any console

So, you want to know about Twilight Princess do you? Well, there are two different types of people out there with respect to this game: those who played Ocarina of Time, and those who have not.

If you have played Ocarina of Time
Well, you’re going to love this game. You’ll see the similarities are astounding. Epona is there, your quiet farm boy Link is there, Hyrule Castle is definately there, and many of the baddies that you know from Ocarina of Time are there as well. It’s amazing to think of how similar the games are.

But I think you’ll think Twilight Princess is better…

If you haven’t played Ocarina of Time
Well, you’re going to love this game, too. This game takes no prior knowledge into account. It builds on past versions for sure, but it doesn’t require foreknowledge.

So, here’s a quick run-down of the pros and cons:
Pros

• Wiimote really sets you up for a more comfortable control.
• This story is deep. Legend of Zelda games have always had dark under-tones, but this is the first one that really is up front about it.
• There is some very nicely done foreshadowing. Not too obvious, not too subtle. Just about right.

Cons

• Why wasn’t this game voice-acted? Nintendo needs to start doing more voice acting. Seriously. It adds depth to the game and brings characters to life.
• Why wasn’t this music orchestrated? It could have been much better than it is.
• What’s with the wolf mode not letting you use items that add health?
• The howl mode could have been used more, and to the benefit of the story.
• Nintendo’s copy protection mechanisms are causing discs to go prematurely bad.

The bottom line is that this game blew my mind. Absolutely blew my mind.

Popularity: 27%

So I finished Hotel Dusk last night at like 0100. It’s insane how much fun that game was. It was a great story and the graphics and sound were exceptionally clever.

In Hotel Dusk you’re a washed up NYPD detective working as a travelling door-to-door salesman and you’re trying to solve some mysteries… because that’s what washed-up detectives do.

I must confess that this is one of the few DS games where I’ve actually used the stylus for the majority of the game, and it felt really natural. You hold this game sideways (yes, it is lefty friendly; being a lefty I noticed) and interact entirely with the stylus. There are some complaints that I have though.

Some of the controls in Hotel Dusk left me feeling stuck and WTFing. There was one moment where I had to resuscitate a woman, and I was feeling a little lost. They actually wanted me to close and reopen the DS in order to perform mouth-to-mouth. That just didn’t make sense to me. Also, with how linear that game is I found myself trying to anticipate the game rather than following the story.

Despite these complaints, I found myself really digging the story. It’s a real time-burner… it’s hard to put the game down. With the save-anywhere functionality, as long as you’re not in a cut-scene you’re good as gold saving anywhere you want (always a good decision). Also, if you made the wrong choice it allowed you to back up and start over again.

I recommend this game to old infocom and Myst buffs, but also for people who’re looking for something new and different. This game really got me in the mood for story games, so look forward to some Phoenix Wright reviews shortly. Good night kiddos.

Popularity: 14%