The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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Maybe we'll just use the regular controller for this one

The one thing Nintendo wants everyone to think about Wii is how easy and intuitive the interface is. Many games are extremely suitable for this two-handed setup - shooters and sports games are already making a splash on the tiny console, but based on our run-through of the Wii-enhanced Twilight Princess, we're inclined to say some genres will require more work.

The demo dropped us in a flooded canyon, guarded by arrow-launching creatures that were just itching to kill something. To target them, you must select the bow and arrow by clicking the wand's D-pad with your thumb... a slightly out-of-reach movement to make, given the proper way to hold the unit. To lock on, the nunchaku's Z button is pressed, and then pressing the D-pad again shoots an arrow at the selected enemy. Maybe it just takes some getting used to, but our game-friendly fingers were having a time trying to aim with the wand, lock on and fire all at once.

It's not that any one aspect of the wand's motion-sensing capabilities was faulty; the wand-and-nunchaku tandem just isn't an overly friendly alternative to the standard controller, and that's what Wii is supposed to be - friendly. The game itself, from graphics to atmosphere to the fiery troll boss at the end, was the usual, exceptional Zelda quality, but it often felt like the interface was slapped on just to make Twilight Princess a Wii launch title. The GameCube version may not have widescreen support, but we may end up taking our chances with its familiar control scheme. Just to make sure we weren't crazy, however, we hung around to see what everyone else's take was.

Once we were finished stabbing the fire monster in its head, the demo ended and another person, clearly not cut from the gaming cloth, took the stand. This, it would seem, would be a pretty good indicator of how the average person might approach Twilight Princess on Wii. He stumbled around the canyon forever, unable to lock on to enemies or solve a puzzle involving the gust boomerang and four weathervanes. Eventually, the demo timed out and he had to leave, his soul clearly shattered.

Brett Elston
Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.