The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

"I don't like to give out too many tens, so listen up!"

Wow. Let me says that this game is amazing, first and foremost. The funny thing is, the game didn't floor me like I thought it would. Metroid Prime floored me; the graphics and environment was so much to take in at once, and the anxiety of the beginning part of the game created a great atmosphere. Zelda was different. Except for the fantastic and nostalgic movie that precedes the game, the Wind Waker actually starts off pretty slow, unassuming like. Don’t worry, though; it soon picks up speed.

You are an average boy, named Link. (For story purposes. You can name yourself whatever you like) You don't have a fancy costume or muscular build. You have pajamas, a messy hairdo, a tendency towards laziness, and a borderline annoying little sister, who lives with you in your peaceful, quiet little town that you call home. Basically, you aren't a hero. You are no different from any other twelve year old. With nothing going on in your town, and seemingly no chance of anything exciting ever happening, your chances of heroism are nil. That is all about to change (DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!)

The game starts you out as Link, right after he takes a short nap. You don't have a tunic, a shield, a sword, or any standard hero equipment. To make a long story short, and not to spoil too many small details, you eventually acquire your attire (catchy) after a bird snatches up your little sister. Since the need has arisen, you have answered the call and are on your way to rescuing her. But will it stop there? After all, as you soon find out, the entire world is in danger due to an evil man and his twisted wishes....

And so your journey begins!

Let's start off with the basics here:

GRAPHICS: 9/10

I'm sorry to burst your bubbles here - the graphics aren't perfect. And if you think I'm griping about the cel shading, you're wrong. I actually like the effect for this particular game. It fits. However, this game suffers from several little things that could have been touched up. First off, basically everything in the game is low polygon. Nothing is too fancy, and it's pretty obvious. Items and people will appear a bit blocky at times, but due to the cel shading, it isn't too noticeable, and it is very forgivable.

Textures on walls are kind of generic, and the opaque ocean effect gets a little tiring. Collision isn't a huge problem, but minor clipping mars the whole game. Am I nitpicking? Yes. But as a reviewer, that's my job! When I say this game looks good, it is true. As a whole, Nintendo did a fantastic job. It just isn't perfect. But from what I understand, cel shading is very difficult to get right, and no other game has done it quite like Zelda. Nintendo, you minor graphical flaws can be over looked. As a whole, this game is way above average. And considering the draw distances, this game should actually be considered way above average in visuals.

Gameplay: 10/10

Where to start? Well, if I go on for too long, this review would take too long to write, and read for that matter. I'll keep it basic - it plays like any other Zelda game. Which is, as you should know, a GOOD thing. You interact with people, smash jars and steal money, cut grass, beat dungeons, slaughter enemies, go up against bosses fifty times your height, and so on. I won't talk about the Zelda formula, as you probably have already gotten used to it. The biggest difference is the fluidity of the game. The motion, controls, animation, you name it, it is all so much smoother and fluid like in this game. Link floats rather than walking. And after playing a few hours of Eternal Darkness, the controls are and extremely welcome thing! What I'll now mention in this section are the new changes to the game.

Remember in Majora's Mask hen you broke that one Zora's jar and he got mad? Well, it was surprising. You so called ''hero's'' used to think you could get away with pillaging towns before, right? What Zelda player doesn't go into the house, steal rupees, jump on beds, and basically create a ruckus a good house guest shouldn't? Well, like in MM, people respond here too. Break jars, pay for them! Sneak into a house, get scolded! Try to get behind the counter in shop, get pushed away! The characters aren't quite as dim witted in this game, and it is definitely good for laughs.

The characters are one of the main reasons to love this game; each character has his or her own personality. Even if they just want you to find their pigs, they put their own unique dialogue and emotions into it. And don't even get me started on the beautiful facial animations and hilarious sound effects that people make! It's genius! I have cracked up several times playing the game, and I'm not even through with it entirely. Let me end with this: As soon as you meet the man in Windfall Island who lets you play the Battle Ship-esque game, you will know that the game was worth every hard earned penny you spent.

AUDIO: 9/10

The music is fairly generic, but familiar to old timers of the Zelda franchise. The pre-game movie you are treated to gave me goose bumps of excitements after I reminisced about the “good-ole days” of playing Zelda as a young child. Now, I’m still a terrible music critic. Let’s just say I’m fairly tone deaf, so I’m not the best person to review music. I’ll just state that the audio is clear, the music is what you would expect, and in my opinion, the songs you conduct are fantastic! The real treat in this game is all of the uproarious sound effects that the characters make. A grunt, a laugh, a sigh, a whistle, whatever, it’s all perfectly timed and fitting. While funny, it still all makes sense for the individual character that utters the sound. But is the audio perfect? Sadly, no. In my honest opinion, some of the songs you play aren’t quite up to par with the old ocarina songs. But despite this, The Wind Waker is most certainly a game play with the sound up.

REPLAY: 8/10

How to judge? For the average gamer, he may be content with finishing the game and putting it down. He has already gotten more than his money’s worth with the above average in length quest, but there is still more to do. Side quests galore! Not to mention word from Nintendo of a second quest, (Unfortunately, I know no details) as well as mini-games that never bore. But is that all? For some, yes. For me, no. I will probably play the main game at least two or three times….before putting the game down for a couple of years and then playing through it again later on. And I don’t know if this is just me, but cruising through town, jumping and climbing through and on stuff, hacking at random objects, looking at small details in houses, and generally exploring and exploiting every nook and cranny of the game can entertain me for a long time. To this day I prod around Clocktown and Kakariko village in the previous Zelda games from time to time.

BUY OR RENT:

Isn’t it obvious? However, I must warn those that hated either Ocarina or Majora’s Mask, or are dead set against any adventure game in general: This game is much like it’s N64 prequels, and if you hated those, chances are you may not like this one too much. And for those that haven’t found a good adventure game yet, never fear! This game is the cream of the crop. It doesn’t matter what you think of the genre; Zelda is in a class of it’s own. Don’t hesitate to buy just because you didn’t enjoy Scorpion king, or whatever.

With two player abilities, (long story) and long one player quest and a wealth of secrets, this game can entertain for hours on end. Do you own a Gamecube? If you can answer yes, then I can assure you that you will want this game in your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/03, Updated 03/25/03