Warning: I am writing this review in the aftermath of four days with little sleep, ungodly amounts of caffeine and a manic eye twitch that has developed (with a vengeance) due to the aforementioned combination. This hazardous schedule had nothing to do with a timeline folks it was simply near-impossible to put my dang controller down.

Link, our favorite non-Scottish skirt-wearing male, is bringing in the Wii with the biggest, most engaging Zelda title to date. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is simply an accumulation and honing of every element that has made the Zelda franchise so indelible. Twilight Princess is justification enough to shell out your console dollars this weekend. Still skeptical? Allow me to explain:

We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Similar to Super Nintendo's Link to the Past, Twilight Princess takes place in two versions of the same world: The light, and the twilight. Hyrule is being systematically covered by a darkness which pervades the resident towns and fields. Our hero is chosen to restore the light and save his homeland and its people from the King of Twilight before he succeeds in his mysterious but obviously diabolical plan and the blackness swallows everything.

During this journey he will meet a great cast of characters, each with their own motive and history; each inextricably woven into the fabric of our story. You'll find yourself moved by the acts of seemingly unimportant characters, and enraged by the negligence and carelessness of others. Not only does Twilight Princess surpass the gameplay length of its predecessors (If you're looking to get everything done be prepared for over 65 hours of joy) without throwing in the mundane sailing adventure that the Wind Waker used to pad its length, the story is deeper and more emotionally driven than any Zelda title before it.

When traveling into the twilight realm for the first time, Link reluctantly sheds his elfin (though perhaps a tad effeminate) good looks to take the daunting form of a wolf. Albeit he's a wolf with tribal tattoos and earrings,  but considering that the alternate dimension in Link to the Past transformed Link into an adorable yet defenseless pink bunny, I see the strangely fashion conscious wolf as a definite improvement. When in wolf form you have different attack combos, tools and traits than your human counterpart. Pick up scent trails, use the heightened senses of a wild animal, and jump to locations you'd not reach as a human. One of my favorite Wolf-Link attributes is his ability to interact with the various animals populating Hyrule. Sometimes they're helpful little woodland creatures, but other times…well, you'll see.

It Don't Mean A Thing (if it Ain't Got That Swing)
There has been quite a bit of unpleasant mutterings about the transfer from the GameCube to the Wii, and worry about how such a radical shift in controllers might affect the experience. Let me put your fears to rest: Controlling Link and Epona (his trusty steed) has never been this easy. The demo at E3 this year was not representative of your experience with the final product, there's been quite a bit of "reworking" since May. Even I was concerned when I heard the news that swordplay was now controlled by swinging the remote. You'd think that'd be tiring…but it's not. A flick of the wrist initiates a sword swing, a quick rotation of the other wrist sets off a devastating spin attack. Projectile weapons are fired by aiming at the screen and pressing a button. One of Zelda's most celebrated aspects has always been its control, so it was pleasant to find that contrary to all fears and doubts, the Wii functionality just manages to improve upon an already proven formula.

You Must Buy, You Must Buy, You Must Buy...This Game
There are few videogame franchises that harbor the kind of rabid fanbase that The Legend of Zelda has acquired since its debut, and it's not without merit. The original was a complete departure from gaming as we'd known it, Ocarina of Time created its own genre, Wind Waker made believers out of thousands of naysayers and showed the masses the potential little Mr. GameCube had been hiding. There's been a lot of build-up and heavy expectations riding on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Well, with regard to that: it exceeded every one of mine.

- Saria

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