If you’ve ever listened to my
podcast, you’ll know that
Zelda: Twilight Princess left me thoroughly unpleased. I’m certainly not going to bring that argument up again here, but know that I’m no longer looking forward to the next Wii installment.
Thankfully, I can still get my Hyrulian adventure fix with the uber cute,
Wind Waker sequel on the DS.
Is it fun? Read more.
I won’t go into detail about the graphics (cel-shaded FTW!), because I’m pretty sure you’ve already seen plenty of screenshots. Although, I will tell you that the game looks wonderful in motion, and that the pixie-like cuteness of Wind Waker has been brought back in full force.
But, now back to business. So far, all I’ve seen from Hourglass has been a couple of game play videos, and honestly, what I saw didn’t make me too confident in the games touch screen only control scheme, but when I actually got my hands on it -- I was impressed.
Using the DS stylus to control link’s action works far better than I expected. Before, I was worried that the game would feel like you were “dragging” link around, but that’s not the case. All you have to do is just touch a portion of the screen and link will run right there.
Interacting with the environment is even easier. I was worried that there would be some sort of arcane and intricate stylus input required in using your sword or lifting items. Nope, all you have to do is tap. For example, tap on a barrel and link will run over and pick it up. One more tap of the screen, and link throws it. Enemies, signs, and people are also the same. Just tap on a person and link will run right over and start talking to them.
This ease of use was a real load off my mind, it’s hard to see a franchise you like get messed up by poor controls, and you never know what kind of result you’ll get when touch screen controls are added.
Strangely, the thing I had the most fun with the map feature of the game. If you haven’t seen it before, the map in Hourglass is viewed on touch screen and allows you to use the stylus to make notations. Originally, my preconception of this feature would be that the little marks you could make would be rather limited. But, as it turns out, you can write anything you want all over the map screen, anything at all.
So of course, Chad and I proceeded to write, “Also, cocks” on every single DS they had that was playing Hourglass, and left them for the next set of reviewers to find.
Hey, it’s Dtoid.
Contest:
2:51 PM on 07.13.2007
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Good job guys!
TP was a DIRECT result of the "Cleda" fallout. It was one instance where Nintendo listened to the screaming, frothing minority of internet geeks who demand developers cater to thier needs. It was the "realistic" Zelda everyone thought they wanted. And it was the most soul-less piece of software to ever come out of Kyoto, utterly devoid of any sense of wonder or discovery.
I, for one, hope Nintendo never listens to us again. We don't want a touchscreen-controlled Zelda. We don't want a fitness game. We don't want gimmicky motion-controls with last-gen graphics. We don't know we want it until Nintendo delivers it to us!!!
I am very happy for the return of the cell shaded look. Wind Waker was a better game in almost every aspect, especially Link's design. He was so much more emotive, curious, and mischievous then the brain-dead Link from TP.
Bang on, you've said everything that needs to be said. People think they know what they want. They don't.
Few people understand interactive design and even fewer understand game design, they base their opinions on the superficial observations they have made at a really shallow surface level, and then assume those opinions are somwhow insightful and knowing.
Games are just as specialist as maths or architactural design, people don't look at long equations and assume they understand it, then go one to tell the mathemetician what they should be doing, but gamers do it all the time.
Give the people what they want? No. Give them what they need.
I am still very skeptical of the controls for Phantom Hourglass. Game design 101, if you are physically interacting with the player character on screen, then you cannot gain any sense of becoming that playable character. It works for Nintendogs where you play as yourself physically interacting with a dog in the game world, but it wouldn't work if you were supposed to BE the dog.
I don't want Link to be my dog.
Reviews for this game have been great, so I'm holding out hope, but I'm not expecting much.
Also, I don't see why many of you dislike Twilight Princess. Perhaps it's because I'm a big Zelda fan, but that was one of my favourites (better than Ocarina of Time anyway, though only by a margin.)
I can see where the venom for TP comes from (as my complaints were about the same basic areas, although not quite so greatly magnified), but nonetheless, I got a ton of enjoyment from the game.
Although, regarding TP being a product of pure fanservice: as one of those US fans, I have to say I was actually shocked by TP's lack of any blatant fanservice and its unsettlingly original world of Hyrule.