does link's latest adventure live up to the hype?
There are shortcomings, yes. For everything Wind Waker delivers in scope and variety, some gamers will find that the challenge level is too lenient. Others will be annoyed by the repetitiveness of using the Wind Waker, or that there are some "fetch quests" that work to lengthen the game, but also prove relatively tedious. Some may even be troubled by the lack of dungeons when compared to Ocarina of Time.
But between the 20+ hours of game served up, there is hardly ever a boring minute, let alone hour, and there's always the draw to keep going, to keep exploring the gorgeous environments and uncovering the secrets that drown the water-filled world that Link inhabits.
Simply put, this is one of the best games in the last few years and one of the most compelling reasons to pick up a GameCube immediately if you don't already own one
Presentaion: Wow. Zelda perfectly realized as a cartoon. Everything from a slick interface to so much of the Zelda universe to behold- 10/10
Graphics: Gorgeous. Whether you like the style or not, you have to appreciate the technique and technology. Huge world, detailed locales, beautiful animation and particles, all at 30 frames and in progressive- 9/10
Sound: Some great music and sound effects mix with some less than stellar, MIDI-like samples and muted speech work- 8/10
Gameplay: Just about as perfect as can be. Finely crafted play mechanics, control, balance, design, and more, but it's occasionally scarred by tedious fetch quests and a sense that the game lacks difficulty-9/10
lasting appeal: 20+ hours the first time through and twice that for completionists -- and you'll want to come back after you beat it. Superb- 10/10
overall: 9.5/10
my verdict: buy it :)