Scratch Medic: Motive

Posted by Steve on March 28, 2003:New comic located here. Since I don't have anything else to talk about, how about a review of Zelda?

In case you were wondering, the new Zelda is really cool. Without giving too much away, Wind Waker is basically Ocarina of Time, but better looking and with sailing and islands. Simple enough?

In case you haven't seen any of the ads or screen shots, Wind Waker is different from previous games in that it uses cel shading, which means it looks kinda like Jet Set Radio Future looks like. There's a lot of people that are put off by this look, and all I can say is, at least play it and give it an honest chance, cause it really looks amazing. Like Tycho said, you can't believe how much emotion gets conveyed through the eyes and body language, like the face Link makes when he tries to pick up something too heavy, or the one he makes when he scared. Also, the enemies look great in the new style. The Moblins in particular are great, especially when they start beating the snot out of each other. From the way the bombs look when they explode, to the face Link makes when he tries to pick up something too heavy, to the little effect that runs every time an enemy dies, every just looks great. If you were nervous about the cel shading looking bad, don't be. Give it a fair chance, and you'll love it.

Controls are pretty much the exact same as Ocarina of Time, which works for me. Lock on with L, defend with R, attack with B, assign items to Y, X, and Z. A is your action button. Simple as that. Personally, I think the targeting system isn't quite as slick as OoT though (specifically when multiple enemies are on screen, and you're trying to get a certain one) but maybe that's just me. It's certainly not a deal breaker.

The music is pretty good, and usually sets the right mood for whatever part of the world you're at. In the last two games, Link has had an Ocarina which you used to play various songs that you learned to do various things. While this is still present in Wind Waker, it's not quite the same. Instead of an Ocarina, Link now has a conductor's baton. Works pretty much the same, except instead of different directions representing different notes, this one is more set around moving the stick in certain directions in a timed manner. It's really not as complicated as I might have made it sound. It's not like trying to play Dance Dance Revolution or anything.

Worth noting is that the number of songs you learn has been cut back quite a bit. I for one think that's a good thing. Also, the most of the songs you play don't seem that long. Most of them are only 3 or 4 notes, with a few towards the end being 6. Also, where playing a song in the previous two games, playing a song usually brought on some long, drawn out sequence that seemed cool the first few times you saw them, but after playing the song for the hundredth time, just got annoying. Most of the songs in Wind Waker really have no animation to them at all, except a quick shot of Link conducting the song. Which is good, since most of the songs get played a LOT.

Now for the drawbacks. For starters, there's the sailing. You do a lot of it, and for me at least, after a while it just isn't that fun. Again, trying not to give anything major away, the world in Wind Waker is basically a whole bunch of islands, which you get to by sailing. (obviously) And what does a sail need? That's right, wind. No problem, just bust out your wand and play a little number that lets you control the wind. The problem is that after awhile, constantly changing the wind direction, (for instance, if you're heading for a certain island and see something else along the way) gets really annoying. A better solution would probably have been to let the C stick control the wind, and just "assume" I played the wind song each time I want to change the direction. Plus even with the wind in the right direction, things seem like, while not exactly slow, they could stand to move a little faster. Also, combat occurs on the high seas, and while combat itself isn't a problem, combat on the a very tiny little boat is pretty damn frustrating at times.

That's pretty much my main beef with the game, and honestly, you get used to it. Another issue is that I think it might be a touch on the easy side. I say "might be" because I've pretty much played Ocarina of Time about a million times, and since the engine is pretty much the same, I figure maybe I'm just used to the game's fighting style. Still though, I'm a pretty fair way through the game, and I still don't have a clue what the game over screen looks like. That's not to say that the game isn't fun, and that there aren't certain enemies that won't give you a run for your money, there just don't seem to be any monsters like say, the shadow Link in the Water Temple in OoT, which will give anyone a serious beatdown.

All in all, this a great looking game that's incredibly fun to play. Anyone with a GameCube should definitely pick this up. Also, should anyone not have a GameCube, I'd like to point out that with the current promotion Nintendo is running, $215 (plus tax) basically gets you a new Cube, a memory card, a copy of the seriously bad ass Metroid Prime and Zelda. So, no time like the present. See you next week.

Quick side notes: Bob isn't online right now, so if there's any errors, it's his fault for not being here to double check everything. Oh, and go check out Game Rave, which Bob's post will soon tell you all about. That is all.

Posted by Bob on March 28, 2003: Wait! I still Function! (That was for you Jason.)

So I'm sitting here watching the Cosby Show, and I realized it's been quite a while since I actually put anything up on this front page. I don't have anything particularly in mind as I type this, so lets see if anything good comes of this random thought mode of typing. I also don't know what Steve has to say, so if we repeat ourselves, Sorry 'bout that...

First things first, i actually updated my website. It'll be six years on the 29th, so I figured I might as well do it now.

Also in the updated website section goes Game Rave. Yes, you read that right, Game Rave. Jason, also known as Dangerboy on our forums and numerous other places, has gotten his very own webcomic off the ground. it updates on Wednesdays, so make sure to go check him out on Wednesdays then come running to us and see what's up. I know it may seem outta character for me to actually want to see a website succeed, as I frequently plan out the destruction of a lot of 'em, but Jason's a good guy, so there ya go.

Much like most everyone else in the gaming community, I picked up Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the Cube. I'm not too far in, but as of now, it's a freaking work of art. Take my word when I say to you that pictures can NOT do that game justice. It is beautiful; like a living watercolor. Now, the reason I haven't played it much is because I have been stuck playing Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven for PS2. Now that's a good game. I've also been going back to Metroid Prime constantly, for it is amazing. I should be done with that soon, so I'll get to play Zelda, although Def Jam Vendetta comes out April 2nd, so I don't hold out much hope at present.

See, this is why I hate IGN. Aside from the terrible reviews and the STUPID Insider feature, they put out articles like this one. It seems like it's written by an eight year old. Just the last line. "Well, buy a Wavebird!" Makes me want to take a pencil and shove it in the ear of the writer. Maybe I get too worked up over these things. I can never be too sure.

Well, I'm obviously a much better artist than a writer, so I'm gonna wrap this up now. I might be back in a week with some more bits of randomness, but then again, I can't make that promise.