ZELDA IN PROMOTION
Nintendo's big push for Zelda kicked off on 11/28 with the start of the bonus disk promotional campaign. This campaign, easily one of the best we've ever seen, gives a gaming-packed bonus disk for free to those who pre-order a copy of Zelda. On the disk are moderately enhanced ports of N64's Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Ura Zelda along with video clips for various other games.
It seems that Nintendo had originally planned to give out the bonus disk to the first 100,000 who pre-ordered. Somewhere along the way, this idea was thrown out, and now everyone who pre-orders the game before 12/12 (the eve of the launch) and pays in full (some places require cash, others accept credit card as well) get the disk on the spot. Nintendo has apparently been generous in supplies of the bonus disk, as we haven't seen a single sold out sign yet.

The Disk

The envelope containing the game

The ugly instruction manual. Bleh...
All previous Zelda games (well, real Zelda games, that is), have been on cartridge, leaving us without a full-on orchestrated rendition of the classic Zelda theme. Until now, that is. The demo disk includes the classic theme in orchestral form, and we've uploaded it as a giant wave file for all to download:
New Zelda Theme (WAV, 8220KB) (MP3, 1500kb) -- Kon dat bestand van hun niet eens afspelen, ik heb hem maar geconverd
As you can see by the packaging and monochrome manual, this bonus disk is most definitely not a collector's item. Don't go nuts trying to get it unless you're really interested in playing Ocarina of Time or Ura Zelda. Of course, with the new game apparently containing locations recognizable from Ocarina, you may want to play through Ocarina just as a refresher course. And, seeing as how the bonus disk has been officially confirmed for America, it's not like you'll have to really try to get it or anything.
ZELDA ON DISPLAY
Gamers in Japan have been able to play the latest Zelda since the few months following E3 as Toys R Us chains throughout the country hosted Nintendo kiosks housing the E3 Zelda demo (which came, inexplicably, with English text). With the start of the pre-order campaign, though, the in-store promotions kicked into high gear.
ZELDA DEMO IMPRESSIONS
Nintendo's demo disks allow for around ten minutes of play before kicking you off. Add to that the little kiddies waiting to play behind us (and the traditional Japanese etiquette which dictates that thou shalt not play two game sessions in succession whilst others be in wait), and we obviously had a bit of trouble peering into the depths of the game.
But we made the best of what was there and came away wanting, desperately, to try out the game in full. If what we played of the demo is any indication, the latest Zelda title is going to be among the finest games of the year, and possibly ever.
Sailing is important to Wind Waker in that it's how you traverse the massive sea-based over-world. To be honest, it's impossible to judge the full nature of the over-world having had only ten minutes to go in any particular direction, but the word vast comes to mind. Board Link's boat (it's probably where you left it last), and select a sail from the options menu (the demo has only one sail, but it seems as though there could be more). Depending on the current wind level, the boat will launch forth. You steer using the analogue thumb pad and propel the boat forward using the right trigger. If things get too rough, you can always fold down the sail, although movement of the boat takes on a snail's pace.
The seas in the game are anything but empty. In addition to the barrels and occasional rubies as showcased during the E3 sailing demo sequence, we also managed to come upon random bits of tiny land or floating artifacts. By disembarking at one large raft, we were able to take out a few enemies then climbing a mast to reveal a treasure box. We also came upon a boat sailing the seas like us. Inside was a shop keeper who apparently takes his shop around the sea, selling items to the weary traveler. Who knows what else we'll find once we've had the time to explore further.
It may seem confusing at first, and we're unsure if sailing through a game will ever be as natural as walking and running, but we did get used to things after a bit of play. The game makes life easier easier by pointing you in the direction of your next goal. You can also see far into the distance, allowing you to better choose the best areas in which to sail your boat.
To wave in a given direction, you must have the stick pointed in that direction when the meter atop the screen passes through the big central dot. By default, a chime consists of three notes, but this can be increased to four by pushing the left analogue stick to the left or six by pushing it to the right. It took us a couple of minutes of getting used to before we were able to mimic the practice themes the boat asked us to play, but it now feels completely natural.
There's no immediate use for the wand. That is, until you find the.... Well, we'll let you and your exploration take it from there.
One obvious change for these stages and for the game as a whole is the use of lengthy story sequences. The stealth stage from E3 actually begins with a humorous sequence in which Link ends up being launched to the island in a barrel. In all the confusion, Link loses his sword and finds himself in the possession of a gem which allows him to communicate with the rascal who launched him to the island in the first place. It's an enjoyable sequence that probably wouldn't have worked had it not been for the game's animated look. The only thing we're wondering is how many such sequences Nintendo could have possibly crafted for the game.
Even the non-cinematic sequences benefit from the animated look. As we played, we couldn't help but get the feeling that we were immersed in some sort of a cartoon world come alive. There's so much humor at every turn, so much going on in the background as you move around; Link's movements alone are worth watching. Apparently, Link's movements will affect gameplay with his eyes clueing you into secrets. We'll have to spend more time with the final game to see just how much this impacts the experience.
As for the quality of the cell shading, there's no question now -- it's the best we've ever seen in a game. Zelda makes use of much more in the way of animation and facial expressions than other cell shaded titles, and the GameCube image quality contributes to fleshing out a true animated look. We were given the chance to play through a progressive scan monitor and found ourselves tempted to actually upgrade our televisions, just to play the game in such clarity. Zelda isn't just going to be a great game, it's also going to serve as the new visual benchmark by which all GameCube games (and, we already find ourselves thinking, all games of this generation) are judged.
In our sixty or seventy minutes of playing the game through the progressive scan televisions outside the Shinjuku Yodobashi Camera game shop, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker left with us the same unique combination of awe and charm that we felt having first played Mario 64 years ago. If the rest of the game is anything like this, prepare to see "Game of the Century" headlines all over again.