Was this game justly reviewed? A little bit of insight...
Gameplay:
It's a Zelda game, what else can you expect? While I must disagree that most boss battles have been dumbed down terribly (to appeal to a wider audience), the puzzles will more than once make you feel like you are a failure and sometimes after realizing what needs to be done to overcome a particular puzzle, you might feel even more ashamed. There are plenty of these scattered throughout the game as well as there are plenty of other quests to do in the game. The story is very well developed although some clarification could have been used in certain parts of the game. One of the issues here though is the controllers, since they don't feel revolutionary enough to make justice to the Wii remote, as can be seen with other release titles for the Wii. Nonetheless, the controllers are pretty accurate and feel fresh, although there is a lot of room for improvement. Simple wrist movements seem to be better working than full blown arm movements, and some techniques might take some getting used to or getting around (Shield Bash is easiest done by thrusting the Nunchuck down, not forward).
Graphics:
In the eralier parts of the game, a lot of the textures will look very bland and blurry until the player starts entering the "outer world." It is here were the graphical aspect of the game starts to shine. One aspect of this game that was extremely well done - and seems to have gone unnoticed to everyone - is the HDR engine, which if you take a look at games such as Just Cause you will see that there is a vast difference from an unnatural bloom, and a truly well designed Bloom. A very clear example will be once you reach a certain Lake, or when you see the sunset cast in front of you or when an object is blocking that sunset: all of these events will show you just how beautifully well done the lighting system is in this game. The game runs at a very smooth framrate, only sometimes there is a "lag" when defeating many enemies at once, but I believe this is because there is a pause every time you slay an enemy, and not because the console can't handle it. Granted that this game looks somewhat dated, since it was originally meant for the Gamecube and if you've been playing many of the new generation titles, this will feel detracting from the experience to some point. It would have been nice to see Link have graphics similar to those in the demo pics for Super Smash Bros. Dojo/Brawl, but since it was a last minute change to make this title for the Wii, it can be expected that they aren't going to re-do the whole game. All in all, the graphics look ok and aren't bad enough to make you want to not play the game. Also, some of the later bosses appear to be more polished than the first ones, so it's debatable whether or not this was Wii specific or not. Sound:
The sound in this game is in no way dated. Having played in a surround environment, I can say with great affirmation that there is a very immersive experience thanks to all the sounds that are in the game. Even finding the golden bugs was considerably easier since I could "sound out" where the aforementioned insects were. The musical score will surely sound like "music to your ears" (you would hope so too) and if you are a long time fan there will be quite a few instances where chills will trickle down your spine as you hear some of the classics redone. The only reason that the sound aspect does not receive a perfect score is because there are no orchestral compositions, and I feel that that would have made the Sound appeal just perfect, which it's not. Also, I think that the choice to not include voiceovers is great, since more often than not there are issues with voiceovers sucha s a charactes voice being to whiny and what not. I think Nintendo was wise in not choosing to employ voiceovers, since reading is much more immersive than listening, a fact that is almost unkown to todays youth. The sounds coming out of the Wii remote are also a hit or miss. One the one hand, most sounds are very well employed and come out decently, but on the other hand there are certain sounds that have too high a pitch for the WIi Remote speaker, making them sound crackly and almost intolerable. There is always the option to turn the volume down on the speaker though, or completely off if that is too much of a distraction.
Value:
This is definietly one of the longer lasting Legend Of Zelda Titles. While I do recall Ocarina of Time taking me longer to complete, back in those days we were all not just younger, but also unaccostumed to the new ways of thinking that the gaming revolutions had presented us. While there is nothing really revoutionary in this game that would justify it a perfect score, there is plenty to do. The main adventure is where most of the gameplay is located, but there are also many side events to keep the player entertained in case one needs to take a break from the story line. While the amount of secondary tasks is somewhat slim, there are just enough to make the value of the game worthwile. Plenty of minigames, many puzzles and a lot of fun playing the game overall makes this game have a very lasting appeal. Conclusion:
While Twilight Princess is definitely a game worth buying for any fans of the series or action adventure fans, this game may feel plain for those who have made the leap into next generation games. It bears with it a copious amount of gametime, some very innovative puzzle ideas and brings back more of that same old formula that has been in every Zelda game. Unfortunately, there is nothing completely revolutionary about this game that would justify it being an instant classic, but it doesn't fail to dissapoint nonetheless.