Twilight Princess reflections.
1. So naturally the first thing on my mind to talk about is the shipping because I'm a loser. Now, I don't have anything against Link hooking up with someone besides Zelda (see: Link's Awakening), as long as it's done well. That said, I'm not too thrilled with the female selection in this game. Here's the breakdown:
Ilia: Cute, and evidently the one on Link's mind. But what does she do through the game? Bitches you out at the beginning (out of affection/crush, sure), needs a buttload of rescuing, and all to cumulate in a horse whistle that would have been useful if it didn't come at the point of the game where I no longer needed a horse to warp all over Hyrule. Barely provides any bonding moments or support, unlike Sheik/Tetra/Marin etc. I can easily see Link settling down with her and becoming chief of his village, but that negates all the epic adventuring I did through the whole game.
Zelda: Acts about as cold as... well, maybe not ice, but her character feels so bland. Sits around moping in a castle, is nice enough to save Midna, putting herself out of commission for the rest of the game. Then gets possessed at the end, and... THAT'S what they gave her a sword for? >:O >:O >:O Why can't the game have supported her character instead? She and Link looked so pretty together in the final battle.
Midna: My favorite, especially after seeing her in "human" form. She seems to be the only character who gets developed throughout the game (well, besides Colin), and genuinely grows fond of Link. Basically, she takes the intelligent, strong leadership role that should have been Zelda's. I think this is the pairing I'm gonna have to support, as relatively un-canonical as it is. Now if only I can get a full-body concept art of her... I might even try cosplaying as her :3
2. If I ignore the storyline, though, this is definitely the best Zelda ever to play. I love the expansiveness of the overworld, and at first it looked kind of barren of secrets (compared to Okami, say) but then I discovered how things were hidden. (All the more excuse to run around as a wolf... again) Also, people weren't kidding when they said that practically every dungeon shows off some effect:
2nd: fire (duh)
3rd: water (duh)
4th: particle effects
5th: ice reflections
6th: ...nostalgia =P
7th: draw distance XD
8th: dynamic lighting (and gorgeous art direction)
9th: atmosphere!
The boss of the Sky Temple would probably have to be my favorite boss fight in any Zelda game so far, and the final battle was definitely the swordfight they've always wanted to make. Remember that old Spaceworld Gamecube demo? Yeah, Ganondorf even did that "come on" gesture. But he must've been pissed when I broke a skull in the middle of the fight and a fairy flew out, that was just too cheap XD
Uhh... that's it for now, because I'm going to go sidequesting and pick up allllllll the stuff I missed during the rush for plot. :D May edit with more content later.