Dated in some spots, but still one of the best Zelda games ever.
The story centers on a darkness that is covering Hyrule. You start the game playing as a teenage Link, and eventually you become trapped in the Twilight Realm. In this realm, Link takes on the form of a wolf and meets up with Midna an impish creature that aides Link throughout the game. Later in the game you can switch between wolf and Link forms. It's a very well crafted story, and will please long-time fans of the series.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay in Zelda is hit or miss on the Wii. Some of it is well designed, while other parts feel dated. But overall it's mostly good. This is the same gameplay engine that has been used since the Ocarina of Time. The only noticeable difference is the addition of support for the Wii's remote. This allows the player to control Link in combat in a way that has never been done before. A slash of the remote will cause Link to do the same with his sword. While this does allow for a more interactive experience, the rest of the gameplay feels dated.
It's not all bad, though. In fact, although the gameplay feels old, it's not really a bad thing because it works. It just leaves me wanting something newer. The controls are still solid, and the battles are fun. It will take some getting used to the Wii's control setup, but once you do it's an absolute past. You'll jump, use items, and fight in pretty much the same way as you did in the last couple Zelda games. I just wish it were easier to control the camera. When you enter into a first person view, you can use the remote to change your view. But you can't do this when in third person, which means you'll be pressing the Z button a lot on the nunchuk to center the camera behind link.
GRAPHICS
Zelda is lacking in visual quality from a technical point of view, but it more than makes up for this artistically. Because the game was designed for the Gamecube, it's technically a port to the Wii. This makes the graphics not as sharp as they could have been.
However, Twilight Princess has a unique style to the graphics. It's dark, and probably one of the saddest Zelda games that has ever been made. All the characters are well designed (especially wolf Link), and there's a great sense of distance and scale in the environments. This pulls you into the game, and makes the low poly-count visuals easier to forgive.
SOUND
This has always been a strong point for the Zelda series, and is no exception here. The music is masterfully performed, and as always, helps set the mood. The sound effects are good as well, and help you feel like you part of the action. The only thing I didn't like was the sounds from the remote speaker. They tended to be much too loud, and distorted. I'm not sure if this was a problem with the game, or if the speaker in the remote just isn't high quality. But this is a minor flaw with now brilliantly everything else sounds.
VALUE
Like most Zelda games, Twilight Princess is a lengthy adventure. It will probably take you 30+ hours to complete on your first play through. There are also many hidden items, mini-games, and secrets to find. But for the most part, one play through is enough for most people.
Twilight Princess is a great addition to the Zelda franchise. It may feel dated in a few areas, but this is easily forgiven because of the great presentation. I just wish that next time they would update the gameplay engine, and add a few more new features like the time mode from Majora's Mask. Twilight Princess is the darkest Zelda game in the series, and this allows them to tell perhaps the greatest story thus far in the series. Just goes to show that Zelda still has it where it counts.