Not one a true Zelda should miss.

User Rating: 9.6 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition) GC
A true Zelda in just about every sense of the word. It offers familiar names, new faces, and has several classic references. What's most rediculous would be the possibility that there are still those shallow enough to boycott this game for something that gives it it's shining originality that every Zelda game has. In WW's case, the graphical style. Yes, it was a surprise to see such a comically styled 3D Zelda game. In the easiest way to put it, the character designs are "silly", but in no way is it the bad kind of silly, just the funny kind. The actions of the characters is not unlike previous ones, but the graphical style used for this game helped bring it to life moreso than ever before. As for effects and environments, Wind Waker has some of the best looking ones of the Zelda games. The dungeons all look unique in their own rights, and no two suffer from the same kind of puzzles. Explosions from bombs and defeated enemies look like they were carved from cardboard, colored, and meshed together for the intended effect, and let me tell you, it never looked better.

Gameplay stays true to the past Zelda games, with multiple items found in the dungeons which must then be used to defeat that dungeons boss. Swordplay has been amped up a bit from OOT and MM, now with four hit combos (as opposed to three from the past 3D console games) that can be executed very fluently and differently depending on where the control stick is directed. The parry command also helps make the fights look much more enjoyable. Link can either jump high above the enemy's head, and gracefully slice the bad guy's cranium right open, or he could roll quickly to the opposition's backside and do a powerful rising slash, knocking the enemy across the floor.

Setbacks are meager, but still rather noticeable. First of all, the game's difficulty is far FAR too easy for someone who's already played a 3D Zelda game and understands the basic gameplay elements of such. An average gamer can clear this game without a single moment of having to worry about getting a game over. Secondly, the primary form of trasportation, sailing, is notorious for getting a little too old a little too fast. Though the music when out at sea is epic and befitting, when it all comes down to it, sailing around everywhere while having to keep mind of the wind's direction (which you can change) can be a little offsetting to what's normally done when on land. Still, these two minor cons aren't nearly bad enough to diminish the game's overall quality, which is no doubt accounted for.