Video: Check Out a Graphical Comparison for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

Looks nice! It's going to be a remake of the GC layout though, right? Not the mirrored Wii version? I played the GC one first, and I kept getting lost when I tried to play it on the Wii...

Fans doing this kind of thing as a hobby have done a better job then this so I can't say I'm impressed or satisfied. At the end of day this is them trying to get something out fast and if it isn't a budget release probably won't even consider it.

@Jazzer94 Totally right. And sadly FAST still means they miss the holiday sales. This is beyond me. A lackluster port that was delayed before its announcement.

Truly the bare minimum. Apparently there were some changes to the game so that might make it worth it, but otherwise this'll just make it easier on the eyes when played on an HDTV.

I'm just happy it's a port of the GC version. Everything else is a bonus.

The Wii version looked quite blurry by 2006 standards, let alone today's standards. And not to be a troll, but this supposed HD version looks like absolute garbage. Clearly not much effort has been put into improving the visuals. This is nothing more then a cheap cash grab, but I still bet Nintendo charges full price for this. Pathetic.

It looks very nicely done to me. The redone art of the textures looks great and just what the game needed to go onto Wii U. Old games don't need to have their graphics completely remade to justify a re-release, that's just unappreciative of the history of a game.

The reasoning behind Wind Waker HD was because they felt not many had they chance to experience it so I wonder what the main reason is for this? OR could it be it's just the next one to be remade and we're looking at a Skyward Sword HD for NX?

@larry_koopa You're just a ray of sunshine aren't you?

Was hoping they would have done more with it - the trees and square edges stand out like a sore thumb - but what they have done is clear the game up a bit and it looks pretty good while still retaining the feel of the original. It is literally as the game title describes; Twilight Princess in HD. No more, no less.

Will be interesting to hear if any other changes have been implemented. Maybe the graphics will have improved when the game launches in four months time? Starfox Zero is looking better, maybe this will too.

@RupeeClock: the video is in 720p, so it is hard to tell if they are using 1080p in-game.

I didnt see much difference at first, but after watching the trailer a second time I noticed the improved textures. The grass texture on Hyrule field looks especially great, so much better than the blurry original.
And that box art is freaking sensational!!

@SanderEvers You can already play the game with off TV on Wii U and let's not pretend the amiibo will do anything amazing. On to something like Dolphin its a grey area yes but it shows how lazy of a HD edition this is and then there are fan projects that put this even more to shame.

Ugh… it's just an HD port. No new bells or whistles (other than amiibo support).

Most games, even DS ones (as evidenced by pre-release screenshots of many games), are usually produced with higher resolution textures initially and then downscaled during production in order to optimise the game for the hardware it is being designed for. My guess is that Tantalus has been given higher quality textures from the original development of the game.

The textures are certainly an improvement, but the animations appear to be quite poor by contemporary standards (cough last-last-gen).

I'll still get it as I'm yet to play Twilight Princess, but I ain't impressed.

If there's gamepad play or Gamecube controller support then that makes a huge difference to me. I never liked playing traditional games with the wiiimote. Upgraded visuals welcome too.

It's still a work in progress I hope, wolf link and the trees still need a lot of work as they feel out of place at this point. I thought if this was going to happen, they'd at least get close to the Zelda demo they first showed at E3. That seems to be what everyone expected and wanted.

@WaveGhoul I mentioned this in the TPHD thread but I played through the game this summer on my CRT so what it looked like is fresh in my mind and this just isn't that impressive of an improvement, I mean go look at videos of the recent HD remake by fans it blows this away.

Finally, no more squinting through muddy graphics, maybe I can actually relax and enjoy this one as much as I wanted to when I borrowed my buddies copy a few years back

Without the motion thingy, are we going to see the true (left handed) Link ?

Really not too sure what people were expecting. It's HD, the jaggies are gone and they've upgraded the textures. It looks along the lines of practically every other HD remaster.

I don't buy games for graphics so as this is quite low on my zelda top 10 I might give it a miss!

Lol I was waiting for this

Meh.. it looks alright. I still own the wii version so can't see me getting this at full price. Very cool amiibo though.. now that could be tempting if it's compatible with a couple of other games!

I'm just gonna leave this here...
https://youtu.be/HSDVY6Q9pfk

THIS is what TP HD should've looked like, or at least something to that extent. Unless this is priced $30 or less, I see no reason to buy the HD remaster.

But hey, I'm a hippocrite, and a Nintendo fanboy, so I'm probably going to preorder this anyway. Sigh.

@larry_koopa It's hard not to agree with this statement.

I love nintendo to bits, but this is lazy. Maybe it looks better in practice.

It's a bit of a stretch, but I do hope they include an option to switch between the GameCube and Wii versions. I've only ever played the Wii version, and flipping the entire world would really throw me off.

Nearly every texture looks clearer and sharper, and the bump in resolution is huge. The game looks great - can't wait.

looks like they did the same as Windwaker HD. The original models with new textures, better lighting, redone controls and a few gameplay touch ups with no SD fuzz. its the middle of the road HD remake. Its not just the original game up-scaled (see any ps3 HD collection) and its not a full rebuild (Ocarina of Time 3D)

Honestly I don't mind this kind of HD rerelease as they feel more like a restoration of an old game and not a old game stretched (upscaled) or a new game pretending to be an old one (fire red)

Well if I ever want a game made, I know not to hire Tantalus.

Yeah, I definitely see a difference. But it may not be enough for me to jump in!

Potentially best Zelda ever

@tbaren it's the gamecube version, link is a lefty and the world isn't mirrored. plus if they use the wii version, then had to redo all the control for the gamepad, but there's no need for it with the gamecube version

HD is looking good more detailed n brighter can't wait.

@mjc0961 also if they do make Skyward Sword HD, they need to get rid of that annoying harp minigame, because let's be honest, it's neraly impossible to complete. Plus, the game needs to be MUCH harder in hero mode, there shouldnt be a badge that still makes hearts appear in hero mode

Frankly it still looks rubbish, a few new textures just doesn't cut it these days, this game needs much more work to warrant a full retail release, character models? world geometry? sort that hideous looking fire in the background? As an eshop budget release I'd see the point and they should have gone this route with the other wii games released on the store instead of their original condition. If they are trying to sell this at full retail then they are out of their minds, yes it looks sharper but the resolution increase would have taken no work at all and the rest looks lazy. This has clearly been rushed to fill the gap left by the endlessly delayed Wii U Zelda. Seriously look at the work done on this and compare it to the Uncharted collection and you'll see how little has been done

I'm not that impressed personally. No doubt it looks better and improves the visual experience but I'm still waiting for a reason to buy this. It's not old enough for a polish imo , I'd rather see them make a few changes to improve the game overall. I remember in the castle having these 2d backgrounds that scrolled as you walked around. They were horrible and a real 3d environment would be a big plus in that instance. I'll be keen to hear more about this before I make my mind up but so far nothing has grabbed me....

Gotta agree that compared to some fan attempts - this seems really underwhelming. I don't get why they're updating a game that we can still play on the very-same system. All it seems to highlight is a desire to fill space until Zelda U.

I'm glad it seems to be appealing to some but I'm not feeling this.

I guess it allows them to flog another amiibo though.

Kinda tempting, if anything I could have a chance to play the game in "Mirror Mode" XD

But indeed this is not the high quality remake we would all expect from Nintendo, but can we really blame them for doing what other companies do and get praised for? At least Twilight Princess is not a game that came out an year ago.

@mjc0961 windwaker HD was and still is sold at full price by Nintendo. It's £49.99 right now on their website.

My only decision is do I go with the digital download or pick up the box?
(When you have a 2 year old running around, discs and amiibo become expensive and fragile toys)

The Wii version was so blurry it did my head in and I never finished it, but this port is hopefully going to be more than just HDifying. What control options do we have? Will there be gamepad support? Will we get an orchestrated soundtrack? What will the amiibo do? Will the story be altered to affect the Zelda Wii U story? These are things emulators can't compete with.

This look like a very POOR remaster in my oppinion, if the game was made avaliable super fast, like yesterday, to make for the delay of Zelda-U - it would be more easy to digest; but releasing in march looks very very bad

It looks awful, barely improved. I will still buy it though because of left-handed Link, i.e. no motion controls.

@Jazzer94 @Goob
Are you seriously comparing the Wii U to what a PC (dolphin emulator) can do? Tell them to run this game with their graphical "improvements" on the Wii U machine better then let's call Tantalus or Nintendo lazy.

Edit:
Also adding what Nintendo/Tantalus added/improved in gameplay/feature.

@tbaren It looks like the GC version, because in the first screen, link is holding the sword in his left hand as opposed to the imposter on the wii version.

Doesn't seem big enough a difference to make it a full priced retail product. They should include Bow Training and have both GC and Wii versions present to make it a bit more tantalizing for those who've already got the cheap as chips Wii version.

Who is Tantalus?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus_Media

Looks alright but my wallet is immune to HD ports. I was hoping for a retooling of some gameplay aspects as well ( ie Wind Waker ).

I clocked over 80 hours on the Wii version (the version I got) and I think it's one of the best 3D Zelda games right beside Ocarina of Time (3D) and Majora's Mask (3D). I enjoyed it much more than The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, that's for sure. I own a big HD TV now, and for some time I wanted to play this game again, because I only played it once (those 80 hours) and still I didn't get all the ghosts (I didn't use Internet nor guides). This is why I want Twilight Princess HD, but looking at the comparison I just hope Nintendo doesn't charge €50 for this HD port of a GameCube/Wii game, because they already have done exactly that.

Let me guess... They haven't actually improved the gameplay or holes in the story... I want the new Zelda game

@mjc0961 The Wind Waker HD was full priced in Europe. That's sleazy as well.

I have to agree with you about Fi, the most annoying character ever, but I didn't enjoy Skyward Sword as much as you, it was very repetitive and the story was not properly told. The visuals were a bit ugly if you ask me and the soundtrack was not memorable except for Skyloft tune which I love.

Under $30 and I'm in. If not this is just a maybe for me. Depends on features to make it worthwhile.

@Goob that video looks better than the Zelda U footage they showed!!!

@SanderEvers C'mon, you know that people on the internet don't care about if what they're doing is legal or not...

I once had an emulator for a little bit, and I felt extremely guilty until I deleted it; I don't see how people can play illegal games and not feel guilty.

it's annoying how there is no where in Canada taking pre-orders. with my luck, they'll show up when I am not watch and be sold out.

@AG_Awesome The amiibo bundle is $69.99 USD so you can expect a full priced game.

@SanderEvers
Dolphin is not illegal, it is when you play illegal games on it that is Illegal, if i wanted to, i could set up my computer to be able to read my discs though dolphin and thee is nothing illegal about that.

@ikki5
It's up at BestBuy (US) and I THINK also Amazon (US). Amazon ships to Canada so you could probably order there.

@JaxonH yes but none of those are Canada. For Amazon, I need to use Amazon.ca

@ikki5
I know, but Amazon ships to Canada so I thought that might help you

@JaxonH

Well, I am pretty sure I need to use Amazon.ca, but i will try Amazon.com... though i cannot find it.

Edit
Well, found it but of course, it is out of stock. and when I logged in, it sent me automatically to the .ca and it wasn't there.

It's exactly what I expected. When it was rumored to be coming, I never once thought it would be anything more then up-scaled graphics.

It's been a long time since I played it and my sons never played it, the Amiibo looks incredible, and the Amiibo save data transferring over to the new Zelda have me leaning towards buying. But, I don't usually play games a second time, and every time I try I usually don't finish the second go. I definitely will not buy it without the Amiibo though.

So we shall see.

@ikki5
Ok it looks like it sold out now, but here's the link if you want to monitor or sign up to be notified.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017W1771Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=twilight%20princess%20HD&qid=1447366067&ref_=nav_ya_signin&sr=8-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=myamiibonewsc-20&linkId=8a1ee61ae9ea9b2a5a08d092fda3cf1c

Not really impressed. The resolution is better and everything looks a lot more crisp, but that small of a visual upgrade doesn't really motivate me to want to spend 60-70 dollars on this game again.

It looks the same as the Wii version lol

I'm pretty disappointed honestly. When I saw the rumours, I thought this would be this big re-release, but it looks like they just upscaled it and replaced a few textures

@JaxonH It won't matter anyway, when ever I try to order anything, it takes me to .ca and doesn't let me because it is not up on the amazon.ca

Not good enough to justify a full price release. This is barely a remaster, they just ported it to the U with improved textures and amiibo support, WW looked and played so much better than this. I'm really disappointed. TP deserved a much better treatment.

@rushiosan
??
Windwaker got the exact same treatment. It just looked better with the art style it had.

It's an HD remaster. It's in HD, and it's remastered. It's not going to look like PS4 game.

Glad to see that this happening. Twilight Princess is a highly underappreciated game.

Two things that need to be kept in mind (may have been mentioned above, don't have time to read through 75+ comments):

1. We've only seen small pieces of the game, and it's still in development. It's possible that the graphics, lighting, and other assets could get cleaned up even more.
2. Reggie did say that more details would be discussed at a later date. This may indicate more of a remaster instead of a straight port.

Have to admit, this looks fairly amateur. It's been said before on this post by others, but people who do this thing for fun have done better jobs. I already own this game and am not paying $60+ for the same game with slightly better visuals. Both play on my Wii U so I fail to see the point.

Very nice. It's weird to look back at how muddy the old visuals were. Or to see the new stuff on it's own and think, it looks as nice as your brain remembers it. Sort of. Even when it was new, I thought this was the closest to the "dirty" visuals of other realistic games Zelda had ever come.

@carlos82
The Uncharted Collection were based off 7th gen games that went for realism, and was released on the most powerful console of the current gen.

This is based off a 6th gen game (and mind you there was a HUGE graphical leap between GameCube and PS3) that went for style, not realism, and it's running on a system on par with PS3.

I'd say it looks exactly how you would expect a 6th gen HD remaster to look on hardware equivalent to the PS3/360.

The Uncharted Collection actually did no more than this game to improve upon it's source material. It's just the other factors mentioned above that make it look so much better.

I'll wait to see more gameplay footage and longer shots of the open areas in actual 1080p before I make my decision to buy. The better draw distances of Wind Waker HD were a huge part of the benefit of the remake (I love looking way out over the game's vast ocean). It does make the world feel bigger. Once you're actually out in the desert, or riding Epona through Hyrule field with an eye on the horizon, I have a feeling the reboot will shine a little more. Better lighting in the lamplit and twilight segments also seems like it could make a big difference. There was a deliberate blurring in the twilight sections to create that dreamy feel, but it ended up not feeling different enough from the crispier normal portions of the game. I have a feeling the contrast will be better felt in the context of the HD release. Given the more "realistic" detailed environment of TP, I feel pretty confident some HD polish will do a lot for the game in the end.

Anyway, this is obviously not finished given the March 2016 release date and the limited amount of actual footage we've seen. Plus, I don't think the Youtube video is 1080p, and I would be stunned if the final product is only 720.

Also feels weird to note that when the HD game releases, it will be nearly 10 years after the original release. Has it really been almost 10 years since the Wii came out? Jeez.

Hooray! They look exactly the same. Not worth a repurchase, but I want that wolf amiibo.

@Jazzer94 You are aware you're comparing a system with virtually no hardware limits, with consoles that have fixed hardware limits?

I don't think I'll be buying this. I have TP and if they want me to buy it again they're going to need to add a lot of extra content to justify the purchase. Slightly prettier visuals do not justify $60 to me.

The video did not impress me. I would have liked to have seen more of a dramatic change from the original.

Well. After seeing it back to back, yeah... This is disappointing :/ I'm curious to why such a long wait. Just to build hype for the new game plus rally the 3019th anniversary? Well I'm still getting it but Mer.

Curious how much they can change by the release. I doubt much

If I had played this before, I wouldn't get this, but an HD Remaster is perfect for me. Obviously not going to be a stunner like Wind Waker HD was, but then again, WW was always a stunner.

@JaxonH with all due respect they did a a hell of a lot more work on the Uncharted collection than has been done on this and especially the first of that trilogy.

I understand the limitations of the hardware and I'm not expecting it to look anywhere near a PS4 game but to not even bother with upgrading the character models isn't good enough and some of the environments could do with smoothing over and that is more than possible on the Wii U. They put a lot more effort into the 3ds remasters of Zelda games and don't forget we can actually play this very game already on Wii U with bc. As I have said if it's a budget release then yes they have done more than enough work but if it's full retail then it's a bit of a rip off.

@carlos82
True, the 3DS games did have more work out into them. But they were also remakes rather than remasters.

Let us not forget what a remaster is- it's simple re-mastering, typically improvements in audio, resolution and/or framerate.

The fact any textures have been improved is above and beyond what a remaster entails by definition. Of course it could look better, unfortunately they didn't announce a remake. Just an HD remaster. And expectations should be adjusted accordingly.

While I was watching the direct, I honestly thought they were just showing the Wii/GC version and waiting to fade into a beautiful looking HD remake, but alas that wasn't the case. Honestly this looks like the absolute bare minimum effort was put forward to make it "HD." I might consider getting this the Wolf Link amiibo bundle because I do think that looks kind of nice and I never did beat this game, but overall it's very disappointing to say the least. Even when they showed the first screenshots for Wind Waker HD, I could tell there was at least some improvement in visuals. Here I can't unless there's a side-by-side comparison, and even then it's really not anything special.

Im laughing so hard here because of the insanity of it...What exactly do you people want?! You wanted Twilight Princess HD. Twilight Princess HD is coming yet you are still unhappy because this looks "lazy". What exactly are Nintendo supposed to do with a remaster? Make a completely new game? The video shows the UI has been streamlined, the textures are very sharp, the colours have been boosted and the lighting looks alot better. That is exactly the same treatment Wind Waker got. Aside from turning the game into a remake (and thus making the release date far in the future rather than march) there is nothing more Nintendo could do here. Seriously, you guys are never happy!

Still in development people! Tantulaus have got 4 months to tweak it further! Have a little faith, this will be amazeballs.

There is a significant graphical upgrade. I'm noticing a pattern over the past few years where remade Zelda games don't look that much better until you revisit the original. The goal seems to be making graphics the way we remember them, nostalgia filter included.

Whether this is worth the likely $50 price is still in the air, but there is still plenty left unknown. Early Wind Waker HD and Ocarina 3D screens and footage didn't reveal the various changes made besides graphics. I'd say if the changes made are comparable to Wind Waker HD, where tedious sections were fixed and minor things added, then this be be worth it for somebody unwilling to spend $20 on the Wii version.

It looks fine to me,I'm still gonna get it

@JaxonH expectations and the price, granted we don't know the price yet but similar projects on other systems, Resident Evil for example launched cheaply on the online stores. For that money this is a great prospect and I would buy into it and take back all my criticism. I just get the impression Nintendo aim to sell as a full price game which is nonsense.

Once again despite everything I have said if anyone hasn't played this game, get this version as it will be the best one and it is an amazing game my point is the value it represents for those who have played it and would double dip and at the moment I couldn't justify it.

I'm still waiting on a Zelda game to look like this.

Oh well, I'm looking forward to the new Zelda Wii U and not TP HD.

@carlos82
It's full priced but bundled with a Wolf Link Amiibo. So it's roughly 3/4 the price if you account for that.

I mean, the original SD version still sells for $30 new, so this is only an extra $17 over the original last gen, standard def version (accounting for included amiibo)

Surely an additional year of full time development warrants an extra $17 on the price...

Woo I'd forgotten how muddy those textures were in the original. I REALLY can't wait for this one now. I would like to see skyward sword get the same treatment...that game should have been pushed to the wiiu anyway...it really was more than the wii could deal with.

I don't know if this is enough to make me double dip.

Holy crap, absolutely nothing is good enough for nintendo fans

I have to admit I quite like the blurred/distorted effect of the original in that video, it fits with the world, especially the Twilight Realm. Though I have to say when watching all the games on the big screen at the Zelda Symphony earlier in the year, this is the game which looked worse what with the polished 3DS ports of the N64 games and the HD Wind Waker and cel-shaded more timeless look of Skyward Sword.

It'll be weird playing the button version though, I wonder if they will have a mirror option compatible with Wii remotes? I can't help wish Nintendo would stop the Zelda remakes though and polish some Mario games instead like Mario 64 or Sunshine. Even Galaxy would be a better choice for a HDmake.

@Jazzer94 problem is, I haven't seen any that are completed before they're shut down.

@Oragami It is probably because people were expecting something mind blown from something that was from the equivalent of Nintendo's last gen/

I genuinely couldn't get into this game. I tried on GameCube and Wii and both times it was really boring and repetitive. I'd have rather they made Super Mario Sunshine HD cause at least the cel shaded graphics would look good. Maybe Nintendo want TPHD to look like a muddy mess?

This is total garbage. The "upgrade" is so poorly done, I'm going to vomit. Absolutely not buying this cash grab, Nintendo, just like your equally ridiculous, latest 3DS Zelda cash grab. Disgusting.

Proof that the U is underpowered. It's better, but not by much. Great game though. The best Zelda to-date.

@Baker1000 False. All Zelda's should be given face lifts before Mario's.

I'm sure this looks great on an HD TV compared to the Gamecube version (which is what I originally played). Strangely, though, some scenes (such as the cloaked Princess standing by the window) lose a bit of the creepy atmosphere in the HD upgrade. There was something about that visual distortion that kind of... made the game what it was. The Gamecube version still looks great on CRT, so I probably won't go for this at all.

This makes the fourth Zelda remake: Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD. It's fine, I guess, but combined with stuff like Triforce Heroes, I feel like the Zelda franchise is getting watered down.

I'm always amazed how entitled some Nintendo fans are. We ask for something and get it. It's not even full detailed yet but people rip into it because its not exactly what they pictured in their picky brains. Sad....

This was was one of my favorite Zelda games, but this looks pretty ugly. The dated animation really stands out against the HD graphics (which look pretty bad too). Still, I'd pick it up for $20

Just a very quick cash in for Nintendo. You could get a much better result with dolphin for free.

@youkoaoshi I think it's because this very much looks like a lazy port, rushed to market to fill a void rather than an actual HD "upgrade" the likes of which we see lots of on PS4/X1 where the games actually look like they've been updated.

This more or less looks the same as it did before.

@youkoaoshi
There's a difference between entitlement and general disappointment in Nintendo effing things up yet again. Learn it.

Always with the complaining, if you don't like it don't buy it, simple

lots of blind idiots incapable of discerning obvious differences between HD and not. Sad. I would say I can't wait to say I told you so but we all know they will react just as dumb on the next 1 minute reveal of a future game only to be wrong..again..so they'll never learn.

@AVahne
I'd say I have a pretty good grasp of the difference. I see entitlement in people all the time. I live in America. I know Nintendo drops the ball. Look at the 3ds "Metroid." The graphics are a typical HD upgrade. As far as we know this is just an HD port, not a remaster. All the details aren't even known so how did Nintendo screw it up already? There could be well needed gameplay changes like Wind Waker.

Well a remake is better than getting practically nothing on the Wii U.

That said, after this game's announcement, there's no way any Nintendo fan can point the finger at Sony, MS, or third parties when it comes to remasters... Nintendo has remastered, or (in the case of ALBW) heavily remade/reimagined 5 of the last 7 console Zelda games, and that all happened in this single generation. They're just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to remaking and remastering old content. Arguably more so.

Well Zelda works really well with 2 screens, one to show the action, the other for the map/inventory.

I actually wish they would release Zelda and Link to the Past with that setup.

Can't wait for this!!! Guess this was the big tantalus game secret!

I can only see the difference when they're side by side - they need to round out those polygons and add some better light and shadow effects if they really want to bring it up to 2015/2016 standards

@SanderEvers I feel compelled to correct you here. Off TV play is very possible on these fan projects, since people have long since figured out how to use the GamePad as a computer monitor. Secondly, it's completely legal to rip the ISO yourself and emulate that. So only thing that would be missing is amiibo support, which I severally doubt will be anything impressive.

@SanderEvers I also feel compelled to correct your second comment. Dolphin is 100% legal. As long as it doesn't use the Wii OS, which it doesn't, the emulator itself is legal. The only thing that could be illegal is the ISOs you use. Downloading an ISO from the Internet is always illegal regardless of whether or not you own the game, but US law says that you may legally rip your own digital backups of games, therefore making your own ISO (which is incredibly easy) is legal.

Pretty obvious that TP HD development wasn't yet finished with the HD render in time for the direct so im expecting the game to look a LOT better than that.

@simonthomas6 I hope that's the case here.

@ReshaSong lets just hope the Graphics turn into how the original gamcube release of wind waker was to the Wii U HD remake. I have high hopes and expectations

I love how people are complaining about people complaining about the lackluster HD port. Everyone, it's ok to not like everything Nintendo does, and it's ok to talk about it.

*correction on recent comment, gamecube release of wind waker then turned into the better glorius HD version on wii U.

Looks like they're going to do the proper unflipped Gamecube version. I played on GC first and when I played on the flipped Wii version, I was terribly confused.
Can only really see the difference when they're side by side though. It's not like WWHD where the change was notable from the get-go. Of course, this isn't out until March of next year, so there is still plenty of time to smooth it all out. I don't think it was completely ready in time for the Direct, but after all the leaks and whatnot, I think it kind of forced Nintendo's hand a bit.

The HD mod for Xenoblade on the Dolphin emulator is as much or more of an improvement than this. This is just pathetic for a professional HD remix. It may as well be a free HD mod, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone tries to make a HD mod superior to this for TP on Dolphin just to prove a point.

So much disappointment in the comments.........
The Wii version looked blurry, jaggy and a bit framy. The HD fixes those problems.
@VanillaLake Yes. The Same guys that made my favorite games South Park Rally, Men and Black 2 Alien Escape, Ben 10: Galactic Racing and everyone favorite. FUNKY BARN! Joking aside....

@simonthomas6 Ehm... I'd be prepared to be disappointed. You should probably lower those expectations.

@Goob LOL, looks like someone already made an HD texture pack mod for TP that works fine on Dolphin... Well, there goes the value proposition for this remix.

It would be nice if the game would also had voice actors who bring the characters to life.

now they move there mouth but there is only text on the screen.

I can't believe Nintendo would put this much effort into a remake. The only difference I can see are the characters except Link and Wolf Link.

The least they could have done was redo just the character models so they aren't so jaggedy. The jaggeds are extra apparent next to the cleaned up textures. It looks like all they did was redo/replace the textures and called it a day.

Next to Wind Waker HD, this looks like a really lazy rushed effort. I was really looking forward to Twilight Princess HD, but if this is the extent of the "improvement" I'm probably giving it a pass.

@Jazzer94
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9jkD-w1Dk

@Goob keep in mind that the game isn't completely finished and is possible this isn't the final product being made so I wouldn't officially jump on the thought that says "this is the final development of the "HD" graphics in the game!???....wooooooow"

I think it looks great Pretty much what I would expect and the improved textures make a huge difference. One thing the video doesn't take into account is how poor the Wii version looks on an HDTV.

Textures look quite good, but it could have used a few model touch ups here and there in my opinion. Not a complete overhaul, but compared to Wind Waker, some models and assets DO look a tad outdated.

The direct's video quality was terrible. If you look at the official screenshots you will see a great improvment. Also, they stated the remake will extend beyond graphics.

It's sharper but that also makes the polygon figures stand out worse. It's not a big enough improvement to justify rebuying the game, so pretty much only worth buying if you've never owned the game or are a diehard fan of the game. So many things in this game drove me nuts though, and I have no intention to play it again.

@simonthomas6 The point that @Goob was making is that the fanmade HD texture pack by Victor Rosa for TP is still underway, but already looks better than this official offering, with the latest beta build. The one by InsaneSlug is already completed, and certainly looks just as good or better. Both mods include modern bells and whistles such as sharper mipmapping, 2x anisotropic filtering, 4x or 9x super sampling anti aliasing (SSAA), forced optimization for 16:9 aspect ratio, reworked pixel lighting, and direct CPU access for improved processing. The official HD remix clearly doesn't have all of those things, so by the time it releases, the fanmade HD mod by Victor Rosa will be finished or nearly finished, and look better at no cost. The HD mod by Insane Slug is already finished. Also, they both have less jaggies than the official HD version, render at about 2k, and run on monitors at 1080p. Just look them up on YouTube, especially the comparison videos versus the original.

@Captain_Toad LOL I was wondering who they were and I'm sure nobody here knew them before this remake -cough- port. For me it's difficult to tell the differences on Youtube. The higher resolution is obvious, I have my doubts about the textures being better because the video shows a muddy Wii version where you can barely tell if the leaves are there or not.

Anyway, if the frame rate is 60 and the resolution is 1080p then I'll get it day one. I'm sure Wii U can do that with a GameCube game. It won't blow my mind but it will be crisp and will still be one of my favourite games.

@PlywoodStick Nintendo should hire their owns fans for remakes. Seriously, we should be more demanding about this official HD version, including myself.

@VanillaLake This article prompted me to look up an HD texture pack for TP, and what I found were two separate projects that put this official work to shame, even though they were both done by ONE person in their free time. I'm actually going to try out InsaneSlug's HD texture pack soon, just because I was so amazed at how much better their mod looks than this official HD remix with even a somewhat beefy computer. There's even a full 1080p play through of it on YouTube by one named formfact0r, showcasing the full game looking as good or better than this Wii U rerelease.

I'm actually not sure that the Wii U specs could allow these efforts to be matched, since they're using advanced graphical features that the Wii U would struggle to perform. With new ground being covered for emulators from projects like Ishiiruka, opening up DirectX11 features like tesselation to be used on GameCube and Wii games, the Wii U is out of it's league specs wise compared to a prebuilt $500 computer. A custom build at that price only widens the gap.

Imagine combining Twilight Princess looking like a high end PS3 game, then putting in a fully orchestrated soundtrack, like the ZREO Twilight Symphony. It should be possible in the future, and Nintendo missed the opportunity to do that with their official HD remake.

It definitely looks a lot cleaner and easier on the eyes than the original.
But I can't help but be super disappointed this wasn't given the attention it deserves like the WW remake got.
The WW remake went way beyond a texture and resolution bump. They redid the lighting, added new effects, it was really quite beautiful. Of course I think the WW graphics were simple in such a way that they aged so well, and therefore scaled up super nicely. But this is 100% not a remake. Really a missed opportunity here.

I actually liked the blurriness on the Wii/GC version, it had a dream-like feeling to it. Other than that, it's looking great!

I'm really hoping they fix the climbing.
Right-hand, left-hand, right-foot, left-foot.

Arrrrgh. Loved that game but it took forever to climb things.

Never played the game but from what i seen the game doesnt really look like a big upgrade...

Dang I always wanted a TP rerelease in HD but mainly because, even though I know it would've probably been impossible due to licensing and other crap, I wanted them to use the ZREO Twilight Symphony album or at least overhaul the soundtrack with better MIDI.

@WaveGhoul albeit crisp, sharp and very rough with terrible aliasing issues unless you are playing on a 14" CRT.

@larry_koopa The Wii version looked terrible by GameCube standards.

Factor 5 had already shown the world the GCN handled intricately detailed, realistic bump mapped textures, with advanced lighting, insane numbers of AI, vast draw distances and incredibly high polygon counts (16.5M P/S) in Rogue Squadron III Rebel Strike. Then Nintendo showed off Twilight Princess and I cried.

Nintendo are notoriously bad with texturing. Even their cartoon texturing is nothing to write home about.

Even if the emulated version looks better, I refuse to steal games I want to play again. Haven't played this game since '07 and can't wait to play the GCN version of the game in HD on my Wii U.

Just not enough to entice me. I wish they would have waited to remake this game from the ground up on the NX or just not bothered at all. I've been playing through TP on Wii U thru the vWii and it's good enough for me. The 3D models just never looked that great to begin with and now it's even more evident with the updated textures.

Side by side it is stunning and vastly improved but I legitimately thought they were showing footage from the ooiginal and were going to compare it to new footage :/ The hyrule field gameplay looks great! Some texures are flat still and wolf link isn't great but overall it is a great improvement

Sweeeeeet. It is clearly just an HD version and not a remake but I'm cool with that. Wanted to reply TP next year anyway. I know many people think the look hasn't aged well, but I prsonlly still think the art direction in this game is amazing. To me it hits that perfect sweetspot between cartoony Nintendogame and a darker fantasyworld.

Also: GC version with Left-Handed link for the win. (Lefty here!)

@FlaygletheBagel
I think remastering older generation games is more acceptable, a N64 game doesn't look too good without a graphical upgrade, or going from 240p/480p to 720p/1080p is still a leap; whereas a HD remaster of an already HD game really doesn't add as much. Remasters have their place though and are good for people who didn't play the originals.

I'd rather Gamecube games were remastered than Wii games though, as they're not playable on the Wii U.

@Jazzer94 An amiibo feature that can carry data between TPHD and Zelda U.

For an admin, you're obnoxiously whiny.

@JaxonH

Well there you have the problem. Going by your definition, a remaster doesn't include a change in textures, so technically speaking, that would put this game in the Remake category, if even for that small details. And as a remake, a lot of people will call it a lazy job.

That's the problem when people try to catalogue something.

@Yomerodes
It doesn't put it in the remake category simply because they went above and beyond to make an exceptional remaster. Yes, adding textures is characteristic of remakes, not remasters, but a lot more goes into remakes than just making the grass look better.

This game is a remaster. That's what it is. They're not remaking character models, upgrading all the textures, changing the gameplay and recording new audio. They're not replacing all the assets and re-MAKING the game. They're just upresing it and adding a few touch ups.

If this were ACTUALLY a remake then oh hell yes, it would be horrible indeed. But as a remaster (which it is- you don't remake games that quickly and you certainly don't remake games that only really need a few touch ups to look presentable anyways), they seem to have gone above and beyond by swapping out some dated textures. If nothing else, it's par for the course, but certainly nothing to get up in arms over.

I recall so many people saying "if I could just play Twilight Princess in HD, or Skyward Sword in HD... " Well, now everyone can. The game would require an incredible amount of work to actually remake. That's not feasible unless they wanted to invest a full development cycle for it. I mean, just the transition to HD makes a huge improvement. The added improved textures are just icing on the cake. Idk what exactly people were expecting- maybe they thought "HD" meant "full remake from scratch"? Idk, I mean it's just like Windwaker. It's a 6th gen game touched up and in high definition. I wouldn't expect everyone to want to buy it but certainly some will be interested. I know I am.

@IronMan28 Copying your physically owned game files directly from your own Wii, only to keep and use for yourself, is not stealing. That's called a back up.

Anyone expecting more from this previous generation port is kidding themselves. This is how it's always looked. This is how it's looked this whole generation. Slight resolution bumps in textures and other minor fixes. That's it.

Now, with remakes that come many years later on the other hand or those between systems with a substantial bump in power (ps1 to ps2)...THOSE get rehauls that look superb.

Personally, this is about what I expected from Twilight Princess HD (if it were going to be a thing because I really didn't want it to be). It cleans up where it "needs" to and we'll see what other bells and whistles get added when the game launches. I won't be getting it unless it REALLY adds a lot of content and REALLY knocks it out of the park. I've still got my copy of Twilight Princess on the Wii and I think it still looks fine...HD or SD. The game is still fun to play and that's what counts.

Geez. A lot of complaining about graphics at NintendoLife lately. Ah well. Guess that's what modern gaming's all about.

I don't see anything wrong with this, but I guess if you're constantly setting the bar as high as the Second Coming of Christ, you're bound to be disappointed constantly.

Looks fantastic! I can't wait to replay one of my favorite games in a brand new way! I remember there being debates on which game deserved the HD treatment more, this or Skyward Sword. Not to be biased, but I really think the HD lends itself better to the most realistic graphics the Zelda series has ever seen.

Looks good, but since I already have the game, I'll wait for a lucky discount as I did with WW HD.

@kensredemption So because I don't value the fact amiibo mostly unlock things like costumes or weapon skins (splatoon) I'm whiny? It won't do anything significant between the games just wait and see.

I love amiibo, but I do hope it does some other things as well. As for the visuals, it looks like it's going for how we remember it (OoT3D) as opposed to a full on audio/visual enhancement (Star Fox 64 3D).

@Jazzer94
There should be some nice GamePad support and other tweaked feature a la Wind Waker and Majora's Mask that would make it worth playing again. I'm guessing lots of small tweaks that will give the illusion of something big.

Looks fine to me. If anything I think I would have liked to have seen this as a New3DS game. Playing it in 3D would have been fun. I like the amiibo.
Now I hope they do Skyward Sword too. The only thing I didn't like about SS was the motion controls. if they could figure out a way around that....

The reactions of some fans make me laugh "It doesn't look like HD".
People seem to forget what these two letters really stand for. If you have played TP on the Wii, you should INSTANTLY see that the footage shown in the Direct has no more of the aliasing and overall has much sharper textures.

@TheAdrock ha, well unless they're going to start making the handheld or NES/SNES era games again there's only Skyward Sword left, which was only 4 years ago. Though it would be nice in HD. But really why are they only doing Zelda games? Maybe because Mario has that many spin-offs they don't need to keep people satisfied with remakes?

@kyuubikid213 Thank you! Someone with logic AND screenshots has entered the fray. I appreciated the new textures and preordered my copy yesterday (also i never played the gamecube version so this will be interesting because I'll be turned around the whole time).

This is one game where the lighting set-up really ought to be fixed for the HD version, unlike Wind Waker.

it looks good. but they should have released this before wind waker hd.

they did such a good job with that one (and I am one of those people who think wind waker looked good as it is) and it made my expectations high

I guess I'll wait and see if they add any extras.

When it was shown on the direct I thought it was the original and they were going to screen wipe to the new one for this dramatic effect and when they never did I was like : |

@PlywoodStick Yes, probably the same effort could not be possible on Wii U, but surely it could be better...

@kyuubikid213 I don't get why you say Twilight Princess is "last gen" because it's not last gen at all. It's a Gamecube game that had an inferior port on the Wii (at least inferior to the eyes of left handed people like me) that sold more. That last gen excuse is not accurate at all. Not only that but they could have at least changed to textures to look a lot less dull and flat like in Wind Waker HD. Speaking of Wind Waker HD, this whole remaster look like a step down from it. Wind Waker HD changed not only the models, but the items, lighting, and added a new collectables. Twilight Princess HD locks content behind amiibo that should be in the game, changes no of the models making some of them look like crap in HD, keep the dull colors of Twilight Princess making the game look even more plastic at times, doesn't even try to change the lighting that could improve the game's visuals by a mile, and look like a remastered that would have came out for the PS3 3 years ago.

@PlywoodStick Regardless, you're playing it on a system that it wasn't originally designed for. That was more my point...

I don't know. I really enjoyed Twilight Princess, especially the long horseback riding sections between nothingness; this just seems to soon to be worth it. If anything, the Wii version almost looks doctored to look worse than it did. Maybe it will be better, but it will also undoubtedly be the same game with slightly shiner graphics.

The real question is, do we really want a "remastered" version of a game more than we want a new original Zelda title?

Looks almost identical.