Finally I have completed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I must say I am disappointed. I am disappointed that it ended. That's as far as my disappointment goes.

In the time that I played Twilight Princess, I believe that I have completed everything 100%, as far as collections go. As far as things to see are concerned, I'm quite sure that I didn't uncover everything. Not that it means much, but I'm proud to say I did almost all of it without a guide. I turned to the online Poe Soul FAQ when I was missing just one, turns out it wasn't as useful as I thought it would be. I couldn't tell which one I was missing and had to systematically check each one on the list. It really wasn't worth it, especially considering what happens to poor Jovanni. I have an obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to completing games.

Now, I'd like to say that the final boss battle along with the ending were awe inspiring. Ganondorf really looks menacing this time around, and the entire process of the final battle is by far one of the most entertaining sequences of the game. While the ending itself isn't really as climactic as Ocarina of Time, it still blends in with the entire process well, creating a very satisfying sense of closure. Hyrule Castle was amazing as well. Inside the castle was stardard fair but the architecture of the outside of the castle was an awe inspiring sight.

Complaints about this game being too easy are well founded. It's very obvious that Nintendo wanted their new found Wii audience to be able to get through the entire game without being frustrated. Why the Gamecube version shares this attribute, I don't understand. The game doesn't need to be harder in the context of puzzles. I found the puzzles to be exetremely true to the logic established by the Zelda series while being inspired and inventive. The balance between the amount of damage you do to enemies and how much damage you recieve is the greatest flaw. By the end of the game, I could kill almost everything with one swipe, and only have to fear losing a quarter of a heart if I got hit. If I did get hit, there was always a jar or a barrel nearby, full of hearts.

There has been alot of noise in the forums about the continuity of the series being comprimised due to the storyline in Twilight Princess, but I found exactly the opposite to be the case. This game paints a perfect picture of exactly what is going on, not only in this game, but previous and future games. I could quote many of the things Ganondorf said before the final battle to explain the entire concept of the Zelda series timeline. I suppose people had thier own ideas of how this story should have been told, and when it didn't end up that way, stopped paying attention.

This game has had alot of unfair critsism directed towards it. I suppose that's because it took so long to come to market. While most people claim to have been waiting for it since it was announced in May of 2004, I have been waiting to play Twilight Princess ever since I completed Ocarina of Time in November of 1998. Eight years gives way to some pretty astronomical expectations. Amazingly, most of those expectations were filled.

Completing Twilight Princess was bittersweet, and a somewhat sad event. A little of it has to do with it being the last new Gamecube experience, but not much. A little of it has to do with me wishing there was just a little more content in this game, but that actually isn't really much of the reason either. For me personally, this was the last time I will ever sit down for this many hours and marathon through a game. The timing of when this came out in my personal life was uncanny. I had just written a number of exams and was taking a break from my studies. I had 3 weeks off from my job to play it, all the time sick with a nasty case of bronchitus with further gave me an excuse to do some excessive gaming. This was indeed a rare occasion.

It is also the last time a Zelda game such as this will ever be made. The next Zelda will be designed for the Wii from the ground up and in my opinion probably be radically different. The series will probably go into a new artistic direction concerning storytelling and gameplay, not only because of the sense of closure with Twilight Princess, but because the series really needs to. This will probably be the last new Zelda to be released with a traditional control scheme. This game, in a sense, represents the end of an era.

That said, let me make this clear: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is now my favorite game of all time. I has so many perfected gameplay systems, and so many characteristics that got me playing video games in the first place, no other game gives me the same sense of completeness that Twilight Princess does, except maybe Ocarina of Time.

I look forward to playing it again in about 5 years, when I've forgotten where most everything is. In the meantime, I think I'll go through Wind Waker again. Maybe this time, do all the sea charts. Meh.....maybe not.