Zelda: The Awesome Maker

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I'm going to be out of town today but I wanted to take a moment before I hit the sack to make sure everyone is clear on something. You ready?

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is quite possibly going to end up being my favorite game over the past few years. ItÂ's pure joy.

zelda.jpg

Despite some reservations I had about the Cel shading, Zelda has turned out to be so consistently beautiful across the board that any complaints I may have had are dust. They nailed it, every aspect of the game is teaming with originality and personality. As usual, it doesnÂ't matter what drives the graphics so long as they serve the game and the look is consistent.

The game plays like a highly refined Orcania of Time. There are some excellent new tricks and elements to keep things fresh while retaining what worked in the original. I'll save the rest for a full review but I will say that if you donÂ't own a Gamecube this is easily your best reason to buy one.

It's been so long since a game left me with nothing to complain after four hours of playing. Thank you Nintendo.

- Certis

Comments

There are those among us who have never played a Zelda game my friends. I won't name anyone in particular but I will say that he likes throwing grenades at his "allies'" feet and dumping earthquakes in their villages to "help" them.

Get your pitchforks!

I did see a box in the store once, though.  I think I even picked it up and looked at it with a quizzical expression, so that counts for something, right?

Was anyone else flored by the composition of the Zelda music in the intro? When they showed the mural of link defeating Gannon and the Zelda theme music kicked in with the violin, it just sent shivers up my spine. I replayed the intro three times I was so into it.

Having never played a Zelda game before, I find for most things this Zelda is pretty cool both in its graphics style and play.  Having never played a Zelda game before there are several things that still bug me though about this one. So here is a quick laundry list of complaints.. small and minor as they are ... to argue about.... ah I mean discuss rationally.

1. What is it with the FM Tone generated music?  I know its a cartoon but catoons have music played by musicians. I know this seems small, but I can't help but feel that I am playing a old Lucas Arts game on my first Adlib audio card.

2.Small Characters and 3d person.  I wonder if this is the best thing to put in a game.  Looking around with the camera especially when trying to hide in a barrel can be quite frustrating.  Camera control in general is a bit frustrating. Because you are so small everything is from a very low angle. This might not be the fault of the charater being small, but said camera isn't very cooperative at times. Maybe this will grow on me.

3. What subliminal messages are being sent by using your sword to cut down every living thing in the game.  No problem with the monsters or enemy but the environment.  Cut the grass, cut the trees, cut the bushes.... Out pops money.  Is this some sort of subliminal message the condones the clear cutting of every plant in the world? I can see this now......  "Johnny, go out and cut the grass, just like you do in Zelda. But mommy I don't want to.  There may be money hidden in the grass.  Ok mom...."   2 hours later...  Mom looks out at the back yard to find all the grass, trees, and shrubs cut up and chopped up.

4. No real comment for 4 just like the number 4, how many people when they hear 4 really think fore, instead of four.

5. Another game with no voice.  You would think there are no quality voice actors in the world who can do this stuff.  I know how crappy it is having to deal with all the Voice Over stuff for different languages.  I had to do this for the game I am working on, but please....  The only thing I can think of is that Nintendo thought that kids might need to read more so this is a edutainment tittle as well.

All in all though, most of these things are pretty minor, but I think are things to perhaps look at in the next Zelda tittle, or maybe not.  I still think out of a 5 star rating I would still give this a 5.  Just have a few minor quibbles with it.  Critcs we are till the end.... 

 

 

 

I really hope you're joking about #3... honestly

I'm really enjoying the game so far (only just got the sail, haven't put it on my ship yet). I'm gonna give some minor gripes, but besides these, everything is cool

1. The "blur distance" is a little too close. It seems like you have to get right on top of stuff before it gets really sharp. I've leaned to ignore it, but it was initially annoying.

2. I initially thought the stealth elements in that first dungeon would be a lot of fun. Maybe I just suck, but after getting caught about the third time I was more annoyed than having fun. Oh well...

3. Damn mini-discs... would've been nice if there were voices/narration

4. That kid on Outset Island with the snot hanging from his nose... gordon bennet that's disgusting.

4. That kid on Outset Island with the snot hanging from his nose... gordon bennet that's disgusting.

That kid killed me. He is one of a few things that have already caused me to laugh out loud while playing. The second time I passed him and he started running after me I found myself trying to flee. Nooo! Get away! Germs!

Oh I almost forgot about the camera. That thing is real annoying. Why can't I reverse the damn camera controls? Also why can't I look up? That is hands down the most annoying part of the game for me, especially after playing Dark Cloud 2 with the camera reversed for the past couple weeks.

While I don't actually own the game, I've somehow managed to put more time into my buddy's copy than he has. I like the game quite a bit, and haven't found anything wrong with it.

I can still say, however, that I would have preferred a more mature and graphically realistic Zelda. The cell shading is very well done, uniform across the game, but still doesn't do much for me. I continue to dream of the Link and Gannon fight shown at the Spaceworld expo before the Gamecube came out.

Like I said, just my preference, nothing wrong with the game. It is very well done.

Its not that I have anything unique of my own to contribute to this conversation, but I received my copy yesterday (thanks for being slow GameStop!) and I've only played for about an hour. Thus far, I'm enjoying it a lot -- I never played Ocarina of Time (although now I can, but whether I will is another story) but I played the older games and I'm in fact playing Link to the Past on the GBA now with my wife (an odd couple thing to do, I know). The graphics are great, whimsical and vibrant -- very distinct and stylish. I love it.I do agree on complaints about the voice acting (well, lack thereof). This game is just begging for a good voice over and/or narrator. All of the reading makes my tired old eyes bug out.Overall, however, outstanding game.

Well yes and no.  I mean sure I don't care personally what I chop down.  It could be grass, trees, mosters, humans, small pigs, and or the varitey of offword denizens who have come to kill you all and send you home in small pieces neatly wrapped in the new type of non-stick aluminum foil.  BUT ...... 

That was the first thing I thought of while playing. 

What do you think the environmental activists would say about being able to "harm" the environment but cutting it down.  If these same types of people "activists" think that shooting people can turn you into a "killing machine" the likes that even Rambo has never seen, then I am sure it is not that far of a leap to think that this might make young, tender minds think that destroying the environment is also ok.  So when they get older they turn into some sort of environmental avenger or as the "activists" call them, oil company employees. 

If I was an "activist" I probably could set up a web site and get the whole world up in arms about a game aimed at children, that promotes bad environmental behavior.

Note: all words in quotes are that way so I can get someone all excited about how I have lumped the type of people in quotes into one group.  This is designed to start some sort of panic where said people who think they fit into the groups in quotes goes on a "holy" rampage of some sort or the other. 

What is it with the FM Tone generated music?

Its a GameCube game, and a Nintendo property. By definition the music has to pretend it is being rendered on an SNES.