[
Editor's Note: Everyday this week, one to two Community Blog's will be getting promoted to the front page. Necros is the first of many Community Bloggers who will be getting some front page loving with their features they write on the C-Blogs. Now sit back and enjoy Necros' opinion on why Twilight Princess was a really good game as part of his Rantoid feature -- CTZ.]
[Author's Note: This is a special extra installment of Friday Rantoid to coincide with the release of everyone's favorite wagglebox. Be advised that there are spoilers ahead, and Happy Wii-Day!]
It has been a full year since the launch of the Wii and the release of one of the most anticipated launch games in years, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As one of the only worthwhile launch games for Nintendo's "new-gen" console, I'm sure many of you have played the game by now. Since Twilight Princess, alongside Wii Sports, had to not only sell the Wii but also live up to and surpass its spiritual predecessor Ocarina of Time, the game was the center of some of the greatest hype since the release of Halo 2. After two years of intense speculation, fueled by Nintendo pulling the game from a 2005 release to change the art style and retool the game for Wii, gamers could not help but be let down by what they had been begging of Nintendo for years: a mature, traditional Zelda in the vein of series-high-point Ocarina. They failed to realize that while Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma were interested in taking the series in new directions with Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Four Swords Adventures, they had basically asked for more of the same. And considering all the departures from Zelda tradition in recent years, amazing though they may be, I'd say there's nothing wrong with that.
Yes,
Twilight Princess was similar to
Ocarina, which was itself a 3D evolution of
A Link to the Past. But the
Zelda series had not seen a game similar to
Ocarina for almost a decade. And don't misconstrue that statement as bitterness. I was among the mass of gamers who were outraged when they saw
Wind Waker's whimsical art style, demanding a return to the style of the lifeless SpaceWorld 2000 tech demo. But if Nintendo listened to what gamers wanted (which they never do, much to the detriment of
Mother fans), we would have missed out on the charming world of
Wind Waker, which only in following years would the gaming public come to fully appreciate.
There was plenty of traditional content in
Twilight Princess. Dungeons were still structured so you enter, get stuck, beat a miniboss, get a new item, and use it to defeat the boss. Your reward was a piece of whatever you're collecting and a heart piece. Though aiming was a genuine improvement in the Wii version, the battle system was nearly unchanged. Waggle was but a marginal improvement (or just an equitable change?) over pressing a button, and many did not like it. (For the record, I did, since it was fairly responsive.) And the Twilight Realm was little more than a new implementation of the Light World-Dark World mechanic Nintendo first used in
Link to the Past. (And
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. And this year,
Super Paper Mario. Nintendo really needs to come up with a new theme.) If you didn't like or grew tired of the framework of earlier
Zelda games, I doubt that
Twilight Princess would have been the game to change your mind.
However, I would not have taken time away from playing
Super Mario Galaxy to write this if
Twilight Princess was totally unoriginal. We received a game in 2006 that, while not as significant as
Ocarina, was a more polished and refined game. There is a bitter taste in the mouth of most gamers who finish the game and I don't think that it's justified.
Twilight Princess merits further reflection now that we've had enough time to step back and examine it in a more objective light, not as a weapon in a console launch war, but as a piece of evolutionary art.
Reinventing the Triforce The elements that make up a
Zelda game are primarily fueled by something that
Twilight Princess has in spades: fanservice. Nintendo knew that the game was not just for those being introduced to gaming by the Wii, but for long-time fans as well. As a result, the game reused traditional elements that have been in practically every other Zelda game but presented them with a twist, expanding upon their use. For example, Link still used his boomerang to trigger or grab far-away objects. However, Link now had a Gale Boomerang that was able to attack multiple targets and utilize wind-based properties. Similarly, Link's clawshot still let him grab onto objects and hang from walls. When I saw that Link found another clawshot in the Sky City, I thought that Nintendo had just gotten lazy with level design. I was amazed to discover how much this changed the game; Link was now able to travel around the Sky City with ease, opening up what could be done with dungeon progression.
Even overdone bosses appeared in a new light. When Link sunk to the very bottom of the Lakebed Temple, he attacked the boss Morpheel by pulling an orb out of a water-like tentacle, bringing back fond memories of the Morpha battle in Ocarina's Water Temple. Just when it seemed like Link had bested the creature, an enormous eel burst from the sand, revealing that he had only fought a small tentacle on the creature. From there, the fight shifted into a David and Goliath scenario that would have been at home in Team ICO's
Shadow of the Colossus.
Allow me to diverge for a moment to point out that Nintendo was clearly inspired by everyone's favorite games-as-art evidence, and
Twilight Princess reflects the spirit of
Shadow of the Colossus for the better. Morpheel was just one example in a game of creative bosses that went beyond the traditional Zelda tactics of "whack the big guy with the item you just found" in favor of epic battles, frequently involving Link climbing all over a boss to find its weakpoint. Bosses were not the only element influenced. What was a sterile, boxed-in overworld in
Ocarina became a majestic vista, wide and sprawling, something truly deserving its place in Link's quest. Riding Epona, upgraded with a more engaging gallop, inspired awe as you passed ancient structures weathered by time. There is a sense of wonder in the environment that was completely lacking in prior
Zelda games.
More than New Tights Some fanservice is good, but an entire game of fanservice could lose relevance quicker than Sonic the Hedgehog. Thankfully,
Twilight Princess invented new ideas never implemented in past
Zelda games. By this point in the series, Link's weaponry had been well established, but items like the spinner had no equivalent in any past
Zelda game. While I question the decision by the architects of Hyrule to make certain old machines work by spinning in a hole, the sections where Link glides along the walls at high speed, jumping back and forth between tracks, were some of my favorite parts of the later dungeons.
Dungeon design took a step forward as well. Once you get past the "throwback" dungeons, like the Forest Temple and Lakebed Temple, the game had some creative ideas I was not expecting. I don't remember traveling to a snowy mountain in Ocarina, and I certainly never knew there was a friendly yeti inhabiting an abandoned mansion in the area. The dungeon structure of Snowpeak Ruins was a welcome change. Instead of traveling further and further into the depths of a temple, a yeti sent Link to different locations around his house to look for food, having him return to a central area. Similarly, the new Temple of Time was more than just a fanservice footnote for me to get giddy about. Unlike the traditional sprawling dungeon with a few floors, the interior of the Temple of Time was a large tower of smaller floors that Link had to scale to challenge a fierce knight for control of the dominion rod. And once he won the rod, a new challenge appeared: Link had to lead a statue all the way back down to the bottom floor, similar to dragging dead bosses out of dungeons in Hideo Kojima's
Boktai.
Epona was changed from being a map shortcut to a gameplay mechanic. No longer was Epona just for getting around, as she now fulfilled her original promise of being Link's loyal steed, ready to charge into combat with Link's newfound ability to fight while riding. The battles on horseback are some of the most memorable moments in the game, especially the duel with King Bulbin atop Eldin Bridge. The little elf had finally become a heroic knight.
Most significantly, the final stand against Ganondorf was an epic four-part battle, starting out with a familiar fight against Puppet Zelda, who must be fought in the same way Ganondorf was fought in Ocarina. Ganondorf then entered the fray himself as a giant pig monster, more feral than previous versions to mirror Link's wolf form. After the castle is destroyed, the fight moved to horseback, building on the horseback mechanics developed earlier in the game. Ganondorf finally challenges Link to a one-on-one duel to the death. Ganondorf is portrayed less as a simple villain and more as Link's worthy adversary, entwined with his destiny. If that is not one of the best final bosses in
Zelda history, then I'm not sure what could possibly satisfy you.
The Legend Evolves Every
Zelda fan knows how important the primary supporting characters can be. Sure, Navi helped you, but there were many times you wanted to stick a hook in her and use her as fish bait. This is probably why I was overjoyed to finally have a character like Midna as a sidekick. Instead of some goofy fairy or a talking boat, Midna was a sidekick who made you
her sidekick, subverting
Zelda tradition. As she ordered Link around, you were not sure whether she was really an ally or not. Even if she was an ally, it was obvious she could care less what happened to Link; all that mattered was that she could use him for her own ends. Her animated expressions, arrogant attitude, and devilish giggle quickly made Midna one of my favorite characters in the entire series.
With Midna came a far-reaching, epic story. I realize I'm using the term "epic" repeatedly in this article, but there's just no better way to put it: the game is epic. Sure, Link still has to save the princess and the world; that's always part of the
Zelda experience. What is new is how it is expanded upon. The Dark World in
Link to the Past was a static realm, a black to the Light World's white. The Twilight Realm, on the other hand, is not set in stone. It is an encroaching evil, blanketing Hyrule in eternal twilight, spilling over from a dimension forged by banished, errant magicians, a dimension both hellish and beautiful at the same time. A strange foe named Zant leads the unanticipated attack, resented by your half-ally Midna for unknown reasons. Unanswered questions abound: What is Zant's plan? Who is Midna? What is the legacy of the sky people? How does Ganondorf's banishment fit into the puzzle?
Even if it's not up to par with the products of more experienced mediums, the plot was easily the best one to emerge from the series yet, both in concept and in execution. Unlike past
Zelda games, where Link was the only character noticing problems, the people of Hyrule had finally realized that shit was going down and actively worked with Link to try and fix the problem. (Before I give them too much credit, I guess once you have been trapped in another dimension and had your ruler's castle encased in a golden diamond, it's kind of hard to be oblivious to the imminent ruination of your land.) This makes the situation much more believable than in
Ocarina, in which an openly evil warlord hoped to establish friendly relations with the king and no one saw anything wrong with him hanging around. The alliance in Telma's tavern finally feels like you have someone intelligent to talk with.
And then there are all the little things that make the game great. Scaring the townsfolk as Wolf Link. The dry humor of Malo, the baby/merchant. The Western shoot-out in Impa's village. Relaxing at the fishing hole, surrounded by cherry blossoms. Talking to Epona as a wolf. Hunting down every goddamn poe. Mastering the inconspicuous Rollgoal game. Completing your golden bug collection. Getting to the end of the Cave of Ordeals. Finding the creepy mailman in weird places. None of these things are essential to the game itself, yet
Twilight Princess would not have as much charming character as it does if not for all these little touches. They are part of that indefinable quality that makes the difference between a good game and a memorable game.
Dodongo Dislikes Ocarina Okay. Stop. Yes,
Ocarina made huge leaps in the series, is one of the few highlights of the N64, and is one of the greatest games ever made. I know. We all know. Numerous "Best Game EVAR" lists have drilled it into our heads. But that does not mean it was a perfect game. Despite the high caliber of the classic, it had some undeniable flaws. To point out the obvious, Hyrule Field had nothing going for it. Part of the problem is the age-old issue with moving from 2D to 3D; that is, it takes more time to travel in a 3D game than in a 2D game, and developers have to keep this in mind during development. The reason why this problem was amplified is that in going for a vast 3D world, Nintendo didn't provide enough distractions. A wide-open space meant to be an overworld, it failed to have almost anything interesting going on. The hidden caves dotted throughout Hyrule in previous games were actual caves, found in somewhat logical places, but in
Ocarina, they were random black holes in the ground. It felt weak, as though you were just accessing some bonus room put in as an easter egg, rather than actual hidden caves. In addition, the amount of enemies you could fight in the field was anemic at best.
For that matter, the entire game suffered from a lack of enemies. While
Link to the Past had plenty of enemies, the dungeons in
Ocarina rarely had me afraid to enter a room with low health, because there probably would not be any enemies in it, or at most, there would be only one or two. In a fantasy adventure game, this is a legitimate concern, as fighting scary monsters should be a main part of the appeal. The dungeons were well laid-out (except for the annoying Water Temple), and the puzzles were creative, but the dungeons felt empty without the proper amount of enemies.
In addition, the game just lacked style.
Ocarina was epic back in 1997, but even a quick glance at its dull polygons, drab colors, and barren landscapes reveals the cracks in the paint. Don't tell me these graphical deficiencies are the fault of the hardware, as
Super Mario 64, as simple as it was, created a style of its own that played to the strength of the hardware. (I'll ignore the fact that it was blurrier than watching a TV smothered with Vaseline, since that was the fault of the N64, not the game.)
Ocarina attempted be realistic with everything but its hideous townfolk, and as a result, the graphics are obviously lacking today. Compare it to
Wind Waker, which will still be highly stylized and beautiful 10 years from now.
And one can't overlook the complete lack of the traditional
Zelda overworld theme. It's conspicuously absent in a game with both an amazing score for the time and a focus on a magical, musical instrument. Shoddy.
Twilight Princess fixed all these problems. Hyrule Field was bigger, yet there were abundant enemies, numerous hidden caves (not black holes), pretty scenery, and even the occasional midday rain. There were many more enemies in the dungeons, bringing it back up to
Link to the Past levels. Trying to compete with fancy HD graphics,
Twilight Princess utilized stylized realism combined with trippy, hazy special effects. Its visuals will not last as long as those in
Wind Waker, but at least it has enough artistic merit to warrant a look 10 years down the road. And while Nintendo is slow to implement symphonic recordings, the dynamically changing score was barely noticeable as MIDI recordings.
Ocarina may have been more important in the development of the adventure genre, but
Twilight Princess was more polished.
I Am Error This lengthy defense may cause you to assume that I have no issues with
Twilight Princess, but this would be far from the case. Just as
Ocarina wasn't a perfect game, neither is
Twilight Princess. In my opinion, the biggest turn-off in this game was the opening. It was necessary for the plot, but when you start a game, you want to get into the action as fast as possible, and the combination prologue-tutorial lasted far too long with its boring goals. Compare the tutorial to the opening of
God of War, which has you fighting the monstrous Hydra in the
first level. Similarly, while I was willing to overlook the drawn-out opening of
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door because of the witty dialogue,
Twilight Princess's opening just screamed "generic fantasy opening," which probably dissuaded some gamers from continuing past the first dungeon.
Not only does the opening falter, but the gameplay during the endgame seems rather pointless outside of the main plot. The rewards in
Ocarina near the end of the game were all worthwhile objectives, like heart pieces or the Biggoron's Sword. The rewards for deviating from the plot of
Twilight Princess basically told me that I wasted my time finding a hidden cave or solving a clever puzzle, because all the chests contain are rupees. My wallet was overflowing by the end of the game, and even when utilizing the under-used magic armor, which consumed rupees in exchange for invincibility, I never had to scour the countryside for more rupees. It seems as though the development was taking a toll on the game designer and he just could not come up with anything interesting for you to strive for in the final hour.
And on that note, I would be missing a noticeable issue if I did not touch upon Hyrule Field. Yes, the overworld is much improved over
Ocarina, but while they finally captured the majesty of Hyrule Field, that still did not change the fact that it took far too long to get where you needed to go. Even Nintendo realized this, which is why a warp system was implemented mid-game. However, it seems to me that it would have been better to try to address the problem in some way instead of just letting gamers skip over it. Once I could warp, I never rode through the Hyrule Field unless I had an objective in the area or specifically wanted to waste time looking at the scenery.
Finally, I have to mention a personal gripe I have with Nintendo's style of making games: the almost complete lack of voice acting. I understand that, due to technical limitations, it was mostly absent in
Ocarina and
Wind Waker. But
Twilight Princess was released on a DVD in 2006, a year by which this issue should have been irrelevant due to disc space. Nintendo claims that the real issue is that everyone has their own idea of how the characters should sound, and that Link intentionally doesn't speak, since he is a representation of the player (hence the name "link"). To me, this is total bullshit. By having characters say an opening phrase like "Hey!" before the text fully appears, they had already determined what the character sounds like. (For that matter, we even know what Link sounds like, based on his grunts and shouts.) And even if the game was fully voice-acted, it was possible to retain Link's silence. As it is, the way conversations were structured either left out the need for Link to speak or had the player mentally fill in what the answer to a question should be, keeping with Link's role as a conduit for the player. For Nintendo to ignore voice acting that would greatly benefit the immersion of the game was incredibly lazy. Voice acting allows what would normally be two-dimensional characters to attempt a deeper connection with the player in ways that obtrusive text cannot duplicate. I guess I should be thankful for the voiced-gibberish Midna spoke, as even though they were nonsensical phrases, they gave her lines a playful tone that would have been lost in a purely text-based delivery.
It's Dangerous to Not Play, Take This Still, these issues are easily out-weighed by all the things that
Twilight Princess does right. It is the finest
Zelda game I've played in a long time and an expertly crafted love letter to 20 years of questing with Link. Those of you who still hunger for the Zelda formula should have had no problems with the game. No disrespect to 2006's
Okami, but there is a reason why
Zelda is considered one of the best series in gaming and has persisted till today. If you hate the excellent game design and still can't stand this installment, or if you think the series may become the next
Tony Hawk, then take heart, as Miyamoto and Aonuma have confirmed that this is the last traditional
Zelda game for a long time. If that is indeed true, then
Twilight Princess is a fitting send-off of the classic formula.
Contest:
3:14 PM on 11.19.2007
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With a lightsaber dammit.
I gotta admit, I really love Twilight Princess. I know some people think it is shit, but I think it is wonderful.
Great write up Necros!
Hyrule Field was not big and majestic, it was diminished and divided. When you add the fields together the result nears respectability, but minus Nintendo's ridiculous hype Hyrule Field still manages to disappoint.
The spinner/top is the best addition to Twilight Princess. I agree completely with your analysis of the Hyrule architect's great wisdom.
The story/storytelling in Twilight Princess is absolutely cliche. Ganon is the evil, hidden mastermind. Zant's motivation is his people's freedom. Link is the only good guy that can fight.
Because you didn't even address it, I am unable to simply rip your ideas to shreds but I want to explain my displeasure with Link's wolf form. Wolf form, especially in combat, is not fun at all. Throughout the game human Link gets more and more special moves to add to his arsenal, while wolf Link has the same combat abilities at the end of the game that he begins with. Moving away from combat, Nintendo seemed to be unable to design puzzles for Wolf Link that not involve following hidden scents or talking to animals. The inability for the game to make the Wolf form interesting puts a detriment on the fun you can have with Twilight Princess.
The Hyrule Field in Twilight was also unappealing because nothing was going on there - just like Ocarina. And, Nintendo multiplies our pain by giving us multiple sections of plain full of nothing. There are some caves containing hidden treasures and other collectibles placed in plain sight - but little else. Link is alone in the world. Still.
Nintendo NEEDS to use Voice Acting in all their upcoming Wii games. The have no excuses anymore. If they want to keep the "silent protagonist" angle (minus numerous grunts and shouts) I would be satisfied. Instead they continue to claim that VO is unnecessary. I disagree, and I dislike clicking through boring text box after boring text box envious of the implementation of Voice Acting in almost every modern console game.
Also, Majora's Mask - not Ocarina, or Windwaker, or Twilight Princess - is the best Zelda. Yeah, it's just my opinion - and I don't expect many to agree. The atmosphere was perfect, and Majora's and Windwaker were the only Zelda games to hit the ball out of the park in that area. Majora beats out Windwaker by creatively evolving Link's abilities and providing the player with characters that had faults. However, thanks to Link, each of them could be redeemed.
What a sublime experience Majora's Mask was!
Also this Ganondorf is my favorite boss fight ever.
I don't mind when Nintendo takes Zelda and innovates for a couple of titles but I hope what ever nintendo's next console is begins its life right next to a traditional Zelda game like OoT and TP
Your view of Wolf Link might change a bit when you consider him not as a fully-featured alternate form but as a different item for Link to use, as if it were a bow. In that sense, following scents becomes another option of Link, with a necessary drawback of losing the use of your other "senses" (or items). The only concern I had with Wolf Link's combat was the slight disconnect from using the same attack controls (swinging the wiimote) as his human form. I liked the option of the all-at-once attack that he could only do as a wolf.
Also, I don't remember saying that Twilight Princess was the best game.
Majora's mask was my Favorite until TP. If Majoras mask could get a spiritual sequel in the vain of oot-tp then im sure that would become my favorite
Goron Racing ftw
In contrast, Mario Galaxy does not feel like a chore at all. When I play it, I get that "just one more star" feeling that many games used to give me. Despite all the other elements that go into games, how much I enjoy it is usually a gut reaction.
I needed moral support to get through the Water Dungeon in TP, since I stopped playing OoT at the Water Temple and didn't pick it up for 7 years.
It was like being born through fire... and water. K, all done here.
I was never a big fan of the Zelda games, but the ones I did like were the non-traditional ones. Majora's Mask and Wind Waker were easily my favorite games in the series. A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.......not so much. I do have fond memories of spending hours upon hours in the fishing area of OoT among other parts of the game. I never beat it, but I have revisited it multiple times just for old time's sake. Something I don't do for many games.
Twilight Princess, to me, was Ocarina with Midna instead of Navi, and the ability to transform into a wolf. That's not a bad thing at all to Zelda fans who like the formula. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? The Zelda series never really appealed to me much, but I have gotten hooked on other Nintendo series that I followed religiously, despite each iteration being largely the same (Pokemon, for example).
I think the one thing that killed my interest for Twilight Princess the most was the Wii controls. There was a time when I was looking forward to its release on the Gamecube, but then they tacked on some waggle and put it on the Wii. I can almost guarantee you that I would have enjoyed the game enough to possibly beat it (rather than quit at the Water Dungeon) if I had played it on the Gamecube. I still might pick it up again someday when it gets a little cheaper for the Gamecube.
Long story short, waggle = fail. I would probably have enjoyed this game much more without it. I still hold Ocarina and most other Zelda titles above this, but I don't think my experience would have been half as bad had I played it on the Gamecube.
my inner grammar nazi just had a heart attack
Imagine how much more interesting a Metroid story could be if Samus were to speak.
But yes, this was a great article. I disagree with you on several points, but a very good read it was. I must state though, that the one thing I always like about Twilight Princess were the parts that were new to the Zelda experience. Essentially, that parts that were traditionally NOT a zelda game. And all the parts that were a part of the standard Zelda fare i disliked very much.
I'm one of the folks who have always enjoyed my Zelda games.
only this time, replace "didn't" with "did"
That's right. No disrespect to the Okami's!
Anyway, that was a great article Necros. I might check out this game for the Gamecube(I don't have a Wii :( .)
And as for the speech, I've just come to accept that the members of Hyrule all suffer from mutedom and speak in text lol. I think it's a very delicate and dramatic change that if Nintendo botches up worldwide will be hard to forget. See also Tinkle.
Either way, excellent post/rant. Twilight Princess was an excellent game, though in my opinion it just felt like a prettied up OoT
In closing, me + TP = BFF.
Great post, good points all around.
Holy crap, sounds like you just suck ass at games.
Something else happened recently I think is interesting: Twilight Princess got a Teen rating. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first Zelda game to recieve a Teen rating, and Nintendo didn't seem to have a problem with that. Perhaps they can explore some darker themes in the next game, despite the cartoony look (works for a lot of the more serious anime shows). Maybe in this next game Dark World is a purgatory realm that Link can only reach by leaping off a cliff, thus transforming him into some kind of ruined, demonic version of himself (see Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver). Other methods of (implied suicide) might be required to reach different regions of Dark World. Link could infiltrate a secret cult in order to bow down before a sacrificial altar in The Shrine of Ganon, or he could die from drinking rancid Chu Chu Jelly.
At any rate, the last thing a Zelda game needs is to borrow from or flat-out remake past versions of itself. Rather, they should see what innovations other developers have made and make those ideas fit into the Zelda universe.
But I'm not like a lot of gamers. I hate an overabundance of story because it takes me out of a game instead of immerses me into the world. Instead, it reminds me that I'm participating in a contrivance instead of letting me just interact with the world.
This is why I hate games that don't let me skip these tired scenes. And I also have no problem with reading. It really is a lost art form.
I totally agree with you and am a firm opponent of cutscenes. I could have easily written more about how Nintendo could have implemented interactive cutscenes a la Half-life, which specialized camera angles and such, in which case voice acting would work. I decided to leave it out because it seemed to go off on too much of a tangent. But as I briefly mention in my post, while improved over other Zelda games, the story obviously isn't as good as those found in other mediums, falling into simple stories and stock characters. This is more an issue of the game industry as a whole, and I'm sure we'll eventually get to the point where meaningful stories are naturally featured in games. At that point, there should be no excuse for dialogue in text form.
I totally agree with you and am a firm opponent of cutscenes. I could have easily written more about how Nintendo could have implemented interactive cutscenes a la Half-life, which specialized camera angles and such, in which case voice acting would work. I decided to leave it out because it seemed to go off on too much of a tangent. But as I briefly mention in my post, while improved over other Zelda games, the story obviously isn't as good as those found in other mediums, falling into simple stories and stock characters. This is more an issue of the game industry as a whole, and I'm sure we'll eventually get to the point where meaningful stories are naturally featured in games. At that point, there should be no excuse for dialogue in text form.
I only had one problem. Zant. He looked like this totally different, badass enemy at first. (The cutscene at the spring where he reveals part of his face comes to mind...)
And then he turns into this completely wacky, off the wall boss, completely controlled by Ganon. What a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, he was a fun boss to fight... but I was expecting much more from him.
Also, I really liked the gibberish RARE used in the Banjo & Kazooie games ^^ , but I digress. So anyway, I don't know why so many people hate to READ that much. . .
I like both the traditional Zelda games, but I find great joy in the little things that surprise in the non traditional ones or just little details that TP has, like the snowboarding, the Yeti Mansion, the flying monster minigame and stuff like that.
For the most part, I totally see where you are coming from. The emphasis on expansive gameplay and story was nice. Also, the final showdown with Ganon was indeed of epic proportions. Even with those things in consideration, when I think back on Twilight Princess, I had trouble seeing any of these improvements (environments, more story, etc.) to be of considerable consequence. Twilight Princess seemed to implement all these improvements and ideas to take the series and the genre to the next level, yet, to me, it just felt like they were just bring the series up to "current" standards.