Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Also known as: Zelda no Densetsu: Kaze no Takuto (Japan)

Developer: Nintendo

Say what you want about the cel-shaded graphics, cartoon-like antics, and child-friendly approach to Wind Waker...And sweet muffins, did a portion of players whine and complain about those aspects when the game was first released…But at its core, this is still a Legend of Zelda game and the quality of this title is what you'd expect from the franchise. I, personally, found the art style that they went with to be a refreshing take on the series...And, quite frankly, everything looked (and still does look) absolutely beautiful. Yeah, everyone wanted to play as an adult Link when this came out...But honestly, with Wind Waker, Nintendo proved that playing as a child Link can be just as fun as battling evil as a grown adult. And the unique aspect of sailing around in a flooded world was a nice change of pace, resulting in a Zelda game that many folks since have chosen as their favorite in the series. I’ve played through this game probably about 4 or 5 times (including the Wii U HD version), so that likely gives you an idea of how I feel about this game. Wind Waker may not my favorite game in the Legend of Zelda franchise, but I’m a big fan of it all the same. I think if you’re a fan of the Legend of Zelda games and you give Wind Waker a try, you’ll be a big fan as well.

Review added: 08/05/2021

Legends of Wrestling

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City

After losing the WWF license to THQ and after ECW went bankrupt, Acclaim was left without a wrestling promotion to make games for, so instead of working with a wrestling promotion, they decided to create a game with wrestling legends. They also opted to create a new style of gameplay rather than sticking with their WWF Warzone formula that had aged badly in a short period of time...Unfortunately, the new gameplay style still wasn't very good. In fact, the rest of the game (including the story mode where you travel the territories like in the old days) is well done, but it's the actual in-ring gameplay that holds this back from being a truly good, enjoyable experience. Also baffling is how it's a game about the Legends of Wrestling, but instead of being authentic, Acclaim opted to give everyone fancy schmancy new moves - moves that weren't even invented in the heyday of most grapplers in the game. I get that they were trying to get a younger audience by including “modern” moves, but one would imagine that if someone purchased a game about the legends of professional wrestling, they’d want something more authentic. If you're a big wrestling fan, there's enough here for you to appreciate the good and overlook the bad. For everyone else, though, this is probably a game that you should stay away from.

Review added: 10/06/2019

Luigi's Mansion

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Nintendo

Ever since I was a wee lad, I preferred Luigi over Mario. As a result, I always wanted a game that starred Luigi - but this isn't exactly what I had in mind. Luigi's first starring role was a Ghostbusters-like survival horror game, not a platformer like most folks would expect. It’s a survival horror game that likely won’t even scare the most timid of children, but that doesn’t matter. The personality of the ghosts that you come across and watching cowardly Luigi explore “his” mansion while trying to locate his missing brother still create a fantastic experience, even if that experience is lacking scares of any kind. Luigi’s Mansion garnered enough of a following that it has spawned a few sequels over the years, as well as HD re-releases. So, while the game that Luigi stars in isn’t the platformer that folks like me thought we wanted, and it’s not a scare-fest that survival horror fans may want, it’s a unique experience where most people that play it will realize that if they had gotten what they wanted, it may not be quite as charming or as enjoyable as Luigi’s Mansion wound up being.

Review added: 10/06/2019