First Impressions

[Midna666]

Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda games.
But when I first saw the games graphics, back in the 2001 preview I thought the game looked stupid and childish.
But once I played it, it became one of my favorite Zelda games of all time.

So what did everyone else think, when they first saw Wind Waker's graphics?

[Nepolink]

I have to agree.
I saw the game only in 2003, never seen any pictures about it, so it was a real new thing to me. Im from the OOT, MM and smash bros times, so this styl was really new to me, like you said it looked very childish, but after the release from that stupid game Okami this styl is not so special anymore.
Anyway, when i played the first time it was also a little bit dissapointing for me, i always wanted adult link and a new game like OOT and MM. After beating WW for the first time it was not so stupid anymore, i like the storyline and gameplay. After 3 months or so this version of Link become my favorite, and is still. I love Wind Waker and a still do. After releasing more games with ''Toon Link'' it was a real normal styl in my opinion. MC, FSA, FS and more, even in Brawl.

This styl have the lead here. I love Toon Link ways more than the ''normal'' Links in OOT, MM and even TP. But that's just me, i feel to much for this little fella. =p

[Atsuma]

I never saw a review or anything like that for that matter, so I wasn't able to find out about the graphics first hand. When I got the gamecube, I was simply staring at the gamecube library of games lined up in the gamestop store and decided to buy Zelda WW.

I remember that I just grabbed the case with one hand and flipped it over to the back, just to take a quick look. I read what it said and saw the pictures and said to myself: "This looks like a good game" So I went on and bought it.

I don't regret it, for as soon as I began to play it, I fell in love with the game play and the characters. I found out that the graphics were okay, the game a little bit too cartoonish perhaps, but I understood it was meant for a wide audience, both young and mature.

[Zeruda]

Like others, the first thing I noticed was the art style. Being an artist myself, I instantly wondered what kind of world I would end up being immersed in, and how the style would come into play. I was curious, and I immediately gained even more respect for Nintendo for having the guts to make such a big move.

As soon as I turned the game on, I was astounded. The world seemed huge and vibrant, the style allowed for the characters to show more emotion which added to their depth, and it really did what it was supposed to do- let us see the world through a child's (Link's) eyes. Realistic graphics just would not have meshed well with TWW's story or characters.

As soon as I got into swordplay, I was in love with the game. It was fresh, new, and exciting. Overall, my first impressions of the game were all very positive, and while I did find faults here and there later in the game, I still hold this title as my second favorite.

[Zarom]

WW has always been my #2 favorite Zelda. I waited impatiently the return of this Zelda more than TP. (At this time, I already had OOT & MM) :cool:

I remember seeing for the first time the opening intro of the game. It was and it still is my favorite music opening theme of any Zelda game. Each time I see it again, I automatically remember why it's one of my favorite games. I had so much fun playing it! (lot more than TP) :nod::nod:

I really like the freedom of this game, the story, the gameplay, the graphics (yes, the graphics!) and all the cool sidequests. And, Windfall Isalnd is probably the town in Zelda that has the best characters and best interactivity with them. It just seem so lively! :D

Clearly, one of the best Zelda! :)

[Megamannt125]

Back then I wasn't a Zelda fan, Wind Waker is the first Zelda game I bought and it's what got me into the series so naturally, my first impression when renting it was "THIS IS REALLY FUN".

[Master Kokiri 9]

well ww was the first zelda i ever played and really i was like 8 at the time and i was used to cartoons and such so yeah i thought it was cool from the start.

[link-of-hyrule]

i was at a friends house and they had a game cube (i still had a 64 with OOT and MM) asked me what i wanted to play and i saw zelda freaked out and begain to play, i diden't realize the graphics were differant tell my friends said somthing but i diden't care it was a zelda game!

[knowlee]

I remember seeing the commercial for WW when it first came out. I wasn't that into Zelda then like I am now so I didn't really think much of it, I believe. (That and the fact that I didn't have a Gamecube at the moment.)

Anyway, it wasn't until recently that I actually got a copy of it and played it. When I turned it on, I found myself immediately amazed by the world that you traveled around in and I loved the cartoonish feel that the game gave off. Needless to say that WW is one of my top favorite Zelda games now. :)

[basement24]

I was honestly blown away. I love animation, and at the time I was in college training to become an animator. So when I saw this new direction looking fantastic, brimming with life and style, and running so smoothly on a GameCube I was extatic to play it.

When I actually got to experience it first hand, the excitement was just increased. I loved looking at the scenery and coming up on an island that was way off in the distance and landing there in real-time without visible loading.

My only disappointment in the graphics now is knowing the game can be output in 720p, and the Wii is only capable of 480p. When you see it in the crispness of 720, it's even more astounding and vibrant. I would love for a New Play Control title of it so I can at least play it in widescreen, but I hope one day they have some kind of 720p upconversion of old titles available for a new Wii system to truly experience the game.

[Link Master]

Graphics did not bother me I just liked playing the game not caring for how it looked I have to say it is one of the best Zelda games but that is just my opinion.

[Y2K3]

well, I first played WW at my friends house. I was looking through his games and saw that he had a Zelda game, so I just wanted to play it. I fell in love with it instantly. I remember playing it for hours, and I just could not put it down. I thought the graphics were amazing simply because they made me feel like I was playing in a cartoon. And even in areas where it was dark, the game was still cheerful.

[DisappearingMist]

When Caleb first started playing WW, I pretty much just fell in love at the beginning. I sat on a chair and watched him play for well over an hour. It got a little less charming once he actually had to start on the quest, but the beginning first chapter was just a blast.

[Nye Pendragon]

It was one of the first Zelda games I played, after OoT and MM, and being a young kid, I loved it for the adorible graphics.
Now that I'm older (but not much wiser) I love it for the gameplay. :x I still love the graphics, though.

[nguinn97]

I actually played this game after PH and ST so the graphics weren't that different for me. :) I actually enjoy the sailing, but not for a long period of time. Overall, I think the game is good, but too easy.

[tanonkatt]

I was very irritated of everyone who complained. I thought: "This looks strange, but it might get cool. Hey everybody! Shut up and give Nintendo a chance:D" And I was right! As always. Wind Waker wouldn't have worked if it had looked like Twilight anyway. I prefer WW before TP too be honest, both the graphics and the game itself.
I also remember the trailer, but it was fairly different from the game I think. I was quite young back then, 10 or something, and I thought the game (still untitled at the time) would be like the very first Zelda game. That was the only bad thing about it actually. I've never played them and never have had any interests in them, but it turned out well.

Conclusion: I liked it from the start! Now it's enough though. Please give us some Majora's Mask-inspired graphics, and please please, skip the Twilight's impersonal and hard graphics.

[Phlegm]

I was actually really excited. I loved cartoons so I thought it would be cool. The water looked really nice too.

[K4KING]

My first impression was it was SO cute! I loved the expressions of Link in the game, plus the funny reactions of the monsters if they get hit. The graphics attracted my sight and it drove me to play it. I bought the game and I was blown away, the game was exciting, wonderful and funny. Link had SO many expressions that I wanted to die sometimes just to see his reaction.

But I sold my WW by accident, maybe due to boredom and I regretted it. -_- Now I wish to find another WW.

[ChargewithSword]

WW was one of the first Zelda games I saw, I looked at it and compared it too the graphics of the other games and smiled. Being a striving artiest back then, I loved to see how the characters were brought to life with a beautiful art style resembling that of a cartoon you would have seen in the forties. I was not entrenched in the shallow idea that Zelda was some hardcore stuff that couldn't extend itself as an art form. Zelda was a game made for everyone and WW was meant to be art, simple as that.

To bad it's beautiful style had to be milked to oblivion...

[Axle the Beast]

I was pretty young back then, so when I saw the first pictures of it I didn't really care much. Barely payed attention to it and didn't find it that unusual. Upon playing it I was amazed of course. :)

My brother and sister had freaked out at those initial screenshots, though. Just some poor, still screens; not a good gauge of that game's beautiful art style. :bleh:

[Slambofett]

I hatted the graphics when I first saw them, but upon hearing that it was a different link from OoT and MM I became more interested. My small interest turned into 'I must have this game' attitude. I think its funny that I thought WW was going to be bad and it turned out to be amazing and I thought TP was going to be amazing and it turned out to be OK.

[Austin]

I was also fairly young back then and hadn't really gotten into Zelda. I had only gotten the Kokiri's Emerald in OoT so I wasn't used to any type of dramatic or serious tones in Zelda yet. So when I first saw and played WW I wasn't bothered either way. However, after I finally beat OoT a few months ago and had gotten a full Zelda experience, I returned to WW and found it not nearly as good as I had originally thought. While sailing had kept occupied for hours on end, it now seemed monotonous and dull. And while OoT gradually matured as the story went on, WW stayed at the same level for the entire game, essentially.

So I guess I had the opposite experience as everyone else. It seems as if most people were peeved initally but then grew to love it. I thought it was pretty cool, but it's my least favorite now.

[VanitasXII]

When I first saw Zelda: Wind Waker, I was actually amazed. The first time I saw it was in the Zelda Collector's Edition Title Screen. I was like "wow, that's pretty cool", because I hadn't seen it before. When I first played it, I was really happy to know that Link finally had a canon sister. TWW had a lot of (back)story behind it which made it a pretty great game, so I really enjoyed it through to the end.

[Phantom Zelda]

I loved the graphics from the moment I started. They make me feel so happy :)

[Ralis]

Well, it did have pretty terrible graphics. But at least they weren't as bad as Ocarina of Time's graphics. In that game, sometimes it's hard to tell what you're looking at. But I geuss it's still kind of fun, though. But the moblins are EXTREMELY annoying. When ever I would try to escape, they would catch me. But Ganondorf was way too easy. I played on my friends file, and I hadn't played Wind Waker before, and I ALMOST beat him, when I had never played WW before.

[yotam]

Well I haven't knew yet about Zelda when WW released but when i first saw the game design i thought it looks awesome, I still do, its one of my favorite games.
And hmm... I have no idea what are some of you talking about, I think that WW graphic is awesome, maybe the most awesome graphic i ever saw.