Right I played till the end of the Deku tree.
Visually it looks great. Without 3D you get better aliasing which means smoother edges, but the 3D effect is so good I can't see anyone choosing this option.
The motion controlled first person aiming works perfectly, I know it looks gimmicky but its actually awesome and quite immersive too.
The touch screen is great and gives you a little insight into how the Wii U controller might make gameplay more enjoyable. It has easy touch screen icons to use the menus and equip weapons, it even has a couple of assignable buttons, sort of like SF4 3DS which had 4 touchscreen buttons.
The game hasn't really aged, I know what famitsu meant when they said that it feels like a new game. Nintendo games from the SNES era, for their top tier titles, they are such classics that you can go back and still see what was great about them. The deku tree dungeon as small and simple as it is pisses all over any dungeon in Okami.
Grezzo have done a really good job on the visuals, they are someone inbetween an N64 and GC in quality but the 3D adds a lot, making it seem like a little fantasy world exists inside the screen. There is an occasion and very slight ghosting of navi though, you might not even notice it unless you look real hard. Grezzo seem to have touched up, if not remade, everything in the game. It's less of a port and more of a remake in graphical terms. Everything, the characters, every room, every item seems to be polished and looking brighter, crisper, more detailed and just more vibrant than before.
When I heard that they were just going with age old N64 midi music I was miffed, upon hearing the music in the game again I am kinda happy they kept the old tunes and jingles. It's part of what makes the game a nostalgic joy.
The game itself is the same, same layout, items etc. So it's not a new experience by any means - if you are getting this game you are getting it for two things, improved visuals and 3D. It's sufficienlty graphically overhauled to be worth it though and I hear that you get a free Zelda orchestra invite if you buy the game and if you register the game at the nintendo website I hear you get a free music CD.
The only complaint I have is with the 3DS analogue slider, it feels good but now is the first time it has had a game that it could be tested with. It doesn't feel quite right but that maybe because grezzo stuck to the same controls and animations and speed of the N64 link. I will have to check and let you know. Link seems to go from walk to sprint too fast.
Just got to Zoras Domain. Totally forgot how to get most of the heart pieces though. I grabbed one in Lon Lon Ranch
