I can't stand the Wind Waker - SPOILERS

I beat Wind Waker when it was first released and I'm never gonna go back to it. I don't know why, I just saw no appeal in it whatsoever and I had to force myself to beat it. I tried going back to it recently, but I couldn't play it for more than an hour...I just have no fun with it at all and would rather play any of the other Zelda games. It's not a bad game, I just can't stand it for some reason. It's got nothing to do with the graphics and I actually like the cell shaded look in a way, although I do much prefer Twilight Princess' realistic look. WARNING = SOME SPOILERS

The Triforce hunt was very tedious for me, but I wouldn't let one part ruin the game for me. Every game has something people don't like, but it felt like the game was rushed to have the Triforce bit done like that. I was just about to beat the game, and all of a sudden I had to spend ages just sailing around on a scavenger hunt for the Triforce pieces. It was annoying when you had to grapple pieces from the ocean, but oh well. You had to have the hookshot to complete the set. I could get six out of eight pieces without visiting any dungeons, so why aren't you able to get all of the pieces before any of the dungeons? That's what it feel like they just slapped it in the end and made it feel like a rushed game. I just found that part extremely tedious and I didn't find any enjoyment about it at all. I normally enjoy exploring in games; I'm one of the people that's like 'I'll explore the world and worry about the plot later'. One of Wind Waker's main aspects is exploration, so it's weird that I didn't enjoy it. It just felt like a massive chore to me.

The fact that you had to pay Tingle an insane amount of rupees also felt as if they just quickly added it to make the game seem longer, not caring if it was fun or not. I know you can find rupees pretty much anywhere, but I still had to spend a bit more time just to go around looking for rupees which wasn't fun.

Some quick nit picks:
-I absoloutley hated the sailing - well I didn't hate it...It's just so damn boring for me. I'd warp whenever it was possible.

-I hated the enemy design, but that's probably just me. I absolutely hated the stealth parts. It was funny how the enemies couldn't notice you in the barrel right infront of him, and then you'd just move to another spot and they'd act like nothing has happened aha.

-The Zelda twist wasn't anything different from Sheik to Zelda, it didn't really make the story any different for me. I didn't like the fact that Zelda was a pirate in the first place, but that's just how I feel.

-Most of the dungeons were actually well designed, but like every Zelda game, there's one or two that were suckish.

-I think this game is way too easy. I found Wind Waker so much easier than every other Zelda (including Twilight Princess, which is also a bit too easy) for me and it just felt like a completely linear experience. As if I already knew what to do and I just kept walking forward.

-I thought the conducter instrument thing was tedious alone. It took long and was unnessecary to be tedious. It should just be as simple as Ocarina of Time. It felt like a quick chore just to use it, and you had to quite a lot.

-Nearly all of my friends dislike the game, but there's a few that love the game just as much as the other Zelda titles. For me there was no real excitement in the game at all, so it's interesting to know people love it a lot. It's a great game with some flaws (but no game doesn't have flaws), but I just can't get into it as much as I want too. It doesn't even feel like a Zelda game to me.

-The cartoon like graphics didn't bother me at all, and I actually thought it was a nice change. Nearly all of my favourite games are 8-16bit games, graphics have never been an issue for me. Infact my second and third favourite Zelda games are LttP and MM/Link's Awakening tied for third.

-The cartoonish graphics obviously lets them get away with doing more, as sticking to a realistic sort of look would naturally limit what the player is willing to believe to make sense in the context of the world they're presented with. I felt that they abused this too much. It's hard to explain...It felt like a cheap Zelda spin off game rather than an actual Zelda game that I'd normally take seriously. They included some humour due to the **** which I liked. I've tried approaching this game slowly and not taking it seriously, but it just made me feel how boring it was even more..

-I really liked the combat system. There was actual combos and no just tapping the attack button/spin attack only concept. It had a lot of flashy combos, yet it was all simplistic at the same time which I liked :)

Overall the general gameplay is decent, graphics are very nice, the atmospheres weren't too bad, and the music was very decent like every Zelda game. I just can't over look the flaws and tedious parts, is what most people would say. I just can't enjoy anything about the game at all, though. Maybe everyone has a game they just can't enjoy. Maybe this is my game. I just can't get into it and I never will. It's just very boring for me and I had no fun at all. Everything I found boring.... The first time I beat it I was often saying to my self 'I hope this is gonna end soon. More sailing/I've gotta use the instrument again already?! Oh god...This is gonna be a long night'. I often wonder wether or not my experience with this game would've been different if this was my first Zelda.

I could stand the wind Waker either. I tried very hard to like it but your right this end up as my least favorite Zelda game. I hated the look of this game.

I never understood the hate for WW..It certainly had a real enough feel, even though it had a cartoon-ish feel to the world.

It was a great game and I enjoyed it a lot. I've heard many people say they don't like it, but I just can't see why.

Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda. :)

But I repsect your opinion. :D

Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda. :)

But I repsect your opinion. :D

commonfate

That's a shame because Wind Waker is a great game and much better than Ocarina in my opinion :P

Also the most pretty Zelda game ever (imo).

i suppose if you try to get the triforce pieces without a guide or help..it might kill the game for you.. but i just looked online...some of your points are the opposite of what i think,, top 3 zelda for me so far..i still have to play the handheld ones.

Wind Waker is masterful. It is arguably the most polished Zelda title to date. Everything from the art direction, control mechanics, and music are unmatched in the series--except for maybe LttP. I still prefer Ocarina and LttP, for structural reasons, but Wind Waker is probably consistently the best.

I never liked it either. it's not bad but nothing special. also I hated the cell shaded graphics in it. it was like they thought ok we have a game worse than majora's mask let's do something else and make it cell shaded. it did nothing to add to the game, on the contrary.

I can't stand any Zelda games, personally.

I agree with you on some points. The game had a pretty serious plot but the cartoonish design of the world ruins the atmosphere (like the Deku Tree's design. He looks like a fool and not a wise guardian). I hated the Tetra/Zelda thing. It was a lame excuse to have Zelda actually in the game. I have other little nitpicks here and there, and it's one of the worst Zelda titles IMO, but...

I adored the sailing. It was so fun and a pretty neat idea to have the whole world covered by an ocean.DevilBorg

you ever played skies of arcadia?? :)

[QUOTE="DevilBorg"]I agree with you on some points. The game had a pretty serious plot but the cartoonish design of the world ruins the atmosphere (like the Deku Tree's design. He looks like a fool and not a wise guardian). I hated the Tetra/Zelda thing. It was a lame excuse to have Zelda actually in the game. I have other little nitpicks here and there, and it's one of the worst Zelda titles IMO, but...

I adored the sailing. It was so fun and a pretty neat idea to have the whole world covered by an ocean.bultje112

you ever played skies of arcadia?? :)

I loved The Wind Waker . Played it while my 5 year old daughter watched . Was my favorite game on the cube next to Metroid Prime .

Nice to know Link's Awakening getting some praise :) It has a great story - [spoiler] Link is actually the antagonist [/spoiler] . Link's Awakening is a great game.

I actually liked the art style of Wind Waker but can understand why some people didn't.

I really enjoyed Wind Waker up to the Triforce hunt. That's gotta be the dumbest idea in a game ever, and totally killed it for me.

The only real flaw was the Triforce Hunt. Even then, you could explore the overworld more thouroughly. That, and getting the triforce map translated.

i actually really liked it.. but i guess everyone has their opinions:)

I actually played it again this year and beat it. It brought back many memories, to me one of my favorite games. And yes... I've played just about every Zelda game. There was something about the Wind Waker that I just fell in love with.

In my opinion, Wind Waker is one of the best Zeldas, easily in the top 5. And, yes, I have played every Zelda to date. (Excluding the CD- i ones.) The only ones I haven't beaten are the first 2.