Though I don't much consider myself a "gamer" anymore, I will always have a soft spot for the Zelda series, as I consider "Ocarina of Time" to be perhaps the greatest adventure game I've ever played. In recent years, I have tried playing through "Majora's Mask" (too difficult) and "Wind Waker" (the cartoonish animation never quite suited me) and came up disappointed both times. After always kind of knowing that "Twilight Princess" was compared favorable to Ocarina, I decide to final give it a try on my old Gamecube.
First off, I have to say that I have not completed the game (and may not ever). My interests have shifted away from the video-game playing of my youth and I no longer seem to have the patience for long adventure games anymore. So, this review will be more about the "feeling" of the experience rather than the actual nuts and bolts of the game itself.
That being said, I still wanted to comment on the quality of the game, as I could automatically tell that it was more kin to "Ocarina" than the previous two before it. The gameplay is basically the same (except now you get the horse right from the get-go!) and I could see similar themes between the two. "Twilight Princess" is set up as an epic adventure like "Ocarina", not a race against the clock ("Majora") or a swashbuckling cartoon ("Waker").
I couldn't give this game the full five stars, however, because it still didn't "fit like a glove" like Ocarina still does. Call me an old curmudgeon or awash in nostalgia if you will (and both of those things are probably true!), but even to this day I can still take out "Ocarina" from time to time and it seems like I can completely get swept away in it each time. I didn't have that "complete buy-in" with "Twilight Princess". Was that more because of my own personal biases...or was it that "Ocarina" is still the gold standard? I'm not sure. Either way, that doubt was even to drop it to four stars instead of a sparkling five.
Bottom line of what you need to know if you are considering giving this game a try: It plays more like "Ocarina" than any other game in the series to that point. If you were disappointed with the frantic pace of "Majora's Mask" or the cartoon-y nature of "Wind Waker", this game will "feel like Zelda" for you right away.
First off, I have to say that I have not completed the game (and may not ever). My interests have shifted away from the video-game playing of my youth and I no longer seem to have the patience for long adventure games anymore. So, this review will be more about the "feeling" of the experience rather than the actual nuts and bolts of the game itself.
That being said, I still wanted to comment on the quality of the game, as I could automatically tell that it was more kin to "Ocarina" than the previous two before it. The gameplay is basically the same (except now you get the horse right from the get-go!) and I could see similar themes between the two. "Twilight Princess" is set up as an epic adventure like "Ocarina", not a race against the clock ("Majora") or a swashbuckling cartoon ("Waker").
I couldn't give this game the full five stars, however, because it still didn't "fit like a glove" like Ocarina still does. Call me an old curmudgeon or awash in nostalgia if you will (and both of those things are probably true!), but even to this day I can still take out "Ocarina" from time to time and it seems like I can completely get swept away in it each time. I didn't have that "complete buy-in" with "Twilight Princess". Was that more because of my own personal biases...or was it that "Ocarina" is still the gold standard? I'm not sure. Either way, that doubt was even to drop it to four stars instead of a sparkling five.
Bottom line of what you need to know if you are considering giving this game a try: It plays more like "Ocarina" than any other game in the series to that point. If you were disappointed with the frantic pace of "Majora's Mask" or the cartoon-y nature of "Wind Waker", this game will "feel like Zelda" for you right away.