The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

My days and nights are no longer my own.

Prepare yourself. This is going to be gushing. The best game I ever played, and the only game that has ever made me cry was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. From December 1998 until May 1999, I played it - engrossed - every spare minute I could. I even had friends who would come round just to watch me play it because they too were so engrossed by the storytelling and pure magic that Zelda portrayed.

Ever since then I've been searching for the game that could match it. Majora's Mask got half way there before its complicated time mechanics confused me and I walked away disappointed. I seemed to be the only person who thought that Wind Waker's cel-shaded graphics were beautiful, but alas I walked away from that title too, annoyed and frustrated with the endless sea-bound missions.

Almost ten years later, Twilight Princess on the Nintendo Wii has satiated my thirst for that pure, thrilling, magical gaming experience I had in 1997. And I say that with confidence having only played it for six short hours. Ironically, I'm finding myself playing in small chunks in order to extend the life of the game; even though I know it's the biggest (by far) Zelda title yet and will probably keep me going until at least June next year.

So what is it about this game that makes it so special? I couldn't hope to answer that succinctly. Zelda is all about the detail. It's about the characters and the world they live in, and investing in them. It's about tragedy, heroism, good versus evil and about experiencing a living, breathing life in this beautiful land that has been created for us to play in. The first few hours of Twilight Princess will see you find your place in society. You'll find yourself engaging with local residents, helping them out. You've got a job as a ranch-hand that can't be neglected. Herding goats, fishing and talking to cute little fairy-folk in a forest village may all seem pretty mundane. But look deeper, and you'll see that Nintendo are ever-so subtley integrating you into your new life. After the first 3 hours, you know in your heart you're going to miss this simple life, and these simple people when you are battling evil on a grand scale further down the line. But more than that you're going to WANT to fight to save them. Genius.

Twilight Princess looks and sounds beautiful. You only have to check the video at the top there to see that. It's cinematic. It's more cinematic than a great many movies out there this Christmas. This is Lord Of The Rings - all three movies - rolled into one awe-inspiring game. The revolutionary Wii control methods work fantastically well. Take fishing, for example. Use your Wiimote like you would a fishing rod. Cast your line out and pull the Wiimote back when you've got a bite. Total immersion. On the occasions when the game throws you a seemingly impossible puzzle, all you have to do is stop, find a lake and go fishing. There's no shortage of things to do here. Oh, and that's just one of many innovative uses for the Wiimote during this game.

As launch titles go, the Nintendo Wii couldn't wish for a better start. This game is hands-down reason enough to splash out £180 on a Wii. As a 38 year old gay man, it's very hard to find stimulating, genuinely escapist games out there. Twilight Princess is that game and I can't recommend it highly enough. Let's hope we don't have to wait as long for the next in the series.

Nintendo, once again have made me proud to be a gamer. I can't wait to see where this game has yet to take me...