This is the first time I've actually played Twilight Princess. I missed out on it on release because, well... life. I coincidentally picked it up this winter and started playing through it before discovering RFN. Having just completed it, here are my thoughts. I should say that I've played through all other major Zelda titles, outside of 4 Swords and the two DS titles.
Graphics and art design;
I absolutely loved the art style of this game. I continuously was reminded of Studio Ghibli and to me that's high praise. Honestly, this is my favorite art style in a Zelda game, ever. Despite being released almost a decade ago, the graphics have held up in my opinion, which is even more surprising to me when I realize that this was developed for the Gamecube.
World and Dungeon design;
This is tricky. I realize that Nintendo "flipped" the game on the Wii to match the Wii-mote (since most people are right handed... or something). Being a veteran of the series, this messed me up significantly. Things just aren't were they're supposed to be. The castle is in the right place, but other than that, everything else seems... wrong? Also, despite the over world being fairly massive, it just feels... empty. On the flip side, I found the dungeons to be excellent and clever... and that's more important to me.
Controls;
I can not stress enough how much the controls for the Wii continuously frustrated and infuriated me. Moving and aiming items are fine... the waggle sword fighting is what killed me time and time again. Example;
Me: "Now would be a good time for a shield bash!"
[Moves the nunchuck forward]
Game: "Spin attack!"
-or-
Me: "Keese! Hit it! Hit it!"
[Furiously shaking the Wii-mote wildly]
Game: "Hold on, I'm going to delay that attack for a second... gotta be sure you want to attack."
[Link gets hit, then swings, then falls off the ledge.]
It doesn't feel like a Zelda game, and certainly not a Nintendo game. Please don't get my started on the controls for horseback fighting. Very loose, very frustrating. Also, the Navi pointer thing is atroicious.
Other gripes or commendations;
This game is chocked full of fetch quests. Off the top of my head - Golden bugs, poe souls, tears of light, howling stones, golden wolves, owl statues... I mean, I know that Zelda is ultimately a game based upon "go find a key to open this door" or "get an item to pass this obstacle." But Twilight Princess just serves it all up unapologetically. I tend to be a completionist, but not this game.
I love Midna. Best Zelda sidekick ever.
Overall;
I'm pretty conflicted about this game. I imagine that if I had the Gamecube version I would feel much more positive about this game. I cannot stress enough how frustrating the waggle controls were to me. I played through Skyward Sword previously and though I have issue with that game, the sword controls were actually enjoyable to me. It's just not implemented very well in this game.
The Internet is full of rumors regarding a possible port of this game to the 3DS. I'm not holding my breath, but I'd actually look forward to it. A standard control scheme would make this one of my favorite Zelda games off all time.
Thanks for reading!