The Master Sword always hides in the Lost Woods, why not a cemetery, on the grave of a warrior who-oh yeah...

To say that I enjoy the Legend of Zelda series would be an understatement.  I have a treasure trove of Zelda paraphernalia that would make Miyamoto raise an eyebrow.  It is true, that sometimes the enjoyment of it can blind one to basic problems with the series or over look things that do annoy or frustrate you, making it hard to be objective when talking about it.

I have been a bit frustrated with Zelda games as of late.  Twilight Princess was good, but lacking a little for me.  I haven't beaten Skyward Sword, the ONLY title I have yet to beat.  I just need a day off for that.  It isn't that they aren't good games, I just wasn't having as much fun as I used too, replay was a bit lacking for me as well.  Why did they have to create a timeline?  And why did it have to split?  As far as I was told, each game was just a story told by a different storyteller.  Heck, I assumed at the end of Ocarina, defeating him in the future sealed him away for the whole of the timeline.  I assumed that there wasn't some crazy time distortion and in my mind it was all linear and easy to figure out.  Heck they did it to all the Pixar films, why not this series?  I have my favorites of course as many know.

My top three Zelda titles are as follows:

1. Legend of Zelda: Windwaker
2. Legend of Zelda Link to the Past
3. Legend of Zelda

A close fourth was the Link's Awakening for the Game boy.  For all you Ocarina fans out there, don't worry. I enjoyed the game as well and enjoyed it tremendously.  However not nearly as much as I did the other two.  For those of you who skipped Windwaker due to it's cartoonish look, for shame.  Realism can be fun, but one of the great things about games from Shigeru Miyamoto is they always have a unique look to them. You can easily see the difference between any of them in the series, and not just because of better graphics. I have to respect a series that can completely change it's look.  I wouldn't mind seeing more of it done artistically.

I'm the king of the world, on a boat like Leo If you're on the shore, then you're sho' not me-oh

So yes, my happiness has been pretty high as of late in terms of Zelda games.  Windwaker HD is an absolute dream.  They didn't just make it look nice, they actually fixed many annoyances and flaws.  That is the purpose of remaking something.  Now adding or making it nicer, improving.

Now we come to Legend of Zelda, a link between worlds.  I am a kid again.  I can't even decide where to begin with the mass amounts of love and happiness I am having while playing this game.  Simplicity at it's finest.

Ganon!  Yes!  Get out of here 'dorf!

First off, this is NOT a remake.  It is a new story set in the same world.  The maps and placement of areas are the same, however there are many characters and new surprises awaiting you.  Keep a lookout for little easter eggs right off the bat.  In your house. . .take a good look at the wall to the right.  See it?  Heh. . .well if you don't have the game, you're just going to get more curious as I go on.

The game is played overhead but is still rendered in 3D allowing for more dramatic cut scenes and dramatic camera angles.  This is one of the best games to play in 3D and in many ways MUST be played in 3D (doge the cucco's!).  It renders at 60 frames per second even in 3D mode, meaning you get fantastic quality, much like Pokemon X and Y.  You start the game as any other Link game at first.  Go where they tell you, get what you need, fight that stuff and get to the next area.  Then it changes up a little, giving you access to ANY AND EVERY weapon.  I was a bit surprised when I made it through a dungeon in record time, searching for the item I needed and realizing that there was not one.  Yes, in this one you can choose which dungeons to go too, in whatever order you want.  Or to be more precise, in whatever order you can solve the clues to get into said dungeon.

All your items uses are on a magic meter. It can recharge on its own, meaning you no longer have to hunt for bombs and arrows.  That is handy and a better idea.  You never run out, you just run low and have to wait. Zelda likes to add other elements to the game series as of late, an hourglass that fights ghosts, a baton that changes the wind, and this gives Link one of the more interesting abilities in a 3D game.  The ability to turn themselves into a painting on a wall.  Yes, you heard right.  Like a paper mario RPG, you can slip between cracks, slide across caverns, squeeze between rocks and travel in a far more interesting way.  The world had to be tested over and over again to make certain of where you could and could not go, and yet still get really far going absolutely nowhere.  This power comes a bit later of course, but is fun to play with the entire game.

The controls are tight.  You'll need them to be as they throw everything at you from jumping skeletons, hidden monsters, birds, bombs and crazy mini dodongos.  Moving around is simple and while I do occasionally get stuck on which button I set my items up on, that's more observation than anything.  I am a bit frustrated that the ice wand just drops a pile of ice. I wanted it to blast cold at enemies or something. . .

Length and difficulty wise are up to you.  Zelda dungeons can always be frustrating to figure out what you missed or how to get out of an area.  I hated, and still hate the jungle temple in Ocarina.  Water temple?  Easy.  Yet every Zelda game has that stumping moment where you need to take a break and think it through.  This isn't any different.  I've just completed the main area and now have a new quest and I have only figures out the one.  Boss is still murdering me.  As the game no longer requires you to find the item in the dungeon, you will have to just wing it when it comes to bosses.  Did that work?  Dangit!  What about that?  Nope!  Let's try-and I'm dead.

So, free form choose where you go, simplistic design and exploration heavy, every area filled with secrets and gems, new abilities and wonderful cinematics.  Doing pretty good so far, and I haven't even spoiled the surprises in the story itself, although I can imagine you all have read everything about it online.

If you were never a fan of Zelda, nothing I say will really sway you.  And that's ok.  I think even those who don't care for Zelda would be pleasantly surprised by the freedom, the endearing characters and the ease of enjoyment.  The puzzles and dungeons are still difficult, and solving how to get into some of the Dark World areas is requiring a lot of legwork. However I have found that with most Zelda games, you just have to think outside the box.  All the answers are pretty easy once you just start trying crazy things. If you have enjoyed Zelda, you should already be playing this game.  It's beautiful, fun, and enjoyable.

Later Gamers!

Mosh pit!