TheCrone  on March 4th, 2010

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker…It was in development for 3 long years and it basically maxes out Gamecube’s hardware capabilities (cel-shading is an extremely difficult effect for processors/graphic engines to handle).

AWARDS + REVIEWS
Zelda: The Wind Waker came out in Japan in December and is considered one of the greatest games of all time there. Famitsu magazine in Japan (the most reliable gaming magazine in the world..and every game is reviewed by 4 different critics) gave Zelda: The Wind Waker a perfect 40/40. Only three other games have ever gotten a score that high (Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Vagrant Story, and Soul Calibur). Famitsu says “Any pangs of anxiety you may have with the cartoon-shading look will instantly vanish once you play the game.” Two of the reviewers actually said the game was so good that they cried in delight. In fact, Zelda has recieved only one non-perfect review in Japan and that was by Dengeki magazine (it got a 9.5/10) ..and Dengeki scores games so harshly that Zelda: The Wind Waker became the first game in over 3 months to get above an 8/10. In the US, PlanetGamecube imported the Japanese version and gave it a 10/10. Zelda: The Wind Waker also won Best Console Game of E3 (Gamespot and the Official Awards).

THE “NEW” ZELDA
The main difference between this Zelda and past Zelda’s is that Miyamoto is no longer designing/directing it, and thus, the new director is giving it a much more epic feel. Everyone who has played the Japanese version has said that it definatly has the deepest story out of any of the Zelda’s ever made – in fact, it is the first Zelda to have a true emphasis on plotline. Not only this, but this is also the first Zelda to have multiple continents and islands that you can sail to with a ship. The world is so huge that on a quick ship it can take as much as 15 minutes to sail from one location to the other (in Final Fantasy for comparison sailing from one end of the world to the other only takes about 2 minutes).

LENGTH
PlanetGamecube themselves gave the game a 10/10 and said the only problem the game had was that the world was TOO huge. This game will take you 40 hours to complete (if you are very fast and direct) but is filled with well over 100 hours of sidequests and other things to do. In fact, this game is probably packed with more sidequests than any game ever made.

CEL SHADING
Anyone who shys away from this game because of the graphics are definatly missing out. Those graphics are actually more difficult for a console to render and more difficult for developers to make than the great polygonal graphics we are all used to. Not only this, but I, having witnessed the game myself at a Nintendo Cube Club, have noticed that up close this game is beautiful. Do not be fooled by screenshots, they do not do the game justice. The animation in this game is amazing and at the Cube Club (a club containing over 20 gamecube games), Zelda definatly stood out as the one with the most impressive and flawless art design and graphics.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay itself is very similar to Zelda: Ocarina of Time although with many enhancements and improvisations. Plenty of fighting, exploring, and puzzle solving. This time, however, the gimmick is wind rather than time (in Ocarina of times case). Wind is constantly blowing at a specific velocity and direction at any moment in the game. It effects everything – from how your boat sails and in what direction to which way Link’s cap swings in the air. Many puzzles will also use the wind and there are items to manipulate it.

MUSIC
And then there is the music..the music of the new Zelda definatly makes one of the greatest gaming soundtracks in history. Classical Zelda tunes remade in orchestral glory and plenty of new songs as well. The music is completly orchestrated and if you have a surround sound setup..drools.

IMMERSIVE WORLD – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Perhaps the number 1 thing that people who have played the new Zelda comment on is that it is perhaps the most immersive game ever made. Link has about 20 facial expressions which all convey what he is feeling at any given time. All characters in towns have artificial intelligence (they dont just stand there or run around in circles like in most Zelda/RPG’s)..rather..they have minds of their owns. If you (Link) walk around town with a sword..some little kids will follow you. If you go into a house and break pots the owner will get angry and chase after you. If you do something silly in front of people, they will laugh at you. And if you draw attention, people will look at you. Even the enemies have AI that makes the world immersive. Take out a bomb in front of a Moblin and they will run away – it makes you feel like the world is real. Seagulls follow your boat as it travels betweens islands. Zelda: The Wind Waker is the definative reason to own a Gamecube.
Rating: 5 / 5

drqshadow  on March 5th, 2010

In some ways, a classic video game series is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, developers are carrying on a tradition, a legacy. They’ve earned thousands (dare I say millions?) of devoted fans, and their names will almost assuredly be carved deep into the halls of video game history. Their work will go out into a remarkable number of homes, almost immediately after release. But, by that same token, each individual follow-up title is met with ridiculous scrutiny and astronomical expectations. No longer are these developers and programmers merely entertaining the public, they’re toying with electronic mythology. It’s all black and white, they’re either delivering “the best title since..” or they’re raping their own legacy. Rarely will a highly anticipated sequel be met by a lukewarm response from fans of the series, they’ll either love it or they’ll hate it. And, for the most part, a major change to the status quo is viewed as a bad thing.

So it should come as no surprise that many long time fans of the series were immediately turned off when early screens of Link on the GameCube, digitally rendered in all his glory, were replaced by a childlike, cartoony new appearance. When Miyamoto and the rest of the team trashed those old renders and went in an entirely new direction, fans felt alienated. Betrayed. I should know, I counted myself among them.

Within the first three minutes, my worries were washed aside. Graphically, this is as much of a leap forward from “The Ocarina of Time” and “Majora’s Mask” as those revolutionary titles were from “A Link to the Past.” It’s still filled with the same great gameplay experience you grew to love on the NES, SNES and N64, yet it’s pleasantly a beast unto itself. Truly, this was the right step for the masters behind the Zelda series to have taken.

The gameplay is a near-flawless translation of the system broken in by the N64 titles, at the same time benefiting from the modifications made to the GameCube’s controller. Where the N64 controller offered four directional “C” buttons (which were used to activate items in your inventory), the GameCube offers a second analog stick, labeled the “C stick”, which is used to control the camera angle. Items are now activated through the use of the X, Y and Z buttons, a layout which requires some minor adjustment due to the “Z” button’s location, away from the other two. Assaults are performed with the “B” button, and various actions are all done with “A”. Players may lock onto enemies with “L”, and the “R” buttons gets Link down on his belly and enables him to parry attacks with his shield.

Though the system remains magnificent, there remain two fairly glaring problems with this layout. For one, the player still cannot control if and when Link jumps or climbs. This particular flaw becomes critical when navigating small ledges or attempting to scale relatively short walls, as the little man on the screen will occasionally choose to plummet to his doom without a moment’s notice. I’ve nearly lost my mind, standing in front of a three foot wall that my character simply refused to climb. The second problem I had was with the camera control. In “The Wind Waker,” pulling back the camera also lifts it skyward. So, if I want a wider view of my surroundings, I also lose a lot of my range of vision and must maneuver Link from above. Needless to say, this is not ideal.

My largest gripe with this new Zelda lies in its sound. As a next-gen system running custom DVDs, the GameCube has more than enough room to allow for high quality, dolby-style audio tracks. This system should be pumping out better sounding tracks than your average CD, as evidenced by the tight ambient soundtrack of Metroid Prime. Instead, Zelda falls back on the same old MIDI-sounding synth score we endured on the N64. Many of the songs are exactly the same as heard on “Ocarina”, with only a few slight tweaks and modifications, which is an undeniable no-no for a title of this magnitude. Imagine if the Ocarina of Time had shipped with the same screeches and dings heard on the NES original.

As far as graphics are concerned… I’ve seen cel shading done well in the past, but absolutely nothing can hold a torch to what’s been accomplished with “The Wind Waker.” Everything has been accounted for, from the big picture to the tiny details. Afterthoughts such as the water bursting off the front of your boat and tiny clouds of dust kicking up beneath your feet on a beach are attended to with uncanny attention to detail. When your character climbs from the water, he’ll drip dry for the next few minutes. A monstrous enemy resembling a warthog marches through several dungeons on his hind legs. His lower lip juts out, flapping in the wind, and individual bits of saliva sail through the air with his every move. It’s incredible. There are more frames of animation in that enemy’s lip than in all of the original Zelda. Taking this game in is more than just an experience. It’s a revelation.

As one package, this is an unbelievable game. If it weren’t for the mild, yet necessary tweaks required of the controls and the sore lack of acceptable music and audio, I might be tempted to call this perfect. As is, the remainder of the game is good enough to account for the inexcusable audio and then some. The storyline is utterly enveloping, while the gameplay is everything you’d expect. The Wind Waker is a tremendous step for the GameCube, reaffirming Nintendo’s place in the industry and capturing the imaginations of anyone willing to give it a chance. Don’t let your preconceived notions about the shift in visual style fool you, this belongs in your collection right alongside the other titles in the legendary series.
Rating: 5 / 5

Gene Lee  on March 5th, 2010

(NOTE: I imported and currently own the Japanese version of the game and have played through it).

Words fail me to describe just how wonderful this game is.

As a continuation of Nintendo’s most polished series, you know without even the slightest bit of doubt that they’ve done the visuals and audio right; the graphics really have to be seen in action to be appreciated. It’s like controlling your own little cartoon world. The facial expressions and the way the characters can interact with the environment is superb. The soundtrack is phenomenal as well, with plenty of new music and a return of some classic tunes (including the one we all know from the original Zelda).

Graphics and sound are important, but they alone don’t make a game fun; what really sets this game apart from anything else I’ve ever played is the gameplay. From the intro to the last battle, every moment of Wind Waker shines of quality. The overworld is bigger than you can imagine, and each creatively designed dungeon gets progressively better and more challenging than the last. The camera is very similar to that found in Super Mario Sunshine- you have full control, and it goes where you tell it to go.

Though the game doesn’t come out in the US for another 3 months, I guarantee you that it’ll be worth the wait. This game is perfect- I can’t think of a single thing that I would change.

And the fact that I can’t read a word of Japanese absolutely blows my mind.
Rating: 5 / 5

Anonymous  on March 5th, 2010

After reading several of the reviews of this game, I couldn’t help but add my two cents. Aren’t we all tired of grammatically incorrect reviews that sound like they came from the second grade classroom?
This game, simply put, is amazing. I was skeptical at first when I saw the cel-shaded graphics. Believe me when I say the screenshots do not do this game justice. The lighting, the framrate, the textures and the animation all combine to make the BEST looking game this side of Metroid Prime or Halo. The art style fits this type of game perfectly. If you were to look back at the art of the original Zelda game on NES, you would be astounded by the similarities. The graphics add to the game in such a way you would never expect. Stuck in a dungeon? Swing the Camera around and take a look at where Link’s beautifully animated eyes are pointed. Want to know which direction the wind is blowing? Look at Link’s hat blowing in the proper direction. That brings me to another topic. The facial animations are second to none. Okay, now don’t laugh, but there will be times when you literally laugh out loud, or feel like crying. The game is that good at connecting with you. But enough about the graphics.
The sound effects and musical tracks in this game quite simply blew me away. After my first day of playing this game I found myself humming to several of the overworld themes. With a few exceptions (Link makes an annoying sound when he crawls) the sound effects are great. The grunts, bonks, sword clashes and water splashes all sound like they should.
The staple of the Zelda series has always been gameplay, and the Wind Waker has it in spades. The gameplay is quite similar to Ocarina of Time as far as control. The dungeons are fun and some of the puzzles are very clever. The game doesn’t seem to be quite as difficult as Ocarina, but as a whole it is longer. I would like to personally congratulate the person who decided you would be sailing in a boat. From the first moment I was sailing the high seas there was a huge grin on my face. It still may be there, as a matter of fact. The game world consists of a 7×7 matrix of squares. Each square has at least one island, and it takes a minute or two to sail the distance of just ONE square. You can start to get an idea of just how expansive this game is. Not unlike every other Zelda game, there are side and optional quests to keep you playing long after you have conquered your last dungeon. If you own a Gamecube, it would be a shame if you didn’t own a copy of this game. And if you don’t have a Gamecube, this game alone would be worth the price. (Plus you can get Metroid for free, so that would be twice the fun.)
If you look at this game and its cel-shaded graphics and dismiss it as “kiddie” or “dumb” maybe you should grow up yourself.
Rating: 5 / 5

ANDRE LUIS QUADROS AMOEDO  on March 5th, 2010

Is it the best Zelda franchise ever?
Yes, if you take the challenge size, the variety of actions Link can perform, and of course, the biggest quality made possible by Nintendo Game Cube console.
No, if you look for an original feeling. That original feeling in Zelda series happen in Ocarina of Time, and will be hard to occur again.
I’ve heard that it uses a cartoon graphic style. Isn’t it terrible?
No. In fact, Link expressions are much better now. He is wiser, his look help you solving some puzzles, and i am sure Myamoto’s option in graphics matches perfectly with game playability. I think some players will like it at first sight, while others will get used and will like it after some minutes playing.
Is it hard?
Yes, if you think about new tricks avaiable now. New puzzles, new challenges at the sea (sailing a boat, seeking sunked treasure chests, looking for sea chart)
No, if you are used to Zelda Games. The way of solving the puzzles is almost the same as in Ocarina and Majora’s. Look carefully to each dungeon, light some fire, use the hook, grab/push some blocks, aim for enemie’s eye and you will going far.
How much time I need to finish the game?
If you are a great gamer, 2 weekends are enough to end it, giving attention only to main quest. Solving all side quests may take you 2 or 3 more weekends. (There are a lot of side quests)
Will I get bored quickly with this game?
Every Zelda franchise combine unique RPG challenge with amazing moments of adventure and battle, so, you just get bored with it if your don’t like this style. The big variety of scenarios and things to do will put you with a big glass of water and some cookies at the sofa.
Which items can I use?
The same as in last games: sword, bottles, grappling hook, boomerang.
Plus: sail, telescope, wind waker and deku leaf (which make you fly if you drop from high places)
What about the story? What is the core concept of this game?
Long time after last adventure (100 years, the creators say), Link is living at Outset Island, with Aryll, his little sister, and his grandma. After a long-living period of peace, a wind of evil is being spreaded again in the world. A big bird is flying over the islands and capturing girls with long ears. Link’s sister, Aryll (check by yourself her ears) is surrounded by that bird, and stay prisioned at Forsaken Fortress, where Ganon (Big Boss in every Zelda) takes place now. When Aryll is caught, some pirates, who were at Outset Island, give a hide and a big help to Link start the adventure. Later he will find a sailing boat, that will help him a lot.
So, I must buy it?
Yes. I would define Wind Waker as the Ocarina of Time at the sea.
With the same fun and challenge of speaking to different people, get lost in dungeons, be frightned at first sight with big bosses, etc. etc. etc.
Plus, you can control the wind with your Wind Waker (it has the same mechanic as the ocarina, playing tunes), you sail a boat, and other great factor: the characters who interact with you are smarter. The dialogue has some sorts of jokes with a bit of irony.
I am truly a Zelda fan, and I think this is still the best way to spend money if you have a Nintendo Game Cube.
If this review was helpful, please click on yes right below.
I will try to answer more questions about this game as soon as I can.
Rating: 4 / 5