Zelda: The Minish Cap

[NE146]

Anyone else here besides me chomping at the bit for this title to be released (11/16)? I was somewhat dissapointed with Oracle of Ages/Seasons so I have high hopes for this one... Maybe I'm a dying breed but getting a full blown NEW 2D Zelda coming out soon has me going nuts. :D

I'm debating whether to get the import version as I tend to have more fun not knowing what the game is saying, and thus trying to figure out what to do on my own (which in Zelda, is never really too hard anyway). I just know with Nintendo these days, the english version is going to lead you by the hand. :roll:

But whatever... Bring it on!!!!!1 :D

http://pocketmedia.ign.com/pocket/image/article/562/562819/the-legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap-20041102101811750.jpg

[Ed Oscuro]

New Zelda in any format is a good thing :)

[drdrew1469]

New Zelda in any format is a good thing :)

I couldn't agree more! :)


Maybe I'm a dying breed but getting a full blown NEW 2D Zelda coming out soon has me going nuts

We're not dying, just aging... LOL

[classicb]

I can't wait either. The GBA gets knocked allot for rehashing old stuff but slowly but surley I've built a nice 2D library of new titles and this will be a great addition.

[MegaDrive20XX]

To me, this looks like a 2D verison of OoT (notice the three buttons that can hold items now?)

I can't wait to try it, looks sweet

[unbroken]

im waiting for that special edition zelda sp/minish cap combo

[Habeeb Hamusta]

The only goof Zelda games in my opinion are Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. I thought all the others were dull and boring and Majora's Mask game sucked. I'm wondering if this game will be any good. I doubt I'll ever get it.

[Lone_Monster]

I too am waiting for the GBA SP/Minish Cap Bundle...

[Half Cab Leroy]

I've been waiting for this one since I first heard about it. I'll definitely be getting it when it comes out.

[NE146]

I too am waiting for the GBA SP/Minish Cap Bundle...

Screw that :P Although I'm all over the game.. there's no way I'm gonna buy another specially colored GBA for it.


Does look nice though... hmmmm.... :hmm:

[NintendoMan]

Well, here's the thing. I for some reason have never gotten into the Zelda:Link to Past for SNES. I just played it for the first time like one year ago. But for some reason can't get into that game. And since the Minish Cap is going to be sort of like it, I don't know my feelings yet??

But I did like Zelda for NES, and LTP is just like it, just updated graphics. This is off topic but am really looking forward to the new ZELDA for the GC.
But anyways, I still will probably by the MC just because of my love for Zelda games!

[NintendoMan]

The only goof Zelda games in my opinion are Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. I thought all the others were dull and boring and Majora's Mask game sucked. I'm wondering if this game will be any good. I doubt I'll ever get it.

What the heck do you mean by "goof"??

And you think Majora's Mask sucked??? Have you ever even played the game, because if you did if shouldn't have "sucked". I will say that that game doesn't get looked upon has a good game by a lot of people, for some reason??
:)

[MegaDrive20XX]

The only goof Zelda games in my opinion are Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. I thought all the others were dull and boring and Majora's Mask game sucked. I'm wondering if this game will be any good. I doubt I'll ever get it.

What the heck do you mean by "goof"??

And you think Majora's Mask sucked??? Have you ever even played the game, because if you did if shouldn't have "sucked". I will say that that game doesn't get looked upon has a good game by a lot of people, for some reason??
:)

Im gonna back up Nintendo Man, I've played this game all this week, and I must say this is...

The game has changed my point of view for alot of games in the series. It's simply brilliant and a long lost masterpiece.

I was just like Habeeb here, I hated it, I just couldn't get into it. After 4 long years since it's original release...then re-release on GameCube last year, I have to say, this game is best played on N64 over Cube (Sound issues, but that's a different story)

This game feels three times larger then Orcarina of Time's worlds.

There are some things I wish I could change, but I can understand the reasoning of being time in the game and certain events you have to repeat, but at least it's like cause and effect. Like having to re-defeat a certain boss over and over again just to make the snow melt in the mountains is tedious I'd say to some.

Yet bottom line, I am blown away by the depth and effort this game presents in storyline and gameplay behind this and the huge worlds to explore...I ignored everything from the reviews, to the people from the start of it all, I just relied on self-determination to start and finish this game once and for all.

After I finish this, (which should be this weekend) I'll have a final verdict how I really feel, but at the moment, I'm helping Anju and Kafei, then taking on the Stone Temple afterwards...but I haven't been this deep into a Zelda game since Link to the Past back in 1992.

Which reminds me, some of the best things in life are worth waiting for.

Don't knock it, until you try it is all I'm saying

It is sad that this game was pushed aside, since the release date was oct. 26th, 2000...and I can understand how the sales of it were poor, since everyone wanted a PS2 so badly (which is understandable)

and I'm gonna stand by my sig....as THE most underrated Zelda...eva....not even Zelda 2 got this much disrespect I think

[SoulBlazer]

Funny, I found it easier to play those two games on my GC. Maybe cause the controller was better. ;)

[kai123]

Funny, I found it easier to play those two games on my GC. Maybe cause the controller was better. ;)


I find it easier than breaking out my n64 to play them.

I am just glad that Nintendo is giving us some new games instead of rehashing all the time.

[Nesmaster]

i think habeeb meant to say "good". i myself loved OOT and MM, but i also couldnt get into LTTP, so i dont know what to expect of this new one.

[classicb]

and I'm gonna stand by my sig....as THE most underrated Zelda...eva....not even Zelda 2 got this much disrespect I think

underrated x_x

this game was very well respected. IGN gave it 9.9/10 and Gamespot 8.3/10 their will always be people who don't like certain games

[Daria]

Well I loved Capcom's oracle series so I've been looking forward to Minish Cap since it was annouced at E3. Actually I was probably slightly more exicited about this title then the new 3D Zelda... although that certainly does look kick ass.

But then I'm weird. I didn't even care for OoT.

[MegaDrive20XX]

and I'm gonna stand by my sig....as THE most underrated Zelda...eva....not even Zelda 2 got this much disrespect I think

underrated x_x

this game was very well respected. IGN gave it 9.9/10 and Gamespot 8.3/10 their will always be people who don't like certain games

That's the magazines, I discuss public opinion x_x I'm not a sheep to the articles

[classicb]

and I'm gonna stand by my sig....as THE most underrated Zelda...eva....not even Zelda 2 got this much disrespect I think

underrated x_x

this game was very well respected. IGN gave it 9.9/10 and Gamespot 8.3/10 their will always be people who don't like certain games

That's the magazines, I discuss public opinion x_x I'm not a sheep to the articles

I guess I just don't get your point. From what I can tell more people like it than don't and that includes Magazines and Public opinions.

[MegaDrive20XX]

I see your point, but what I was saying, I ignored the reviews and judged for myself, meaning I'm not a slave to reading a magazine and say "Oh this must be an excellent game if this guy, whom I never met, says so!"


Yet, seeing what everyone has said and meeting fans of this particular game is wonderful, but it will never gain the true popularity of the likes of Orcarina of Time

[classicb]

I see your point, but what I was saying, I ignored the reviews and judged for myself, meaning I'm not a slave to reading a magazine and say "Oh this must be an excellent game if this guy, whom I never met, says so!"

so then you underrated it then played it and proved to yourself that it was underrated by yourself and it became the most underrated Zelda game.

[MegaDrive20XX]

I see your point, but what I was saying, I ignored the reviews and judged for myself, meaning I'm not a slave to reading a magazine and say "Oh this must be an excellent game if this guy, whom I never met, says so!"

so then you underrated it then played it and proved to yourself that it was underrated by yourself and it became the most underrated Zelda game.

No, that was during the 4 years it took me to get around to this game, started for the first time this week and then I have labeled it underrated, but if it bothers you that much, I will gladly remove it :)

[classicb]

I see your point, but what I was saying, I ignored the reviews and judged for myself, meaning I'm not a slave to reading a magazine and say "Oh this must be an excellent game if this guy, whom I never met, says so!"

so then you underrated it then played it and proved to yourself that it was underrated by yourself and it became the most underrated Zelda game.

No, that was during the 4 years it took me to get around to this game, started for the first time this week and then I have labeled it underrated, but if it bothers you that much, I will gladly remove it :)

it doesn't bother me I just didn't understand how it was so underrated when it was so well recieved

[MegaDrive20XX]

ah alright then, but you have proven me wrong, so I will take it down, it wasn't underrated at all, so I take back what i said earlier

[El CiF]

well i love all the zelda games ive played (which is all except Zelda II for nes) so ill definetly check this one out. it sounds like a really interesting twist on the usual Zelda formula.

[GaijinPunch]

Mine has been sent. For shame that there's already a ROM of it out on the net, and has been for a few days

[kainemaxwell]

Maybe this Zelda/GBA combo will come with a "Minish Cap" as a pre-order goodie! :D

[Ed Oscuro]

Whenever I read "Minish Cap" I think "Wizard of Oz." BAD. Bad thoughts, me, bad! :smash:

[videogameking26]

Can't wait @_@

[classicb]

several people have mentioned the Zelda GBA and their was a good thread about it earlier so in case people missed it here it is

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42351&highlight=zelda+gba

I really am excited about this new Zelda and I could always use another GBA for some FFCC or Four Swords.

[NintendoMan]

Funny, I found it easier to play those two games on my GC. Maybe cause the controller was better. ;)

While I like playing it on the N64 better, I definately play the Collector's Zelda disc on my GC alot more. Because of the controller too. (BUT, I love the N64 controller, so who knows why?)

[NintendoMan]

and I'm gonna stand by my sig....as THE most underrated Zelda...eva....not even Zelda 2 got this much disrespect I think

underrated x_x

this game was very well respected. IGN gave it 9.9/10 and Gamespot 8.3/10 their will always be people who don't like certain games

Yes, it was rated good reviews, BUT when sales for OOT were like what, 4-6 million or something, and then I think MM only sold maybe like 1.5 million.
In sales terms still great, to have a 5 million copy difference sold between the first and second Zelda on the N64 is a lot.
(This was probably due to it's release date being very close to the end of the N64 and the launch of the PS2)

[Lady Jaye]

I'm a Zelda fan (heck, I did get Zelda and Adventure of Link on the GBA, even though I already had both on the NES AND the GCN), and I really liked the Capcom Oracle games (the only Zelda game that I just don't find as appealing is Link's Awakening), so I'll certainly get Minish Cap when it comes out. I'm still working my way through the Zelda series, though. The only games in the series that I've finished were Zelda NES, LttP and Link's Awakening (I got pretty far in the Oracle games, but I finished neither). But that's more a question of finishing the games I start more than anything else.

Anyway, I doubt that it'll suck, unless the game gets really botched (which'd be surprising).

Oh, and I don't have a N64, so the only way I can play OoT and MM is through the GCN re-release.

[Pedro Lambrini]

Am really looking forward to it! I have liked the look of this since I saw the first screenshots :)

[jdc]

Well, I've had two GBAs....and dumped 'em both. Hmmmm....if this game comes with a special Zelda-graphiced GBA I might reconsider and buy it.

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

[kainemaxwell]

Anyone know what the Minish Cap story is yet?

[Gunstar_Hero UK]

I cant wait for it, its been a long time since us PAL gamers get a game before you guys.. im pretty sure Its out here the 12th..

[NintendoMan]

Anyway, I doubt that it'll suck, unless the game gets really botched (which'd be surprising).

There is pretty much no way that it will suck. I would bet money on that.

[ubersaurus]

Well, I've had two GBAs....and dumped 'em both. Hmmmm....if this game comes with a special Zelda-graphiced GBA I might reconsider and buy it.

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

Majora's Mask is incredible...once you learn the song to slow down time, you really don't have to worry about the 3 days ending on ya in the middle of something, and you get to learn alot of things about the people in the world. Seeing them react to both the world ending and to your own acts, it's very cool. Plus the soundtrack had alot of really sweet songs, the dungeons were diabolical(especially if you were trying to find all the fairies in each dungeon), the play mechanics of the different masks rocked, and it had the trippiest version of the moon I'VE ever seen in anything.

I definitely enjoyed it more then Ocarina of Time, outside of the dungeon fairies.

[NintendoMan]

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

The ending is better, or the overall game is better, have you heard.

Well, I am VERY far away from finishing MM, but to me there is no way in hell that it can be better than OOT.

[EnemyZero]

im so excited, it looks to be one of the best zelda games ever O.O but i guess we will have to wait and see

[MegaDrive20XX]

I just got this bit of news, but the American verison maybe renamed

Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Hat *Which seems to be popping up on a few sites* (Could be the Japanese name though)

I have no idea why they decided to change it :/

[Ed Oscuro]

That's a real winner of a title.

Can you picture this:

Metroid: The Mysterious Ball that Turns you into a...Ball, hell if we remember what it's called

...Neither can I, but it's really not too far off from what the rumors say Nintendo's been contemplating.

At least with, say, Konami's Castlevania series, you get a choice of one cool title or another almost as cool title: Minuet of Dawn versus Aria of Sorrow.

What's made Nintendo drop the ball? Oh well, let's hope somebody just was having a bad caffiene-fueled night.

[SMB]

I am very very anticipated about this new GBA Zelda title.

[SMB]

That's a real winner of a title.

Can you picture this:

Metroid: The Mysterious Ball that Turns you into a...Ball, hell if we remember what it's called

Morph Ball?

[Ed Oscuro]

Here is your custom-fitted "SARCASM MAGNET," please affix it squarely to your forehead.

You can also call it the Maru Mari...the morph ball, that is.

[ubersaurus]

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

The ending is better, or the overall game is better, have you heard.

Well, I am VERY far away from finishing MM, but to me there is no way in hell that it can be better than OOT.

Well, the ending makes more sense then ocarinas, and the game itself just seems much more refined. Don't take my word for it though-play through the dungeons, do the sidequests, and let me know what you think ;)

[NintendoMan]

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

The ending is better, or the overall game is better, have you heard.

Well, I am VERY far away from finishing MM, but to me there is no way in hell that it can be better than OOT.

Well, the ending makes more sense then ocarinas, and the game itself just seems much more refined. Don't take my word for it though-play through the dungeons, do the sidequests, and let me know what you think ;)

COOL. :)

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah...as far as color, size of the world, and getting that feeling in the pit of your stomach every three days when you know the world's about to end...well...it's a VERY compelling gameplay experience.

Good example...lots of things change from day to day. For example, there's a pillar or some such being built in town, and it gets taller as the days go on.


Ocarina of Time was a great game indeed...but with the addition of the Groundhog Day-style scenario, MM edges it out.

Though I will say many of Ocarina of Time's dungeon designs are enduringly classic

[Zubiac666]

I just read the first review of the game in a german magazine and it got whooping 93%!

Goods:
graphic is pure 2D-awesomeness.One of the best looking GBA titles.
Sound is as good as graphics
HUGE(very very huge) worlds
countless secrets

there are no bad points stated.
They even claim that it is much better(in every aspect) than LTTP!

oh my goodness........can't wait to play it on TV via gameboyplayer and Hori-Pad.It will feel as if Nintendo released another Zelda for SNES.
*kisses cube*
:-P

[unbroken]

is there a release date on the zelda sp yet?

[Psycho Mantis]

this game is looking sweet! i gotta get it as soon as it comes out.

[MegaDrive20XX]

As for Majora's....I still haven't finished it. I'm still in the first town. I, like many people that I talked to when the game was a new release, found it to be confusing and therefore a chore to play. I picked up the guide this summer in hopes of finishing it this winter. Those who have finished it have told me that it blows Ocarina away.

The ending is better, or the overall game is better, have you heard.

Well, I am VERY far away from finishing MM, but to me there is no way in hell that it can be better than OOT.

Well, the ending makes more sense then ocarinas, and the game itself just seems much more refined. Don't take my word for it though-play through the dungeons, do the sidequests, and let me know what you think ;)

COOL. :)

I finally finished Majora's Mask last Saturday for the first time...and I sat back...and man...I have to say...WOW...I love this game...yet I kinda laughed at the fact over all this chaos going on in the game, because of one little mask...three triforces is easy to understand or ganondorf...but one mask with the powers to do whatever it pleases...(Well it worked for Lord of the Rings didn't it?)

Changed my entire view of how to accept newer Zelda games...now someday, I would like to start and finish the two GBC titles "Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages"

On the issue, "MM blows OoT out of the water" so to speak..I say YES! Because of the many effects added...more voice clips added to give the NPC more emotion...colorful and impressive atmospheres in each dungeon...larger world to explore compared to OoT I think. You just didn't have one large field anymore like OoT, every area had it's unique field...Most impressive to me, was GREAT BAY, I could swim all day in that area...even where you face the 7 giant eels...man that is a deep...now I know where Mario Sunshine got it from.

Two Skull Houses with a bunch of goodies, loads of side-quest to earn items and heart pieces...about 20 people to help in the bomber's notebook

So much to offer, yet I can understand those who didnt like it...like Ed said "The Groundhog Day" effect will get tedious...

You might as well call it "Zelda: Back to the Future" when time runs out...or if you mess up...ugh..what a pet peeve...in the final mini-dungeons...there are four pieces of heart after you give the children a certain number of mask each...missing one piece of heart will cost you dearly to go back to day 1...then go back to day 3...

[DeputyMoniker]

I've been working on this one on and off for about a couple months. I have all the figurines, Mirror Shield, and have killed Vatti twice. I think it was very fun. I still have one Kinestone to fuse and I just can't make it happen. I am officially giving up. I've downloaded a guide and I'll fuse my last Kinestone with that. It sucks to give up this close to the end but damn, I just can't figure out who to fuse it with.

[Jorpho]

Odds are it's the teacher in the schoolhouse. It's tricky because you can't always fuse with her - if you don't see the thought bubble, exit and re-enter the room repeatedly until you can fuse.

A fine game, really, but the relatively low number of dungeons is kind of disappointing. They're pretty high-quality dungeons, though.

[DeputyMoniker]

Odds are it's the teacher in the schoolhouse. It's tricky because you can't always fuse with her - if you don't see the thought bubble, exit and re-enter the room repeatedly until you can fuse.

A fine game, really, but the relatively low number of dungeons is kind of disappointing. They're pretty high-quality dungeons, though.

It could be that but I've been thinking it was someone in the library. Now that there is a guard in front of the door, I can't get in. I don't recall fusing with the school teacher though. I'll give that a shot.

[Jorpho]

Oh, whatshisname in the library? He's the one that relocates to Lake Hylia at the end of the game and gives you the complete Heart Container; if you didn't fuse with him before, you can still fuse with him there.

I am quite certain there is no fusing opportunity that is only available at a specific point in the game and not accessible at the end of the game.

[DeputyMoniker]

I've tried those school teachers a ton of times with no luck. I really need to just put this game away.

[Gamingking]

Why did you top a 4 year old post?.

[Sotenga]

Eh, I think it's a good thing that this one was bumped. With the exception of Twilight Princess, I've been pretty detached from Zelda as of late. If anyone can give any opinions of the Minish Cap, good or bad, I would like to hear them. Same thing about Phantom Hourglass, but I'll save that for another thread. :)

[Gamingking]

Eh, I think it's a good thing that this one was bumped. With the exception of Twilight Princess, I've been pretty detached from Zelda as of late. If anyone can give any opinions of the Minish Cap, good or bad, I would like to hear them. Same thing about Phantom Hourglass, but I'll save that for another thread. :)


I have it. Will sell or trade for NES, Genesis or 64 games.

[Jorpho]

I've tried those school teachers a ton of times with no luck. I really need to just put this game away.

The other one I accidently left until the very end was one of the Business Scrubs. Also, check the Tingle siblings again.

[DeputyMoniker]

Why did you top a 4 year old post?.

I don't know what it means to "top" a post but if you're asking about me bumping it: I wanted to talk about the game. Threads don't expire.
Search for an old thread before you start a new one. Pretty simple concept.

Anyway: Business Scrubs and the Tingle siblings...hmm. I don't remember them but I'll give it a shot. I felt like I was going to wear my R button out. If it weren't for the Pegasus Boots, I would have spent the entire game rolling.

[Leo_A]

Just keep looking, you'll find your last fusion. I think my last one was in a spot I thought I had already checked in a Minish house in the woods by a dock, or something like that.

I never finished my last heart piece, was missing a quarter of it and after my search for my last Kinstone fusion, I wasn't up for the search. Maybe sometime, I did everything besides that and win that near impossible chest game or whatever it was in the village.

Check GameFaqs, I did in my search and there's several suspects mentioned there in the forums that are often missed. One of those suspects could be what you're missing.

I honestly think this is my 3rd or 4th favorite Zelda game, behind Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and possibly Majora's Mask. Worth playing for any Zelda fan.


Odds are it's the teacher in the schoolhouse. It's tricky because you can't always fuse with her - if you don't see the thought bubble, exit and re-enter the room repeatedly until you can fuse.

Odds are that it isn't. There are plenty of fusions like this where you can't always fuse when you encounter the person to give the kinstone fusing some randomness. It could be numerous characters in the game.

[Jorpho]

Just keep looking, you'll find your last fusion. I think my last one was in a spot I thought I had already checked in a Minish house in the woods by a dock, or something like that.

Oh, right, there's that one house off next to a heart piece that you can only get to by crossing water. If you never got the remote bombs, you definitely missed that one.

[calthaer]

Minish Cap was and is one of my favorite GBA games. I'm going to go so far as to say it may be my favorite Zelda of all time - even edging out OoT.

Unlike some of the other posters, I despised Majora's Mask. First off, you almost had to have a walkthrough to get through the first few days until you get the Ocarina - that is, unless you want to sit through a bunch of cutscenes a bunch of time and play the same first half hour of the game over and over until you get it "right." Even after I got past that deficiency, it still didn't thrill me whatsoever - I just couldn't stand it.

With Minish Cap, it's like they took all the good improvements from the entire history of the series and left out all the useless, crappy ones. It takes the best from the Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons dual-world thing, throws in the figurines from Wind Waker, keeps the courier quests from the OoT line, and throws in a bunch of gymnastic moves like rolling / slashing and whatnot.

There's loads to see and do in Minish Cap - the world doesn't really get stale until well after you're done "beating" the game. There's no endless sailing / riding a horse, no rewind / replay the same areas over and over...it's the best of the classic Zelda and the new stuff, all in one.

I'm not sure how it stacks up against the Phantom Hourglass - I heard mixed things about it, and heard there were some annoying things about the game, so I never picked it up.

[Leo_A]

Phantom Hourglass is worth picking up, it's a good game. It's not anywhere close to the same quality as titles such as this one and Ocarina of Time, but its still a solid edition in this series that is worth playing.

The only thing I'd say that I can even think of to be critical of the Minish Cap, was a few events that were time sensitive that could be missed if you don't do them before progressing further into the game. Luckily I didn't miss any of them after checking walkthroughs after completion.

And I suppose I'd of loved to have a few more dungeons.

[Jorpho]

The only thing I'd say that I can even think of to be critical of the Minish Cap, was a few events that were time sensitive that could be missed if you don't do them before progressing further into the game.

There's really only one, I think, and that's the old man and the ghost.

[shoes23]

It's funny this thread got bumped, I'm just facing off against Vaati. I managed to make to him with just over one full row hearts, and now I need to scour the overworld for heart containers and bottles (I only have one bottle). I've probably only managed to fuse with about half the available people, and only collected about 15 figurines. After I beat the final boss however I'm going to hang this one up, as I've been playing for what feels like far too long by refusing to look at a walkthrough (even though most of what frustrated me shouldn't have been that hard).

It's a great game, as should be expected, and anyone on the fence about this one should just pony up and buy it.