I'm a little behind when it comes to the kingdom of Hyrule and the many legends that make up the Zelda franchise. Growing up in the 80's/90's without a console pretty much left me out of the 8-bit experience. I had my dad's PC, however, and I was able to play educational games and star fighter simulators with graphics that spoiled me. Then there's college, and marriage, and kids (don't forget writing), which made it unlikely to really get into gaming as a whole. And then, when the Wii U was introduced, my awesome bro-in-law was cool enough to offer his Wii and also borrow some titles for it. How could I say no to that? Anyway, you know the back story. Now allow me to catch up on the awesome that I've been missing out on.
Having never played a Zelda game before, I had no idea what to expect from Twilight Princess, first released in 2006. I was aware that it received a lot of attention and tons of Game of the Year awards, which I thought was odd. Why? I couldn't understand how a game about an elf saving a princess could top everything else. Well, a few minutes of game play later, I was hooked, and it kept getting better!

Oh yeah ... >this guy< is in unabashed fantasy heaven!



That's what I call a leader, and I just couldn't help being captivated by the intelligent manner in which Zelda presents herself. Brains. Beauty. Magic! Link should consider himself lucky, but then, whatever happened to Link's girlfriend?
More importantly, why haven't I played these games sooner?
As the adventure went on, the deeper it became. So deep in fact that I was losing track of what Link was supposed to be doing: fun side quests, playing alternate versions of the same world, and jousting giant pig-men on bridges ... and that's the tip of the berg! Don't get me started on the innovative gadgets and dangerous dungeons. And did I mention the obsessively compulsive (if not addictive) need to gather items!
Shiny!
But what I found most entertaining of all way the antagonist.

Two things struck me as being unique about this game. First, it's dark. There's scary creatures and massive bosses Link has to face, and stepping into the twilight world for a bit is loaded with enough nightmare fuel to last a lifetime. Secondly, the game is remarkably clean and kid-friendly, even at the final battle!
Where'd all my pieces of heart go?!
While the game was longer than I anticipated and a few repeat visits were in order to complete various tasks, I fully understand the hype the preceded my experience, for which this game certainly is. It looks great, it plays great, it encourages reading and makes the player an active participate in the adventure. It even has the capacity to shed a few tears (or make your eyes watery, in my case ... I blame the excellent music and the "sense of loss" ending" ... ahem ...). Now I have some catching up to do, and if Nintendo continues this franchise with this level of pure fantasy escapism, I may just buy the consoles for these games alone, to which Twilight Princess is a masterpiece!
Cosmic Cruller Rating:
I'm David, and Ooccocos may look funny, but they can teleport!
I played quite a few of them when I was younger, but haven't played any since.
ReplyDeleteMy mother took our game system over because of legend of Zelda. She'd be excited to hear of this one, I'm sure. Lol
ReplyDeleteI'm actually kind of glad to hear I'm not the only one who didn't grow up in the 80-90's without a console. My parents refused... Anyhow, I don't game much, but this certainly looks fun!
ReplyDeleteI didn't even have a TV when I was a kid, so these games were out of the question for me. I really enjoyed your post reading about what I missed out on.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I've never played any of these games.
ReplyDeleteI remember offering to buy a Zelda game for my boys at some point but they weren't interested. Maybe I can get them to read your blog and change their minds.
ReplyDeleteHmm...can't say that I've ever played Zelda.
ReplyDeleteI've never played any of the Zelda games. I played all the Atari games, then skipped a few years, played some Sega Genesis games, skipped a few more years, and then lived with Roller Coaster Tycoon until I was sick of playing it.
ReplyDeleteI played the very earliest 2 Zeldas. Fun games. I no longer play games because of hand issues, but I have fond memories of Zelda and I do play Elder Scrolls now and then. I need to get Skyrim at some point.
ReplyDeleteI think Ocarina of time was the best but then I never played Twilight princess much.
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to play those type games myself, would you believe I can't get the stupid characters to even move forward? But, I love watching my kids play them. Zelda was an awesome game, and I still remember the theme music.
ReplyDelete........dhole
I've never played this game, but my kids were obsessed with it. And I know all the music, even all the words to "Link has come to Town."
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I have NEVER played Zelda?! Crazy, right? I think my brother still has it somewhere for some ancient console, like original nintendo. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on it.
ReplyDeleteI played a bit of Zelda at someone's house when I was a kid, but don't remember much. Good to see it has gone from strength to strength!
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