Friday Night Rentals: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

A copy of a game I haven't beaten...yet

Yeah, you read that caption right. I've never beaten Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Fact of the matter, I wish I had, but I just so frustrated by it, I allowed myself to not be engaged. Yup, you read that right, for some reason, I was never grabbed by this particular Legend of Zelda game. I was too frustrated by the game to get all the way through it. I plowed through every other Legend of Zelda that I own.  Ganon never stood a chance and Hyrule's salvation was all but assured. 

...but there's a certain point that has hung me up nearly every time that I play Twilight Princess.  Even after I pass that certain point, I feel annoyance at it's existence.  Yes, with utmost clarity I can narrow down my annoyance to one particular point:

Time to feed a stupid cat...

Yup, that moment right at the beginning of the game where you need to go fishing to lure a cat, to get it steal your fish and run home, to make the owner happy the cat has returned, so that she'll sell you a necessary item.  It was as tedious a side quest as one can think of in my opinion, and it happened right off the bat. What's worse, it was a side quest that I likely would have skipped given the choice.

Now don't get me wrong, I realize side quests have a long and glorious tradition within the Legend of Zelda universe. I like doing them most of the time, but admit I haven't completed every single one for every single game. Although getting a fully loaded set of hearts makes you feel like you could take Ganon down in one stroke; I just found myself eventually wanting to just beat the game and skipping some hunts and side quests.  So, imagine my frustration when I find the rescue of princess Zelda, the defeat of Ganon, the very salvation of Hyrule itself...hinges on you being able to catch a fish and feed a cat at the beginning of the game.  

Now, to be fair, in Ocarina of Time, you have to do a few side quest-esque things before you can go inside the Deku tree. However, those side quests both functioned to get you the sword and a shield, and they also provided you an opportunity to learn how to control your sword and do some basic blocking.  Likewise in Majora's Mask, you have to do a series of side quests before you get to the main task of freeing yourself from the "Terrible fate" of imprisonment in deku scrub form. However, you aren't just sent running around pointlessly grabbing moon tears and shrub contracts for nothing. Majora's Mask is teaching you a bit of the core of the game play and mechanics as well, specifically that of time management and task fulfillment within the game's three day cycle. These side quests were well crafted and cleverly integrated into the game both in terms of function and storytelling.

So what does feeding a cat have to do with learning core game play?  Does this cat tie in later in the game?  Do you and Ganon engage in an epic fish-off for the fate of Hyrule?

Nope!  

You just putz around a fishing hole like a retiree while trying to satisfy some stupid cat's afternoon munchies.  I love the Legend of Zelda games, but this was ridiculous. It brought the game to a screeching halt in terms of both action and story flow.  It took too long to figure out the right way to fish, the right fish to catch, and where to stand so as to trigger the "event" of the cat standing nearby and stealing said fish.  I'm not sure if that's because I always played it on the Wii and such slow plotting doesn't happen on the Gamecube version--my assumption is that the game is pretty much the same though.

I did play the game past catching the fish and feeding the cat.  But the damage was already done. I had gotten so bored with the game before things had a chance to ramp up, that I felt like I was plodding along, not enjoying the game as much as I would have had I not gotten stuck doing menial work so early on. I own the game, but I actually wished a few times that I had only rented it over the weekend, such was my annoyance and dissatisfaction.  

Naturally, I can't wait for the HD version to be released.

Booyah! Can't wait!

Yup, you read that part right. I can't wait. Despite the frustration, despite sometimes wishing it was just another Friday night rental; I'm a long time Legend of Zelda fan at heart and love everything about the story line and series. I'm not just looking forward to updated graphics or how great the soundtrack will sound in HD, or even Amiibo functionality (although those are definitely pluses). I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get back into this game from a fresh, but familiar perspective. I want to beat this game. I want to see the ending.  The world created in the Legend of Zelda series is so engaging, so fun, so well written that I love returning to it time and time again.  It's like a careworn novel I want to read again until the pages start to fall out, but want to read once more.

Whether the old frustrations will kick in, I'm not sure, but one thing is for sure. After 30 years of Legend of Zelda games, it still feels great to rescue Zelda and defeat Ganon; becoming not only another person who beat the game, but the hero of Hyrule.

Midweek Music Box: Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Classic Music from an Epic Game

Time traverse the high seas!  Can you feel the wind in your face, the palpable excitement in the air?
Continuing with a Legend of Zelda-themed week, let's talk about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.  I love this soundtrack from start to finish, but let me single out three of my all time favorite soundtracks from this game:


Intro Music:

First I want to talk a little about the Intro Music. What a fitting way to start this Midweek Music Box, right?:

"Intro Music"

I guess it's time to confess something: As much as I like the Intro Music for Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, it just hasn't stuck with me the way the rest of those games' music has.  Ocarina of Time has so many iconic tracks , and "Final Hours" from Majora's Mask still gives me chills. Yet...Something about the Intro Music from Wind Waker has stuck with me over the years. Whereas the others had a more somber tone, this tune felt so...jubilant. I truly felt like Link was not only destined for adventure, but he'll have fun along the way. Not that I wasn't having fun before, but Link always seemed so grim.  This time Link actually might have a bit of fun along the way, I guess being a kid helps.The simple drum beat, a whistle that has an organic quality about--as if you can image the notes piping out from a hand carved flute, and a fiddle merrily plucked.  Perhaps that fiddle alone imbues the tune with such joy.

Great Sea Theme

Nothing like the spray of the ocean in your face, the smell of salt in the air, and the cry of seagulls to get an adventure going!  And admittedly, it takes a little while to get your true adventure going enough to the point you actually hear this particular tune, arguably the most iconic theme of LoZ: The Wind Waker.

Each dip and crescendo of the strings makes it feel as if the composers found a way to capture the sound of ocean waves within music. The trumpet calls are perfect, the use of strings is perfect--can you tell that this song is in my top three favorite Legend of Zelda tunes of all time? Of course I'm directing you to a ten hour version of the song! I would say the only way I end up growing tired of it before the 10 hour mark is when my heart can no longer take pining for a real-life ocean adventure that never seems to come. (Usually that only happens around the 9 hour, 59 minute mark.)

Boss Clear Fanfare

Short and to the point, this buoyant little melody doesn't last that long, but sure packs the punch it needs to:  

Boss Clear Fanfare

Now, I think it's fair to say pretty much all Zelda games have Boss Clear or Boss Defeated music that truly makes you feel as if you've accomplished something. But to me, they always have such a serious undertone that I merely nod my head approvingly after the win. Like a parent saying, "Well done son. Now hurry on to the next quest, the next dungeon, no time for dilly-dallying." Let me give a quick example from Ocarina of Time so you can hear what I mean:

"Boss Clear"

Kettle drums resound, a cymbal clashes, digit string instruments play, followed by a kettle drum roll and final, epic cymbal clash.  Great stuff for sure, but still a bit on the darker side. Adventurin' is serious stuff ya know.  Then here's the Boss Clear Fanfare again from Wind Waker:

"Boss Clear Fanfare"

What starts off sounding as serious as the Boss Clear tunes of old transitions into what you might almost consider a joyous, celebratory song. How appropriate that the kid/cartoon link jumps and hops for joy.  He's not only excited at having survived, he's giddy at having accomplished so much. The celebratory nature of the tune is so infectious, I almost feel like punching the air in victory when I defeat an enemy.



Final Thoughts on Wind Waker Soundtrack:

I have written more stories, finished more creative works, and plowed through more difficult sessions of cleaning thanks to the LoZ: Wind Waker soundtrack.  I think the only that comes close to this is the 10 hour loop of Daft Punk's "Around the World."  I love every inch of this sound track. From the simple, quick tunes that announce you've found a piece of heart to the songs that help establish the setting of a particular dungeon or character interaction--there's just to much music to love here.  So why not give the whole soundtrack a listen?

Complete Wind Waker Soundtrack

Pretty fantastic stuff and a worthy entry into the 30 years and counting that Legend of Zelda has been with us.

Crazy Calamari Combat: Splatoon Review

Squid-kid hybrids, gobs of globs of vibrantly colored ink, and an eclectic array of paint guns?  Sounds like Splatoon has hit finally hit the shelves.  For almost a year now Nintendo has shared info, images, and even a truncated demo version of their upcoming franchise "Splatoon."  Millions logged in for the "Online Testfire" a few weeks ago, and millions were ready to board the hype train and head off for whatever destination Nintendo was ready to take them to.  So, now that we've pulled into the station, was it worth the long wait?  Did the seemingly overpowered paint roller get powered down and make the game a bit more even?  Should you rush our and grab this game?

Oh heck yeah, download it or buy it now!

Wait, wait, wait...why should you do that and not just assume that your old pal Jester has also taken a ride on the hype train.  Let's break down the basics and you'll see why it's time to join in the Splatoon-mania.

Control

I'm still not a fan of the odd use of motion of controls to control the way you are looking, but then again, how else would you do it?  That said the controls do feel natural and are easy to pick up on the go.  Maneuvering with the left analog stick works well enough and swimming through the ink is enjoyable and . Even if you don't poke your way through the initial tutorial you should have no problem getting into the swing of things.  I will say though that traveling through grates as you swim through ink can get a bit tricky at times.  I thought it was just me at first, but there were several times I saw other Splatooneers getting stuck for moment or two trying to do this.  Which, in a game that's as fast paced as Splatoon, a few moments is all it will take to get splatted.

Music

But can you hum it?

Catchy pop rock tunes and jamming guitar riffs comprise the bulk of the music.  Most of the melodies are appropriately peppy and fast paced, but I never really caught myself humming or whistling any of them once I turned off the Wii U.  The main theme which I've linked to above does have a little bit of "hum-ability" factor, which I like, but I admit I feel a little disappointed that there aren't more memorable tunes in this budding franchise.  Nintendo has done great work with the Mario and Zelda series, but it might be that doing pop-rock riffs were just a little outside the comfort zone.  I like them well enough, but they just aren't as engaging as I'd like. (Still, they might find their way on to my ipod as background exercise music some day.)

Graphics

Big, beautiful, bold colors dominate the landscape--or at least they will when the opposing teams finish with the playing field.  Whether florescent purple, vibrant blue, orangesicle-ish, or one of several others colors randomly used for your team to paint with; Splatoon delivers in terms of not only giving the ink a "wet" quality but also does fair job mimicking the viscosity.  The character animations of the flapping "hair tentacles" and ink-swimming are just as fun to watch as they are to play.  They have a cartoony style that feels reminiscent of Wind Waker and the facial expressions are animated in way that really sells the idea that these are kids playing around.  The little touches on the equipment and weapons you can buy make each weapon feel unique, and personally, I can't wait to crack open the Amiibos I managed to get for this game and see what other cool little add ons and costumes you can get for the squid-kids.

Overall Thoughts/Gameplay

Okay, now here is where I get a bit "gushy."  I was apprehensive at first when I played the "Global Testfire."  The paint roller felt overpowered the weapons options seemed limited.  Of course, I should've realized it was just a small sample of what was to come.  With a number of weapons I still haven't leveled up enough to get, costume/clothing pieces that act as upgrades for certain abilities, and new maps still being loaded on to the Splatoon server; this game has a lot going for it.  "Splatting" other opponents and sending them back to the respawn point is every bit as satisfying as inking the heck out of everything in sight.  There seems to be no perfect strategy for winning, though I suspect in the following weeks that will change.  It has a bit of child-like whimsy and humor as the points/area covered are tallied at the end of a round and you see the other team are the "bad guys" and you are always the "good guys."

It's been noted that there is no in game chat feature so you can talk to teammates.  While this does seem like an odd choice, especially given the natural party aspect here; it makes it all the more satisfying when you do win.  Its fun to think that I'm playing along with some one halfway across the country and others from across the globe, but some how we all get it.  We all click and fall into place and work to make the team win.  There's a sort of awesomeness that comes with knowing I may not speak Japanese, but the lady playing on my team stopped inking an area to help me Splat some one before I got splatted.

As you might suspect, yes, this does make it all the more frustrating when the team doesn't gel and everyone goes in it for themselves.  Not to mention, if one of your teammates happens to drop out mid-game, you could be screwed.  I mean, there's just no way to really combat the loss of a fellow player when you are divided into teams of four.


Last Thoughts:

I will be interested to see how gameplay changes over the coming weeks what new strategies people will use and the like.  Not to mention the game seems ripe for DLC from costumes, to weapons, to arenas.  Nintendo has just started to delve into that area itself with the Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros., but those have been pretty awesome in my opinion, so I look forward to the possibility.  If you don't already own Splatoon, download it or go grab a physical copy now and join the fray!


Graphics: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Control: 8/10

Overall Rating: 9/10