So I jetted out of English this morning and I went down to our local Gamespot here to pick up my copy of phantom hourglass. I was so giddy about it when I left the store that I got a copy of the game, but those who preordered also got a limited edition art cel, which I am enjoying a lot. The number is something like #17,000 out of 50,000.
So lets talk about the game. Phantom Hourglass takes place directly after the events of Wind Waker. The game starts with Tetra (Zelda) being kidnapped (again), but this time by a ghostly pirate ship. It will be Link's job to get aboard this ship and rescue Tetra! that is the basic back story the player is given.
Graphics
I have not played the entire game, but enough to give you an idea of what to expect. The graphics, pumped into such a tiny cartridge for a handheld system is amazing. Nintendo went back to the cel shaded graphics with this title, and Link retains all of his emotions and appeal. That is something Nintendo has really focused on since Wind Waker: they want their characters to express emotion like any normal human being. "Playas", you are not going to find anything graphically pleasing in this game. While the technology is amazing for the DS handheld, you may want to stick with your PSP games and try something else more along the lines of the recently released Halo 3 (and if that doesn't satisfy you), Scarface.
My only beef with the graphics is the faces of upclose characters look a tad pixelated, but again it is amazing that they got the technology ported to the DS in the first place. The ships look great and the monsters were done well (sort of like a chibi-Wind Waker). What really impressed me was the opening screen; they got the scene to pan across both screens.
Sound
Koji Kondo does it again with absoloutly fantastic sound for the platform system. There is reused music from the Wind Waker, however it is converted into something new. There are also new tracks to listen to. What blew me away was the sounds of the ocean and birds. That was fantastic and I told myself to make a note of that. I have nothing really to bark at with the sound.
Gameplay/UI
Here is where we get a little bit tricky for veteran Zelda players like myself. You do not control Link with the D-pad or buttons, instead all of his actions are done via the stylus. Once you pick it up the process is not terribly difficult, although I found it hard to make Link do that roll that he does. No big deal, he runs fast enough for me. There are no options for a "classic" control scheme, you are stuck learning the stylus for this game. This is fine for me, but may irritate some other players.
I have found the difficulty of this game so far to be semi-hard. I want to find the bonehead who posted that this game was too easy! As a gamer with 15 years under my belt and 8 Zelda games under my belt (NOT including Phantom Hourglass) this game is very challenging, especially with the stylus! The puzzles can be somewhat tricky, and at least the first boss I fought was somewhat hard, but not difficult to defeat. The game offers plenty of hints if you look for them.
They hit the nail on the head with nostalgia. You are stuck with a fairy named Ciela, something that did not happen in Wind Waker. The fairy is actually an idea from Ocarina of Time, and they used the same "Hey!" voiceover from the game. In the beginning you are collecting fairies with similar markings and colors to the 3 pearls of Wind Waker and the 3 pendants of Ocarina of Time, so there may be some connection there or there may not be. Gannondorf was sunk to the bottom of the great sea and turned into stone by the Master Sword in this parallel universe, so I fail to see how he can be the main culprit of the game. One new thing about the game is despite the pirate crew you know from Wind Waker, each character is new and different (save Beetle, the traveling salesman). In fact, the guy you travel with reminds me of Holland from Eureka 7 for some reason.
I havn't finished the game to give a final result, but I would say that the game is a definite pick up for any fan of Zelda and for casual gamers too. The game is easy to play and to get into. I am sure that casual gamers will appreciate the easy controls via stylus. The game really isn't hard to figure out how to play. The puzzles however may take some forethought on the players end. Nintendo this time around has done a fantastic job satisfying hardcore Zelda fans like me and new players alike. This is a great adventure that continues on with the spirit of Wind Waker, you get that vibe off of the game. Definetly pick it up if you want to try Zelda and see what it is all about.
No comments:
Post a Comment