Epic, beautiful, dark, and mysterious at times...this my friends is the definitive Legend of Zelda!
Story: So this is pretty much the classic old, farm kid becomes hero, save kidnapped princess and save the world from evil in the process. However what changes this is that Nintendo has taken a darker more mature and theatrical turn with the story line. Also the storyline is also much more complicated. In this world, there are two different worlds, the regular world and the twilight zone. A dark world which turns the people of the light world into ghosts who constantly live in fear. However Link instead turns into a wolf which adds a welcome change in the gameplay. This game is also regarded as the spiritual sequel to Ocarina of Time so expect some pixelated flashbacks while running through this game!
Gameplay: Well the gameplay is the same as any other Zelda game. You have multiple weapons like the master sword (DUH), the bow, and tools like the hook shot, and the Gale boomerang. And something returning from Ocarina of Time...a horse, Epona. Horse riding is extremely exciting and you will have some scenes where you will be chasing enemies across Hyrule field and these are nothing short of exciting. This game has very many temples and if my memory serves me there are approximately 10-12 temples. The game spans over 70 hours JUST to beat the main storyline. At the end of each temple is an epic boss fight. While they are easy, the strategy involved in beating them is very fun and satisfying. After finishing the game though, you will want to play the game over again! But, because of the games length you will hesitate to go through it all over again. But you can replay the final section of the game over and over again which is actually really fun and epic!
Graphics: Without a doubt this is one of the most beautiful games on the GameCube! You will be amazed by the size and the art of the game, while the game isn't in very high resolution, it won't matter. For a GC game this is extremely impressive. Hyrule field ALONE will take hours just to walk across! The light world is beautiful and bright and the twilight world is dark and mysterious and noticably more dangerous. There is a great variety of environments, you have small little villages, underground mines, snowy mountains, a large desert, large temples.
Sound: Yes there is no voice acting, yes there is mini music when ever you are approached by an enemy. AND YES, Midna (the replacement for Navi) talks in gibberish whenever she speaks. And sadly yes, there is no orchestrated music. No none of that really matters. The music is already beautiful enough but still could have been a tad more beautiful and epic with the addition of orchestra. Link still doesn't talk but it doesn't matter because that way he really is what you want him to be. Each area has its own distinct music, like Hyrule fields for example has this epic music that expresses discovery and adventure and is really a treat for the ears! Sometimes the music just tears your heart apart of the beauty in it. Hell, even the music in the title screen is worthy of an oscar winning film.
Value: By now the game should be worth $20. If you wanna play a game that's simple, beautiful and leaves you satisfied. Look no further my friends, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is just waiting to be inserted into your GameCube or Wii.