was to me shorter than TWW, which is really sad. WW had a lot of replay value, and a lot of sidequests. I preordered this game first day at gamestop you could. it really didnt live up to the hype. if you go back and look at the trailers, you will find A LOT of things they cut from the game.

Like everyone, i think this was an incredible game, but a mediocre zelda game. It just doesnt live up to the series

If you are really confused then I will bad for you lol. You never not dont do that when they do not do it neither. Hows that for negatives, lol?

I don't mean to be rude, but this really seems quite fanboyish.

meh, i'm not a video game developer but i just thought difficulty settings might be a good solution :P even if it doesn't effect the puzzles, if it changes how many hits it takes to kill an enemy it might make a difference.

Can't all of you just accept that this is a great video game that is worth your money and time? And leave it at that?

Yes, reflecting the fireball majorly sucked with the wiimote. Like TSA said, it was pretty clear this was a GCN title with Wii controls tacked on. The controls were a good idea, they just mimiced button controls too much that they didn't work as well as they should have.

And yeah, I agree about the timeline. Nintendo needs to stop jerking us around. There's no reason that every game should make the timeline even more confusing.

"Can't all of you just accept that this is a great video game that is worth your money and time? And leave it at that?"

i can accept that. call me a fangirl, but TP is the best zelda ever and the best game i've played. def on the top of my list. -_-;

Things I agree with
- This was a linear game
- Being spoon fed what to do where to go
- Lack of Zelda and Ganondorf
- The game was too easy
- Totally thought of the forest temple when I saw the poes and flames

Things I dont agree with
- A need for voice acting

Things I Think
- The bosses although epic were easy (but fun)
- The final boss was an awesome 4 part battle
- The twilight king was portrayed all wrong, He seemed so cool and hardcore, then you go to fight him and he was just weird
- The story was real good
- This was the best Zelda yet, we just expected more then we got
- Midna was a Great Character addition, I liked her role
- I wanted more to do in the Twilight Relm
- I wish there was more exploring to do incorperated into the game rather then told where to go
- I like how the map played a bigger role in this game
- The items in this game were awesome
- I enjoyed the addition of the wolf abilities

Things I agree with
- This was a linear game
- Being spoon fed what to do where to go
- Lack of Zelda and Ganondorf
- The game was too easy
- Totally thought of the forest temple when I saw the poes and flames
- I wish it tied in more to the rest of the story

Things I dont agree with
- A need for voice acting
- That the wii controls were annoying, I found them rather easy and often forgot i was using a controller

Things I Think
- The bosses although epic were easy (but fun)
- The final boss was an awesome 4 part battle
- The twilight king was portrayed all wrong, He seemed so cool and hardcore, then you go to fight him and he was just weird
- The story was real good
- This was the best Zelda yet, we just expected more then we got
- Midna was a Great Character addition, I liked her role
- I wanted more to do in the Twilight Relm
- I wish there was more exploring to do incorperated into the game rather then told where to go
- I like how the map played a bigger role in this game
- The items in this game were awesome
- I enjoyed the addition of the wolf abilities
- The warp ability was given to early and eponas charm given too late. Why call my horse when i can just warp.
- The sword abilities were sweet
- I liked the cameos of old characters
- The addtion of horse battles was tight
- The later dungeons got short and easy Hyrule castle took like 15 minutes to go through wtf

i think thats about it...

wow sorry for the double.... now triple post, you can delete the first one.... and this one heh..

I agree with you TSA. Link should remain mute but voice acting is a must. This game also seemed kinda short to me but that could be because I spent 110 hours on FFXII the week before.

I haven't read your entire post-review review, because I fear the spoilers, but TSA, I have to say you're being way to hyper critical. Everyone just wants to play the "oh well in retrospect it could have been better" card. Yeah, I felt that way about Ocarina of Time, but it was my favorite game ever. Nintendo's a game developer, not a bunch of magicians that can grant every gamer's every whim. The game is essentially what gamers have been asking for since Ocarina of Time, which is Ocarina of Time but better. Is it time for a change? Maybe. As a game, it's fantastic, but not without its flaws, but everything as them. So far it's easily my favorite game in the series and perhaps my new favorite game. Take it for what it is, and not for what you want it to be, and you'll be more than satisfied.

The Next Zelda needs:
- More Towns/Villages (More than 3; possibly 7 or 8)
- ORCHESTRATED MUSIC. ORCHESTRATED MUSIC. ORCHESTRATED MUSIC.

- A cool timeline prologue like the start of Wind Waker
- More Distinctive Genders (Seriously, how can you tell with some of them?)

- Real Side-Quests, Not collect-a-thons
- Difficulty settings (3-4 levels) OR Make Potions/Fairies the only way to re-gain hearts (Too easy to find in this game)

- More Zelda involvement (see Paper Mario; open her character up. In TP, she didn't wanna die. WHAT IS THAT!?)
- More Ganondorf involvement (I want to see him being devious)

- A non-traditional Zelda ending (Every one is HAPPY; one needs to be less happy, or not at all)
- Did I mention ORCHESTRATED MUSIC?

See, the problem I find with voice acting in videogames is that it is nowhere near the Hollywood standard. This is kind of off-topic, but I can't stand VO. Even the games reviewers praise with having "Hollywood-caliber" acting, like MGS and Final Fantasy, don't cut it. For example, take Otocon's step-mother revelation scene in MGS2 or that stupid laughing scene in FFX...I can't even write this without cringing. Nintendo even had VO in Mario Sunshine, and we all know how that went.

What I'm saying is I don't play games to watch a movie. I play games for the gameplay, and sure, the storyline is important, too. But I think the reason why I like Zelda so much is because it has so much more character and depth than even videogames with VO. And I hope Nintendo continues with what their doing now instead of giving into pressure and putting some crap VO in Zelda. And that's my rant.

I have yet to play the game, but I have watched all of the major cutscenes that TSA has uploaded.

From those, I must totally agree with TSA when it comes to the storyline. As I said, I have yet to play Twilight Princess, but I do know one thing: it will be no Ocarina of Time to me. It may turn out to be a great gameplay experience, but is is nothing to even come close to Ocarina of Time. OoT did something TP has not; it setup a storyline footing which all other Zelda games might follow. By this, the other games in the series might be connected. TP fails to do this.

TSA, you mentioned that TP is like Minish Cap in terms of a linear playthrough. I think it shares much more in common with that game. As you mentioned, Zelda plays a minor role in TP. The same is true in MC. The Triforce is not directly mentioned in either game. Ganon is not at all mentioned in MC. In truth, neither of the games flow into the storyline. They both carry a stand alone complex in their legends. They fit into the timeline, but only by vague references. Like Twilight Princess was all about Zant and Midna, Minish Cap was about Vaati and Ezlo. Both stories wielded Link and Zelda as tools in the respective feuds. Ocarina of Time did not share this trait. Nor does Wind Waker. Both games made progress in the fact that Ganon, Zelda, and Link led the story and were closely related. Ganon himself makes no mention of the Master Sword nor Link's resemblance to the Hero of Time! None! And this has only been 100 years as opposed to centuries! Another glaring similarity is that both games make up a species out of nowhere just to tell a story about them.

I hate it! Everything else about this game has been fanservice. Every gamesite's major criticism is that it is too similar to Ocarina of Time. This might be justified if they had actually made a connection, but they really do not. The explanation of Ganon's sealing makes no sense at all. Not only is the Triforce not mentioned, but the cutscenes make the Sacred Realm itself out to be the goal.

Gah! It's just frustrating to know that Twilight Princess clears absolutely nothing up.

Luckily, however, Twilight Princess is said to stand 100 years after Ocarina of Time. Wind Waker takes place centuries after. At least we can hold our breath knowing that Miyamoto has a couple hundred years to shove in a true explanation...

@everyone who said Midna is the twilight princess:

Yes, I know Midna is really the twilight Princess. I'm just saying, since in the beginning we are led to believe that Zelda is the twilight princess, but then we only see her three times in the entire game.

It wasn't a shocking revelation because Zelda didn't seem very important! Had she played a bigger role, it might have been more surprising when Midna was revealed as the true Twilight Princess.

Mact - Not to spoil anything, when you learn new moves in Twilight Princess, you get a "scroll" - just like TMC.

You're gay. Seriously...TP rocks, and you are just a gay hardcore who wants to see the same ole shit with Link being the center of attention, and yet you bitch about how Nintendo recycles some elements. Though, I do agree that Zelda should have a bigger role, since the series is named after her, but hey, she's had smaller roles than this, so at least this an improvement. HEY! I have an idea, go work for nintendo, and lets see if you can pull a better Zelda game out of your ass, ok?

I know I kind of mentioned it, but I just need to exclaim how frustrating it is that everyone in Wind Waker knew ten times more about the happenings of Ocarina of Time than anyone in Twilight Princess. Even the "ancient sages" who resembled no one we knew have basically no knowledge of what happened.

I'm still interested in learning how they explain the resting place of the Master Sword in Wind Waker shows the images of Sages who were forgotten hundreds of years later.

TSA- No worries about spoilers. The only thing that could spoil it for me would be to watch your gameplay vids. That's what I consider a spoiler. That's rather sad to hear though. I would think that Minish Cap would have strayed more since it was not even developed by Nintendo itself.

I hope that Zelda Wii shows that they've actually learned some things.

Mainly:
- Linear gameplay is not a good thing
- We want a ZELDA storyline
- We want the games to connect

Voice acting is something I could live without since they probably would mess it up. I've decided that recorded music would be great. So what if we lose the "enemy approaching" sounds. Who needs that?

ZoraFan89- You have no idea what he is talking about, and it shows. Of course he is hardcore about Zelda. That is what this site is about. What the hell are you and your childish flinging of "gay" doing here? This game was supposed to be for those who loved Ocarina of Time and EVERYTHING it meant to them.

As for your definition of "improvement", you are a moron. If, in school, you get an F, then a C, then a D, you are not improving. She had a huge role in Wind Waker. This was a stepback.

Concerning your final proof of your immature mode of thinking, people don't just "go work for Nintendo". Grow up. Please.

The games will never connect in a perfect order, and honestly, if they did it'd blow. They're all "Legends" of Zelda, and you know, over time Legends change. Besides, if Nintendo told us gamers everything and showed us everything there'd be no mystery. It'd simply be the fact of Zelda.