Back in 1998 I recall my college roommate coming back from the mall and expressing his frustration at how he was unable to secure a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Of course, this was the game's first day of release, and supposedly the line at the local mall was out of EB and around a corner. This was also back in the day, when N64 carts came in very limited supply, but I'm not making excuses. Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series has always drawn a crowd, and, just as it did last year, the company's latest Zelda title is going to whip E3 attendees into a frenzy, for this GameCube adventure not only looks like it's going to take us on another thrilling adventure, but its graphics are gorgeous and much darker than the game's predecessors. Wind Waker this isn't, and to all of the fans who have been yearning for a more mature Zelda, your time is now.

Personally, I absolutely love the Wind Waker, and I think those who complained need to seriously calm down, but that's just me. As long as it's not too over the top or goofy, I'm going to embrace any sort of Zelda adventure with open arms, and this latest game looks thrilling. Casting aside the gorgeous cel-shaded graphics from the previous adventure, this Zelda sports a new coat of paint. Featuring a more realistic and gritty appearance, Link's world (not sure if it's Hyrule) has never looked so beautiful and at the same time so frightening. Link will traverse dark and evil forests and explore a whole new set of dank and spooky dungeons, all of which feature numerous horrors that must be dealt with accordingly. There are skeletons, ghosts of dead warriors, spiders that can cocoon enemies, dragons big and small, possessed statues, and lizard warriors, all of which have been brought to life using a graphics engine capable of pumping out the most spectacular visuals that I've ever seen on the Cube. Sparks fly as swords collide, the sun rises and falls across the sky, wolves howl at the glowing moon, and ultraviolet rays sneak through the near-impenetrable forests. Just like the Wind Waker, this Zelda's a true sight to behold.

Because Nintendo's kept this game under wraps for quite some time (though it will be playable at this year's E3), I can only go by what the screen shots and trailers have revealed. For starters, I know that there will be side quests because it appears that Link will have to care for several cats, though what purpose they serve and whether they're wild or domestic is unknown. Also, I'm going to assume that Link will come across the Master Sword (that's probably a safe bet), but again, I'm not sure, though it appears that he has a sort of boomerang weapon as well as a bow and arrow, except what he's able to shoot don't appear to be ordinary arrows. There's a cool scene that shows Link riding horseback and chasing several flying dragons, and at one point he raises his bow, aims, and fires what appears to be an explosive bolt at one of the beasts. Fire and smoke erupt from the struck animal and it falls from the sky.

Hitching a ride on a horse was one of the most enjoyable moments in Ocarina of Time so I'm glad that Nintendo's brought that back, and the ability to actually battle enemies at the same time should add an all new dynamic to the gameplay. I've seen Link using both an arrow as well as a sword to combat his foes, and hopefully we'll be able to use other weapons as well.

In addition to the game's mouth-watering graphics, I'm also excited about its soundtrack. Nintendo's decided to go with an orchestral score and thus far it's fabulous. If it turns out to be as amazing as it already sounds then Nintendo's going to make a lot of developers/publishers who criticized the GameCube's disk capacity look foolish.

While Microsoft and Sony battle for next generation supremacy I'm going to be checking out this new Legend of Zelda. Nintendo's been teasing us for far too long, and with so many loose ends and unknowns (there's a rumor that Link can actually turn into animals) I'm greatly looking forward to getting my hands on this game and filling in some of the blanks. Expect the media to be the rowdiest that it's ever been when Nintendo kicks off its pre-E3 press conference and a ton of coverage from GameDAILY.