The N.ext generation                             The R.eviews

                      Zelda T.O.o.T
 


 When a game has been in development for as long as this one
it is sometimes impossible for them to live up to the high
expectations and hype that they generate.
Luckily Zelda isn't one of these titles.

Let us put it this way not one moment of the three years spent designing it has been wasted.
The thousands of hours of work that has been put into this project have emerged with one of
the most impressive videogames of all time.
Fact.

     From the moment you are placed inside the vast ( and graphically jaw dropping) world of Hyrule you can tell that the game will be something very special. Which, after  countless hours of adventuring, puzzle solving and generally just Being Link ( the games hero, although you can rename him, should you wish) turns out to be totally incorrect. Zelda is not just very special it is astounding, in every way.
 



Graphics

    For starters the game has some of the most astonishing graphics on the N64
.Whilst they might not be the sharpest ( Turok 2 and its heavy slowdown take that crown)
they are the most believable and naturalistic. The truly outstanding thing is the way that
you are able to see for miles into the distance without even a hint of pop up.
This is also complete with  day and nigh and huge lakes that glow deep oranges
as the sun sets overhead. Magical. This adds to the atmosphere that
the games plot unfurls immeasurably.

Storyline

 And what a plot. Whilst it has its roots in traditional style ( you have to save the princess and return peace to the land) it is twisted and woven as you progress through the game, immersing you totally. The brilliant thing about Zelda though  ( as opposed to the FF series for example) is that it is more than merely telling a story, through the complete freedom that the games three dimensions gives it feels as if you are part of the story

None of this would matter though if the gameplay was poor.

As  it turns out though it is some of the best we here have ever experienced. From the intuitive control system ( that provides the perfect  learning curve) to riding the horse across the fields for the first time everything is brilliantly done.
             Special mention though has to go to the fantastic fighting which, through the use of Z targeting is simply a joy to use.
   This system works at its best  when Link encounters of the huge and disgusting bosses who breath fire or roar in perfect manner.

Sound
    And these roars are produced in perfect crystal clean sound thanks toZelda's surround
option ( you finally have a good excuse to buy those speakers). Music is predictablly
chirpy and very catchy with some great tunes ( although no Overworld them, boo hoo!).
Sound effects too are spot on and the surround system is very advanced.
A stirring musical score then and brilliant spot effects round off an already fantastic game.


                                                                  To Finish....

 In all then Zelda is the fantastic game that everyone was hoping it would be.
In this review we have hardly had time to explore even the tip of the  iceberg.
The many flashes of brilliance that hide inside this game will be exposed in further indepth
features so keep your eyes peeled.

 Back to the summing up,
   Zelda is fantastic. If you have an N64 buy this game, if you don't then buy an N64 and buy this game, It's that good!!!!!!
 
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