With a few days of Zelda under our belt what do our staff think of the controversal decision to go with a cel-shading over realism with Zelda?

Note: Why is this roundtable a day late? Well, don't blame me, blame my trampy, prehistoric PC which seems to be on a mission to annoy me.

After a day or two with Wind Waker, do you agree with Nintendo's decision to go with cel-shadng? Or should they have settled on the realistic one we saw at Spaceworld?

Ben: To be honest, I don't think Wind Waker would be such an exciting, gripping affair with realistic visuals. The cel-shading gives the game a fun, fantasy spirit, which is given off every time you blow up a bomb or destroy an enemy. The visuals are fantastic. From the dust which levitates gently from the ground as Link slides across the dusty floor, to fantastic lighting effects, the cel-shaded graphics make this game what it is. And what it is, is a masterpiece.

The graphics ooze that Zelda spirit. And the animation is nothing short of fantastic. The sheer feeling of emotion expressed through Link's eyes is unbelievable. Every character is full of life, you can read into their personality, simply looking at their body language.

The Spaceworld realistic graphics were awe-inspiring, and wouldn't look out of place in any other Zelda title, but the masterpiece that is The Wind Waker needs the cel-shaded visual. It adds that little bit of character, which makes the game so great.

There is plenty of space in the Zelda series for the realistic visuals; Ocarina Of Time would be stunning with those graphics. Take Soul Caliber 2 for instance, my jaw literally dropped when I saw everyone's favourite elf draw his sword.

I think the graphics represent everything that Zelda is. Zelda brings a sense of magic and community. The cel-shaded graphics do just that. Zelda is about relationships, emotion and feeling like you belong. The graphics only add to these feelings. They are more real than the realistic graphics could ever be.

Ash: Well as I said to my friend who believes cel-shading ruined Zelda (although he is yet to play it) "After a while you forget about the graphics and are drawn into the game" and thats what I believe. Yes at first you do see bright colourful graphics and that may seem strange compared to OOT but you can also see rich good quality graphics. Sometimes cel-shading is better as it gives the graphics their own personality.

Of course if The Wind Waker had been realistic it still would of been good, but different. Many little features have been put on The Wind Waker that is made possible by the cel-shading. For example, Link's facial expressions, not only for comical means but also helps you in the game. Link's eyes will follow important sections of a room as a little tip for you and it's these little things I love.

So to sum it up, the cel-shading is fine and certainly doesn't alter the gameplay, it's Zelda, should any have any doubt?

Jav: To be perfectly honest, yes the cel-shading was strange at first and actually i didn't really start appreciating it until the first dungeon, the fire, explosions, bosses, the surroundings and the amazing effects like shadows and the like, it's all graphically presented beatifully by cel-shading and it adds originality as to how these such effects are put across, rather fantasised and done so in such an anstonishing way.

But, there is a part of me, deep down that would love to have witnessed a Zelda game that looked as did the demo way back to that memorable Spaceworld, ultra-realistic and all that but i'm glad it isn't, its more special and unique cel-shaded and very much so a fantasy world that is what we have come to expect with a Zelda game. Though the water isn't best, small price to pay though.

Kevin: I've been one of the lucky hardare players whose been playing Zelda from December in japanese (no easy feat suprisingly I've got quite far) and since thursday have been playing it in english, I have to say that cel-Shaded graphics for this kind of game are the best. It not only brings true feeling to the game but add's untold realism.

I hope all Zelda games are like this maybe Mario 128 should be too?

Steve: I'm finding Wind Waker to be awesome! I wasnt sure if I would like the cel shading look at first but it is pretty good, but still deep down i would have preferred the "realistic" look....

I'm enjoying every minute of the game though it rocks!

Tim: I think the decision to go cel-shaded was daring but in the end succesfull! People were shocked at first to see their hero go from 3D to cel-shaded (n64 -> GC). I think it was a revolutionary step from Nintendo. A lot of different stuff can be done and was with the cel-shading. I think a realistic one will also be released on the GameCube though. I am pretty sure about that as Nintendo has already slipped the word it has been working on a sequel for quite some time now. So we are probably getting both, a 3D and the cel-shaded version.. I don't think we have anything to complain about. Ok I am going to play Zelda now...

er-no: Nintendo experimented with what can only be called a 'clicking-bomb'. This whole cel-shaded idea could have really backfired on them however it just attracted more press towards the game. Soon enough everyone was discussing whether it was a good/bad idea. This 'bad' press in the early days turned into what we now understand to be one of the best games ever. And its due to the cel-shading the game can adopt this title without any doubt from a true gamer. Nintendo pulled off a remarkable achievement, they made us believe in them, and we weren't let down.

Conor: In my opinion, Zelda could go with cel-shading or a ralistic look. The realistic one would bring the world of Hyrule to screen in fantastic detail, and as long as they don't muck up the gameplay it would be great. But I have to say how impressed I am with Wind Waker's visual style.

Cel-shading brings so much character and personality to the game, it really feels suited to the series, expecially considering it's light-hearted roots. It's truly an animated masterpiece, something that approaches art. The game is brought to life with so vividness and colour I desperately want the sequel to be done in the same way. The explosions, lighting, fighting, smoke, colour, characters, it's all so lovely.

Realism is alright, and can be great, but such expressive style like cel-shading have much more power, and make the game that bit more fun.