With the introduction of the Wii, game players are going to experience games an entirely new way. And with Zelda, players can expect a aerobic workout as you swing the wiimote (yeah, I know, kinda corny) around, as if really sword fighting, fishing or aiming ranged weapons. Honestly, it was a risky move by Nintendo to take one of it’s most revered series and toss it on it’s ear. But it works out ultimately because of it’s strong storyline, innovative gameplay and high adventure.
OK, I’ll be honest with you, the first hour or so of the game, I was really scratching my head. After all, finding missing basinets and knocking bee’s nests out of trees isn’t my idea of a good time adventure, regardless of the game being on a brand new system. But still I kept playing and I’m glad I did, because the training on the horse, the fishing, the fighting with the wooden sword and the target practice with the slingshot all were merely getting you used to the motions and actions that you must implement only on a more serious scale.
Aiming the wiimote at the screen helps target items you want to shoot, yanking it upward when a fish clamps on to your bait, wiggling the nunchuck attachment halps execute a spin move as does holding down various buttons and swinging the wiimote different ways. Yep, the folks at Nintendo wanted to ensure that either you or your children would be getting a good workout while playing this one. In fact, I found myself either sitting on the very edge of the couch or standing up, especially during those times when the proverbial poop hit the fan. Monstrously large boss battles, wave after wave of creature trying to snuff me out. I kid you not, this game had me sweating after some of the crazier sequences.
I was worried that the technology would not be there, you know, that every so often the game would miss me doing a special move, thereby resulting in Link getting pummeled. But honestly there are no absolutes in life and nothing is 100%, but this was pretty darn close. The Wii’s sensor bar can be tuned and adjusted so that it filters out your rooms lights and gets a goood bead on your wiimote. Doing this will result in a more intuitive gaming experience and really does allow for the most minimal of mishaps. I’d say after close to 25 hours of gaming, I could count on one hand the amount of times the wiimote didn’t do a special move, and even some of those could be attributed to player error (fatigue can be a factor).
