The Hylia - To Wii or Not to Wii

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That is the question. Ever since E3, fans have been debating which version to get. Unfortunately, even to this day, not all the facts are known, so it is somewhat impossible to truly determine which version is best for you, but I can still make a pretty good case for both sides. In one corner, you have the traditional version, running on GCN, and in the other, the same game with slightly enhanced graphics, but controls in a much more unique way.

Well, there's two parts to the debate over which version of Twilight Princess will ultimately be superior, at least in my eyes. There's the part of me who is a hardcore Zelda fan, who loves to see innovation in the Zelda series to bring it more to life, to give the player more control of the Hylian Hero in a green tunic. Then there is the part of me who is the hardcore gamer, the speedrunner, who looked at Wii's innovation and was like "I have less control over the game than before". That sounds a bit contradictory, but there is a rational explanation.

The Wii controller allows for innovative gameplay. The problem with Twilight Princess is that it is not innovative, it is actually just a new form of input for the same control scheme. Rather than using a C-stick or analog stick to aim your bow and arrow, you now use the Wiimote. Rather than pausing and using the analog stick or d-pad to toggle over items and equipt them, you now have to use the Wiimote's cursor to "mouse-over" stuff. The best explanation I can think of is playing Twilight Princess on Wii is like playing a PC game - you have a mouse and buttons in both hands, but instead of getting to rest them on a desk, you actually hold them in the air and literally point them at the screen.

Actually, the Wii is nothing like a PC gaming setup. People keep comparing the Wii controls for Twilight Princess, as well as Metroid Prime: Corruption and Red Steel to PC first-person shooters. This is not accurate at all. You don't point your mouse physically at the monitor to aim, do you? What I'm trying to get at is the Wii version of Twilight Princess, to many, will seem gimmicky because Nintendo is not doing anything bold with the game as far as I've seen. It is still the same old Zelda.

I believe people will, however, enjoy playing Twilight Princess on Wii because of the novelty of the new control scheme, just to experience controlling Zelda in a different way than before. But the real problem will come if you allow people to use the GameCube controller on the Wii version, or allow any Wii Twilight Princess owner to try out the GameCube version. You're going to find more people will prefer the GameCube controller over the Wii for Twilight Princess.

Why is that? Most of us grew up playing Zelda a certain way, we're used to a certain style and a way to play. You'll find many people who are weary of Twilight Princess on Wii are also the same people who are having a hard time digesting Phantom Hourglass' control scheme, completely touch-screen oriented. And after playing Phantom Hourglass extensively now, I have to say the touch-screen control fails miserably in comparison to the d-pad. There are some games meant for the innovation of Wii and DS. Twilight Princess isn't one of them. But that's not to say Zelda could never work in this innovative setup.

Going back to the issue of control, the Wii boasts you have more control over Link. This is true in the sense your aiming is realistic - if you flinch when you aim, your arrow will soar wide of its target. You can thrust your shield realistically with a forward movement, and perform a downthrust with the stab of the Wiimote to the ground. Even the almighty Spin Attack, which I am known to love for my speedruns, is performed by "shaking" the Analog Stick device rather than rotating the analog stick itself 360 degrees.

There are some flaws in this, though. Toggling between items on the Wii is a chore and then some. Those of us used to quickly pressing start, and them mashing directions to get to an item will find they must have patience with the Wii setup. Move the cursor over the items symbol in the top right, then click A to enter the items menu. After that, you have to again move the cursor over an item, and then use the d-pad to equip it. It is "different", but in a game where changing items frequently is a crucial element, I forsee many fans getting easily frustrated with this.

The other issue is holding an analog stick free-hand in the air (that's just one hand) and moving in three-dimensions with ease. In non-first-person titles, even on PC, the "two hand" setup is traditional and standard. That is because to accruately move in three-dimentions, you need one hand to move the stick, and another to "anchor" your controller so it does not "give way" on precision movements. We all do not notice this since our right hands are used to push buttons, but we do have two hands - they keep the controller steady and make navigating in three-dimensions far easier. This became a big issue with Super Mario Galaxy - trying to do simple platforming with accuracy is a big issue. In Twilight Princess, Link's movements aren't the smoothest just yet, so he moves a bit "ackwardly" and very sharply at points. Many E3 attendees who played had issues at one point with a simple platform jump.

Thus, the hardcore gamer in me who wants to be able to play Twilight Princess without frustration is really looking forward to the GameCube version, or at least playing the Wii version with a GameCube controller. But, as I said at the start, there's a part of me that wants to experience innovation and something different. Taking your time in a Zelda game goes a long way, and the Wii is going to force players to truly get into the realm of Hyrule and experience what Link goes through with more authenticity. So there is alot of allure in controlling Link via the Wiimote, but there are still some unanswered questions, such as "how will controlling the horseback or Wolf Link segments work out".

Nintendo did a great job at E3 showing off a controlled demo of Twilight Princess at Wii, but as a hardcore Zelda gamer, who knows what to expect from this game and knows better from what Zelda games deliver, I have a feeling the Wii version of Twilight Princess may draw mixed reactions from the fanbase and casual gamers alike. Several veterans of gaming at E3 who played Twilight Princess shared this sentiment, although fanboys lashed out harshly whenever anyone made a mention that the Wii version of Twilight Princess wasn't the best thing at the show.

So I will make this clear now - Twilight Princess will probably be awesome and give Ocarina of Time a run for its money, but I have a strong feeling the Wii control scheme is going to hinder this game from reaching such elite status. This game was destined for GameCube, it was developed from the ground up for GameCube, and at the twelth hour, Nintendo decided to port it to Wii. Fans need to understand that - Twilight Princess is a GameCube title ported to the Nintendo Wii. It is not a true Wii title. This has always concerned me, and I never agreed with the decision to delay Twilight Princess if it meant puttiing it on Wii. I am positive this game could have come out in Spring of this year, or even now, solely on the GameCube, and been a solid hit. But in reality, this game missed the boat when it was delayed last year. If it came out last year, everything Zelda fans dreamed of and more would have been delivered in terms of the hype.

But would it have been a better game that what we will see in a few months? I can't even answer that. And I can still be wrong about Twilight Princess on Wii. I enjoyed it at E3, but I kept wanting a GameCube controller. The game itself is awesome, truly spectacular. It is merely the method of playing the game that is the big issue here. I am still getting both versions, and I will play both through each way. But I can honestly say right now, my heart lies with the GameCube controller. Although I'd rather them bring back the N64 controller, since I prefer Ocarina of Time's controls to any of the 3D Zelda games.

There you have it. Regardless of which version you get, the content will be great. It's just up to personal preference which control scheme you want. Wiimote, or GameCube controller. Since Nintendo is giving fans both, everyone is going to win in this situation. It's when Zelda finally moves to an all-new control setup that we will need to perhaps worry. Look no further than Phantom Hourglass, which should be the first Litmus test as to how fans and the public react to the lack of any traditional control scheme in exchange for this new innovation.

Remember how angry fans got at Zelda II: The Adventure of Link? And that was only changing the point of view of Link. We're talking about changing the way you control everything. But history has shown this can work. Look at what Ocarina of Time became.

Mike "TSA" Damiani is the Senior Online Editor and Owner of The Hylia Discuss this article in the forums

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