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Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess 1st Impressions
Got Warewolf? Nintendo presented its next Legend of Zelda game at E3 on May 17. Along with the official title, we were given a new trailer for our eyes to feast on. I will begin by dissecting the trailer shown at E3 2005. The first thing we see is an eerie looking castle top ad mist the backdrop of a dark and stormy sky. Could this be the royal family's castle, or perhaps Ganon's lair? Then a bolt of lightning lights up the backdrop and we see a series of other towers in the background. Clearly, we will have an entire castle to explore this time around, not just a measly tower. The camera cuts back to another tower and a winged creature flies across the screen. Whatever this thing is, I get the feeling it is not friendly, as the camera ominously directs itself to the top of the tower under a thunderous sky. Now we are in a forest of some store, the sky is still dark and stormy, and some kind of portal opens up above. Three creatures fall out and hit the ground. These things look like a cross between Ocktoroks and those licker creatures from Resident Evil. They all have some sort of helmet on their heads, each with an emblem on the top. The emblem looks like an eye with a hook surrounding it. this symbol will undoubtedly be of great importance later on. The creatures disperse and we are taken to an indoor scene. Looking out a window we see a hooded figure in a black cloak, as a bolt of lightning takes us to another scene, this time we are in another forest. Link Emerges. He is wearing an outfit we have never seen before. This is most likely his Taoru village uniform. He approaches a blond haired child wearing clothes similar to his. They converse and the child begins crawling through a hollow log. Then the camera cuts to a shot of Link, who is going somewhere with haste. As he runs, his uniform changes from his Taoru Village outfit to his traditional green hero's tunic and sword. Perhaps the child who went through the log was captured by evil foes and it is Link's duty to save him/her. We then see Link running through a darkened forest with a lantern. Maybe the search has gone into the night. The scene then changes back to the hooded figure in a black cloak, which appears to be the same hooded figure featured on the cover of the June issue of Electronics Gaming Monthly. The camera zooms in on her as she turns around and we discover the figure is a young female. The scene changes again and we see an exhausted Link suddenly break down and transform into a wolf! This was anticipated by many, but quite honestly I did not think there was a snowball's chance in hell that this would happen. How will this effect the storyline? The gameplay? The controls? We will all find out come this fall. Once again the scene changes. This time Wolf-Link is inside a prison cell ferociously gnawing at a chain on the floor. Another new creature is then shown. Now this thing, I don't know how to describe. You'll have to watch the trailer yourself. It looks like a half human/half rodent with some kind of apparatus on top its head. This apparatus is like a metal hat thingy with a some kind of arm/claw on the top. This thing (I believe it's a she, judging by the way her body is shaped) also has markings all over her arms and legs. These markings are similar to the markings found on Gorons. This thing, mounted atop Wolf-Link, busts out the prison cell via air duct. The next scene shows the dynamic duo making its way across the top of the castle which held the prison cell. Suddenly the duo is met with the winged creature we saw in the beginning of the trailer. Next thing we know we are back in side the castle. We hear strange gnawing noises but the cause cannot be determined. We hear a "whoosh" sound and all the sudden ghostly rats are biting away at Wolf-Link, along with other strange ghost creatures behind it. Next the scene cuts back to the forest and we witness Wolf-Link attack the 3 stage creatures we saw fall from a portal in the sky. Using a vicious charge attack, the 3 creatures are defeated in an instant. The next scene a horned warrior atop a wild boar, taking captive a small child. Could this child be the same one that Link has been searching for? Link brandishes his sword atop his own trusty steed, and does battle with the horned warrior. As the background music shifts to the familiar "Zelda's Lullaby", the camera cuts to an older woman standing with her horse in a shallow water area. Next we see what appears to be the inside of a shop, and the owner is selling bottles of milk, among other things. There is a cat sitting on the counter, which suggests that cats will supply the milk in this game, much like the cows did in Ocarina of Time. Next we see a younger looking girl jumping with joy for no good reason. In the next scene we get to appreciate the beauty of the water in this game. It is absolutely stunning as we watch Link row his canoe as he navigates through a water town. In his Taoru Village clothes we find Link in front of the backdrop of a few mountains, as a hawk majestically swoops down. Then we cut to somewhere in the thick of the forest. Perhaps this is the entrance to the forest dungeon. We then see Link fighting a gigantic spider, which is classic to the Zelda series. Then it's off the the field outside a castle at night time. Link is fighting off some of the common enemies. Next we see Link fighting some ghostly forest enemies. We see a parry attack similar to that seen in The WindWaker. Then, some sort of monkey enemy is seen at the base of a gigantic tree. Next we see Link swinging across a broken bridge with the help of an unknown ally. The next scene is truly a site to behold. We see Link in the heat of a boss fight. The visuals are amazing. After fighting off skeletons and other attackers, with which first see Link's bow, the last scene of the trailer is shown. Atop a bridge which only god and Shigeru Miyamoto knows the height, Link, atop his horse and another foe atop his animal joust each other. The background, which is a setting sun, is one of the most beautiful looking backgrounds I have ever seen in a video game. The trailer ends just as Link is about to collide with his enemy. The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess. This is the title given to the game which Zelda fans have waited for for so long. After The Wind Waker came out, millions complained that it was too childish and they wanted something that would be darker and more adult oriented. Well, it looks like they got their wish. I for one, am surprised at how dark this game truly does look. Judging from the trailer it appears that a new era is the Zelda franchise has begun. The game's creators have said for awhile now that the game will have an anime/manga influence to it. Although I am not a fan of anime or manga, I do not think that will have any bearing on how much I enjoy this game. For me, a Zelda game, or an adventure/rpg game is a good game if:
From what Nintendo has told us thus far, my first three points have already been confirmed. Nintendo has said that the storyline for this game will be much more mature. I think this will translate to a real complex and interesting storyline. Nintendo has also said that the game will sport 70 hours of gameplay and that the playable area will be 3 times greater than that of Ocarina of Time. And judging from the fact that there will be 70 hours of gameplay, we should be able to assume that the game will be no cakewalk. If you watched the trailer you have seen that this game really does have a unique aspect to it. Who knows how Link's new (ability?) will tie into the storyline. Appealing to the emotions is very important to me, when it comes to an adventure or rpg game. I believe that games, and especially RPG's, can be a lot like movies or books in that they provoke thought and emotion. Just thinking about playing old NES games like Super Mario Brothers, Kirby's Adventure, and The Legend of Zelda provoke an intense feeling of nostalgia. Even games as recent as Final Fantasy 10 do that for me. Anyway, if a game can provoke emotions, than you know it is a high quality games, so hopefully Twilight Princess will do just that. One of the things I thought The Wind Waker failed miserably at was the final boss. I was shocked how easy Ganon was. I have actually seen a trend in newer games where the final bosses are getting easier and easier. It's almost as if the developers just got tired at the end and said "Awww screw it". Although the trailer released at E3 gave us a lot of new information, there is still a lot that is unknown about this game. You can be sure though, that Unlimitedgamer will have all the information once it becomes available.
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