The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Platform: GameCube
Genre: Action-Adventure
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 24 March 2003
Rating: Everyone
Price: $20

While most people name Ocarina of Time as their favorite in the The Legend of Zelda series, I personally name The Wind Waker. It took the excellent gameplay of Ocarina and brought it into a new setting with a very different feel to it. While many people complained about the supposedly "kiddy" cel-shaded graphics of the game at the time, they have aged very well, and it remains rather beautiful to this day.
As for the gameplay, it's a Zelda game, so if you've played any of the other 3D games in the series, Wind Waker is pretty much the same. The twist this time is that you need to use the eponymous Wind Waker, a baton that lets you control the weather, so that you can sail from island to island. While many people complained that the sailing was boring and monotonous, I found it rather relaxing, and the simple challenge of navigation provides a nice break from the standard dungeon-crawling. As for the dungeons, enemies are a bit weaker than usual in this game, but the dungeons themselves are larger and more complex, so it evens out. There are also a lot of side-quests (almost every one of the numerous islands has at least one), so there's a lot of game in this game. It plays very well, and that's really the most important piece.
The story is simple as video games go: hero wants to rescue his kidnapped sister, and ends up wrapped up in the traditional save-the-world quest. The setting is a series of islands within the "Great Sea," which is refreshing, as this is only the second time the Zelda series has left the traditional setting of Hyrule.
There's one other thing I need to bring up: don't be fooled by the cartoony visuals and lighthearted feel. When you think about it, this is one of the darkest installments in the series. (WARNING: If you don't want spoilers, even minor ones, then please skip this next paragraph.) About halfway through the game, it is revealed that the series recurring villain, Ganondorf, actually won the last time he attacked the kingdom of Hyrule, and in a last-ditch effort to stop him, the gods flooded it all. That's right: the ocean that you've been sailing? It's the post-apocalyptic kingdom of the previous games. Now that is pretty dark.
The Wind Waker is an exemplary installment in the really damned good The Legend of Zelda series, and $20 at GameStop is a pretty good deal for anyone who hasn't played it already.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro