After constantly mentioning that I would get back into reviewing, I finally did. The game that got me to start reviewing again was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii. I'm not sure why I avoided reviewing for so long, because I actually enjoyed writing this, and now I'm willing to write some more. Anyways, without any further delay, here is the review:
"The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the perfect example of how Nintendo can take an old formula and continually improve upon it.
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Over the years, the Legend of Zelda franchise has gained extreme popularity. Here we are, at the 12th game in the series, and as expected, Twilight Princess was an instant hit, and not just because of the name 'The Legend of Zelda' being in it, but because of how magnificent it turned out to be, with a perfect blend of memorable characters, beautiful artwork, great music, and of course, the most well thought out story present in a Legend of Zelda game to date.
Hyrule is in trouble once again, the threat this time being Zant, a creature who has power over twilight. The twilight is dangerous because when an area is exposed to it, any creature that isn't affiliated with its power is turned into a spirit and twilight monsters are spawned. The only way to defeat Zant and end this threat is, of course, the legendary hero spoken of in legends.
We then meet Link who, just like in every other Legend of Zelda game, turns out to be that legendary hero. This time around though, Link is a ranch hand at Ordon Village, and when he pursues a group of monsters that kidnap some village kids along with his childhood friend, he gets dragged into the Twilight Realm, where the main adventure begins.
When considering that Twilight Princess is a fantasy action adventure game, you would expect a rather large overworld, but Nintendo expanded on that idea and made the overworld extremely large, offering a great adventure with many secrets to find.
What's most surprising about Twilight Princess though is how well it works with the Wiimote, as it was ported over from the Gamecube. The gameplay flows extremely well, with good uses of the motion sensing, such as swinging the Wiimote to sheath and slash your sword, and spinning the nunchuk to perform a spinning slash. When using projectile weapons, pointing at the screen provides a crosshair, and then pressing the required button (which in most cases is the B button) will fire the projectile.
The controls also work well with Link in his wolf form. While in his wolf form, Link loses the ability to use his weapons, and these are replaced by 'Dig' and 'Sense'. Dig, as it clearly states, makes wolf Link dig. When using this, heart pieces, rupees, etc can be dug up, and he can also gain access to sealed off areas that have soft soil. Sense allows wolf Link to see and hear the spirit of humans enveloped in twilight, and also allows him to trace distinct smells.
Z-targeting is once again featured, allowing more efficient slashes and more accurate firings of projectiles. This time around, it can be used to deliver finishing blows when an you have knocked and enemy to the ground.
Unfortunately, Twilight Princess can be rather easy at times, as most enemies can be dispatched with a single blow in both human and wolf mode. The bosses are also rather easy to defeat. However, they are extremely entertaining to face off against, which more than makes up for the relative lack of difficulty.
You can easily tell that Twilight Princess was intended to be a Gamecube game when you look at the graphics. However, the artwork in this game is stunning. Sure, you might notice some bad detail once or twice, but the scenery has the ability to make you say "wow", such as a sunset while at the top of a bridge overlooking a huge lake, or when overlooking the hyrule fields on top of a huge mountain.
Character models are also impressive. Link sports his look from the Nintendo 64 days, and the smooth animation makes characters look more realistic than in any other 3D Legend of Zelda game yet.
When witnessing all of this beautiful scenery and animation, the music comes in and adds a whole new feel to it, giving it a pleasant atmosphere. Boss battles are always enjoyable due to the music, as it gives them a lively and competitive feel with the upbeat tune.
Twilight Princess also features the legendary tune that plays whenever you discover a secret, such as a hidden chest, completing a puzzle, or blowing up a wall. Many other sound effects from past games are also present, such as the melody that plays when you open a big chest.
All in all, Twilight Princess is a beautiful and welcome addition to the series, and it may even be the best, considering its perfect mixture of a great story, innovative gameplay, outstanding artwork and enjoyable music. Definitely worth buying, whether or not you are a fan of the series."
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My next review will probably be on Wii Sports, but we'll just have to see.
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