The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN) (gamespy)

- gamespy -

I've had the pleasure of reviewing the last three Zelda titles over the past eight or so years, and even though my personal favorite incarnation remains A Link to the Past on the SNES, I'm thoroughly satisfied with what Twilight Princess has managed to achieve. There's no doubt in my mind that Nintendo has once again crafted a video game that will be remembered for years to come. Link's back, and his new adventure on the venerable GameCube hardware is absolutely the best way this console's life could have come to a close.

There will be no spoilers written here, but if you truly only need to know whether the game rocks hard, just take a look at the score and be safe in the knowledge that it does. Having already beaten the tar out of the Wii version of the game, I was eager to see what changes existed between the two versions. Is the GameCube revision inferior in any way? That basically depends on your personal preference in regards to the Wii's new control system versus a traditional joypad. But no, this is still the same excellent game on the GameCube, so those of you that haven't upgraded machines need not worry. Given the epic size of the game, it's important to note that there's very little redundancy. You'll not find yourself being forced to do a lot of unnecessary running or riding (remember sailing around in Wind Waker?) thanks to the excellent warping system, and on the whole, the game feels very refined.

Life for Link begins in his small rural hometown of Ordon. Spending his days as a ram wrangler, things begin to get a little weird when strange monsters are spotted on the borders of the village. Link is tasked with taking a journey to the main city in Hyrule to consult with the folks there about the recent troubles. As you'd expect, a series of events begin to unfold that lead Link on a fantastical journey as he starts to uncover a sinister plot taking place in an alternate Twilight dimension. Will Princess Zelda know what to do? Who is the evil King of the Twilight and what does he want? And is Link destined to become the savior of the free peoples of Hyrule? It's up to you to take control and find the answers to these questions in your own sweet time.

The biggest difference here -- aside from the fact that the entire game is mirrored from the Wii version -- is the controls. Everything that made Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time excellent 3D Zelda games is here in Twilight Princess on the 'Cube. A few minor differences in controls include the fact that you can only map two, and not three, items to the GameCube's joy pad. You'll also be doing all of your first-person aiming (boomerang, slingshot, bow, etc.) manually using the L-trigger and the left analog stick. The camera is now controlled with the C-stick, and Midna's interactions are now mapped to the Z-trigger on the 'Cube's pad. And that's about it. Sure, I personally found the Wii's free-aiming system to be easier to use than the 'Cube's but at no stage did the old method of aiming or movement hamper the enjoyment of the game.

The lands of Hyrule are split up into a number of different provinces. Each province gradually becomes unlocked after you hit certain milestones in the game. It might be by the completion of one of the nine dungeons, or otherwise, and there's always a ton of stuff to see and do. There are lots and lots of NPCs to interact with -- some will give out much-needed hints, and others might open up new mini-game challenges. The Twilight dynamic of the game is a nice twist on the proceedings, too. When sent into the Twilight zones, Link transforms into wolf form and this in itself opens up new abilities, combat moves and methods of progression. For example, Link can talk to animals while in wolf form, whereas before he could not.

There are many memorable characters in the game, but easily the best of these is the spooky little imp-like individual, Midna. Her story is a mystery initially, but she proves to be an invaluable helper and hint-giver throughout the game, making for a new dynamic over and beyond the previous games in the series. There are a lot of series' staples found in Twilight Princess as well as some great new additions. Fans of the series will feel right at home with the combat system (Z-targeting is an absolute must) and the traditional mythology of dungeon crawling, money and item gathering and item usage. It wouldn't be a true Zelda game without some of the classic themed dungeons, so all those players out there who got stuck in Ocarina's notorious Water Temple should start quaking in their boots!

Link starts out with very little in terms of items and weapons, but it won't be long before sword and shield are at your command, along with some decent stop-gap secondary weapons like the slingshot, Gale Boomerang and the Hero's Bow. The game eases you into combat slowly, and makes sure you have a firm grasp of the Z-targeting system along with dodging, back-flipping and rolling around. Later in the game, you'll be facing off against some pretty hardcore mid-bosses and big bosses, but you'll never be put in the position of not being able to beat them -- it just might take a little time to figure out the best course of attack.
Horse riding plays a greater role in Twilight Princess than previous games, and Epona's representation is handled well. The controls are decent and fighting and maneuvering are well-implemented. The GameCube version of the game even has a little added bonus move which lets Link crouch on Epona's back and use a shield to deflect attacks -- something which was completely omitted from the Wii revision. There's never a shortage of areas to explore, and questing to find every single collectable item or power-up is a huge undertaking.

You'll be able to collect fragmented heart containers (you'll need five pieces to form one full heart container this time) along with special hidden glowing bugs, fish and all manner of other stuff, too. The scope is truly magnificent. Speaking of fish, there's essentially an entire full-length game dedicated to catching crazy numbers of different and unique fish. Again, this is now different for the GameCube version of the game, and is somewhat easier as the whole "reeling" mechanism is much simpler, but completists will love taking some time out for a spot of virtual haddock-catching. You might even get a surprise reward or two for your piscine-based tomfoolery.

Twilight Princess is a great-looking game. On one hand, it has its graphical problems (blurry textures, comparatively low-res characters, etc.) but the artistic direction more than makes up for these issues. Sadly, there's no widescreen mode on the GameCube version, but the good news is that the game still supports 480p, which gives a much sharper, more vibrant image quality than the regular composite or S-Video outputs do -- this is surely the preferred method of viewing the game .

I was delighted to hear that the musical score and sound effects were of the same high standard as Wind Waker, with new implementations on classic Zelda themes adding greatly to the nostalgia factor. The sound is pumped out in sweet Pro Logic II via the stereo cables and again, if you've got the means, it'll sound much better than just regular stereo.

In the end, there's no way that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess disappoints. It's an excellent addition (and homage to Ocarina) to the franchise, and you'll have an enormous amount of fun playing it from start to finish. It's an amazing epitaph to the GameCube's life and it's certainly the best game from Nintendo this year. If you've been on the fence in any capacity, then please rest assured that you'll not be disappointed. Nintendo's flagship game has arrived in style and you better damned well appreciate it. It's ultimately fantastic.