If you had to name one videogame series that you simply couldn’t live without, I’m sure Nintendo’s ‘Zelda’ franchise would top the majority of most peoples list. Originally conceived (and labelled a failure before it was even released) in 1986, Shigeru Miyamoto’s Zelda franchise has influenced numerous games that have come since and stands tall as one of the finest videogame series ever created.<br><br>After the phenomenal success of Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo64, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker arrives with high expectations and high hopes for Nintendo; can Link do what Mario failed to do and actually sell the system???<br><br>The history of Zelda on the GameCube has been well documented, from its origins in the realistic SpaceWorld demonstration to the unveiling of the ‘cell-shaded’ look a year later. Despite the uproar that centred on the ‘cartoon’ visual style, the fact that players control a new hero and not the Link featured in previous Zelda titles caused the biggest surprise around here.<br><br>Taking place 100 years after the events of ‘Ocarina of Time’, players learn of how the Legend of the Hero has been all but forgotten, yet customary traditions garb boys in green tunics on their ‘coming-of-age’ birthdays and so it isn’t long before Link is back in familiar green and fighting the growing threat of Gannon’s re-emergence.<br><br>Thankfully Nintendo haven’t tried to re-invent the wheel and borrows heavily from the fundamentals set out in Ocarina of Time. Switching Z-Targeting to the L shoulder button feels as responsive and swift as when we first saw it in Ocarina of Time, whilst the camera causes very few complaints. Our only concern is the lack of buttons to map items to; because The Wind Waker ups the item count significantly you’ll find yourself switching over items quite considerably, not a major point, but one of the few criticisms that we can possibly level at the game.<br><br>A number of the Zelda fundamentals have seen significant enhancements since Ocarina, most notably the combat aspect. Having gained your sword and shield in traditional Zelda manner, you’ll quickly learn that Link is more ferocious then ever, with a wide range of deadly and visually impressive moves. A new introduction is the use of a counter attack; by simply pressing A when the icon flashes, Link will roll around the opponent and unleash a devastating attack. <br><br>As you’d expect from a Nintendo title the controls are absolutely spot-on and an absolute joy to play with, you’ll never grow angry or frustrated at the controls which is the sole reason why Nintendo games stand out over everything else; whereas most games begin to aggravate at some point, I’ve yet to come to a point in Wind Waker which has made me put down the pad for a bit of a rest.<br><br>A very neat touch is the ability to use your items in combat effectively; simply lock on to an enemy with the L shoulder button and you can easily use other items alongside your trusty sword and shield – the first time that you work out how to use the grappling hook to snatch items from enemies in combat is just one of the countless moments that make you smile with glee. <br><br>A number of new items have been included or changed from previous versions; killing different enemy characters usually resorts in a special item linked to that particular character being dropped. Players collect and store these in three different bags that you collect at the start, having collected a sufficient amount of these you’ll find out that certain characters will trade these for other goods. You’ll also be able to use things such as bait to distract guards and trade with rats, whilst the Hyoi Pear, which allows you to take control of a seagull, is pure comedy genius and a very neat idea.<br><br>As you’ll know from the pages of previous coverage on this title, The Wind Waker replaces the luscious green pasturelands of Hyrule with the vast openness of the open sea. It’s not long into the quest before you become acquainted with a talking boat, which not only acts as your transport but also as your guide throughout the adventure.<br><br>A nice touch is the way that as Link gains access to new items, these can be modified and used on the boat; for example, the grappling hook becomes a hook for scooping up sunken treasure, whilst bombs can be used either by Link on land or fired from a cannon on your boat.<br><br>Opinions on the sea-based exploration appear to be mixed; it’s fair to say that because of the huge area involved and the fact that there’s less scenic objects that exploration can be a little monotonous, however further progress throughout the game spices the seas up a little with legions of aquatic monsters, cyclones and hidden secrets to keep an eye out for. The implementation of sailing on the seas however stands out remarkably; in our humble opinion we personally love the whole set-up, the first moment that the skies turn grey, lightning bolts down and the heavens open up with torrential rain ranks as one of those classic memorable Nintendo moments. We also enjoy the fact that exploration has become even stronger then previous Zelda titles, dozens of islands populate the vastness of the sea and ensure there’s always something to grab your interest.<br><br>It won’t take too long before you find yourself on the major quest and embarking on the first dungeon. First the bad news, because of time constraints Nintendo had to remove three dungeons leaving the total count at five. After the success of Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker places a lot of emphasis on the sub-quests, discovering new territory and what surprises lay in store. Whilst the lack of dungeons may initially sound disappointing, there’s certainly ‘as-much’ of a game here in comparison to Ocarina of Time, it also breaks up the ‘go to dungeon-get map-get compass-get item-kill boss-onto next dungeon’ formula that original Zelda titles strictly adhered to.<br><br>As soon as you take on a dungeon you’ll quickly realise what it is you love about Zelda; the sheer genius of integrating puzzles into the excellent level designs so effortlessly is a task that only Nintendo has managed. The game is full of those moments where the solution that you’ve been searching for becomes obviously apparent, leaving you with a wry smile on your face and uttering the words ‘oh yeah’ or ‘why didn’t I think of that earlier’! Unfortunately the overall execution isn’t as great as the finest moments from Ocarina of Time, however it certainly holds a close second and makes virtually every other game in the genre look dumb in comparison.<br><br>For some reason (and I can’t quite hit the nail on the head as to why) The Wind Waker looks and feels a lot closer to the original NES and SNES outings then the two N64 titles; certainly it’s got something to do with the look, but more importantly it’s the solution of the puzzles and also the welcoming return of numerous enemy characters from previous titles.<br><br>As far as I’m concerned, The Wind Waker is the most refreshing game I’ve seen in years; the phrase ‘just like a cartoon’ has been used ever since cell-shading was first introduced, however The Wind Waker goes one better then every other game we’ve seen using this technique before. On a personal note I think this look and style bears closer similarity to the Zelda spirit then the realistic demo shown at SpaceWorld 2001; I love the look and wouldn’t want anything else after seeing this. Every character in the game exudes personality and charisma, Link certainly tops the list with his huge range of exaggerated expressions and little animations; watch closely for his facial expression when Link drops from a platform and scurries to grab hold of the ledge – absolutely priceless.<br><br>Despite the simplistic look, you certainly can’t say The Wind Waker is a slouch in the technical department. The scope of the game is magnificent and gives you some idea right at the start when you pick up the telescope and can view events going on from miles away. Perhaps the most technically impressive feature is the subtle use of depth-filtering to fantastic effect, this really adds to the overall image and style creating a more sophisticated ‘cell-shading’ look. Finally the luscious lighting effects truly are the bees’ knees; in keeping with the cartoon look, there’s nothing realistic about them but that doesn’t make them any less spectacular. Chuck in some wonderfully beautiful animation (watch his hat wave in the wind) that will simply make you drool, and you’ve got a visual style that is far beyond what the ‘realistic’ demo could ever have hoped to achieve. Given the visual style, The Wind Waker makes surprising use of a semi-realistic physics model, which scatters tabletop items such as cups and plates in a neat manner.<br><br>Despite all the praise that can be lavished on The Wind Waker there are a number of issues that stop this being the Ocarina of Time beater that we were all hoping for. In a move to try and flesh out the game, there are a number of frustrating sections in place just to try and up the hours that you’ll take to complete the game – something we never thought we’d see in a Zelda title! <br><br>However the biggest issue is that it doesn’t feel nearly as taxing as the greatest moments from Ocarina of Time; dungeons in particular are not as complex or devious as those seen in Ocarina, whilst we can hardly recall dying at any point in the whole game.<br>