Zelda Wind Waker Review (Gamecube) By rev9of8

9 / 10
18 Jan 2004 at 03:22

Review by: rev9of8

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most respected franchises in videogaming - to the point where the initial N64 outing 'Ocarina of Time' is widely regarded as the greatest game ever made.

Question: How do you add to this franchise? Answer: You radically change the game in terms of its graphical stylings as well as building upon the mythos.

When the first screenshots of 'The Wind Waker' emerged, many complained bitterly. The cel-shading appeared to diminish the game. However, this Miyamoto-produced title demonstrates that Nintendo's understanding of videogaming is incomparable.

For the longest time (ever since the launch of CD-ROM) we had been treated to the idea of games as interactive movies or cartoons, yet nothing came close to satisfying the hype.

So critical has this idea been to gaming that when nVidia launched their first GeForce graphics card they said that their goal was to ultimately produce a product which would allow for real-time graphics comparable to the rendering in Toy Story.

Executives at Pixar laughed at these claims and pointed out how they had to use massive Sun-based render farms to achieve what they had in that film. They suggested no-one could ever approach that degree of quality in the home environment.

They were wrong.

'The Wind Waker' is the first videogame that could truly be considered to be an interactive cartoon.

When you first put this game into your Cube, you will marvel at the graphical ingenuity. This oozes personality from the moment of the opening, with your little sister dragging her telescope behind her, to Link's range of facial expressions.

The game makes an amazing use of both colour and light. From the Forsaken Fortress where you are desperately avoiding the lights to the Tower of the Gods, and its aftermath, this is a title which revels in subtlety and beauty.

Ah, yes. I've mentioned the Tower of the Gods and its aftermath. The 'dungeon' itself brings forth a reminiscense of the cartoons "Ullysses 31" and "Mysterious Cities of Gold", whilst the cut-scenes and combat which immediately follow are, for myself at least, the greatest moment in videogaming. Nothing compares to this...

'The Wind Waker' is the reason I finally put down the money to buy my Cube. It was a Zelda game, and I would of whored out my entire family to own it. And... it was worth it.

Whilst this latest outing for Link isn't up to the standards of 'Ocarina of Time', it is a hugely enjoyable game.

It has its problems - it's far too short (although it's still a marathon compared to many games) and far too easy in comparison to Ocarina. Some find the sailing to be a drag, although personally i rather enjoyed just sailing around from spot to spot. The side quests aren't obvious at all and seem to be largely unnecessary.

Oh, and did i say that it is too easy? If you do the appropriate side-quests you should be able to defeat Ganondorf without taking a single hit. This jars when i remember Ganon/Ganondorf being an incredible challenge in Ocarina despite having completed almost all the side quests (there was one heart piece i hadn't got, for example).

Yet none of the problems mar what is, in the end, an exceptional game. Despite its weaknesses, 'The Wind Waker' stands head and shoulders above almost all of its competitors in the current generation of titles.

You will grin from ear to ear like a little child upon playing this game and, in the end, isn't that why we play games?

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