The Legend of Zelda

[JimBee]

Thanks for the bump def, I just finished Twilight Princess (GameCube) a few weeks ago for the first time. I had gotten most of the way through it five or six years ago when it was first released, but now I finally got around to starting a new file and completing it all the way through.

I really did like it. The more depressing moods set by the story, graphics, and locales were not an unwelcome change for this game, and it challenged me just right (even if the last two temples were pretty easy). There were a lot of cool additions like the fishing hole and Hyrule Field explorations that kept me entertained between dungeons. And the ability to transform into a wolf felt fully-integrated into the game rather than feeling gimmicky. Oh, and the music was amazing.

Still, I did not enjoy it as much as others. It lacked the novelty of Ocarina of Time and the sense of adventure of Wind Waker, and I'm hoping Skyward Sword will somehow be able to match these things. WW still remains my favorite of the series.

It's the last gasp of the Wii. I placed an order for a PS3 yesterday. The PS3 is now at a slightly lower price than the Wii was when I bought mine five years ago, plus the PS3 has a pile of great, cheap games now. Anyway, Skyward Sword will be the last full-price, new game I buy for quite a long time.

Well the next-gen is coming, the Wii U, and it's more of a peripheral add-on than a complete new game system. I wouldn't say the Wii is done just yet, but I still wish I would've gotten a PS3 instead. Most of the Wii's games aren't worthwhile to me. :shrug:

In SS, there are a few new devices as well, though they don't seem meant for the pantheon... like the spinner which doesn't make an appearance here.

These were my initial thoughts when seeing the previews from E3 a few years ago. Items like the bug launcher seems too game specific, and items like the spinner from TP are too temple-specific. Though the whip seems like something that could become a trademark of Zelda games, depending on how it's used.

The overworld is a lot more maze like, rather than open expanse, and there is a lot less time wasted as a result. The explored area gets recycled inventively a few times, which is another novelty to the game.

I actually liked riding around on Epona in TP (and the King of Red Lions in WW, but sea exploration was different and more captivating IMO). The ability to teleport did help, though you didn't get the horse whistle until halfway through. I'm looking forward to seeing how SS will compare. Is there an overworld map that acts as a hub between dungeons, or are there new areas to explore after each one?

I found the Wii motion controls quite good. The game differentiates between left/right/overhand/underhand sword swipes, and it makes all the difference with how enemies defend themselves. I've found myself naturally improving my sword-play in a way that I never have with other games.

I forgot - does this one utilize the MotionPlus peripheral? What I can't believe is that the designers still haven't made a left-hand mode, especially since Link is left-handed to begin with. I guess it's a lot of trouble though, considering they thought it would be easier to flip the entire game for the TP Wii adaption than to reprogram for right-handed people.

I haven't even tried SS out yet, but hopefully I will soon. Have you played Phantom Hourglass?

[JimBee]

EDIT: Double post.

[def]

Well the next-gen is coming, the Wii U, and it's more of a peripheral add-on than a complete new game system. I wouldn't say the Wii is done just yet, but I still wish I would've gotten a PS3 instead. Most of the Wii's games aren't worthwhile to me. :shrug:

I have really little interest in brand new systems. I got the Wii when it was a year old, but usually I'm happy to wait two years or more. Now is a great time to buy a PS3. I got Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 for $25 each, new. There are piles of AAA titles for that price. So I can get a game a month, in an affordable way

These were my initial thoughts when seeing the previews from E3 a few years ago. Items like the bug launcher seems too game specific, and items like the spinner from TP are too temple-specific. Though the whip seems like something that could become a trademark of Zelda games, depending on how it's used.

That spinner had one use in the overworld, in the eastern area, there's a heart to get, I think.

The beetle is actually quite nice though. It replaces the boomerang as the thing to pick up items, and you control it, loosely. It lets you explore areas well in advance without rushing in. The whip is alright, but doesn't have a lot of uses. The best one is snatching a key from a goblin through a gated door.

The weakest weapon is the Gust Bellows, a wind blower that blows piles of dust and cools lava. It's only there to remove obstacles made for the gust bellows.

As well, you can upgrade a lot of the items. The beetle gets a stamina and speed boost, and the net gets much bigger. That's a cool option.

I actually liked riding around on Epona in TP (and the King of Red Lions in WW, but sea exploration was different and more captivating IMO). The ability to teleport did help, though you didn't get the horse whistle until halfway through. I'm looking forward to seeing how SS will compare. Is there an overworld map that acts as a hub between dungeons, or are there new areas to explore after each one?

It's a lot smaller, and no horses. Your main home is a floating city above the clouds, and you get your own bird to fly early on. From the clouds, you can enter three drop sites to the overworld, the forest, the mountain, and the desert. It's a lot faster to get around, but it's very deep. It reminds me of the Metroid worlds somewhat. It's very different to all the other games.

I forgot - does this one utilize the MotionPlus peripheral? What I can't believe is that the designers still haven't made a left-hand mode, especially since Link is left-handed to begin with. I guess it's a lot of trouble though, considering they thought it would be easier to flip the entire game for the TP Wii adaption than to reprogram for right-handed people.

It uses MotionPlus perfectly. You are literally controlling the sword. A lot of enemies guard themselves, so you need to swing the sword just right to get them. There are skeletons armed with four swords who block in about three directions, and it's a challenge to react quick enough. The only difficulty was thrusting forward. Sometimes, if I got too panicky in a tight squeeze, I had trouble thrusting it right on. But that was more me, since at other times I had no problem. It will be a pain for lefties to play, possibly.

I haven't even tried SS out yet, but hopefully I will soon. Have you played Phantom Hourglass?

I played it a little, but I really don't like the DS that much. I tried to get into it twice, and just thought it was okay.

[JimBee]

That spinner had one use in the overworld, in the eastern area, there's a heart to get, I think.

Yes, I do remember that. And there was one other time, in the final temple I think, where it was used. But if you compare that to how many times you use the bow or even the iron boots, items like the spinner just seem tacked-on.

The weakest weapon is the Gust Bellows, a wind blower that blows piles of dust and cools lava. It's only there to remove obstacles made for the gust bellows.

I haven't heard of it before, but it sounds really lame.

It uses MotionPlus perfectly. You are literally controlling the sword. A lot of enemies guard themselves, so you need to swing the sword just right to get them. There are skeletons armed with four swords who block in about three directions, and it's a challenge to react quick enough. The only difficulty was thrusting forward. Sometimes, if I got too panicky in a tight squeeze, I had trouble thrusting it right on. But that was more me, since at other times I had no problem. It will be a pain for lefties to play, possibly.

I've used the MotionPlus once, for Wii Sports Resort, and that seemed to work pretty well. Though it was two-handed in that game (and didn't utilize the nunchuck), if SS is anything like that I will be happy.

I played it a little, but I really don't like the DS that much. I tried to get into it twice, and just thought it was okay.

Agreed. I never finished it, but some of it was entertaining. It made some really clever uses of the DS, such as when the player had to actually close the DS for one puzzle.

For anyone who enjoys Zelda music, there's this really great website, Zelda Re-Orchestrated, that has faithful renditions of many of the classic Zelda tunes. IMO, Zelda games have the very best music out of all video games, and this is a great way to listen to them.

[BrickBob Studpants]

The Wii plays GameCube games

I know, but it requires a GC controller and a memory card (which are both not that easy to find I think). I just hope they're going to rerelease it on the Wii U some day The only 3D Zelda game besides WW I still have to get is MM... I'm not sure whether I should buy the Virtual Console one or wait for the 3DS remake that is rumored to be produced after the release of the first 3DS exclusive Zelda game (which is said to be set in a 2D world btw).

[just2good]

I'm a big Nintendo fan, and I'm amazed I never posted in here before. I love TLoZ, and my two favorite games of the series are (unusual choices, stone me ) Oracle of Seasons, Minish Cap and Majora's Mask. Keep in mind, I still haven't played Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirits Tracks or Skyward Sword yet (in which I got all of them on launch day, but I have watched my brother complete them).

[Poison Ivy]

I'm a big Nintendo fan, and I'm amazed I never posted in here before. I love TLoZ, and my two favorite games of the series are (unusual choices, stone me ) Oracle of Seasons, Minish Cap and Majora's Mask. Keep in mind, I still haven't played Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirits Tracks or Skyward Sword yet (in which I got all of them on launch day, but I have watched my brother complete them).

TP and WW are my favorites, OoT and MM came close though. The only thing I didn't like about WW was Ganondorf, he just looked really fat to me, not like the Ganondorf I was used to. I'm taking my time playing OoT the second time, going through and trying to find every Piece of Heart and weapon, to make my victory over the game complete. I'm only in the third dungeon of TP my second time over, but I'm already remembering why I loved it so much the first time. The darker tones just make me love the game, and the solemn overtones make it that much more realistic. The graphics are what really do it for me, though; the longer I play, the more immersed I get.

[Miss Kyle]

Wah, I didn't know there was a Zelda thread on here!

I'm a big fan, and although I like all the new installments my favourite will always be Link to the Past, as it was my first Zelda and I still love the look and the puzzle designs of it. Skyward Sword is utterly fantastic though, too. I gave it to my boyfriend for Christmas, but since he doesn't own a Wii we can only play it when he's here. And I stick to it! Which means we made it only about half way through the game, but on the plus side it leaves us so many more things to discover :)