When Nintendo told the gaming-public that their first Gamecube Zelda-game would use a graphical style called "Cel-shade", a cartoony look, fans (me included) were furious, and demanded Nintendo to change the visuals back into the realistic realm that the first trailers had showed in. Nintendo however, said no (whatever "no" is in Japanese), and went ahead with the game. And of course, they proved the critics wrong, much to the delight of their (now happy) fans.
Now, graphically the game is beautiful, or rather, stunningly beautiful at places, so varied and colorful and sharp as the visuals are. There are also lots of great effects, and it is so smooth as you could dream of. The whole thing ranks along the best-looking Gamecube-games yet, and that's saying something after the beauties the console had seen over its current lifetime.
The music, I would have to say, sadly fails to match the magnificent soundtrack of the N64's Ocarina of Time, but there are still some great tunes here, not the kind blows you away, but still very nice. Very good sound-effects, like you should expect of a game of this quality.
The story is certainly not bad at all, it evolves as you progress, and it got an interesting twist that makes it more interesting to follow. An interesting cast of characters is also very welcome.
The classic Zelda-gameplay is still here, and even though there are some changes from Ocarina of Time, the essence remains. The fabulous combination of memorable battles, smart puzzles, enjoyable mini-games, stunningly well-designed dungeons and tons of side-quests is still present, and still makes the experience awesome. Almost flawless control and camera doesn't hurt either, and the replay-value is sky-high. Here are my scores for the game:
This is (with the exception of the remake of Ocarina of Time) the best game on the Gamecube, and though it isn't quite in the league of the N64 Zeldas, it is still better than 99% of the other games on the marked. A good advice, BUY IT!
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