The Legend of Zelda

Game Description: The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap takes young Link into an all-new adventure where he'll explore Hyrule and battle evil on the microscopic level. An ancient magical sword releases the evil mage Vaati and he causes trouble all over Hyrule. Link has been sent to restore the sword and seal Vaati inside it—but it can only be done by visiting the Minish people and getting their help. Link will have to shrink to do that—and the strange Minish Cap will be his guide in this new mirco-world.

Game Description:  The Legend continues on Nintendo GameCube in an all-new epic adventure for one to four players. Fusing cooperative and competitive action, Four Swords Adventures features a unique gameplay system that incorporates both the television and the Game Boy Advance. When you enter a building or dive into a cave, your character switches from the TV to the Game Boy Advance. When you emerge, the frantic action shifts back to the big screen. To thwart Vaati's nefarious forces, you'll have to master new skills and techniques never before seen in the Legend of Zelda series.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Fantasy Violence

Yes, I know it's a multiplayer game. No, I didn't play it with anyone else. I've finished just about every Zelda game out there, so I figured I'd give this one a whirl too, "connectivity" be damned. If you can handle a review written from this perspective, then please read on. If you can't, then please hit the back button on your browser now.

Game Description: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a retelling of the venerable series' first game with a quest for up to four players—all on one cartridge. The game is a mix of action and puzzles where Link must travel between the Light and Dark worlds to rescue Princess Zelda. In the multiplayer game, Four Swords, between two to four players take on the roles of young adventurers who answer a challenge from the Triforce. They must brave the dangers of multiple dungeons in a quest to find the Master Sword. Their strength will be tested by fierce monsters, their wisdom tested by complex puzzles, and their courage tested by having to cooperate with each other to overcome obstacles.

The tough question to answer is whether these ported titles are a "good" or "bad" thing. Pretty much all of these titles are still good games in the sense that what made them enjoyable at first remains enjoyable at a later date. But does the production of these games preclude production of new games and the possibility of creating new paradigms in games based in 2-dimensional graphics?

Well, it sure doesn't look that way at first, does it? To be blunt, the aesthetics of The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker are awe-inspiring. The decision to go with a cel-shaded style was widely and roundly derided by a videogame community increasingly enamored of 'realistic' graphics, but it winds up making this title truly special.

Game Description: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker returns you to the world of Hyrule as you travel the waves to tame the winds! Brilliant combat, fantastic facial expressions and beautiful oceans will immerse you in the land of Hyrule as you face Gannon!

As a child, I was scared of a lot of things. I'm sure if I were 11 years old and playing The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the manic look on a moblin's face would haunt my nights. Some of the bosses are positively menacing. Even the thunderstorms in the game would make me think about how scary storm winds and lighting really are. That's if I was 11 years old.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence