The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker may have had some vocal detractors pre-release, but the years since it came to the GameCube have been remarkably kind. The original high seas variation on Link's epic adventures is so worthy of all the praise heaped upon it that a remake hardly seems necessary.

Uniquely gorgeous visuals; Iconic adventure gaming that's yet-to-be truly improved upon; Fixes to its few real flaws

Some shortened-yet-still-unavoidable fetch quests; A few reused boss battles

Nintendo may have cheated, but its struggling Wii U system has its first great game. Of course, that game originally came out back in 2003 for the GameCube. I'm talking about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a fan-favorite installment in Nintendo's famous series of swordplay and fantasy.

A masterpiece revisited Bring up The Wind Waker, and most people will first think of its gorgeous, cel-shaded art style; Even before the HD upgrade, The Wind Waker was an incredibly handsome adventure.

MIDI music While the visuals have received a noticeable upgrade, the music sounds very much like it did back in 2003; Instead of a symphonic score, digital instruments make up every song; The compositions themselves are great, but the MIDI quality sounds cheap.

As a returning fan, I couldn't have asked for much of a better treatment. holds up as a marvelous game full of unique and wonderful surprises that remind me why it's the best of the 3D Zeldas.

Charming quests; Memorable story; Excellent combat; Looks great; Crafty enemies

When the original Wind Waker released I was incredibly excited to try a Zelda game in a brand new setting. When I got it as a Christmas present I ended up playing it that same day and didn't do much else for the next few days until a realization struck me. I hated the game.

Amazing graphics; gameplay improvements make the game infinitely better than before; all of the things that made Wind Waker great

Boat travel is still a bit tedious; camera sidequest still induces rage; still has Tingle

The most polarizing Zelda game returns in HD, and it is glorious.

+ Sailing is much faster; + Visuals still impress; + Streamlined final fetch quest; + Aged gracefully

Opening is still a bit slow

Being a second generation video game reviewer has quite a few benefits. When I am smart enough to listen to my dad I can find my way through rooms and areas of The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD on the Wii U. It helps that he played this game on the Gamecube.

I have not seen a better SD to HD transition than that of The Wind Waker. On top of the beautiful way this game looks in high resolution, Nintendo has tweaked an already brilliant game just a little to make it even better.

Upon its initial reveal, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was lambasted by fans and critics. With a new producer and a completely new graphical art style The Wind Waker was a divisive game. Over time however, people's opinions have changed and we've all grown to love what Wind Waker has become.

What impresses me more then the visual/gameplay updates is the fact that Wind Waker HD still can compete with any new game on the market today. The story is charming, the characters warm your heart, and the game remains as one of the best 3D adventure games to date.

It's a testament to the style, focus and execution of the veterans over at Nintendo that fans young and old alike now love the Wind Waker and see it as one of the Zelda series finest 3D outings.