Legend of Zelda Laps Up Awards
Aonuma's latest elvish offering grabs all the right kind of attention from E3 critics.
While Sony and Microsoft attempted to verbally eviscerate each other throughout E3, Nintendo was quietly winning over gamers with a little game called Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Link's latest outing proved to be the most popular title at the show, as demonstrated by the 3-hour-long lines Zelda fans endured - sometimes more than once - just to get a few hands-on minutes with the long-awaited game.
Of course, it wasn't only gamers who wanted to witness Link's new transformation abilities and darker tone - journalists from nearly three dozen top US media outlets lost themselves in the elfin hero's exploits, lavishing the game with the desirable Game Critics Award for the best game of the show.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess squishes many new features into a darker, more realistic version of the land of Hyrule. In addition to his staple, series-inherited abilities, Link will also be able to transform into a wolf, communicate with animals and fight more convincingly on horseback.
The game, which is set for release towards the end of the year, will likely be one of the last big games released for GameCube, as Nintendo turns its attention to DS, Game Boy Advance and the enigmatic Revolution, due in 2006.
Check out our full hands-on impressions for more about the game.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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