by Haggis (Sean Loyless)
March 26th, 2003 @ 12:50 pm
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Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube)
GameCube sales up as Nintendo legend makes a comeback
Source: The Chicago Sun-Times
‘Zelda’ returns to awaken moribund GameCube sales
In a video game console race that includes Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and Microsoft’s Xbox, the Nin-tendo GameCube is in last place and in need of a hit that no one else has.
That’s where “Zelda” comes in. The first game in the series was released in 1987, and the subsequent sequels have redefined the action-adventure game genre. They’ve also been massively popular, each incarnation setting sales records.
Big shoes for the game’s protagonist, the elflike Link, to fill. “Wind Waker” exceeds all expectations.
The game has so many twists, turns and distractions it is reminiscent of Homer’s Odyssey. Boiled down to its most simplistic sense, Ulysses’ quest was merely to travel to Ithaca. In “Wind Waker,” Link has only to rescue his kidnapped sister Aryll, but to accomplish that he must beat back a dark force threatening the entire world. His quest takes him first to sea, then to various islands filled with unique friends, foes and sights to see. Much like Ulysses, Link’s story isn’t just a trip that takes him from Point A to Point B to complete a narrowly defined goal. In the end, it’s his journey from being just a boy on an island to being a hero and a man.
In addition to a story line that was well conceived and executed, “Wind Waker” features some truly creative graphics. A lot of attention has gone into developing this animated world, and it shows. Every character Link encounters has a multitude of facial expressions and emotions to convey motives, actions and reactions. You can lose yourself in the various worlds’ plush vegetation and swirling blue skies when you’re not getting lost in one of the many mazes and dungeons. It’s as if someone at Nintendo took to heart the job of creating a fully interactive animated movie.
Even the game play is unique. The “Wind Waker” of the title is a conductor’s baton. Throughout the quest, Link must learn to conduct various songs in 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8 time in order to summon various elements, move objects or fastforward time. It’s the last thing you’d expect to see in an action-adventure game, but it works.
You also can take part temporarily in several side quests and minigames. The most challenging and by far the most ambitious is the quest to photograph every one of the 134 characters encountered in the game. A sculptor will then use the photos to create figurines of each of the characters and display them in a special gallery.
“Wind Waker” offers a stylized and detailed game you can get lost in. The Zelda torch has been passed, and “Wind Waker” proudly carries on the tradition of innovative and challenging game play.
