Closing Comments
 
Whether Twilight Princess ever tops the first groundbreaking moments of Ocarina is open to debate. Like Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time showed how a game could make the transition from 2D to 3D and leave a wake of pale imitators to dissect its gameplay for years to come. Really, Twilight Princess could never blow a hole in the industry of the same diameter. Instead, it builds on the concepts that Ocarina established. It refines the gameplay, broadens the scale of the world and retains what we loved about series as a whole. It also carries with its release a two-fold message - one, the Wii is more than capable of deep, engrossing and satisfying gameplay. Two, that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess still does it better than any other similarly-themed game on the market. It exudes that Nintendo Magic that we've all felt each time we play a monumental game from that company. That we should get this, not in the final months of the GameCube's life, but instead at the dawn of the Wii, where it will be played and adored for years to come is a boon. There is so much that we still haven't touched on - which is usually a good sign for the depth and quality of a game. At the same time, half the pleasure to be gained from Twilight Princess is in discovering these things yourself. Why would we want to deny you of this? It is your reason to own a Wii and likely the last Zelda of this depth and style for quite some time. Go and get it; give yourself time to savour it. It will amaze.

Presentation : 9.5  
Brilliantly presented in virtually all areas. Twilight Princess' menus, maps, fonts and little details outshine most others.
 
Graphics : 9.0  
The Wii is capable of more, sure, but what is on display is wonderfully designed, pretty without being flashy and featuring excellent depth of field, HDR lighting and rich colour.
 
Sound : 9.5  
A top-notch score, mainly in midi, but capped off with subtle character chirps and noises and great Dolby Pro Logic II environmental sound.
 
Gameplay : 10  
Twilight Princess is virtually without peer in the gameplay category. Every movement works as you would hope it to, the puzzles border on inspired and the sheer size and depth are a marvel.
 
Lasting Appeal : 9.5  
Huge, engrossing and varied. As Zelda games go, there is more on offer here than ever before. Easily the best launch title for a Nintendo system since Mario 64.
 
OVERALL : 9.6 Incredible

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess is a game we could praise all day if we so wished. We’re nearly at the end of the review, and there are still plenty of good things worth mentioning that we haven’t touched on yet. The general increase in difficulty is highly welcome, as is the ability to warp to a large variety of places on the Hyrule map. The side-quests are a joy to play, and the fishing especially is impressively deep this time around, with a giant lake to while the hours away in. And then there’s the sheer length of the game: around 60 hours to do everything. Veteran Zelda players should finish the quest around the 30 - 40 hour mark, though realistically you’re looking at a lot longer for newcomers. With its genuinely interesting story, superb control scheme and near-faultless game design, Twilight Princess is one of the best games ever made and is as essential as a game can possibly be. Is it the best Zelda ever? Maybe...

Graphics : 8.5
The Wii can do better, but there’s no denying this is a beautiful game with stunning environments, detailed models and superb animation.
 
Sound : 8.5
Still using MIDI, but you can’t criticize the quality of the tunes. DPLII support, and the Wii Remote speaker is well used too.
 
Gameplay : 9.5
Up there with the best in the series. The dungeons are consistently great, the new items are a real joy to use and the controls are spot-on.
 
Lifespan : 9.5
At around the 60 hour mark, you get plenty for your money.
 
Overall : 9.5
It’s hard to imagine Zelda getting any better than this. Quite simply, one of the best games ever created.