Update time!

Seems like a while since I've done one of these. I've been pretty busy but needed some Zelda to calm me down and keep me sane.

Spirit Tracks - This slowed to a crawl due to technical limitations. I should have seen this coming as I had a similar problem with Phantom Hourglass. The game uses the Mic/blow effect more substantially than most DS titles and while the 3DS does have a Mic function, I get the impression it wasn't the highest priority for the new system as it never seems as user friendly as the original DS one. So now that's I've uncovered and recharged my DS, the game has been going by smoothly.

I really like the use of the Mic for the Pan Flute sections and I've finished the Forest Temple rather quickly, only to discover this game pulls the same stunt as PH did and now I have to go back to the Spirit Tower to unlock the next section of the game. The dungeon isn't annoying but it's padding nonetheless. I was also going to make a comment on WW about how straightforward and easy the dungeons and puzzles have been in the game but now that I've had a chance to seriously get into this game, WW might as well be Dark Souls. The dungeon was really simple and the game kind of holds your hand through the puzzles which was a bit disheartening. The boss was also incredibly easy to beat (had more problems with the Mini-Boss) with a pretty simple pattern and use of the dungeon tool.

With all that said, I did die. During the train section, which has easily been one of the more interesting new additions to this game. It's especially interesting to play this while also doing WW with the boat mechanic. The game is fun and charming but it's also reminding me of playing through PH, which was fun and novel as well but overall a pretty forgettable experience since the game lacked any real challenge.

Wind Waker - Seeing how this is borrowed, I've been putting more time into this one. Finally uncovered the whole map which was unnecessarily tedious and I've dealt with both the Forest Haven, acquiring Bombs, the Tower of the Gods (seriously, am I the only person who thinks Link is being cursed?! Either that or the Goddesses are just real dicks) got the Master Sword, finally rescued my sister and met Ganon only to learn (surprise surprise) that I need to collect some more plot coupons before I can really challenge Ganon.

Story-wise, I'm really digging what WW is doing here. Despite the cheerful design and color-scheme, WW is a pretty somber story. There is a real sense that Ganondorf can't really be defeated and that many of the important figures of the world are either praying the Hero of Time will return or that the current Link may have a slim chance to stop him before his powers fully recover. I really like how this Link can't quite catch a break, despite every accomplishment he's made so far in the story, the guy gets no respect from anyone and he's treated as an after thought in comparison to the hero of legend. It's a really cool dynamic as often the Zelda titles are so far apart that the various Link's roles are often forgotten in the legend or been corrupted. So to have a story where a previous Link is still fondly remembered is a really cool angle for the story. A Link Between Worlds had touches of this in it's story as well though it had more to do with a past Hyrule Link compared to Lorule's plight.

On the gameplay side, I'm a bit conflicted. I've decided that despite not being as cool as the hookshot, I do like the grappling hook once I figured out the odds and ends with it. The game's large map and myriad of little islands gives the impression that the devs were really trying to recreate the feel of the older top-down Zelda games as opposed to the afterthought overworld maps of OoT and MM. The issue here is that sailing around is a bit tedious and time consuming. I'm already dreading the idea of scouring the map for the Trifoce shards. I'm happy I finally got the WW song for the teleporting cyclones but I still feel like it won't be enough. I already find the treasure map element of the game to be a cute if flawed idea since it again just feels like unnecessary padding. Yes, kind citizen that I just helped, give me a treasure map instead of the heart piece it leads me to so I can tack on another fifteen minutes to the game clock, not like I don't have better things to do with my time.

For now, I plan on finishing up some quests in Windfall Island and then I'm tackling the Fire Mountain and Ice Ring dungeons so I can acquire the items there to make traversing this game a bit easier. The game has been a real treat, but the criticisms I've heard about it are certainly bearing truth.

Questions for the thread:

Favorite incarnation of Ganondorf/Ganon?
Favorite Major villain that isn't Ganon/Ganondorf?
Favorite NPC?