The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

[Burning Zeppelin]

Well, I finally borrowed my friends GameCube. Sure it took a lot of haggling, involving hooking him on to New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, then letting him borrowing it, but it was well worth it. I used to think the graphics were "shit as", and that I'd like the return to OoT style art direction in Twilight Princess, but now I love it. Let me make a reviewy sort of thing. I really suck at writing, so live with it:

SOUND: 8
From the orchestral sounds of enemies, to the fun, upbeat music of just walking around, WW never fails to please. Sure it isn't the epic movements of Final Fantasy or Metal Gear, and sure, OoT surpassed it (though obviously not in sound quality), and sure, it is quite repetitive, but it still hasn't reached the likes of Dead or Alive in that manner, so it gets an 8.

GRAPHICS: 9
I love the graphics. The graphics are awesome. You may think it is kiddy and childish, but think of what the Zelda series is; it is no different from the story a child makes up playing in some cubby house shit. WW is no different. So to complement this, this idea, the graphics have to be made in that way too. I docked a mark because the graphics sometimes don't look in the right place, or it just doesn't look great. And Link's face is a crapload of crap, studied in the University of Crapology.

PRESENTATION (characters, plot): 10
The game is a gem in this category. The plot, as said before, is no different from a child's dream. The look and feel of the game is just enchanting, with you being immersed from the point in. Enemies have a cartoony feel, and killing them doesn't become a chore, it becomes part of the movie you are playing Killing them makes a puff of smoke appear, and the absence of blood adds to the goal of the game. The plot is, as always, cliched, but as Pixar do so well, it executes the cliche plot and intertwines it into the gameplay so well, that it won't seem overdone, it'll seem charming and you'll want more. More!

GAMEPLAY: 10
Gameplay wise, this game is perfect. No doubt about it. It takes everything OoT has done, eats it up, digests it, shits it out...ok, this analogy isn't going anywhere, but let's just say it expands on everything OoT has done, and throws away the shit, like, uh...bad swordplay? Well, it wasn't bad, but compared to WW it is. WW is adventure gaming at it's finest. It doesn't tell you what to do, heck, there isn't even a place to see your quest! You have to use your wits. You see a walkway beneath the bridge? Put it on fire! You see a giant stream of lava that shoots up periodically, and it is going where you want it to go? You throw water on to where it comes from, it makes a platfor, and you stand on it (yes, I'm not that far into the game)! It doesn't make it a scripted affair, like other adventure games, it makes it streamline, and part of the gameplay. The only reason that 10 wasn't a 15pt, was because the actual Wind Waker could've been better.

This game is not only art, which every game is. It is a fine art.

[Matt Shadows]

Good review... I guess. Considering I haven't played any Zelda game other than Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time. I might give in to buying this game.

[CyberSarkany]

What was the max. amount of points? 15 or was this some kind of joke?

I love this game too, but it was a bit too easy for me (to less damage taken), but I liked the ability to use a GBA-Link and "play" with 2 players(was fun for a few mins, esp. if the GBA player bombs your ship).

[Romana]

Aren't the cel-shaded graphics ingenius? Haha they were gonna use them for Twilight Princess, too, but too many people complained about it... Shame, that.

[Agent 12]

Biggest complaint would have to be the boating (Though it is fun for 20 minutes)


--jp

[Romana]

It wasn't a bad idea, but a proper teleport thing would've been better, like the traditional Zelda items: a Bird, an Ocarina, a Flute, one of those. Also, it was kinda short. Less dungeons than Ocarina of Time, which, FYI, is missing an Ice Temple and a Wind Temple :O The Ice Cavern was originally gonna be a whole dungeon, y'know. They left 'em out due to deadlines, etc.

[but2002]

After they decided not to Cel-Shade TP, they tried to make it look as realistic as possible, and they are making another Zelda,
Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, which takes place two months after WW and guess what  Its Cel-Shaded. 

The System? Simple. DS

[Radical_Dreamer]

I liked the boating. Gives a feeling of scope to the whole thing. But then again, I really like archipelegos, and have a soft spot for stories where the hero is left handed, so the game was catering to me a bit.

[Romana]

Link is left-handed because his creator is, too.

[Burning Zeppelin]

What was the max. amount of points? 15 or was this some kind of joke?

Heh, no, I meant 15pt size.

After they decided not to Cel-Shade TP, they tried to make it look as realistic as possible, and they are making another Zelda,
Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, which takes place two months after WW and guess what  Its Cel-Shaded. 

The System? Simple. DS

True dat. The DS is definetely the system for quirky art styles, and definetely the system for 2D games with 3D graphics (a la FF3, NSBM, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl).

I liked the boating. Gives a feeling of scope to the whole thing. But then again, I really like archipelegos, and have a soft spot for stories where the hero is left handed, so the game was catering to me a bit.

Yeah, I thought the boating was pretty sweet too.

[Romana]

NSBM? wazzat?

[but2002]

NSBM? wazzat?

I think he meant NSMB  ( New Super Mario Brothers )

[Romana]

Oh, right. That game rocks, too, of course.

[uzerzero]

I've been playing Zelda since I was about 9. I've gone through and beaten every one (except Zelda 2). Quite frankly, I feel that if you're going to cel-shade a game, it should be from a top-down view. Link to the Past was similar in graphics, but it was a top down game and I loved it. Unfortunately though, after beating Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Wind Waker was a let down for me. I still loved the gameplay, as it added more things to do, just like the previous ones. But I was hoping, like many other people, for a game with high graphics that really took advantage of the Gamecube's processor power.

[but2002]

I've been playing Zelda since I was about 9. I've gone through and beaten every one (except Zelda 2). Quite frankly, I feel that if you're going to cel-shade a game, it should be from a top-down view. Link to the Past was similar in graphics, but it was a top down game and I loved it. Unfortunately though, after beating Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Wind Waker was a let down for me. I still loved the gameplay, as it added more things to do, just like the previous ones. But I was hoping, like many other people, for a game with high graphics that really took advantage of the Gamecube's processor power.

Twilight Princess will do JUST that!