User Rating: 9.6 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Limited Edition) GC
I've played every Zelda game ever made and this is my second favorite of all time, coming in right behind "A Link to the Past". I can't believe the unfair critiques of the graphics and the game in general. I often found myself shaking my head in disbelief at what I was seeing on the screen. The entire thing is absolute genius. For the most part, Zelda games have always been a bit cartoony. In fact, I'd say that the only ones that actually attempted any sort of "realism" were Zelda II, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. Every other game, especially "A Link to the Past", was very cartoonish in nature. Throughout Wind Waker, I found myself thinking that this is what a video game designed by Picasso would look like. I never experienced any slowdown at all throughout the game. I noticed lots of people commenting on the brief pause when you kill an enemy. Most people referred to this as "slowdown", but this is clearly a stylistic decision and not a result of slow processing speeds. The gameplay is very good. The controls are laid out beautifully. It's really ingenius how the developers utilize each button, often giving buttons a different purpose depending on the situation you find yourself in. For example, A is used to open doors, as a method of attack, to sidle, and probably a couple of other functions that I've left out. What you're left with is a very easy game to play. Overall, the sound is very good. The weakest part of the game is probably the sound effects, and there really isn't anything wrong with them at all. They only stick out as mediocre because they're the only "mediocre" thing about this game. The score is phenominal. At first I was a bit disappointed that the classic Zelda track was pretty much abandoned, but much of the music found in the game is simply brilliant. Especially in the dungeons and boos fights. The game is relatively short for a Zelda game, though I don't think it's really as short as a lot of people say. My thesis is that a lot of people used strategy guides to get through the game. I only say this because I'm pretty good at Zelda games, having played them my entire life. I solved nearly all of the puzzles very quickly and nearly always knew exactly where I was supposed to be going. It took me closer to 30 hours than 15 hours, which seems to be the average reported time among other reviewers. There is a considerable amount of replay value though, especially if you're the type who wants to get every item. There's no way you'll get all of them the first time through, and probably not the second either. I missed out on probably 30% the first time I played through it, and probably 10% the second. I haven't started the third round yet, but I certainly will in the near future. If you don't have this game, buy it. Don't rent it, because you'll be spending $5 extra dollars. You'll want to own this game. 
