Twilight Princess

Game: Twilight Princess (Gamecube) - By Tetsuo

"Good things come..." and all that. The latest Zelda game eventually saw release on Wii as a launch title, of course, but for those who have unfalteringly clung to the long-deceased GameCube like some sort of dog sat loyally next to its dead master - well, they finally have reason to cheer, dun't they? The differences between the two versions lay in their control methods and little else, but for those that don't like the idea of waving their arms around every time an enemy appears on screen, the disadvantage of the Wii version is probably more apparent.

Anyway, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - where to start?

No place better than the beautifully picturesque village of Ordon, which acts as the Kokiri Village of Twilight Princess; introducing the player to the controls, characters and locales. Anyone who played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker will need little time to become accustomed with the controls, because the game essentially uses an ever-so-slightly modified version of that game engine. Link's movement is pleasingly smooth and responsive just as before, but notable differences (to the obsessive, at least) include a slightly simplified camera system that now operates entirely in "free" mode, no longer re-centring itself behind Link if left alone for a few seconds; a re-jigged menu system that is pleasantly simplified, now easily called up by pressing the D-pad; and you can now only assign items to two buttons (X and Y) as opposed to three.

Oh, those graphics. They deserve a mention. Nintendo have delivered an almost visual antidote to the cartoon style of the previous installment and instead opted for a tone similar to that of Majora's Mask. Ignore those who have lambasted the company for "giving in" to Americans who reacted venomously to the Wind Waker's beautiful style, or even the kids who have claimed its visuals are sub-standard because there are no high-resolution textures of metallic walls or industrial war zones. Twilight Princess is the most extravagantly detailed game Nintendo has ever created. Please read that again if it wasn't clear. Its world is one that is colourfully drawn and with such attentiveness that it's easily one of the most visually impressive titles you'll play for some time. And there's not a "high-res" texture in sight.

As terrific as everything looks and moves in the light world, somehow the Twilight world is even more alluring; with its dark atmosphere and colour scheme of hazy purples, yellows and reds, it's a stunningly beautiful place to explore but ultimately a shame that its inclusion is merely visual, not really containing the kind of inter-linked ingenuity seen in A Link to the Past. It would have been nice to see more of the game take precedence in it nonetheless, particularly later on. Upon stumbling into this Twilight Realm, Link is helplessly transformed into a blue-eyed wolf, who legend has it is destined to return peace to the land of Hyrule. His only guide in this world is the peculiar Midna; banished from the Twilight Realm, she appears to be using Link in order to find her own way back. Although never quite as enjoyable as controlling his human form, wolf Link is surprisingly well executed; he can move faster, attack enemies with increased brutality and the world he is forced to inhabit is, as mentioned before, brooding but beautiful.

The beginning is slightly disconcerting it has to be said; there's a stop-start feeling to proceedings. There are sporadic moments where lazy Shenmue-style QTE's occur which worryingly result in an instant game-over screen. And the initially overly-helpful "nod-nod, wink-wink" nature of the in-game text (where every sodding second word is emboldened so that you know exactly what to do or where to go next) will begin to concern. Nintendo apparently assumes that you couldn't possibly want to work out anything for yourself. In fact, for those who are looking to savour the experience or just want a challenge, my advice would be definitely to import the Japanese version. Any of the plot lost in translation isn't to be missed (it never really incites or convincingly explains itself throughout anyway), and the game would undoubtedly be a more intriguing challenge than playing through the western translation.

However, for all of its reassuring familiarity and hand-holding, give it a little bit of time, because, particularly by the start of the second dungeon, the game really begins to find its feet and Nintendo confidently swaggers back into "smiling at the TV" Mode. The dungeon design becomes increasingly extravagant, reverting to the multi-tiered level design of old; indeed, included are easily some of the most satisfying and challenging levels since Ocarina of Time. The bulk of the game takes place in these dungeons, not in the over-world, and this is supported by how the game directs you to-and-from each level in quick succession, often with little goings-on in-between. In fact, this is probably the most linear Zelda game since A Link to the Past, but this shouldn't really be seen as a negative. There are numerous side quests as expected, but when compared to The Wind Waker (which had the most side quests and hidden dungeons of any Zelda before it), in Twilight Princess there are considerably less. Perhaps we've been spoiled before, because having said all of that, there are plenty of surprises and hidden nuggets in Hyrule waiting to be found, all of which are a joy to discover. Although dungeon music is again non-existent in Aonuma's Zelda, the remixed tunes of old favourites, such as the Hyrule field theme, are lovely.

For those who have never played a Zelda game before, Twilight Princess might well feel like the greatest game they've ever played, but for everyone else, it's "merely" another quest, another epic and ingenious videogame, another Zelda. For all that it does right (wonderful graphics, vast areas and dungeons to explore and some brilliant character design) it never quite topples the feeling of desolation found in Majora's Mask, the genius level design of A Link to the Past or the emotive storyline of Ocarina of Time.

Perhaps it's testament to the increasingly obvious quality of the latter game in particular, that, although arguably the most consistent and accessible Zelda since Nintendo's opus, Twilight Princess struggles to really live up to expectations, despite its brilliance. In the case of the GameCube, it's the most fitting and charming "goodbye" anyone could have really hoped for. But whichever way you look at it, it's hard to deny the fact that Nintendo have done it again.

Nine out of Ten