The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Playthrough (Progressive Scan Mode) - Part 1

[Note: This video and description were originally posted on Youtube on November 30, 2018.]

This is part 1 of my capture of me playing through The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube. I'm playing the game in progressive scan mode using an actual GameCube (not the Wii).

Here's a playthrough that several people have requested. I have always been a huge fan of the Zelda series dating back to the original NES games, but when Nintendo first showed off The Wind Waker (in 2001, I believe) I was upset for the first time at the direction the series had taken. I absolutely loved Ocarina of Time and the Zelda tech demo that Nintendo had shown off for Space World 2000, so I naturally expected that the upcoming GameCube Zelda title would be styled after the Space World demo. As everyone knows by now, this did not happen.

When Nintendo first showed off The Wind Waker's art style, there was massive backlash the likes of which Nintendo had never seen before (and which Nintendo would later experience with the Metroid series). I was among the people upset at The Wind Waker's art style, not because Zelda was supposed to be serious or anything like that, but because I felt that it just plain looked ridiculous and lame with Link's oversized head and anime eyes. To this day, I am still not a fan and wish "Toon Link" had never even occurred.

I actually considered not buying The Wind Waker, but I relented a little while before its release and decided to give it a try. Also, because Nintendo offered an amazing preorder bonus by way of the Ocarina of Time Master Quest disc (no doubt to counteract the backlash), I preorded the game as well.

Ultimately, I ended up enjoying The Wind Waker, although I felt it was way too easy and that the ending was stupid. To me, it did not come close to matching Ocarina of Time. Interestingly, once The Wind Waker was released, there was a heavy amount of criticism regarding the sailing, with some people claiming that it was boring. That was actually not my first impression of the game since I felt that there was some sense of exploration with the sailing mechanic. I also felt that other mechanics were enjoyable, such as sneaking past guards.

According to my save file, it seems that I haven't beaten this game since 2009, so I suppose this game will feel a bit fresh to me after nearly a decade.

Just like with all my other Zelda games, I own the Official Player's Guide for The Wind Waker, so I'll be using that to complete this game efficiently. I'll also be keeping track of the heart pieces that I collect in each video.

In this first part I started a new save file, rescued Tetra, and obtained a sword and shield.

Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and the GameCube's component cables.