The Thread of Zelda

Walter

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zeldaPH.jpg
Was released today. Picked up mine early and took the day off work to play it, just like I ditched high school the day Ocarina of Time was released :guts: I'm loving it so far. I was really skeptical of the touch-only controls, but it's very intuitive. Takes only a few minutes to adapt to most of the techniques (still working on rolling consistently...). This is the first game in a long time where I was anxious about getting too far into it and beating it. And yet... I have all day to play it. What a dillema!!

My only real complaint so far is the cartridge isn't gold. :judo: That and the difficulty of bosses being too easy.

Though I know we're all anxious to blab about the game, I'm sure there will be more than a handful of people who haven't touched it yet, so please, no untagged spoilers.
 

Aazealh

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Hehe, I told you it'd be good. Sadly, I'll have to wait 2 weeks more before it's released in Europe, but I wish all the US players to have fun. :guts:
 

handsome rakshas

Thanks Grail!
Aazealh said:
What about you? Bought it, tried it?

Nah, I'm absolutely broke. Well, I actually have about a grand in my wallet but that's to find a place to live. That's right fellas, Handsome is moving out! I'm only budgeting myself two games this month and they are Front Mission and Dracula X Chronicles. I really want to play Zelda but its not one of my favorite series, I only completed the first game. I'll try my bud's copy tomorrow, I'm sure it won't disappoint!
 
Sigh, damn you October.

A friend reminded me earlier last week,
"So you getting phantom hourglass?"

"yeah, December or so right?"

"try the first of October."

I panicked because I am flat out broke (not bank/bills etc, just on hand cash). I've coasted on ten dollars for about well, ten days, lots of missed lunches/skimming by on gatorade and water. But yeah, Phantom Hourglass, Orange Box, GH3 ($100+ alone there) all coming out and I'm sure I'm missing another big game.

But yes, I plan on getting it on payday (Thursday), but if my store doesn't carry it or is out I'll go in the city Friday and pick it up. I'm looking forward to it.
 

Walter

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Kaji-Ryohji said:
i was playing it this morning i enjoyed it, especially the multiplayer its kinda like pacman with power ups
I haven't tried multiplayer yet, but I'm at a portion of the game where the gameplay is similar. And I have to say, these parts are really tough, and they only get progressively tougher. It's like a combination of Metal Gear Solid-type sneaking and Pac-Man evasion/action.

I'm at the third "temple" right now and am taking a break for the night. I'm hoping I'm only about 25% of the way through the game, since I just got it today, but so far there's no indication where I sit overall.

BTW, my friend code is:
055946836512
 

Aazealh

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Damn, you guys are making me envious. About the lifespan Wally, like I said yesterday, the common consensus is that if you rip through the game skipping the sidequests it'll last around 15 hours, and if you take your time, explore and such it's around 20 hours.

It's not bad at all for a handheld title I think, but as with all great games, you probably won't see them pass.
 

Walter

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Game locked up on me at a pretty critical point... now I have to redo an entire dungeon. Greeeat.
 

CnC

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Walter said:
Game locked up on me at a pretty critical point... now I have to redo an entire dungeon. Greeeat.

Thats odd considering this is such a signature title for nintendo. Oh well, welcome to the next generation of gaming.
 

Aazealh

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CnC said:
Thats odd considering this is such a signature title for nintendo. Oh well, welcome to the next generation of gaming.

Hopefully that bug won't be in the European version. :puck: And yeah, I think I've seen more console games bug in the past 2 years than in the 15 before.
 

Walter

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CnC said:
Thats odd considering this is such a signature title for nintendo. Oh well, welcome to the next generation of gaming.
Yeah I was surprised as well. It's been clean sailing besides this one glitch. Admittedly, several things were happening at once, and I pulled up a menu that changes screens, so... it may have just been too much for the game.

Details:
Was on the northwest sea on the ship, being attacked, while a whirlwind was about to suck in my ship, while I was attempting to use the Salvage Arm to get buried treasure near the Isle of Gust :guts:

I'm pretty far into the game now and can safely say it's a good length (that's what she said :ganishka:). I'm sitting at roughly 13 hours in and there's still a lot to do. I think 17-20 hours would be a fair estimation.
 
Yeah, my store has it. I'm picking it up tomorrow. This is the part where I get mentally retarded and admit I've only used my DS for single player (And Wii the same). I've gone to the download station a few times but have never bothered to actually try any co-op/multi with anybody (given asides from PW series+Castlevania, I only have 1-2 games that actually are able to do so).

Anyways onto the point, the friends code=located where?
 

Walter

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Phoenix Wrong! said:
Anyways onto the point, the friends code=located where?
It's never in an intuitive location in my opinion... but in this game, go to Battle, then Friends Roster, and it'll give you an option to view your own code there (post it when you get it!).

I looked forever for the one in Metrod Prime: Hunters. Fucking a Nintendo, you're an amazing developer but you're a complete tool when it comes to multiplayer interfaces.

That being said, the actual gameplay for this game's multiplayer is awesome, even though so far I suck at it.
 
Walter said:
It's never in an intuitive location in my opinion... but in this game, go to Battle, then Friends Roster, and it'll give you an option to view your own code there (post it when you get it!).

I looked forever for the one in Metrod Prime: Hunters. Fucking a Nintendo, you're an amazing developer but you're a complete tool when it comes to multiplayer interfaces.

That being said, the actual gameplay for this game's multiplayer is awesome, even though so far I suck at it.
Thanks, I'll definitely post it tomorrow (or at least sometime this weekend). I'm gonna try to limit myself to playing the single in the break room only, I'm scared I'll play it to death if I do so while home.
 

Walter

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A review I wrote for my newspaper on the game. Some minor non-story related spoilers within, but I've tagged the big ones out. Please excuse the length. I really set out to write a brief review, but I just have a lot to say about the controls, and I know that's what really makes or breaks this game to most people. This version is actually longer than the one I put in the paper, since I'm allowed to talk about nerdy things like plot continuity and use descriptors like "Hyrulian" that I couldn't with our general readership :guts:


Every few years, Nintendo assembles their first-party team and truly lives up to their namesake. It feels like a decade has passed since that magic was felt in a Zelda title, but at long last, it's back.

"Phantom Hourglass," the newest installment in the coveted franchise, is one of the few official sequels in the series. It follows closely in both graphic style and game design to its predecessor, 2004’s “Windwaker” for Gamecube. In Phantom, the seafaring Link must again take to literally uncharted islands to rescue his princess-turned-pirate-captain Tetra, or if you payed attention last game — Zelda (gotta work that title in somehow, right?), in a flooded world set presumably hundreds of years after previous games in the series. This particular world has always held a certain captivation with me because of its history and the Hyrulian influenes from previous games/ages.

What sets “Phantom Hourglass” apart in the multi-titled franchise is its the premiere Zelda experience for the DS handheld. This is one of the only games in the system’s library to take full advantage of all the DS' myriad interface options and make them feel natural.

The game doesn’t waste time in proving it’s no one-trick pony. Pinpoint-precise, touch-screen controls? A given, and a must throughout. (Minor spoilers about some neat control usage follow:
Microphone input? You blow out candles in-game using your real breath (in practice, this can become “saliva input” if you’re in a hurry). Even flipping the DS’ clamshell screen closed becomes a game function at one point. These are just the tip of the iceberg to the game’s innovative usage of the handheld’s multiple interfaces.
)

Nintendo dives headfirst into enemy territory by tampering with its cherished series’ tried-and-true control mechanics. For any player, it’s obvious from the outset — the control issue will make or break this game, which is why I'll be focusing on it over other elements in this review. Having played nearly every game in the franchise using the cherished and ancient directional pad, I was somewhat miffed Nintendo chose to make the touch-screen controls the player's only option. Don’t they know this touch thing’s just a gimmick? :puck:

Well, that was my first impression. I quickly learned that by forcing the player to use the stylus on the screen, dozens of new control avenues become available that weren’t even conceivable before.

Before I harp on any more, let me just get this out of the way — the game plays great. Fear not. The controls in Zelda are unsullied by this newfangled touch-screen.

One look at how the boomerang is used in the game should make a true-believer out of even the most incorrigible of gaming purists — you draw the path it takes on-screen. Sounds childish, right? But you can use this feature in a limitless number of creative, and devious, ways if you experiment. A technique I use often is tossing the boomerang in an arc behind the enemy, striking them towards Link, simultaneously making them dizzy and leaving them vulnerable to a strike. All this is accomplished in a single motion, effortlessly. It makes me wonder why no developer has used the touch-screen like this before.

Most of your standard-faring Zelda weapons return, but in precise, touch-screen fashion. You can now accurately throw objects, including bombs, exactly where you want them to land instead of a toss of faith. And the bow and arrow can now be aimed any direction you point, where it was previously fixed at 4. When you see it in action, you’ll be amazed how cool this actually is.

While there is a wealth of good that comes with the control shift, there are inevitably a few negatives that crop up given enough time playing the game. Moving Link across narrow cliffs can be treacherous when your hand is literally in front of the screen, guiding him along. And it will take most players hours to master the clumsy integration of rolling, a necessary technique in the game. But even these initial qualms are overcome with practice.

But clearly there's more to this game than just awesome controls. Phantom corrects the largest problem I had with Windwaker in that the time spent at sea is far more entertaining and action-packed. Windwaker's gameplay was bogged down with hours of backtracking and charting aimless courses across a huge ocean to get from A to B. In Phantom, it's (normally) as simple as drawing a line on the map. After you chart a course, it's up to the captain to do the work while you blow things up with your cannon. Now that's an improvement.

Once you find your footing in this game, you won’t put it down. Thankfully, the world is huge, which lays to rest another fear of mine when it comes to these big-budget first-party titles — bang for my buck. Despite my fears of barreling through it in a handful of days, at 13 hours in, there’s still a huge quest to conquer.

The director of the series is already calling “Phantom Hourglass” his favorite next to the legendary “Ocarina of Time.” I’m beginning to see where he’s coming from, and for those who know the reputation of the latter game, these words could move mountains.
 
Nice review, however I notice a somewhat apparent "ten year" gap (at least with the director's comment), so is this somewhat to say WW/TP aren't as good/worthy as OoT successor as PH is? Not doubting at all or anything, just seeing what you think so far on the matter.

I picked it up this morning, read through the booklet. I was going to get online but I can't right now, and I probably won't start playing the single till tonight. The biggest relief so far is actually seeing that games can turn the "touch gimmick" :puck: into complete functionality, leaving me a lot of hope for the game and others like Ninja Gaiden.
 

Walter

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Phoenix Wrong! said:
Nice review, however I notice a somewhat apparent "ten year" gap (at least with the director's comment), so is this somewhat to say WW/TP aren't as good/worthy as OoT successor as PH is? Not doubting at all or anything, just seeing what you think so far on the matter.
Well I really didn't like Windwaker. And I've still yet to play Twilight Princess, but based on the many reviews I've read, it's no OoT rival.
 
Walter said:
but based on the many reviews I've read, it's no OoT rival.
Misread perhaps, but is this a reference to TP or PH?

As for TP, itself, I finally got it about a month+ ago and have much love for it so far. As for PH, just started it up an hour ago and so far liking what I see. Btw, friends code time
(FYi, it says "Wi Fi Connection Id", if this isn't the same as friends code let me know
edit: correction, don't think it is, will re edit when I Find it.
edit2: Nvm, *slaps forehead* found it in the should-of-been-blatantly obvious friends roster/my FID

4081342817227
btw added you walter.
 

Walter

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Phoenix Wrong! said:
Misread perhaps, but is this a reference to TP or PH?
[quote author=Walter]And I've still yet to play Twilight Princess, but based on the many reviews I've read, it's no OoT rival.[/quote]

4081342817227
btw added you walter.
Awesome, maybe we can meet up sometime this weekend?
 
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