Zelda-Worthy, but not without annoyances
I think Ocarina of Time is easily the best videogame I've ever played. That's why it's so hard not to be critical of Wind Waker. The game plays almost exactly like Ocarina, although it's a bit easier. The graphics are great, the cartoonish presentation is really an artistic achievement. The classic Zelda puzzles return in full force. There are the usual tons of side quests that reward you with a heart piece or lots of rupees. The music is awesome, the dungeons detailed. It's 3-D Zelda through and through, and that's enough to warrant an 8 right there!
But this game still irks me in certain areas. Getting around the overworld is a real pain. Sailing is slow and requires you to waste time playing the wind whistle to position the wind before you can even start! This gets old real fast. And the map is huge, making the slow speed of sailing even more annoying. Compounding this is the fact that there are few dungeons and more focus on overworld tasks, such as sailing all over the place pulling up treasure. This is cool the first couple times, but gets repetitive quickly.
Still, don't let these criticisms turn you off. I still love the game, and if you loved Ocarina, you'll feel right at home here. And to be fair, some people love the sailing and exploration gameplay. Me, I'm more of a dungeon and puzzle guy!