Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
No one made an info thread. :cry:
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the first Zelda Game for the Nintendo DS, as many of you know. A game supposed to take place chronologically after the Wind Waker, and it also mimics the Windwaker's Graphic Style rather well. The big difference between this game and other Zelda games, from what I can tell, is the controls. Now, the info topic starts.
Controls
Before I start, I think I should give you a picture of the game, so you can have a more accurate demonstration in your head as I explain.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012358096.jpg
I feel that this is one of the most important things to mention about the game, so it will be one of the first. This game is entirely controlled with the Touch Screen (IGN Article: http://ds.ign.com/articles/705/705545p1.html). To move Link, you touch where you want to go, in a similar manner to how people move in those funky MMORPG things. To attack enemies, you touch them. To pick things up, you touch them. Basically, you just have to do a quick, not even thinking about it thought on what Link would do if he were to go over to whatever you want to touch. Link wouldn't stab a bomb, so if you touch the Bomb, Link will walk up to it and pick it up. To decide where to throw the bomb, you touch what direction you want to throw it in. To go into the menu, you tap "Menu". The Menu allows you to do various things, including switching to the Map Drawing mode. To switch items, I assume you tap "Item", or tap the Item Block. To push a block, you tap a block, and Link grabs the block. Then keys with arrows on them appear on screen. You tap them to decide where Link pushes the block. I assume you just tap somewhere else to make Link let go. To use an item, you tap the text saying "Item" or the Item Block. I don't know which. Each item will probably have different controls, but we do know that you can decide the path of the Boomerang. When using something like a Shovel, you touch where you want to use the Shovel. How fast Link runs depends on how far you moved the Stylus from Link. Keep in mind that you don't have to tap where Link goes, as Link follows the Fairy, who follows the Stylus exactly. And in case you didn't know, you spin the stylus around Link to do the Spin Attack.
Graphic Style/Camera View
In case you couldn't tell from the picture from the Controls section, or the Pictures section I know you skipped to, this game has a very similar style to the Windwaker. Most things are 3 Dimensional, like people and enemies, but other things like trees (As you can see in the picture above) are 2 Dimensional, but carefully placed to look perfectly fine. The Camera usually stays close to Top-Down view, but is slightly slanted, just enough to see Link's face/forehead when he faces south, and so you can see the top/back of his head when he faces north. The Camera will sometimes change, like during the boss at the E3 Demo. (http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012350690.jpg) While you're water-traveling (Which I will explain more about in the next section), you can change the rotate the camera 360 degrees.
Water Travel
YAY for Water Travel! I'm not so sure if I should have made an entire section for this, but oh well. Before you set out to Sea, you draw on a line on your Map. This line decides where your boat goes and how it gets there. Then, your boat is set to Auto-Pilot, and you can rotate the Camera 360 degrees while at Sea. Then, if there are enemies along the way, you shoot them by tapping the touch screen. You just tap, and it shoots. But it doesn't go directly in that direction due to gravity :tongue: You are able to change your path while at Sea by stopping and then switching to the map, and then drawing on the map.
Story
I don't know anything about the Story yet except that according to an interview with Eiji Aounuma, it's supposed to take place chronologically after the Wind Waker. "The next grand Zelda game, which follows chronologically after the Wind Waker, will be released at the end of 2005 in Japan," (http://ds.ign.com/articles/588/588917p1.html) Of course, they also said it will come out at the end of 2005, so this was a while ago. On the other hand, they haven't taken back that word, so it's safe to assume that they are positive as to where this game will take place chronologically. However, there are apparently more parts to the story that other people know about that I don't, so if someone (Namely Kishi) could tell me what those are, I would be very grateful.
Pictures
In my descriptions of the pictures, I will point out what I think are the more important parts.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012351393.jpg
Notice how big the Island is! It's not a tiny patch of rock! :jess:
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012349737.jpg
If you look at the top screen, you can see the path that the player has written. Also, look at the item box. It's a cannon.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012357190.jpg
There's the key I told you about. You tap it and Link pushes the block! Also, look at the top screen. It has a map that has been drawn on! Apparently, someone didn't feel like remembering a code. Also, look at the jars. They're 2D.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012354253.jpg
It's hard to tell, but the tree is 2D.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012352112.jpg
The map, once again, has been drawn on. There's a key in that cavern! Oh, and suicide, too.
http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...9012356471.jpg
This map can do it's ABC's.
Videos
Ign's video page can be found here: http://media.ds.ign.com/media/694/694756/vids_1.html , but if you want to just go directly to the videos, then here are some Youtube links.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrQ6Py6bQKo - This is the trailer you saw. =/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBupISPnLAw - The sounds of E3 were replaced with the Zelda 2 Temple Theme (SSBM Version), but it gives you a very good idea of how you'll be playing this game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpiDUj3Sa5I - This is a very good video. The sounds aren't disturbed at all, and you can see the screen very clearly, save for the times that dude's hand is in the way. I highly recommend you watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nri2WBf4NoI - This is another good video, but you can't hear the DS very well, and there's a bunch of E3 sounds in the background. However, it has a very large amount of content. It shows off how you control Link and how you control the Boat, and I think it will convince you that the controls aren't a problem in this game. I highly suggest watching it.
INFO ENDZ NAO!!!
At first, I was rather skeptical about the touch screen controls, but upon watching some movies with people controlling Link without a single problem, all my worries have been erased. I look forward to this game. However, the Graphic Style, while similar to the Windwaker's, seems less beutiful now. While it seems to fit the style of the game, the lack of super special effects makes it look simply less stunning. But even so, I really, really, REALLY want this game! >=O
What do you guys think of this game? Will you buy it? Are you at least looking forward to it? What do you think about the control scheme? Etc.
