The Zelda you've been waiting for.............Almost.
User Rating: 9.6 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess WII
What? An M rated Zelda! Inconceivable! No, it's right here on the cover in a big blue box. Sure there is no blood or decapitations and they use terms like 'ending blow' instead of 'killing blow' but for the most part the game it feels very mature from the characters, dialogue and even the artwork has a much darker tone than its predecessors. There is also the whole wolf thing and the Twilight realm that would probably make a ten-year-old boy wake up with wet sheets. The game starts with a supposedly ordinary boy named Link in a small village who is preparing to take a gift to the king of Hyrule. Suddenly portals to the twilight realm are opening up across the land with creatures emerging to wreak havoc and entire villages are consumed by twilight. Without ruining the story all I can say is its pretty good due mostly to the excellent cast of characters. The entire game is riddled with them. Every corner you turn you meet someone that makes you smile and that goes along way in helping to emerge you in the world. The expression on the faces and the excellent dialogue make you feel as though you can imagine their voices as you read the text. Yes that's correct. Text. There is no voice acting in the game besides a few moans, grunts and hey's. It's a little sad in a way because good voice acting would have brought the characters to life even more so and made the story that much more special. We all know a good game can't get by without a good story alone. Thankfully the gameplay is everything you would expect from a Zelda game and more. A lot of the settings feel as though you have done it before, though the level design is reminds you you're playing something new. The dungeons themselves are expertly designed and extremely well balanced. Every dungeon gives you a new funky toy to play with and assists in solving puzzles from there on. Some of the weapons are the same as you have seen before and others are completely new, while many are new and improved versions of what previous games offered. Not only are the dungeons brilliant, so too is Hyrule in general. There are so many secrets hidden throughout the land and things to do, it never gets boring or frustrating. The Wii remote handles extremely intuitively throughout the game, whether slashing with your sword or aiming a bow. The best use I have seen is fishing; once you go to the fishing hole and get to use a real rod, you just feel completely at home. The art design and music really add to the atmosphere and remind you you're playing something amazing. Occasionally you spot a blurry, horrible texture, particularly in the rocks and dirt, though its not enough to hamper the overall look. Most of the characters, Link especially, look great and the art style especially shines through here. This is a fine example of the pinnacle in gaming, where all aspects are highly polished into one big shiny gem. An absolute must buy. 
