The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

My last experience with Zelda was with its launch of "The Legend of Zelda" on the Nintendo Entertainment System more than 20 years ago. This isn't out of disdain (in fact, I enjoyed the game quite a bit), but rather the desire to graduate high school...then college...then secure my future with a high-paying career. Now that I've accomplished that, as well as spawned a son who REALLY enjoys video games, I decided to dive back into gaming with the family-friendly Nintendo Wii. And what better way to wax nostalgia than by resurrecting a character from video gaming past?

First of all, I'll address the most popular target by critics of Wii games: the graphics. Get over it already! It's been well-advertised that the Wii's graphics processing capabilities are no better than the Game Cube. You are never, ever, ever going to see a game on the Wii with graphics as good as Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, so it's really pointless to argue the point anymore. It's not about the graphics (which are actually very good in Twilight Princess), but the entire gaming experience...which this game REALLY delivers on!

Like any Zelda game, you assume the identity of Link, a wide-eyed teenager living on some mythical planet (presumably a twisted sort of Earth) during some unidentified period in history. In this particular game, the setting and time period appear to resemble what you may experience when reading "Lord of the Rings". You start out as a farm hand doing odd jobs for your boss and others around town. It takes a few hours of goat herding, baby basket retrieving, and fishing before the real action finally starts, but when it does it's non-stop and really well-done.

The action begins when a dark force known as "the twilight" encompasses all of Hyrule. As always, Link appears to be the only...uh...elf-like...thing...that can stop it. You see, the twilight banishes everyone but Link to a ghost-like state that leaves them shivering in the corner, scared of all the giant bugs and monsters that seem to have cropped up out of nowhere. But what about Link? Well, OBVIOUSLY, it turns him into a wolf. Okay, it doesn't really make any sense, but it's pretty cool. You spend the entire game changing between wolf and "human" form in order to take advantage of various abilities needed at certain locations in the game.

Eventually, you find out that a guy by the name of Zant has spread all that pesky Twilight across your beloved country. You immediately set out on a quest to find this Zant character and unleash a six-pack of any weapon you can get your hands on. And there are plenty. From slingshots to swords to clawshots to boomerangs to bombs to things only dreams are made of. Not surprisingly, getting to Zant involves the dispatching of several dungeon bosses. I believe there are 9 in all. And each time you defeat a boss, a little bit of the twilight disappears with it, once again revealing the bright blue skies over Hyrule. And of course, there are twists and turns along the way in order to peak your interest (perhaps Zant isn't the one you have to worry about after all...).

There are quite a few things that I like about the game play in general. The one I like most about "Twilight Princess" is its genuine epic feel. Hyrule is enormous! Even though in reality it takes only a few minutes to go from one end of Hyrule to the next, it seems like hours. I can't even imagine how annoyingly awful it would be if you didn't have a horse to ride around on, as well as the ability to teleport to certain areas of Hyrule. The game designers were real masters of perspective, and it has the effect of a story that seems larger and deeper than it actually is.

A close second has to be the cache of weapons and equipment that Link finds along his journey. Variety aside, the real challenge is figuring out which tool is right for the job. As far as weaponry, the best by far is the sword. There are three different types you get during the game, but it's what you can do with the sword that counts. There are seven VERY satisfying special moves that you learn during your quest. These moves are just what the doctor ordered after a stressful day on the job. The other weapons have their own lethal charms, but nothing beats a good finishing blow with the sword. You also get other special equipment such as armor and healing potions to help you along your quest.

You may have heard that the bosses are pretty easy to defeat. The truth is that some are, and some aren't. And the ones that aren't I didn't find particularly easy.

There are also lots of mini-games to keep the fun going, such as fishing, bug collecting, and Poe Soul gathering. It's worthwhile to play these games since they often lead to rewards that are really helpful in finishing the quest.

You may be able to finish this game in 40 hours if your rush through it. Personally, I took about 100. Of course, I spent most of that time on side-quests in order to find every piece of heart and upgrade possible to help me in the final battle sequence. Believe me, you will want as many heart containers and rupees as possible to help avoid defeat. I highly recommend taking your time with this game and squeezing every ounce of enjoyment out of it before it's put on the shelf for the rest of eternity.

This game really peaked my interest in the Zelda legend. Ever since I finished it 3 months ago, I've been scouring the Internet for information on Link, Princess Zelda, and Hyrule (i.e., what's the story behind all this?). I can't wait for the next Zelda incarnation.

That's a pretty strong influence for a silly video game.