General Modern Wind Waker or Twilight Princess?

[OotLord1003]

What's your favorite? Did you like wind waker because of the exploration? or Twilight Princess because of it's darker tone?

I would have to say Twilight Princess, mainly because of the landscape, story, and characters. I liked it's darker tone, and how you got that "T for Teen" when you play it. It was funny, mysterious, and even romantic!

But what are your thoughts?

 

[MegaLink]

I would prefer Wind Waker, I've play and completely beaten both games. I liked the Wind Waker for the sailing part and many islands which I thought was pretty neat itself. The islands themselves were pretty vast to explore, I also enjoyed the more cartoony graphics of it. I've played that game and long time, and enjoyed all of it. I really think it's a great game.

 

[Valexi]

Well, Twilight Princess and Wind Waker are two very different games with two very different styles, so for me it's not as simple as choosing one or another, since I like one for certain qualities, and the other for different qualities.
But, I suppose if I had to choose, I would go with Wind Waker.
It had more side quests, and the best version of Ganon in the series.
Plus Toon Link is just downright adorable.
(though, in its defense, TP had better items, a better overworld, and kittens :3)

 

[DuckNoises]

I'd have to choose Wind Waker. The characters were charming and delightful, with a lovely whimsical feel to the entire game. The sailing (although cumbersome at times) turned out to be a rewarding experience, with a plethora of different things to find. The music was great, and it truly captured the spirit of the game. The exploration aspect was excellent, which really captured the spirit of adventure being thrust upon Link. It was also nice to see the further development of Ganondorf's character, and I love the great ironies in his speeches.

Twilight Princess was a great game that showed a lot of potential, but, for me, it felt like it could have been a lot better with a little bit more work. Certain parts of it seemed underwhelming in comparison to some other parts of the game, which were truly fantastic. It felt a tad inconsistent to me. Although certain parts of the plot felt very contrived to me, Midna was a truly magnificent character throughout most of the game.

 

[Hanyou]

The Wind Waker is far, far better.

The Wind Waker:
The music was fantastic. While at times a bit too "atmospheric" for my taste, it was loaded with themes that were radically different from each other and represented each of the locations well. Its graphics, initially reviled by so many Zelda fans, were actually vibrant with personality, lending every location a sense of both whimsy and history for a perfect balance. They helped along the story and overall atmosphere, which provided a sense of adventure and expansiveness that arguably was never before seen in video games. As for the gameplay, The Wind Waker offered up an unbelievably huge world with its own distinct identity. Furthermore, the sidequests, minigames, and islands offered enough diversity in terms of gameplay that I would have paid five times the price at release to experience it all. The player really feels like he's at sea in this game, and Nintendo really perfected the art of creating a self-contained world. I still don't know how they did it.

Twilight Princess:
The music is almost completely atmospheric, and most of the themes are either so low-key they're forgettable or they're rehashes of the field theme (which admittedly is very good on its own). As far as graphics are concerned, it's easily the most boring-looking Zelda game, with muddy textures not tailored to the limitations of the Gamecube and constant shades of brown and gold (is this "realism?"). Where the Wind Waker had a tight narrative that nonetheless allowed several characters and locations to flourish, Twilight Princess was just about Midna, and still managed to be sloppy in its execution. All characters felt extraneous and some, like Princess Zelda, had such esoteric roles that they came off as nothing more than plot devices (what did she do aside from...disappearing and somehow saving that imp?). As for gameplay, TP had a sickening combination of both linearity and a lack of openness that made it boring and unZelda-like, and the sameness of its locations hardly motivated me to explore.

It comes down to this: in every way, The Wind Waker was vibrant, expansive, and filled with adventure and beauty. It had everything one could ask for from a Zelda game. Twilight Princess was claustrophobic, boring, and samey. That "mature" tone everyone loves? Yeah, Ocarina managed to be mature without losing its sense of humor or charm. So, for that matter, did The Wind Waker. Maturity != unjustifiably serious and unimaginative. I think TP was especially jarring because The Wind Waker was so good, but even on its own merits, it really felt like a joyless ride to me.

It's interesting to compare these two games because they stand at opposite ends of the spectrum in the Zelda franchise. I think The Wind Waker's quality and TP's lack thereof amply demonstrates which direction is better for the franchise as a whole.

 

[TQX]

Difficult to choose between these two. It are two fantastic games that i will never forget. The Windwaker has an unique style of graphics that not many games have. I must say: I like that style sooo much that i had to which there where a lot more of that kind of versions. Twilight Princess is a more realistic Zelda. That is also very appropriated qua graphics into the real world. It looks and plays both fantastic.

 

[athenian200]

Oh, it's no contest for me. The Wind Waker was arguably better than Ocarina of Time. Twilight Princess... was kind of bland.

Wind Waker allowed you to sail between locations, learn songs, collect a lot of things that were hidden on little islands out in the middle of nowhere. There were so many things to search for, so many sidequests that took place outside of dungeons. And I really liked the cel-shaded graphics, but I'm the sort of person who appreciates anime.

Twilight Princess felt like a copy of Ocarina of Time that wasn't quite as good. There were so many times I finished a temple, and hoped for Sheik to show up... only to realize that this time, I was alone, my only ally this mischievous shadowy girl who might try to kill me at any moment. It was a good game, I suppose... but it was too depressing, gritty, and dark. It felt like a desert, like I was thirsty for water, gasping for air. The story was too "heavy," and I usually enjoy the "lightness" of Zelda.

 

[Destiny]

Hmm. On personal preference and only on that Level it would please me. I loved Midna, I loved the gritty dark Graphics, I pretty much liked everything about it.

Then again, It was Bland. The story was sloppy and well off point. Midna could have been better executed and other characters should have been allowed to develop. However, I still love and enjoy playing this game despite it's faults.

Okay so Windwaker, Was pretty nearly a masterpiece. The story was marvelous but I always felt upset about losing Old Hyrule. The Great Sea did not appeal to me, neither did the Graphics. But this was mostly enjoyable to play and the graphics weren't bad I simply just did not care for them.

All in all. I Liked Twilight Princess more. Does not mean it was a better game.

 

[Raven]

I could never choose between the two, even though they are very different games i put them on the same level, they are both GCN games so like OoT and MM they are harder to compare. WW was massive but TP had a large overworld as well and i found that the dungeons were really big in TP... both games have pros and cons but because they were games for the same system the size of the games (in terms of disc space) were about the same. That's why I like them both equally, and besides sometimes a neutral opinion is the best opinion.

 

[kokirion]

Wind Waker and TP are both really good games.

The wind waker is awesome thanks to his graphics but even better is the story.

TP is great too thanks to the realistic graphics, the wide overworld, secrets in HF, and off course Ganondorf (the best Ganondorf in the serie). The only bad things in TP are to grey graphics and it was certainly not my
favorite story.

If I compare both games I still think TP is the best. And that's because of the realistic graphics, It's the only zelda game you have the feeling Hyrule could be real and this is the real look of Hyrule.

(you should make a poll of it)

 

[Fraxinus]

Eh...though I loved both the gameplay and story in either game, I still have to say that I'm leaning more for the Wind Waker. Both had unforgettable characters, but Wind Waker made more sense. Even though it was a big step to take in the Zelda series--as far as technology goes... but it was a promising game and kept to its "Zelda" title. I actually loved the toon-shading in that game, but I just wish it was a bit harder. They were both good games, but Wind Waker is one of my all-time favorites.

 

[tetrafan]

Wind Waker all the way. Best story/characters The dungeons are excellant and the Nintendo gallery was a great idea because you got to learn about the other characters. Something Twilight Princess lacked. Collecting the Heart pieces was fun and the Auction house. The best bit for me was exploring Old Hyrule under the sea. In short Wind Waker is the most charming Zelda game i have ever had the pleasure of playing.

 

[Majora16]

I usually place The Wind Waker at #2 and Twilight Princess at #3 on my "Favorite Zelda Games List" so I like them both a lot and almost equally. Here's my comparison:

Gameplay
Both are almost equal gameplay-wise (in my eyes). For me, transportation was undoubtedly better in TP. I much prefered riding Epona instead of sailing throughout a vast, empty ocean with nothing really to do other than go forward. The fact that you could use items and your sword, while horseback made it even better. However, TWW had more exploration, which is what the Zelda series is all about. I can't really compare the motion controls of the Wii version of TP since I have the GC version, but the contols for both TWW and TP to be equal. I think TP had some innovative, fun items like the spinner, double clawshot and dominion rod but there weren't really any items in TWW that made me think "WOW!" Overall, the gameplay was great for both games.

Atmosphere/Graphics
I think that TWW is full of light-hearted whimsy and vibrance while TP was dulled down with its use of muddy colors, horrible textures and an unoriginal art style. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate TP's grim, dark graphics, but I prefer TWW's so much more. TWW's atmosphere was full of charm and originality, but TP's graphics were just like any other game out there, just with worse textures. However, both graphical styles compliment their respective games and fit the premise perfectly. Overall, I thought the tone and graphics in TWW were the best in the series.

Story
I think TWW's story is far superior to TP's. Although TP's story was more intricate, deeper and more emotional, it felt more like a random (yet linear) set of events that just seemed to happen one after another. Right after you do one task, you are sent to do the next. In TP, it just felt like I was being pushed to go to the next part of the game instead of being able to take my time and explore the world. It just didn't have a sense of freedom. TWW excelled at freedom. Although the story was shorter and not as detailed as TP's, TWW's story felt like more of an adventure. I was more in control, which is something I need in a Zelda game.

Many of TP's events were also unnecessary. Ilia's memory loss, Epona's rampage, and Midna's sickness (among others) felt like they were just thrown in there to add more to the story, even though they had nothing to do with anything. Many of these events would work wonderfully as sidequests, but for some reason the developers thought it was necessary to add these random, pointless events into the main story. TWW didn't really have any useless events with little revelance to the story (That I can think of).

Music
There's not a LOT to be said about the music, and of course, it's only my opinion. I really liked TWW's soundtrack. I loved the use of the pan flute in many themes and I think that added a certain charm to the game. The Dragon Roost Island theme and the Legendary Hero Theme are both in my top 5 tracks of the series. TP's soundtrack was average in my opinion. It did have some standouts (Midna's Lament, Hidden Village, Gerudo Desert, opening theme, among a few others), but most of the soundtrack was kind of forgettable. The music did set the tones for their respective locations but still were just okay. They seemed a bit hollow and tinny as well.

Characters
This one's a bit of a toughy. I think TP's characters are incredible but I loved the different races of TWW. If I'm forced to choose, I prefer TP's characters. They showed more emotions and I cared for them more than TWW's. They were also dynamic and showed different sides to their personalities. Midna in particular was brilliantly crafted. TWW's characters were cute though, and I like them for that. However, I prefered TWW's Rito and Korok races over TP's Goron, Zora, Ooccoo and Twili races.

Technical aspects aside, I think The Wind Waker is just overall a more fun, enjoyable game. I'm in the middle of playing Twilight Princess for the third time but I feel like ditching the game to play Ocarina of Time instead, which is odd because I usually place OoT lower than TP on my favorite Zelda Games list. They're all masterpieces though. You can't go wrong with any Zelda game.

 

[Zarom]

In my opinion, Wind Waker was a truly better game than Twilight Princess. WW had many great things going on for it. And I completely agree with Hanyou.

The one thing I loved the most about WW was the exploration. Exploration is one of the, if not the most important thing about the Zelda series in my eyes. The overworld was incredibly vast and it was amazing to explore. There was just so many islands to go to and hidden things to discover, which I really liked. And as opposed to most people, I really loved the sailing. I felt it was very unique and innovative in terms of gameplay. In TP, there was almost no exploration and very few sidequests, and most of them were so tedious to do...

The atmosphere of WW was amazing. The world was very lively and colorful, and the music was fitting perfectly with the mood of the game. WW easily has one of the best Zelda soundtrack in my opinion. On the opposite, I think TP's soundtrack was pretty dull, with very few amazing songs. The art style in WW was incredible, while TP was boring to look at. I also didn't like the "sad" atmosphere that was in TP.

Another thing is the dungeons. I think most of the dungeons in WW were great and very well done. My favorite being the Wind Temple. Most of the bosses were awesome and quite challenging as well. Speaking of difficulty, I felt WW was somewhat harder than TP. It had plenty of challenging parts and harder enemies. Even though I still think WW was an overall easy game.

The characters in WW were awesome too. They were so much better than most TP characters which were pretty bland (with some exceptions such as Midna and Zant). Each character had their own personality and I cared for them. This obviously reminded me of MM, where I think the character development was the best. The introduction of new races in WW was also a very good thing, and made the game even more unique.

The story was great too, it had many plot twists and was done very well. It was very interesting and immersive. I think TP also had a great story, even though I prefer WW's story.

Overall, WW is my #2 favorite Zelda game. The game was insanely fun and rewarding, whereas TP felt more like chore to play, and is even more horrible when you replay it. Meanwhile, WW is always a blast to play everytime.

 

[kindlyone]

Hard to tell for me i like both games for differnt reasons wind waker was an entirely new style which i loved while tp reminded me of real life and oot so i cant tell i love them both!