The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - Wii U

When it comes to repackaging its past, no one does it quite like Nintendo. They have repeatedly blown the dust from old game carts from previous consoles and released them on various formats, especially titles from the NES, SNES and N64 era - although, infuriatingly, still no sign of Pilotwings 64.

The company has also been castigated for retreading familiar ground from some quarters, regurgitating updated versions of popular first-party tiles such as Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Mario platformers and Zelda. But Nintendo always manage to pull out the stops to make these core titles worth investigating and it's this quality which draws people to Nintendo's consoles. And that leads us neatly to Nintendo's most recent first-party reboot - a remake of GameCube classic The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker HD.

At its release back in 2003, there was a great deal of negative reaction to the game's visuals - a criticism I never personally understood. Perhaps people were expecting more realism from a new Zelda game and The Wind Waker's cell-shaded visual style jarred with their expectations. However, because of the decision to go with a highly stylised look a decade ago, time has been incredibly kind to this splendid adventure - especially as the game is now presented in glorious pin-sharp high definition.

While Zelda games are known for their devious dungeon designs, familiar weapons and hulking great bosses, it is impossible to go any further without talking a bit more about The Wind Waker's graphics. The visuals are enchanting, boasting rich and vibrant colours, spellbinding lighting effects and wonderful animation - it is quite incredible and one of the most attractive game worlds you'll ever find yourself in. Thankfully, The Wind Waker has much more going for it that just an eye-popping visual charm - underneath the glorious fresh paint job is a classic Zelda adventure which, in my opinion, stands side-by-side with anything else from the Zelda series.

The dungeons and their puzzles have been wonderfully devised and there are several stand-out moments for the series woven into the fabric of the game. But it's the decision to have Link traverse this vast and beautifully realised world by boat which really stands out and is one of the game's crowning glories.

There's something magical about heading out to sea with Link at the helm of the mysterious King of Red Lions, swiftly cutting through the waves and continuously moving ever onwards on the quest for adventure. There are plenty of islands to explore and as new items unlock as you spend more time with the game, returning to areas peppered across the archipelago throws up an abundance of mysterious charms. Splashing about in the salty sea spray and sailing away from the main quest also throws up a galleon-full of wonderful secrets and a beguiling collection of charismatic characters to converse with, making this chapter of Link's adventures one of the very best.

The threat from adversaries is never far away, but The Wind Waker's combat is rather good, making these bouts of hack and slashing highly enjoyable. While going toe-to-toe with enemies could never be described as complex, with Link's ever growing arsenal of weapons - including some old favourites - it is rarely boring. Add to that the use of handy button prompts which allow our green-clad hero to dodge, weave and hurdle opponents opening up weak points, and these frequent scraps are allowed to flow perfectly.

The Wii U control pad is used to great effect and although simple, it allows the player to swap items on the fly, while also acting as a handy map - both in dungeons and while cutting a swathe through the expansive seas. It can't be underestimated how this small change affects gameplay as there's now no need to pause the game to fuddle about with inventory management.

Despite its age, The Wind Waker looks and feels like a completely new game. Those who played and loved the original will warm to this beautiful version, while newcomers are in for a treat as they are blown gently through this quite incredible game.

Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is quite simply one of the most magical and beautiful video games ever created and a game everyone should experience first-hand.

Rime - PlayStation 4

Spanish developer Tequila Works are leaving the shadowy world of Deadlight to focus on something much brighter and - in my mind - much more interesting.
    Rime is a glorious looking, cell shaded adventure which - at first glance - reminds me of a delicious mash-up of Ico, Journey and Zelda: The Windwaker and takes the form of an open world trek, exploring sun-kissed landscapes and ancient ruins.
    A trailer was shown at Gamescom last week, which featured a young boy scampering along a beach, running atop grass covered coastal hills, leaping across rocky outcrops and warding off shadowy figures with nothing more than a simple torch.
    It looked magnificent and, while details remain vague, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this delightful looking game.

 

 

Radio the Universe

I’ve been on something of a crowd funding crusade of late, throwing my hard-earned cash around as if it were Monopoly money. That said, it has been an incredibly exciting few months, with some fabulous looking projects on the way, including Sui Generis, Maia, Richard & Alice, Ouya and the cheeky little scamp that is Spud’s Quest.

As if all this wasn’t enough, I’ve was tuned into Radio the Universe just before Christmas – a dark and brooding title which, according to developer 6e6e6e, takes its inspiration from games such as Zelda, Dark Souls, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Hotline Miami.

The mere mention of Dark Souls is enough for me to part with my cash instantly, but a quick glance at Radio the Universe’s screens actually brought to mind the overlooked and quirky DS RPG Contact – albeit with a darker edge.

The game hit its Kickstarter target of $12,000 within hours and has now reached all of its stretch goals, which promise to expand the game world, add secondary weapon systems and double the amount of cut scenes.

Head on over to Radio the Universe's Kickstarter page to find out more and see the game in action.

More Skyrim shots - PC

I've spend the last few days falling back in love with Skyrim, thanks to a bunch of fresh mods. I have more than 70 running now and I'm incredibly impressed with the results. I've only done two of the main quests and I'm spending most of my time exploring and going about things at my own pace.

I've downloaded a camping mod which lets you set up a bedroll and tent anywhere in Skyrim and since I've banned myself from using fast travel, it's a godsend. I've also installed a Zelda music mod which replaces the soundtrack with a variety of classic Zelda themes, along with sound effects which are used in menus and when you level up. It gives the whole game a lighter feel, although when exploring dungeons, the music swiftly changes to Zelda's dungeon themes. You might even spot a Zelda reference in one of the screens below.

I have a bunch of graphic and texture mods installed, too, which not only add detail to the countryside, but also dramatically improve the main cities and towns. I've added some new armour and weapon mods, which makes crafting much more fun. I even have a Monster Hunter weapon pack installed and my character is sporting a huge two-handed Rathalos Great Sword.

Click on the images for the full size versions.

3D Dot Game Heroes - PS3 - review

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto must be feeling pretty good about himself.

3D Dot Game Heroes plays like an old school Zelda adventure, except this game by FROM Software drags 8-bit visuals into the 21st century, giving the game a unique and stylised appearance.

The game isn't afraid to wear its Zelda influence proudly on its sleeve. In fact, there are so many nods to the Nintendo series that it's easy to forget 3D Dot Game Heroes really has nothing to do with Link and his quest to save the land of Hyrule.

A mysterious ancient sword and boomerang make their appearance early in the game, while the inclusion of a bow, arrows, sling shot, bombs, health-giving fairies and chickens to chase around, makes you wonder quite how the developer managed to get away with it.

However, 3D Dot Game Heroes is more than a mere pastiche, with FROM Software throwing in a few of its own ideas, including nods to several of their previous games.

It doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is a good thing when you consider the story is whimsical fantasy nonsense, including genre staples such as a captured princess and a dark force spreading across the land.

Even thrusting a sword towards a group of enemies results in the unexpected, with the blade extending dozens of feet forward if fully powered up.

Gameplay is simple, with weapons mapped to two face buttons, while a third button is used to dash. Simplicity, though, is what the game is all about, and it's refreshing to play something that is intuitive and easy to pick up and play.

The old school design choice extends further than the game's looks - trekking through miles of wilderness between key locations is the norm and it can be annoying, especially as enemies re-spawn at every available opportunity. Die, and you'll be unceremoniously dumped back at the location of your last save.

While the camera angle can be changed when exploring the wilds, a fixed option takes over when exploring the game's dungeons. This is fine, but the dungeons are generally bland and fail to match Zelda's thought-provoking conundrums. The dungeon's bosses are also a mixed bunch, lacking spark and imagination for the most part.

But he real star of the show is the visuals. Featuring gorgeous blocky 3D characters, quaint Lego-like villages, sparkling rivers, a lovely depth of field filter, and more than enough charm to keep pulling the player through the 20 hour adventure, there's nothing quite like 3D Dot Game Heroes currently on the market.

FROM Software have even created a robust character design suite, and you can easily spend hours creating your own unique blocky character.

There are also more than 60 pre-set models to choose from, and each one can be picked when starting from a previous save.

Default hero Frum will be most people's first choice, but with a range of diverse characters to control - including a vampire, ninja, samurai and football player - it's worth checking them all out to see their animations.

The rousing musical score adds to the Zelda feel, with cracking 8-bit-style tunes ripping off older soundtracks to create a bright and breezy score which is a retro gamer's delight.

So forget about the stuffiness of other role-playing games and embrace this return to the golden days of simplistic adventures.

3D Dot Game Heroes may have flaws, but it's an absolute joy to play and Zelda fans should definitely take a look.