By now you've probably already read a million reviews on The Legend of Zelda: Twighlight Princess and if you own a Wii, odds are you already own the game. With that said, I'd still like to briefly touch on some things that may have not been talked about as much.
Two Steps Back
When Nintendo began showing off The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker for the Gamecube many fans cried out bloody murder, claiming the graphics were much too kiddy and that they ruined the experience. Perhaps I'm in the minority when I think that the graphics and presentation in Wind Waker were some of the best I've ever seen. Sure, technically Resident Evil 4 had more sophisticated graphics that pushed the hardware more, but Wind Waker was one of the few games in recent memory that I actually was blown away by the beauty and environmental immersion contained within. When I loaded up the game and saw the wind wisping through the air and the blades of grass shifting around with every movement - all with a uniquely gorgeous cell shading design - I nearly cried. Ok, so maybe I didn't nearly cry, but it was amazing nonetheless.
So what the heck does this all have to do with Twighlight Princess? Well, in my opinion, Twighlight Princess was downright disappointing compared to Wind Waker. Sure, it was more realistic looking and had some nice effects, but it didn't come close to the pure eye candy goodness that was Wind Waker. I didn't get the same "holy crap this world is amazing" feeling in Twighlight Princess. Does that make TP ugly? Of course not. But it was definitely a let down in my opinion.
Where's the Challenge?
Luckily I don't care about the graphics that much, especially when the gameplay is sublime. Unfortunately, much of the gameplay in TP is handicapped by the fact that the game is just way too easy. There is rarely a situation where you'll have to pull out some last minute strategy to save your butt and you'll rarely, if ever, die. This is unfortunate since the combat could have been much more rewarding if it was at least occasionally a challenge.
Luckily most of the boss fights live up to Nintendo's, and more specifically Zelda's, standards. While most of the fights are just as easy at the rest of the game, they usually more than make up for it with clever use of newly acquired weapons and skills.
Not All Bad
Ok. So by now you're probably thinking I hated this game. Well, that's definitely not true. While the game does fall short in some areas, the gameplay and sheer amount of content kept me glued to the TV for quite awhile. The story may have been a little bland, the characters were perhaps a bit too flat, the difficulty could have been a few notches harder, and the graphics may have been a step back from Wind Waker, but all those hiccups were just that, hiccups. They don't change the fact that the classic dungeon system works brilliantly (explore, kill miniboss, get item, kill boss with item). The world is still a fun place to explore and the variety in gameplay (fishing, horseback riding, archery, etc) keeps the game fresh and moving along.
If you have a Wii, you probably already have this game. If not, get it because it's likely to be the best game for the system for awhile.