Twilight Princess boring and frustrating?

[c0ldb33r]

So I've had my Wii for about a week and a half, and I've probably got a lot the same complaints as other people, primarily with the graphics. I know the game looks like a Gamecube game, and that's fine. After all, it IS a gamecube game. I don't really think anyone can deny this.

But two things bug me.

1) Fristly - Why are the controls so bland? I was expecting to be able to control Link's sword with the wiimote. Instead, it controls the exact same as other Zelda games, except that instead of pushing a button, you wiggle the wiimote. You can wiggle it up, down, side-to-side, whatever, and he just does a horizontal strike. I figure that if I swing the wiimote vertically, he should do a vertical slice. If I swing it horizontally, horizontal slice. I don't I'm asking too much here. And while the wiimote seems to work okay for aiming the projectiles, it's still easier and more effective simply locking onto the target.

Its obvious they just tacked the wiimote controls onto the cube version

2) Secondly - why is the game so boring? I don't know if its something peculiar to this Zelda game, or if its just because this is the exact same game we've been playing since the original NES game. Anyway, I find this game extremely boring and frustrating.

I absolutely despise being stuck in wolf form. I read online it gets better once you can freely transform between the two - but that only makes me wonder why they make us stuck in this horrible wolf form for so long. And why do we have to repeatedly fight those monsters that bring each other back to life if you don't kill the last two at the same time. You have to charge that circle technique, which takes a few seconds, and if one hits you, you have to wait for it to recharge, then spend 5 seconds trying to attack with it again. NINTENDO! THIS IS NOT FUN! THIS IS NOT CHALLENGING, THIS IS JUST FRUSTRATING!

And those damn light parasites - what were they thinking?!? It's like, okay ... the wolf form can't open doors. Fair enough, its a wolf. So what we'll do is make you wander around looking for these invisible parasites. Oh, and by the way... even though you can't open doors, they're all indoors. So you'll have to dig your way into houses and jump through windows. Not once, or twice, but like 15 times. And you'll have to go through this whole process a couple of times. And those invisible parasites? Yeah they'll attack you if you get too close, but you can't see them unless you use Sense mode, which decreases how far you can see! HOW RETARDED IS THIS??? It doesn't help any that the stupid Imp that rides around on you keeps yawning as you do this part. Alright already, enough... I get it. It's boring. Shut up already.

Is anyone else disappointed in this? Was the game hyped too far?

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Is anyone else disappointed in this? Was the game hyped too far?

No. You bitch far too much. This is an excellent game, and while I do wish that the way you swing the Wiimote was how link swings, it still doesn't matter in the end because this game is fantastic. I think the Wolf mode is awesome and fun, but you obviously don't. Good for you, to each their own, but this game didn't win tons of GotY awards for nothing.
Oh, and last time I checked, this isn't the same game as NES, because of that whole, you know, added dimension thing. And the abilities. And the story. And the game play.

[jajaja]

No. You bitch far too much. This is an excellent game.

Its a matter of taste. Altho the game got great feedback everywhere so to say it doesnt mean that everyone share the same opinion. Its like that with every game. I bet someone even hates Monkey Island 1 - 3 and the old Sierra/Lucas Arts adventure games, which is to me the best games ever

I havnt tried Zelda:TP myself so i cant say my opinion about it, but i have heard bad things about the game too, altho almost all comments are good stuff. I guess it depends on how much you were expecting from the game. If you had very high expecations around the controll system i.e you might be disapointed if it didnt work out like you thought. Dont know how much you've played, but some games sux in the begining. Maybe you should give it more time before you make the final conclusions

[njiska]

No. You bitch far too much. This is an excellent game, and while I do wish that the way you swing the Wiimote was how link swings, it still doesn't matter in the end because this game is fantastic. I think the Wolf mode is awesome and fun, but you obviously don't. Good for you, to each their own, but this game didn't win tons of GotY awards for nothing.
Oh, and last time I checked, this isn't the same game as NES, because of that whole, you know, added dimension thing. And the abilities. And the story. And the game play.

So contray to the above highlighted rant, I agree with Cold33r. The controls are tacked on and there's little you can say in defense of that. It's even a highlighted point in many reviews. Flying the creature through the river was just annoting and would've been much more fun with a joystick.

As for it being the same game we've played before, well it is. It's not exactly the same, but after so many years the motif starts to get borring. The bug huning is just a masked fetch quest and often the wolf bits, although cool, feel more like a way of extending play time, rather then truely adding to the experience. Don't get me wrong, they're fun, but the whole find bugs, return light part get's really repetitive after the 5 or 6th hour of game play. Similarly the levels don't really change from one dungeon to the next. Sure each has it's own gimmick, but they're gimmixks we've seen before or are so obvious they aren't intriguing.

I struggled with the first 4 hours of gameplay because it's so damn slow and i will gladly admit that the game picks up and becomes fun after that, but it's only fun in spurts.

Also i don't know about anyone else but i found the bloom in the Twilight area's made the game really hard on my eyes.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

I guess it seems to you guys that collecting the tears and what not sound more like chores and annoyances than something to have fun with, because that's what I got out of it. Sure, you have to run through an area as the wolf, and run through it again as link, but I think the differences between the two are enough to make it worth it.

Also, going into the game, I didn't have any high expectations, I thought it was going to be awesome, but past that I didn't really think about it. I'm sure if you were counting the moments until you could get yourself a copy and then sit down and play it for 10 hours on end, you'd be a bit disapointed. I think playing in short spurts is also a good idea. Aside from the first day I got it, I tend to play for about 2 hours or so and stop, and throw in Wiisports or Warioware or something that I can play for a short amount of time and have fun with. I think getting used to the Wii in games that aren't 'pick up and play' could be tough for some, because all you want to do is wave the thing around have have a good time, and that isn't really what Zelda is about. I hope that the next one does take better use of the Wiimote, but I can't complain because I'm still really enjoying the game.

Oh, and my other post makes me sound like an asshole, and I didn't mean to come off that way at all, I was just defending the game =P

[c0ldb33r]

Oh, and my other post makes me sound like an asshole, and I didn't mean to come off that way at all, I was just defending the game =P

No worries - mine sounded more whiny than I had anticipated. I wrote it shortly after finishing a bug hunt fetch quest and was pissed. To me, these feel just like the Final Fantasy X cloyster of trials, just a needless tacked on puzzle to make the game feel longer. I'd rather have this filler removed and end up with a shorter, yet better, game.

But I agree with you guys in that it comes down to your expectations. I had high expectations, because with the exception of Zelda 2 and Majora's Mask, I've adored all of the Zelda games. I'm glad that Link to the Past is a VC title now though, because that'll give me some Zelda action when I get pissy with Twilight Princess

My wife got me both the Cube and Wii versions of Twilight Princess - I wish I didn't open both of them, I'd gladly take one back for store credit. I got excited though and ripped them both open immediately just to compare what the discs looked like

[megamaniaman]

So contray to the above highlighted rant, I agree with Cold33r. The controls are tacked on and there's little you can say in defense of that. It's even a highlighted point in many reviews. Flying the creature through the river was just annoting and would've been much more fun with a joystick.

As for it being the same game we've played before, well it is. It's not exactly the same, but after so many years the motif starts to get borring. The bug huning is just a masked fetch quest and often the wolf bits, although cool, feel more like a way of extending play time, rather then truely adding to the experience. Don't get me wrong, they're fun, but the whole find bugs, return light part get's really repetitive after the 5 or 6th hour of game play. Similarly the levels don't really change from one dungeon to the next. Sure each has it's own gimmick, but they're gimmixks we've seen before or are so obvious they aren't intriguing.

I struggled with the first 4 hours of gameplay because it's so damn slow and i will gladly admit that the game picks up and becomes fun after that, but it's only fun in spurts.

Also i don't know about anyone else but i found the bloom in the Twilight area's made the game really hard on my eyes.

Ok, one thing. There is something odd about labeling something a rant and then in the same post, post a longer rant.

[tom]

my cat can open doors, why can't the wolf?

[hezeuschrist]

You know, I certainly don't agree to the same degree, but overall... it just doesn't feel inspiried. I'm in the third wolf form now and while the game sucked me in at first (I plowed throught the first two dungeons, 9 hours in), after I beat the second dungon I just moved onto different games. I put it back in and went back at it yesterday and couldn't really keep playing after a half hour or 45 minutes... it's pretty tedious. I'm convinced that I'll like it much more after I "clear the twilight", or the first three dungeons (like every zelda game), but I just don't feel like I'm in any big rush to do it.

As for controls, I agree that wagging the remote to make link swing is plain stupid. I enjoy the rest of the scheme though, the aiming, the shield bash, etc. I'd still rather play it on Wii than Gamecube.

[njiska]

I guess it seems to you guys that collecting the tears and what not sound more like chores and annoyances than something to have fun with, because that's what I got out of it. Sure, you have to run through an area as the wolf, and run through it again as link, but I think the differences between the two are enough to make it worth it.

Also, going into the game, I didn't have any high expectations, I thought it was going to be awesome, but past that I didn't really think about it. I'm sure if you were counting the moments until you could get yourself a copy and then sit down and play it for 10 hours on end, you'd be a bit disapointed. I think playing in short spurts is also a good idea. Aside from the first day I got it, I tend to play for about 2 hours or so and stop, and throw in Wiisports or Warioware or something that I can play for a short amount of time and have fun with. I think getting used to the Wii in games that aren't 'pick up and play' could be tough for some, because all you want to do is wave the thing around have have a good time, and that isn't really what Zelda is about. I hope that the next one does take better use of the Wiimote, but I can't complain because I'm still really enjoying the game.

Oh, and my other post makes me sound like an asshole, and I didn't mean to come off that way at all, I was just defending the game =P

Oh yes it sure did. lol.

But your follow up explains a lot about why we have had different experiences and therefore different opinons on the game. You play in a fashion that's very fitting the style of play being offered by Twilight Princess. I on the other hand, and i think Coldb33r and a lot of others, tried to play the game like every other Zelda game where you can sit down and play for 5 or 6 hours and be gripped the whole time.

You find the tear quests fun, but for me they really slow things down. The story doesn't really advance much excepting during the first Twilight area's and as a wolf you're really limited in terms of what you can do. Human Link just seems to have more puzzles, more combat and more challenge.

Ok, one thing. There is something odd about labeling something a rant and then in the same post, post a longer rant.

Nah it's just your imagination. I like to think one good rant deserves another.

[NE146]

I finished Wii Zelda and I HATED the gawdamn tear quests.

Thankfully you only have to do 3 of them then you never see them again. Wii Zelda starts out real tedious. That aint no secret. And by "start" i mean about the first 10 hours depending

[jonnyutah]

move on man nothing new to see here. I understand your complaints and they sure are valid. but we are moving into the out sourced era at full speed.
hold onto your mario 64's, ocarina of time, shenmues. ...big budget miyamoto directed and produced games are a thing of the past. mario sunshine? wtf. a mini game adventure. zelda wind waker? haha. metroid prime 3? rehash anyone? nintend is being struck with budget cuts, they are doing things more effiniently now, in nintendo's interest. so unless miyamoto takes charge of mario galaxy, don't expect the true sequel of mario 64 anytime ever.

for development companies now in the "out sourced-era" they are moving more and more away from the "lets bring a huge epic revolutionary adventure game to the table, to let keep efficient software rolling out on time rather than suffer the cost of gambling a big budget epic project to the market. look at sega. perfect example. another example is the unreal 3 engine. everybody is doin it. even square enix.

just remember ocarina of time. yes my friend. ..just had a lightbulb moment. .. nintendo could make a remake of the original legend of zelda taking taotal cointrol of wii. (like that's sayin much :P) or a remake of ocarina with full wiimote control in every way. with a more populated larger hyrule, smarter ai, new costumes ,a few new temples, and gannon mutates into his pig-like form. wow, that would be a zelda for sure. anyway, the point is there isn't going to be a zelda game that surpasses ocarina. so dust off that limited edition gold carytridge you stood hours in line for and before you know it. you will have forgot about the dated visuals and you'll be battling huge retro skelletons in the depths of the forest temple.

[FantasiaWHT]

Guess I'm in the minority, I love Wolf-Link And I like the shaking controls. Can't you do a stab with a different motion of the controller? I'm not bored by this game in the slightest, and personally I got bored with Ocarina after about 3 hours.

[retroman]

I also agree about the game not being hmmmm how can i say...Boring. I beat it for the Wii, and was just not wowed at all...I felt like i have played the same game 3 other times. As in the preivious 3 console Zelda's.

[Dobie]

I agree that the game is tedious. I'm on the third dungeon, and finally past that third light/bug quest. It has had flashes of brilliance so far, but getting past the mind-numbing bits has been a chore thus far. As far as the controls go, I like them, except for the shooting parts. It totally kills the flow of the game when I pull out my bow, and a message saying "Point Wiimote at screen" pops up. Sloppy, and not as responsive as the traditional-controller Zelda games. Often, by the time my Wiimote recognizes the target, and I have aimed it at the enemy, I get hit.

I really like the small entertaining touches the series is know for. Twilight Princess doesn't disappoint. Like the mailman humming the "found item" tune when he gives you the mail. Funny, and shows that thought and care was put into it by developers. This is the kind of stuff that has made Zelda the "king" of videogames, at least for Nintendo.

Zelda is my favorite series by far, but this is the first one where I have put it down for spells in order to play other games. Usually it consumes all of my gameplay time until I'm finished, and then I play through it again. Even the much maligned Wind Waker. I haven't bothered to touch Twilight Princess for a week at least, and don't really have the urge to now or next week either. I'll finish it eventually, and I'll probably even enjoy it. But it definitely isn't that "WOW this was worth the wait" game for me anymore.

[ubersaurus]

I thought it was fun, had an excellent story and pacing, and was a mite easy. I'm not entirely sure what the complaints are about, as I never really minded any of these things. Every other zelda game I'd usually get tired of halfway through and stop playing for a few weeks, but I never had that with TP.

Only real complaint is that I simply didn't want the game to end. I mean, in one sense, it was a good, proper length...but it's such a fascinating world that coming to the end of the adventure was almost bittersweet.

[BydoEmpire]

Just finished it - 47 hours. Certainly the best game I played in the last year, and probably in my top 10 of all time. The pacing was perfect, imho. The dungeons were among the best in any Zelda game. I really liked that you use skills and tools all the way through. A lot of games in this genre give you a doohickey which you use for one level, then never touch again. Not so in TP (with a few minor exceptions). I also enjoyed the variety in the dungeons, which I found greater than past Zelda games. Previous Zeldas - while certainly great games - sort of felt like "okay, great, dungeon number 46..." TP had a much more cohesive world. The graphics and art direction were beautiful. The overall world and characters were fleshed out better than other Zeldas. I loved that there was so much side stuff to do and explore. My only gripe in the entire game is that the moves using the nunchuck (shield attack and the spin move) weren't very responsive. But it wasn't enough to deminish the overall game. Aiming the bow, clawshot, etc via the wiimote was absolutely perfect. Finally, the difficulty level was pretty much perfect for me. There were a handful of places - maybe 4 or 5 - where I got completely stuck. In every single case, I slept on it, came back the next day, and figured it out immediately. Getting a game this perfectly balanced is not easy and they did a great job. It felt very rewarding.

I wasn't disappointed with the general "wiggle" swordfighting at all. It's not a swordfighting game. It's an action adventure game where the puzzles are the main hook, not the combat. They certainly could have hooked up u/d/l/r sword movements. In fact, I bet they tried it. But keeping the relatively simple classic 3d Zelda combat works just fine for the game, as that's not the focus of the experience and it keeps things moving. Since the majority of the development was for the cube I wouldn't expect them to change a major thing like the combat system at the Nth hour.

Personally, I've had a hard time getting through Zelda games in the past. Wind Waker was the first one I've actually finished since the NES. I usually get halfway through, stop playing for a week or two, and never pick it up again. But Twilight Princess kept me hooked start to finish. Maybe I enjoyed TP so much because I'm not such a hardcore Zelda fan.

[YoshiM]

I liked Twilight Princess. The story was great and there was enough adventure to sink my teeth into. I could have done without a particular fetch quest toward the last dungeon and along with the innane conflicts on the path to the final battle but I digress. So far (until I replay it) it's better than Wind Waker but not sure if it beats out Ocarina. The only real downside is that I never really felt the threat of dying in the game. I think I can count on one hand the times Link bought it and that was due to my stupid mistakes getting used to the control scheme. After I got the controls figured out it was fairly smooth sailing.

With that, I believe the game really didn't need to be on the Wii. The waggling of the remote was cool for about 10 hours, okay at 20 and started wearing on my nerves by hour 30. The nunchuk moves seemed to function sporatically, almost context sensitive at times. Like Shield Bash-it didn't always want to work when I wanted it to and I would send Link into a sword spin more often. And yes, I did pay attention to my hand motions and no I wasn't moving it wrong. The aiming of the boomerang/sling shot/bow/grappler was neat with the remote. In fact, practically TOO neat-shooting was too easy. But does that make up for the fact the remote system is tacked on? No. The ranged weapon aiming aside, it was no different than say using the Power Glove to play Super Mario Brothers. Yeah it's different but does it make the game better?

[heybtbm]

I haven't bothered to touch Twilight Princess for a week at least, and don't really have the urge to now or next week either. I'll finish it eventually, and I'll probably even enjoy it.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about Twilight Princess so far. I played it up until the forest dungeon, got bored and eventually stopped. I'm hoping to pick it up again, but those tedious first few hours as the wolf really soured my opinion on the whole game.

I loved OOT and Windwaker and played them non-stop from the moment they were released...but Twilight Princess isn't doing it for me (yet).

[ubersaurus]

I liked Twilight Princess. The story was great and there was enough adventure to sink my teeth into. I could have done without a particular fetch quest toward the last dungeon and along with the innane conflicts on the path to the final battle but I digress. So far (until I replay it) it's better than Wind Waker but not sure if it beats out Ocarina. The only real downside is that I never really felt the threat of dying in the game. I think I can count on one hand the times Link bought it and that was due to my stupid mistakes getting used to the control scheme. After I got the controls figured out it was fairly smooth sailing.

With that, I believe the game really didn't need to be on the Wii. The waggling of the remote was cool for about 10 hours, okay at 20 and started wearing on my nerves by hour 30. The nunchuk moves seemed to function sporatically, almost context sensitive at times. Like Shield Bash-it didn't always want to work when I wanted it to and I would send Link into a sword spin more often. And yes, I did pay attention to my hand motions and no I wasn't moving it wrong. The aiming of the boomerang/sling shot/bow/grappler was neat with the remote. In fact, practically TOO neat-shooting was too easy. But does that make up for the fact the remote system is tacked on? No. The ranged weapon aiming aside, it was no different than say using the Power Glove to play Super Mario Brothers. Yeah it's different but does it make the game better?

Well, to give you an idea, when I went back to an earlier 3d Zelda game after finishing TP, I really, really missed swinging the remote to use the sword. It may not seem like much, but you definitely miss it when it's gone.