The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

I originally purchased this game with very high doubts about the ability to play a Zelda game on the DS using a stylus. Starting the game, I thought it impossible and only cared to do it because I'm a huge Zelda fan and wanted to see where the plot was going with these.Like I thought, playing with the stylus was extremely difficult at first: I kept falling off ledges and stuff, not to mention all the times I drowned and lost hearts. The movement alone was hard enough, I found the fighting even more difficult to master. However, I persevered and practiced and finally mastered it. Now that I look back on it, I am really glad I took the time (it was only an hour for the most part, just felt like longer) to master the basics. Once I got adjusted, I began to realize what an amazing game this is.The Phantom Hourglass picks up, literally, right where Wind Waker leaves off. In terms of plot, this Zelda game has as much, if not more than the previous ones. Furthermore, I think the developers realized what a pain it was to sail around all the time in Wind Waker and as well as trying to aim that stupid cannon and have addressed those issues in Phantom Hourglass. In this game, we finally see a new villain to Ganon (I mean, how many times did we have to kill that guy?) Although the combat style is not as great as the other zelda games (where you could z-target and stuff) there still were a lot of cool things you could do with the stylus and the many variety of items. I found the path-drawn boomerang to be a great improvement as well as the bow-arrow being much easier to handle than in any other zelda games.So just a brief summary of what I'm saying:Pros:-Continues the plot-A change in the way Zelda games are played-Improved items-New villains and characters-Basic advantages of the DS over other gaming systems (portability etc.)-Improvements on Wind Waker, notably the sailing and cannon while sailing-I appreciated the little humor along the way: notably from LinebeckCons:-Stylus can be difficult to get used to: advantageous if one is willing to be patient to master it-Going through the Temple multiple times can get boring-Using the stylus, I sometimes found my hand obstructing half the screen. A.K.A basic disadvantages of the DS-The final boss fight was not too impressive

You can't go wrong with a franchise that has sold more than 52 million units worldwide since 1987. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is definitely no exception. I've been waiting for this game to be released since I got my Nintendo DS Lite last year and all I can say is that it was all worth the wait.This is the direct sequel to Nintendo GameCube's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, similar in both the style and the characters.Utilizing the power of the stylus, one can play the entire game with only the touch screen. I feel more in control of the game when, for example, I draw the path of my boomerang, plot my ship's course, and swing Link's sword by doing a slashing motion across the screen. I thought it would be weird using the stylus to play the game but somehow it felt like it was the natural thing to do (there was very little learning curve, if any).I'm not really a fan of the cel-shaded graphics because it creates too much of a cartoon feel. I would have wanted for a Link incarnation that would be similar to the Link in Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess but I guess this young Link would suit better in cel-shaded animation.To date I have 4 extremely satisfying games on my Nintendo DS but the Phantom Hourglass definitely supercedes them all. I'm one of many gamers here who were (a little) disappointed that Japan got this title roughly 4 months ahead. But the agony of the long wait seems to disappear now that I'm experiencing the magic of this game. I hope to see another The Legend of Zelda game on the DS (though there is unlikely to be one in the near future).

This game is a really nice addition to the Zelda collection. Technically, it implements the DS touchpad as it should be. It's a bit hard to get used to at first, but when you get used to it, it becomes easier. The rest of the features and buttons are also used in a very subtle yet well-done way. In short, it takes advantage of what the DS itself has to offer and it's really only a few games do this to this extent.As for gameplay, it's a very interesting and good continuation to the Windwaker. It's just the right length for a game meant to be portable and is also fun and entertaining. It brings back memories of older games if you have played them and at the same time it's new. Some characters are a bit ugly at times, but it's all forgiven as you play.The game also includes a very good multiplayer option. It gives you many different options to connect. DS-DS, with friends, over WiFi, etc. and then you also get to choose if you want to play with rivals, friends, or just about anyone. As you play you get scores and you can even get small rewards that appear in-game. It works beautifully and is also very stable.If you like the Zelda series and adventure games, this would be something worth trying out.