Now I have a 360 and a PS3, and I will be honest with you, the Wii cannot compete with the level of graphics these two are pushing out. That being said, if you compare the last generation of gaming systems (XBOX, PS2 and Gamecube) to the Wii, yes it is more powerful, only just. Last generation’s winner in terms of processing and power was the XBOX. The Wii, is like an XBOX ver 1.3, it is more powerful and capable of producing good graphics but Nintendo promised us new innovative ways to play in lew of a powerful processor and all the graphical advances the other two have.
Well that’s nice, but how does this effect me?
Since we’re talking about Zelda, then consider this. The game is better played when you have the 480p progressive output component cables hooked up. In doing so the game’s darker levers (both physically and metaphorically) have an ashen look to them and do not look as good as they were initially developed. Since the game features enviroments that run the entire visual spectrum, you can count on everything looking well above par, but again, when the graphics demand more from your TV and you have the standard AV cables hooked up levels involving bright shiny outdoorsy type graphics look far better then when you find yourself trapped in a dank, dark dungeon.
So, to make things simple, the game does a real good job of keeping pace with the other systems, but when it comes to the premiere titles on those other systems, the Wii cannot compete. This fact is painfully obvious after playing Gears of War on the 360 (the finest looking next gen title made so far).
Now to talk about the actual graphics, Zelda does have some nice looking visuals. The game has a good line of sight, meaning you see things way off in the distance, and only some items come into view as you get close (like monsters), it’s not a bad way to present the in-game action, but some may argue this point. Next, the game has good looking water and fire effects.
Many developers have a hard time with these two effects becuase they are difficult to render. In Zelda’s case, the water effects look very smooth and fluid looking, not rough or unnatural. The same could be said about the fire effects, some fire lasts only a split second, while other burn bright for a long time, regardless of length, the effect is mezmorizing and very clean looking. Bright and wild the way fire should look.
Monsters run the gamut of being silly looking to the truly terrifying, everything you would expect from a Zelda title. There is no breakdown as far as FPS are concerned, even when riding horseback headlong into battle.
The audio side of the game is even better then you would think. I have yet to find any sort of cable that utilizes a fiber optic option (the Wii does not have one) so it’s standard stereo cables for all. It sounds good for the effects and audio work the game uses, but still, if there was ever a game that would really knock some sound around, this would be it. The cccccccccc-shiiiing of a sword being drawn and used, the weird alien language used by Midna, the strange being who assists and is assisted by Link when he transforms into a wolf.
