The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess

Anyone will tell you that The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess is the prime reason to go pick up a Wii right now, and for good reason. This is simply an epic masterpiece that's almost perfect. Are there are few minor flaws and hindrances? Sure, but this game's strengths greatly outweigh its few minor weaknesses. It's really tough to not like this game. It takes the classic Zelda game play that made games like OOT and LTTP so great, and expands upon them to create a more epic Zelda than we have ever seen.

When you begin the game, you are just an ordinary farm boy tending to cattle and walking around your small village. Of course, this is only the beginning, and you soon find that the land of hyrule is in trouble and only you can save it from the clutches of Zant and the world of twilight. The game's story follows the Zelda games of the past somewhat, but builds on them farther and adds new elements such as the twilight world, in which Link is transformed into a wolf. The wolf concept itself is a new concept for the Zelda series and adds some more to the game. Once you enter the twilight world, Link transforms into a wolf, and with the help of the mysterious twilight being Minda, you must navigate the dark world to collect items in order to bring both the dark and the light worlds to peace.

The story is great, but it's the gameplay itself that truly shines in this game. The voyaging and collecting of "mirror shards" after each boss holds true to the classic game play elements and keeps you coming back for more. The dungeons for the most part are brilliantly executed and the bosses are great, although not all the dungeons are winners. Simply put, the game is epic, and although the game is not quite as long as Nintendo boasts, it'll still take you a good 40 hours if you really want to dive into the game and collect items for the side quests, such as poe souls and bugs.

The game works surprisingly well with the wiimote. The wiimote acts as your sword, and the the nunchuck is used as your shield. It's almost a perfect fit, although I wish they would have implemented more in depth sword and shield movements. It's not enough to hold the game back, but I'm sure it could have improved the game had it been implemented.

The graphics are stunning, especially considering the game was built on Gamecube software. The art style of the game is very unique. I love the effects of the floating particles when you are in the twilight world. Yes the game doesn't quite hold up to PS3/360 standards but it's important to keep in mind that the majority of this game was made on the Cube. The music is epic and fits the game nicely, and the sound effects are classic Zelda.

Overall this game is a must have, whether you have the Cube or the Wii, but I'd suggest the Wii version just for the unique motion controls alone. Zelda fans who didn't exactly love Wind Waker finally have a reason to rejoice.

This game gets a 4.75 Miyamoto Link's out of 5.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam

You know, when I first got this game for Christmas and put it in my Wii system, I honestly expected it to suck. I mean the graphics looked pretty bland, the concept sounded rediculous (Tony Hawk fused with SSX...?) and the controls just looked sluggish. Well, once I actually sat down and tried it out, I was, for the most part, pretty impressed. Not only was wrong about all of the above accusations, but it was actually pretty damn fun to play. No, it's not perfect, and there are some apparent flaws, but where this game does shine, it shines pretty bright.

If you're not aware, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is not a traditional Tony Hawk in the sense that you're not skating around skateparks and cities trying to collect items and rake in points. Although that is one objectives in this game, it's not the primary focus. If you haven't guessed, the game is all downhill, and it's basically SSX on a skateboard. You're main goal is to basically get from the top to the botton, all the while pulling off tricks to get boosts and beat your oponents. Although some people hate this new direction, I actually think it's an interesting new take on a series that was starting to get stale.

For those that aren't into the whole SSX style racing thing, you're in luck. The game also has several levels where you're goal is to earn a certain amount of points by collecting letters and performing tricks. Although you are still traveling downhill, this keeps more in the traditional gameplay elements of Tony Hawk, and is actually the game mode I prefer in Downhill Jam.

Holding the Wiimote sideways and tilting/ steering it left and right will move your player, much like Excite Truck. Although it seems akward at first, it quickly becomes second nature. Yeah I know you hear that about all Wii games, but this time it's true, no bs! One complaint I have is that when you're in the air, as well as when you grind, you're basically stuck going straight, and cannot immediatly manuever your character to the left or right, which can get quite frusterating. This is because once you're in the air or on a rail, the game assumes you now want to rotate rather than move left or right, and adjusts the controls accordingly, so controlling your character becomes more limiting when this happens. Just make sure that when you grind or leap off a ramp, you don't need to immediatly jump your character to the left or right, or you will miss whatever it is you're trying to jump to.

With that complaint aside, the controls are actually surprisingly intuitive and work well for the most part. Sometimes it can be a little confusing as to exactly what trick you're performing, but the game doesn't really focus on tricks anyway. There aren't a whole lot of levels, but I would argue that this is made insignificant with all the various objectives that you get for each level (race, trick points, etc). Because of this, the 1st player mode is actually pretty lenghty, and a lot of replay value is added. If you've played Sonic and the Secret Rings, you know what I'm talking about.

The soundtrack is pretty decent overall. The goofy clips at the beginning of each race, although unnecessary, do add a little humor to the game and helps you get to know these cartoony characters. The multiplayer mode is decent, but could be improved.

If you're a fan of the Tony Hawk series, SSX games, or especially both (as I am), you will find a lot of enjoyment out of this game. It brings a fresh new element to a dying series, and more importantly, it's fun to play, and will actually keep you coming back for more. That's why I give this game 3.75 Chuck Norris faces out of 5.

Wii Sports