$20 Game of the Week: The Legend of Zelda – The Twilight Princess (GC, Wii)
by William Talley, filed in $20 Game Of The Week, Games on May.18, 2011
What better way is there to launch a new Nintendo console than with a flagship series? If Mario isn’t available, then there is always Zelda. The Twilight Princess is the Zelda title fans have waited for ever since before the Windwaker on the Gamecube (remember that footage of Link battling a skeleton knight?), and it was also a good preview of what we could expect on the Wii. As Link, you set out to save the kingdom of Hyrule from a creeping darkness that is slowly taking over it. At times you travel to the world within this darkness, where you take the form of a wolf as you seek out a way to burn it away. After getting rid of the darkness, you can then explore the light version of the world. The game does a good job of utilizing the new motion controls without making anything feel forced. You shake the Wiimote to swing your sword, and you can even aim it to fire your bow. You can also use it in a fishing minigame. Although the animations are a bit canned (remember, this was intended to be a Gamecube game), the controls are intuitive and fun. This is classic Zelda action at its best. You explore dungeons and gain new items that help you make your way through them, and you encounter bosses which force you to think your strategy through. Keeping in Nintendo tradition, Link doesn’t talk, although the story is still moving as there are plenty of water cooler moments and twists to keep you progressing through the game to see what’s next. With a new Zelda game on the way, now is the perfect time to check out this modern-day classic.