Perhaps not the best Zelda game to date, but it IS the best game to come along in years.
I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I won't give any crucial details away.
Intro:
I, like so many of you, am a huge Zelda fan. My favorite game to date is still Ocarina of Time after all these years, and with each new installment I'm amazed at Nintendo's ability to not screw up my beloved series and to keep on delivering worthy titles. Twilight Princess is no exception to this rule. While, in my opinion, it does not surpass OoT, it does, I think, make for an amazing game that you won't want to put down for some time.
Gameplay:
The gameplay gets a 10/10 for obvious reasons. It's Zelda, for one, therefore the combat, puzzle solving, control schemes, and open-ended environments are all familiar. The controls (on the GameCube version, anyway) are easy to learn and become second nature within minutes. Even to someone who's never played a Zelda game (God forbid) will find it easy to pick up and play. Perhaps one of the first fundamental game play changes you will notice is the game's scope. Instead of it centering around a small group of sectioned-off areas, or perhaps islands scattered across a large and minotonous sea, the game's world is a huge, interesting place. Each province has a few areas to explore, and each area is massive. The game isn't absolutely breathtaking in scale, but it's definitly something to stand back with a bit of awe at, considering how involved the game is (to the point where you forget how big the actual world is for you to explore). Anyhow, the combat is simple and remains fundamentally unchanged, using L-targeting and sword-slashes. You do, however, pick up a total of 7 "hidden skills" which consist of an impaling finishing move and a stunning shield bash. These moves help give the game's somewhat dated gameplay a fresh coat of paint, and make the combat a hell of a lot more brutal and fun. Along with great combat comes great puzzles. While there weren't as many as I'd of liked, there are plenty of puzzles you'll have to solve in order to beat the game and/or for the plethora of non-required content the game has to offer. The most common puzzle you'll find is a simple blocks-on-ice-moving board in which you have to place a block on a switch. Even though they're fun, I do, however, wish there were more of them and in greater variety. Along with great puzzle solving comes great horseback riding. Epona is essentially your King of Red Lions from Wind Waker. She's used to get around this big world of Hyrule and can be called with special grasses that grow in the fields (and a special Horse Call that you get later in the game). Riding Epona is too fun to describe. Speeding around the vast Hyrule Field, all whilst brandishing your blade and destroying boar-riding enemies is so satisfying that you'll have to play to understand just how good it really is. Along with the storyline, you'll be given a variety of minigames and sidequests that you can do in order to better equip your arsenal (which returns with the same classic items and some new, truly out of this world ones) or gain more Heart Pieces, but this can be expected with any Zelda game. Anywho, 10/10, even with it's slight issues, is deserved, as the game is just fun to play. It's Zelda, people, was there any doubt in your mind?
Graphics:
The graphics aren't perfect. It's a GameCube game, and the Wii version is essentially a GameCube game. The textures at times can be low-resolution, and it's definitly not Gears of War or Oblivion quality, and it can occasionally hit some choppy framerate. Ok, now I'm done with the negatives of the graphics. While dated, the visuals in LOZTP are still awesome. Link and the rest of the world are given a more realistic, dark, and gritty look as compared to the previous installments, and the lighting, combined with soft glow effects make the game gorgeous to look at even with its low-poly models. And, even though it does experience some unpredictable framerate at areas, you'll be surprised how well your little cube can handle the huge environments with many things going on all at once in them. Sound:
The sound gets an 8. Why? Well, for one, voice acting is not present, again. This isn't really a bad thing, because I don't think Zelda would feel the same with voice acting. However, in this day and age fully voiced characters are almost a standard in the industry, so I'd have to dock it a point there. So, why's the other point taken off? Well, even though the music will remain with you long after you've beaten the game, it's still, for the most part, MIDI. With this game's epic feel, I was desperately hoping for a fully orchestrated soundtrack to go along with it. The sound effects and character noises (lol), along with the great (yet MIDI) music make this a good, but not amazing, sounding game.
Rap-up:
It's Zelda, plain and simple. Call me a fanboy, but this game owns. It truly does. If you don't have a Wii, don't sweat it. You can buy a 'Cube for 99 (probably less) dollars, pick this game and Wind Waker up for a grand total of probably 200 dollars. Both games are well worth it. Twilight Princess is THE best GameCube game, in my opinion, just shy of tying with Resident Evil 4 and Wind Waker. The gameplay is fun and addictive, and it's extremely long compared to the other games (getting 100% took me about 45+ hours). I have but two gripes: its MIDI music and difficulty. The game is VERY easy, and you'll rarely find yourself dying outside of the Cave of Ordeals (a 50-level endurance dungeon). Beating bosses requires you to learn a simple pattern involving your new toys and repeating it three to four times. They do sometimes throw in phases to add difficulty/variety, but that doesn't stop you from breezing through this game with little frustration. Anyway, I digress. ***THE FINAL VERDICT*** This game is amazingly good, get it, even if you don't have the systems, buy one and get it. Even with its minor flaws, it's the best game of 2006, in my opinion, and one of the best games to come out in years.