This isn't just a game, it's an experience. I'm proud to give this title my first 10.
Note: May have spoilers, i'll try to keep them out. If there are some, i'll put them like this *spoiler*.
When I first got my Wii, I excitedly put in Twilight Princess. For the next week, I couldn't do anything else. It's so addicting and fun to play. For the whole week, it was simply zelda (and my other Wii game). Boy, what a week it was. Dungeon crawling through elaborate and brilliantly artistic visuals that make the game breath. Going majestically through the fields on Epona, dodging arrow fire from your determined enemies. This is one hell of a game.
I'll first talk about the graphics. The graphics are fine, nothing that will blow you away, but nothing that will leave you disappointed. Some places are bolded and look fantastic. The shimmering of your sword, and the waves in water. The reflections and lighting reflecting over Link. The graphics look like a high end gamecube title, but not so much a Wii title. The real reason graphics get a ten is because of the artistic look of the game. It's absolutely amazing. The backrounds all move and are fully 3D. The hyrule town looks incredible, with architecture and a breathing, living city. The characters are all filled with life and emotion. Just by looking at their faces you can see fear or joy. Oh, and Link still peers his eyes at wandering things. All the temples are serious in their look. Areas like the lava temple have a dark, deathly tone to them that gives you an incredible sense of adventure. The graphics truly deserve a ten for decent visuals, and astounding life in every place you go.
The sound is also great. I really couldn't tell it was midi. The way the music turns sinister during boss fights and enemies tells you when enemies are near. The hype increases when you strike your foe. When it goes to night, the music slows and plain stops. The game has dolby stereo surround sound. In the back you can hear the waterfall as you pass by on Epona's galloping shoes while the birds chirp while your passing on the grassy fields. Your footsteps all changing sound from the innocent grass to the hard metal. Throughout the whole game as the wolf's chain buckles. When I first got this game, all the white noise seemed so realistic and I got into the game very quickly.
An obvious ten would be the gameplay. Who would've thought that the wii remote swinging the sword could make for such natural gameplay. When you first play the game, it's hard to not swing the remote to use jump or spin attacks because it feels so natural. You don't even need to swing that hard to get the effect. After playing on the wii, you can never go back to the original controllers of any system. It's so intuitive it's rediculous. A lot of people think the game plays the same as other Zelda's, but it really doesn't at all. Besides that, who would change the formula of a game that got 10's on many different sites? Seems like a dumb idea to me. However, aiming with the Wii Remote and swinging never takes your energy. You can seriously play this game for a long time and never get tired, even if you over exagerate your Wiimote swings. You never get carpal tunnel, and never get tired. The game itself consists of dungeon crawling in state of the art dungeons. These dungeons are big, merciless, and later in the game just come right at you. Dungeons are huge, some lasting 1-3 hours. Every single room, there's a chance you can get stuck. It all depends on your common sense, an later, on your ability to look around at the environment. All the weapons at your disposal, old and new, still are great and weapons like the bow are very easy to aim. Oh so satisfying it is to take your time, and kill another archer, piercing his arrow, and killing him. Watching him fall from his tower, and ultimately dieing. Grueling as it sounds, it's very satisfying. Put this in with a bunch of subquests, pieces of hearts, and a great story. You have a zelda game.
I really cannot put into words how good of a game this is. I could easily write an essay about this game, but I don't want to spoil anything. You need to play Zelda for youself to understand the quality of the Zelda. It surpasses that of Ocarina of Time, and lasts 30+ hours just doing the story. The first three dungeons themselves could be a game. With quick thinking, hidden skills, great puzzling dungeons, and fun natural swordplay, Zelda is a winner all the way. You just need to play this game. It's, by all means, the greatest launch title in the history of gaming. Those who miss it, I really feel sorry for. You'll never understand what a classic it is, but what else is expected from a Zelda game?