Zelda: Twilight Princess Reviews & Impressions (Spoiler-Free)

Wait a second...all I did in Doom 3 was wander around a bunch of areas and shoot monsters when they jumped out of closets. Was I playing the wrong game? As far as gotcha moments, the original actually scared me far more than 3 did.

Anyway, that Zelda shore does look purty...

Wait a second...all I did in Doom 3 was wander around a bunch of areas and shoot monsters when they jumped out of closets. Was I playing the wrong game? As far as gotcha moments, the original actually scared me far more than 3 did.

That's because you were 10? Seriously, Doom 3 was nothing to write home about but still a few light years ahead of the original. Nostalgia is a cruel mistress...

I wouldn't derail this thread if I had one of those god damn Wii's!

Enough already, stay on topic people.

I'm hearing component cables make a pretty strong difference with the look of Zelda, which is pretty washed out to my eyes right now. I'm almost tempted to stop playing and wait for them, but I doubt I'll manage it.

Fours posts deleted, we have a thread for general questions about the Wii.

I'm about 3 hrs in, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm playing over component, but my TV doesn't support widescreen or progressive scan. I still think it looks pretty good, though. Better than a "glorified gamecube game" in my opinion.

I am still having a little trouble with the sword swinging, since I keep wanting to push a button to stab things. I'll get used to it eventually! I will say that the control is far, far better than I originally expected. Very responsive.

Wow. About four hours in, and so far the game shows every indication of possessing the same creativity, variety, and quirky charm that has always distinguished the Zelda series, and I'm very happy about that. I had hoped for a bit more in terms of graphical whiz-bangery, I admit, but really it's about what I expected. Despite the dated graphics, it's still quite beautiful in terms of its presentation.

I'm enjoying the motion-controlled swordfighting, and I don't think it feels tacked on at all. My one gripe with the controls is that there isn't a free look camera unless you jump to a stationary first-person view. I can live with that, though.

I can't imagine voice acting in a Zelda game. I like the simple emotive noises the characters make, and I think that actual voicework would diminish much of the game's charm.

Well, I've finally managed to get my Wii, and after a day of playing Zelda I am very impressed. The game started off a bit slow, but after the first dungeon it became clear that everything I love about Zelda games is here in spades.

As for the controls, it is taking me a bit longer than I expected to get used to the concept of using motions to cause some actions and button presses to cause others. Still, it definitely feels like once I get the hang of it, it will be every bit as functional (if not more!) than playing with a standard controller. I actually very much like the actions that are mapped to nunchuck motion; it actually makes the 360 spin attack useful, and the one other ability I have learned that uses nunchuck motion is also very fun to use, and feels intuitive to use.

Actually, the only problem I really have with the control scheme is using the D pad to select items. Perhaps it is because I am playing the way a right handed person would, with the nunchuck in my left hand and the remote in my right. My right hand just doesn't have the dexterity to manage consistantly hitting the direction on the D pad that I want to, and as a result, half of the time I find myself reaching over with my left thumb to hit the D pad while keeping my right thumb on the A button. Has anyone else had difficulty with this?

zero,
It took me a while to get the hang of the D-Pad as well. I'm about 12 hours in (second time through the first 3 dungeons as I had to start over with my new Wii). Once I got to the 3rd dungeon I pretty much had it down. I don't tend to switch items too often though so. My biggest thing was somehow I got it in my head that "-" was the map and I still haven't completely cured myself of that one yet.

Well, it's good to know it's not just me.

I'm about 14 hours in now and I've finally reached Zelda bliss. I've completely adapted to the controls, and the evolving story and gameplay elements are just so cool. So very, very cool.

The Fly wrote:

I'm about 14 hours in now and I've finally reached Zelda bliss. I've completely adapted to the controls, and the evolving story and gameplay elements are just so cool. So very, very cool.

Indeed. I only played for about 8 hours before deciding that I wanted to wait for my component cable (if all goes well, it should be here on Wednesday or Thursday) before I played any more. But yeah, by the time I got through the events that happen before you go to the second dungeon I was completely sold (with the exception of the d-pad problem I mentioned earlier).

I mean really,

spoilers wrote:

[color=white]
how can you beat having a wild west style cutscene, an epic horse chase, and sumo wrestling within 15 minutes of each other?

[/color]

Is it worth getting a Wii for even if I never play another game on it? $250 = LOZ: TWP?

I'm kinda surprised no one has started a spoiler-full thread?

93_confirmed wrote:

Is it worth getting a Wii for even if I never play another game on it? $250 = LOZ: TWP?

Thats all I played on my Wii for the first few days. I did finally boot up Wii Sports and found it really fun and somewhat addictive, especially Bowling.

93_confirmed wrote:

Is it worth getting a Wii for even if I never play another game on it? $250 = LOZ: TWP?

Maybe? How much do you like Zelda?

I haven't played enough to say anything conclusive, but the way things are going I would be quite happy with the purchase even if I didn't really play much else on it. However, take that with a grain of salt given that

1. I almost certainly will be playing a lot of other games on it,
2. I really, really, really like Zelda games, and
3. I don't seem to care about the price of my entertainment as much as other people do; I don't bargain hunt, and as long as I have a bit of fun with something I never go back and feel like I wasted my money.

doctre wrote:

I'm kinda surprised no one has started a spoiler-full thread?

I was going to say something about that, but I'm not really ready to have spoiler filled conversation myself, seeing as I've only played for 8 hours and I won't be playing again for a few days here.

I've never played a zelda game other than the Four Swords (GBA) co-op so I await the response to that question.

zeroKFE wrote:

3. I don't seem to care about the price of my entertainment as much as other people do; I don't bargain hunt, and as long as I have a bit of fun with something I never go back and feel like I wasted my money.

That sounds surprisingly like me.

zeroKFE wrote:
doctre wrote:

I'm kinda surprised no one has started a spoiler-full thread?

I was going to say something about that, but I'm not really ready to have spoiler filled conversation myself, seeing as I've only played for 8 hours and I won't be playing again for a few days here.

Yeah. I'm up to the 6th dungeon (about 22 hours in) and I've hit a few snags along the way is why I was bringing it up.

Yeah. I'm up to the 6th dungeon (about 22 hours in) and I've hit a few snags along the way is why I was bringing it up

Only 22 hours, huh? I've heard that there are only 9 dungeons. I wonder what it was about the other 3 that took all the reviewers so long to get through (most are consistently reporting a 50 or 60 hour length, at least).

doctre wrote:
93_confirmed wrote:

Is it worth getting a Wii for even if I never play another game on it? $250 = LOZ: TWP?

Thats all I played on my Wii for the first few days. I did finally boot up Wii Sports and found it really fun and somewhat addictive, especially Bowling.

Do not underestimate the fun of WiiSports. I have a copy of Zelda sitting unopened for lack of interest.

Well I did replay the first 3 dungeons (new Wii with fixed flash) in about 4 hours (it took me 12 the first time through so I should be at the 30 hour point. And the dungeons are getting longer to complete as I go up so I could still be looking at that. Plus I haven't really taken any time out for the side quests I've come across so far.

Ah, that would explain it.

I'm actually thinking of replaying the first two once I get my cable. I really was constantly distracted by thoughts of how washed out the colors were while playing, and I'd love to experience the whole game without those thoughts hovering around the back of my mind. (Things look decent in full lighting, but during "twilight" there is a lot of subtlety that is clearly being lost over the composite cable.)

zeroKFE wrote:

Ah, that would explain it.

I'm actually thinking of replaying the first two once I get my cable. I really was constantly distracted by thoughts of how washed out the colors were while playing, and I'd love to experience the whole game without those thoughts hovering around the back of my mind. (Things look decent in full lighting, but during "twilight" there is a lot of subtlety that is clearly being lost over the composite cable.)

I didn't even turn on my Wii until my component cable came.

Well, the menus and Wii Sports don't look bad over the standard composite cable. However, they are very bright and very simple visually. And again, Zelda actually looks pretty good when things are well lit (like during the daytime in the forest or on the field). But when there is a lot of subtle color complexity (ie, in dungeons and in "twilight" areas) it just looks murky and lacks the definition that I have seen in video reviews taken from the same areas.

Edwin wrote:

I've never played a zelda game other than the Four Swords (GBA) co-op so I await the response to that question.

That is simply shocking, Edwin! Didn't have a NES as a kid?

I did but not Zelda.

Now I know why your avatar looks so sad.

I was three years old. I couldn't read much less handles a NES controller at the time.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Now I know why your avatar looks so sad. :sad:

Totally.

With how little I've actually played it I find it hard to say for sure, but from all the reviews I've seen it seems although this is as good a game as any with which to introduce yourself to the world of Zelda.

Still, if you have never played a Zelda and aren't sure you'll love it, I can't recommend buying a system just for it. (But that's not to say that you shouldn't get a Wii now if you have a chance to.)

So im about 40 hours into this. So far its been a blast however there are a few frustrarting parts (control issues and not being coordinated for me).

Some of the later boss battles and dungeons are well done, I dont want to get into spoilers but there's a part that reminds me of spider man, If you get there youll know what im talking about. There seems to be alot of extras that you can do, like in the other Zelda games. Heart piece, rupees and poes in random places, as well as other things to collect along the way. I have been going through this relatively quickly, but if your the sort to explore everything that this game has to offer, youll be busy for a while.

I find the music fantastic, It has variation on the previous Zelda's, However i have found certain pieces in the set very haunting and somber. It really does a good job at setting the modes for the environments that your in.

I would say that it would be a good introduction into Zelda and the Wii. After playing it for a while i can't see how this would be the same great experience on the standard GC controller. The point and shoot tools that you get along the way and sound coming from the controller just bring this together (Im in love with the wii mote for this reason).

I would say that it would be a good introduction into Zelda and the Wii. After playing it for a while i can't see how this would be the same great experience on the standard GC controller. The point and shoot tools that you get along the way and sound coming from the controller just bring this together (Im in love with the wii mote for this reason).

Interesting. I have a bit of a different feeling about the speaker myself. While I think it is great and it adds tremendously to the experience when playing Wii Sports, I did not like it at all in Zelda. I suppose if the audio fidelity was a bit better it might be different, but I found the tinny sound of sword clashes, etc, to break the mood of the game. In Wii Sports I guess I just don't care or am not expecting the same thing of the experience, so having a kitschy sound effect paired with the swing of a bat or whatever isn't a problem (and, in fact is quite fun). I guess we'll see how it strikes me with other games, but I think that in general I'll be turning down the controller volume in more serious types of experiences.