How is Zelda:Phantom Hourglass?

[mailman187666]

I wanna buy it today but I wanna see what you guys think. Is it worth picking up or is it boring.

[NE146]

It's a really fun game. I got bored of Bioshock halfway through, but this game makes me want to keep going (at least so far).

I didn't know how I'd like the stylus controls and at first I didnt like it since my right hand obscured the screen. But now, it's totally 2nd nature.

I give it a big thumbs up so far.

[heybtbm]

I picked it up yesterday. I'm traveling for the next few days so I knew I'd have time to play my DS (I'm already missing Halo 3 after two days).

Anyway, I had some time to play Zelda last night and was immediately impressed. The touch-only control scheme works very well so far. I loved Wind Waker...I'll just get that out of the way. So my opinion might be a bit biased, but I really like the graphics/sound/music. The puzzles are standard Zelda-type fare, all from a top down perspective. It's obvious that this is going to be another A-list classic from Nintendo.

[segagamer4life]

I too picked this up yesterday and was immediately blown away by this, this is hands down the best DS game to date. A must own for any Zelda fan or N fan or gamefan.... I have to say the use of the top map to "chart" a course in dungeons, and the overworld is brilliant. Well done.

[segagamer4life]

also, gamestop has a limited edition cell, if you check your local stores they may give em away, just a heads up.

[MarkMan]

I loved the whole game... thought it was great...

At Circuit City they're giving a starter kit for the game which includes headphones, screen wipe, and a pen stylus...

I also got the Prima CE hardcover guide....

[Poofta!]

the graphics are amazing, but i hate the art! goddamnit Wind Waker keeps on pissing me off! i want back to the old style link.

the controls work well, but my hand gets tired and cramps up, also its really easy to mess up the control and do something you didnt mean to, and my hand obscures a lot of the screen, thats pretty annoying. it seems REALLY tacked on, you know, its ZELDA! you didnt have to make it touch screen only, the new controls does nothing that we couldnt already. freaking stubborn nintendo.

neverhteless, its zelda! so its very well constructed and fun. check out the toysrus.com deal for it, you get the free 20 dollar guide! plus if you do the "bill me later" option and get accepter you save 10$! just my 2 cents.

[segagamer4life]

I just beat the first "castle/boss" last night, and I gotta say this is as good as it gets on the DS..... GREAT game!

[hbkprm]

so gooooood so far

[gepeto]

I thought the windwaker was a masterpiece I am a sucker for cell shading. I guess it is from the dragon lair era. To me cell shading is special. It makes up a small percentage and is refreshing when it comes along.

That is a tough call circuit city get the kit or toys r us and get the guide. I leaning towards the guide.

[ZiLL]

Played this for a bit today, and I have to say, while being a sequel to wind waker, this game feels much more like A Link to the Past for me.

I am having a blast…still getting used to the stylus controls, but it’s easy to control for the most part.

[smokehouse]

the graphics are amazing, but i hate the art! goddamnit Wind Waker keeps on pissing me off! i want back to the old style link.

Define "old style Link"...N64 old? SNES old? NES old?

If you mean the crappy-ass N64 Link then...well, I'll keep the rest of my opinion to myself.

[Sothy]

It sucks

[FlufflePuff]

I'm loving it so far. Only break I took all day was when my DS battery died! I've been exploring everything and I'm most of the way through the second dungeon. Control scheme is really great, although i don't like blowing on my DS :) My only worry is that it will be as short as Minish Cap.

[boatofcar]

Does the stylus control feel tacked on?

[heybtbm]

Does the stylus control feel tacked on?

Not at all. The stylus control is integral to the game. After you've been playing for an hour or so, you won't be able to imagine playing the game using the traditional d-pad + buttons. It's not perfect though. Managing items can get tricky, especially as the game goes on and you have 7-8 different items to switch to, usually on a moments notice. Overall though, the touch screen control is excellent. I wouldn't have this game control any other way.

As mentioned in another post above, I don't like blowing into my microphone. The times you have to do it are rare, but still annoying. Essentially, I just end up spitting all over my DS. Phantom Hourglass also has a new DS "gimmick" that I haven't seen before. It involves closing the lid on the DS to "stamp" your treasure map on the bottom screen. I also like the ability to make notes on the maps/sea charts...very handy. It's little things like this that add to the experience and make this a great game.

[Poofta!]

Define "old style Link"...N64 old? SNES old? NES old?

If you mean the crappy-ass N64 Link then...well, I'll keep the rest of my opinion to myself.

well since we're talking top down adventure, i mean the snes link/hyrule art. the Link's Awakening art i think was nice too, basically just towned down LTTP graphics.

LTTP will always be my fav.
(fyi - ive played zelda since nes, so lttp wasnt my first)

[xfrumx]

Phantom Hourglass also has a new DS "gimmick" that I haven't seen before. It involves closing the lid on the DS to "stamp" your treasure map on the bottom screen. I remember this same type of deal being in Trace Memory, but still it is the second game I have seen this in.

[mailman187666]

I ended up buying it that day I posted this and I love it. I've been playing for about 5+ hours into it and love it. I never saw anything about stamping the treasure map though. I'll look into that one. Touch screen controls aren't hard to get used to. If you play this game with one of those preorder extendable Castlevania stylus', you can keep your hand a bit further away from the screen while playing so it won't be covering too much of the screen.

[G-Boobie]

I am a HUGE fan of Windwaker; it's my favorite Zelda, and nevermind the goddamn Triforce Quest. The art style sells it for me, along with the music, and Phantom Hourglass only improves on the formula in my opinion.

My only real complaint is the low challenge level of most of the dungeons; I play through Windwaker once a year or so, but I can't see myself going back to Phantom Hourglass any time soon since a good deal of the game is a cakewalk, but the controls are great and the map/notes mechanic is fun. So far, so good :)

[FantasiaWHT]

G-Boobie, if PH is too easy for enjoyable replaying, but WW isn't... can anything really be THAT easy? hehe

[c0ldb33r]

I really really like this game so far. :D

However, the online battle mode really blows, its not fun at all.

[Hawksmoor]

I just finished the game this evening, and I must say it has been one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've had in some time. While the game was a bit on the easy side it still managed to keep my interested all the way through. The touch screen controls worked phenomenally well too, and the Wind Waker visual style was very nice. Anybody else beat PH too?

[Promophile]

It took me awhile to start liking the stylus controls. Switching Items could've been done a lot better. There should have been a way to switch between two items with the press of a button.