A launch title that is actually Good

I just picked up a Wii and everyone told me that I had to get this game. And they were right. It is an amazing game. It uses the Wii controller to it's full potential to control a sword, fishing poll, sling shot and other items. This game was a spring board to show the many uses of the Wii wireless controller when the system launched. It uses the tiny speaker on the controller for music alerting you when you do good things for side missions. All the buttons on the Wii controller have a task assigned to them and it is really easy to just pick up and play. The game walks you through the controls as you gain new items during the game play. The nunchuck works well with the control scheme for sword attacks and controlling your horse. You do everything from running on foot, to riding on horse back to swimming. The camera can be a bit buggy at times as it follows Link from behind and doesn't like to look around him. The game designers address this issue by allowing you to use the C button to lock on for a better view. The story line is really good and can easily compete with the other Zelda titles. This game was originally designed for release on the Game Cube but was delayed and then modified to work with the Wii and Wii controllers. This you can really tell by the graphics. I have a HD TV and it shows a lot of the flaws in the graphic design. I would have loved to see the Wii's full graphic potential with this game as a way to show people what this little system could do when it launched. The graphic harken back to a simpler time of 128 bit goodness. Graphics can be forgiven and forgotten as you are immersed in a full world of people, places and side missions. The lands aren't as interactive or destructable as I would have liked for them to be, limiting you to picking up rocks and cutting down grass to find Rupies. I liked the little touches like being able to fish to regain hearts and using grass to make music to attract animals to help you on your way. The music is good, but there is very little voice acting, and I mean very little. Voice acting consist of mostly grunts and yells. All of the dialog is in text form, which can throw you off when you are use to hearing the characters speak in most modern titles. This is another throw back to the Game Cube game design but is a bit charming as it reminds me of RPGs like Final Fantasy on the old NES and Playstation 1. One feature I think is great is that you can save your game anywhere and at anytime just by accessing your items screen. Overall, if you are new to the Wii, it is a must have. It only supports one player, but so did every other Zelda title so that isn't a big deal. It does support Dolby Digital sound, which is good for the music but not the sound effects in the game. With the minor complaints, if you love Zelda games, you won't be disappointed and if you have never played a Zelda game, this is a good one to try out. Even if you are just thinking about expanding you Wii library with something other than Mini games or fitness titles, give it a shot.Read full review