The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) Preview

The Zelda series has been running for a number of years and with the evolution of graphics the game itself changed and evolved in both graphical and gameplay styles. When OOT was released on the N64 it sparked the beginning of full on 3-D graphics and this style was followed through into Majora's Mask.

Then the GameCube was born and with it Nintendo released amazing footage of Link fighting Gannondorf in what looked like a scene from a movie and it was this style that was originally adopted by Nintendo but between then and Spaceworld something changed. With the realisation that the Zelda license could go stale Shigsy started to inject new ideas into the game and to show the change in direction the whole game got a shiny new cell-shaded look. And so now E3 has arrived and Shigsy can laugh at the doubters because The Legend Of Zelda is back and without a doubt it's better than ever before...

Although the look has changed the basic control system remains the same, Link is still able to lock on and circle enemies and the camera can be controlled and tweaked by use of the C-Stick. Items are allocated to the X and Y buttons removing the need to visit the menu screen every two seconds. The items available to allocate are on the whole similar to those in the N64 versions with the main exception being the Telescope, for Link's sea faring adventures. One major change is the introduction of stealth sections.

Although they were present in the N64 versions they are now more diverse and difficult as link can hide inside boxes, crawl through tunnels to escape and hide in shadowed corners. Amusingly the bulky guards plod along the corridors in time to the music, and if detected they violently smash open the pot or crate that you are hiding in forcing you into direct combat, but at some point it will be imperative to confront your enemies in order to complete a task or suchlike. When defeated your foe will leave a glowing ball, which changes colour and what object you get depends on the colour of the ball when broken. Link can also pick up specific items (such as a bulky Hog's Sword) in order to progress through the game however these 'bonus' weapons will soon break so appropriate use is essential, all this adds a new dimension to the way you progress through the game.

You still have to open chests and find keys which in turn open doors allowing you to progress but the way in which you do this has been made more interesting and varies from area to area more noticeably than before.

The graphics are truly amazing and comparisons with other cell-shaded titles almost seem unfair. The game moves so smoothly and the amount of graphical effects crammed on to the tiny disc is amazing. See Pretty Lights for some examples. However the game is at its most impressive when Link enters a village.

All the huts and houses are waiting to be nosied around in and unlike in previous versions the interior content/style differs. Villagers wonder about waiting to be talked to and many mini games await. And when you find high ground you can splendor at the mountains and fields stretching far off into the distance. This game is HUGE, there is tons to explore and we have to admit that this is one of the most beautiful games we have ever seen.