User Reviews (21 - 31 of 113)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Zelda arrives on the DS at last!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Ok, let's face it. If you are a gamer of any sort, you should know that the Legend of Zelda series has undoubtedly been one of (if not the) most influential, innovative, and downright fun ever.

I bought this when I was stuck in St. Peter, MN over a weekend. Boy, was it fun. I rarely buy games right after they come out (yeah, I'm a cheapskate), but I paid the $40 up front two days after release. I loved the innovative uses of the DS. You know how Rayman Raving Rabbids used every possible function of the Wiimote? Well, Phantom Hourglass does the same thing with the DS. You'll blow on the mic, write on the map, and every movement and combat is used exclusively with the stylus. This is how the DS was meant to be used.

About five hours in, however, I discovered a major problem. After a level, I have to return to The Temple Of The Ocean King, and run through everything again...on a timer? That means all the enemies, puzzles, etc. It was ridiculous. The Temple is hard enough the first time around, but on a timer? And having to repeat everything is just mean. Honestly, it's one of the most annoying things I've ever had to do in a game. (And be forewarned, you will want to do the Temple when you're out of earshot of other people. Played this on a flight to Europe and the man next to me thought I was insane for yelling every time the timer ran out.)

It's a classic Zelda game with a great new control scheme, pure and simple. Highly reccommended, but slightly difficult.

Good game... but

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Everyday I have a long commute on a train I have to take to and from work so I play my DS a lot to pass the time. I got Zelda since I've been a long fan ever since the first good ol' NES version. I thought this Zelda was a good game, but I couldn't possibly play it on the train. Even though I had the sound turned all the way down in certain spots music still came out of the speakers! Also, people look at me weird when I have to start blowing at my DS, I wish there could have been a button option to replace the blowing. And only being allowed to use the stylist made my wrist start to ache after awhile. It would of been nice if I could have had the option to be able to play off the D pad for at least some of the game, all of the buttons besides the power button are utterly useless.

Now with all that said, this is a great game... I just wish the developers could have designed this game with the above mentioned in mind.

Decent Zelda Title

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game was a little different for me. I'm so used to using the D-pad to control the character that controlling everything via stylus was the most frustrating thing for me in this game. I got used to it after a bit and died countless times because the stylus either didn't respond to what I wanted to do or I overcorrected and fell off of something. Other than that this game was great. The storyline was awesome, the ability to customize your ship was nice, and the "dungeons" werent too difficult, which I really enjoyed. Plus, if you register it online with Nintendo you get a free special "feather" stylus to go with the game... pretty cool. I didn't think the game was too short like some reviewers have wrote. I'm actually glad it didn't go on longer. Most Zelda handheld games I've played have disappointed me and didn't live up to the Zelda standard, but this game does.

Not Just a Kids' Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

There are already lots of good reviews, so I thought I'd just add another perspective. I'm 53 years old, and I resisted this game for a long time, thinking it was just for kids. It looks like a silly kids' game, after all. But I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I normally play games only in single-player mode, and some games just aren't designed with that in mind. This one is. It's a story-driven adventure, complete with a variety of challenges and minigames. I followed along with a strategy guidebook, which helped when I got stumped. But overall, I found the game to be just challenging enough to hold my interest, without being daunting or frustrating.

Some reviewers complain about the repetition. I didn't find that intolerable. Yeah, you may revisit the same place many times, but it's something of a new challenge each time, and I rather enjoyed getting more and more familiar with the situations, better at handling them.

My only complaint (besides the cartoonish graphics and juvenile story, which still do go against my grain) is that it's not a replayable game. I don't suppose games of this type ever are. Once you've devoted many hours to making your way through the story, you're finished, and then it's time to buy another game. That's great for the game's publisher, but not necessary so great for the consumer. Personally I favor classic games like backgammon or chess, which are infinitely replayable.

Yet, there's something wonderful and compelling about a game which draws you into the story and carries you along. You end up feeling like you're enjoying a genuine (albeit imaginary) adventure. Sitting back in an easy chair with a game like this is a little like reading a fun novel or watching a movie, only you get to participate in the action at your own pace and be the star of the movie as it unfolds.

Meh...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I really tried to like this game. But there's just too much backtracking involved. Throw a ship into the mix and you've got hours of tedious sailing too. Every time you go and find a hint or a clue you have to return to the main dungeon and go through the same things you've cleared before until you reach a lower level that was previously unaccessible. It gets very frustrating and just isn't that much fun. It hurts me to give a Zelda game a low rating, but this one wasn't good. At all.

Link debuts on Nintendo DS Lite!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I loooove this game! I can't get enough of its innovation and creative gameplay. This is the first game since I played The Legend of Zelda on the NES. "The Phantom Hourglass" picks up where "Wind Waker" left off, but right away, I was drawn to its storyline, its character control, and the way it incorporates every feature of the DS (i.e. you can blow on the mic in certain puzzles). So far, there isn't anything about it that I don't like about it, though some Zealots might not like the animation style (I enjoy the style, having been introduced in "The Minnish Cap." In short, buy this game, even if you never played The Legend of Zelda, you won't be disappointed.

A Fun and Engaging Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Zelda games are usually good. And this time Nintendo has decided to put a spin on the series by making a game that is controlled entirely by the touch screen. The result is a game that's good, but not perfect. While it still has some pretty great elements, you can't help but wish you had a D-Pad option as well.

Link and Tetra are hunting for a Ghost ship as the game begins. The ship appears and Tetra boards it. When something goes wrong, Link attempts to save her, but instead falls into the ocean. He washes up on the shore of an island where a fairy named Ciela agrees to help him find Tetra. He'll have to be prepared, though. He's about to go on a long journey.

Phantom Hourglass is a great addition to the Zelda library. The story is a good one. Carried out, of course, by dialog boxes. Much like many of Nintendo's franchises, there isn't really any voice acting here. Not a problem. The presentation of the game is good enough. Actually, in terms of bringing out 3D effects, this is probably one of the DS's best looking games to date. There are moments where some things look a little pixilated, but it still looks good. It doesn't play like the 3D adventures, however. No matter how powerful the DS is, this game still plays similar to the other handheld games. That is to say you're not in a 3D environment. It's an overhead view of everything. So it's not an entirely 3D world.

The control scheme is what makes Phantom Hourglass such a unique experience. The game is entirely touch screen oriented. You'll use the stylus to lead Link around. You can make him pick up pots and barrels by tapping on them and tapping on an empty section of the screen to throw them. By tracing a quick ring on the screen you can make Link roll.

Even better is swordplay and using items. You'll tap on enemies to make Link stab them. You can perform a horizontal slash by drawing a straight line. You can perform a spinslash by drawing a quick circle around Link. Even using items is put to good use. You'll draw a path for the boomerang to follow when you throw it, for example. You can make Link toss bombs to certain locations. Using the bow and arrows has never been easier.

A lot of the games challenge comes from the puzzles rather than the enemies, though. The touch screen controls make taking out most enemies, including bosses, relatively easy. The game may introduce a new mechanic but its entirely too easy to take advantage of. Along those lines, the controls are sometimes a bit touchy. It can be taxing to make Link roll, for example. It can also be annoying when you do something you don't mean to do at all. It's a pain when you want to make Link do one thing and he does something else. So while the controls are good, they can be a bit touchy at times.

During play, the map is displayed at the top at all times. During play, you can bring it down and mark on it. Throughout your journey characters will constantly be telling you where to go and show you on the map. It helps to mark it. It also helps when solving certain puzzles as well.

All these controls are tight and intuitive, but they're not for everyone. It's a shame Nintendo didn't put in the option to switch controls to the more traditional D-Pad and buttons. There are some gamers, without a doubt, who would've loved to have this option.

Phantom Hourglass is a great game. The controls work well. They can be touchy at times, and its a shame Nintendo didn't put in an option to change them up, but at least the end product is one that many Zelda fans will enjoy.

Pros:

+Good storyline
+Fantastic graphics
+Good music
+Intuitive controls
+Great dungeon designs

Cons:

-There's no option to switch to the more traditional D-Pad and button controls
-Sometimes the controls are quite touchy

Best game for the DS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game has to be the best game made for the DS. Especially if you love Zelda.

The storyline starts off well and it seemingly is getting better. The graphics of the game is superb for a DS. I can tell that the developers put a lot of thought into using the best compatibilities out of the DS.

Enhancing the gameplay using the stylus is great! It's not complicated and the puzzles in the games are not too difficult to put some thought into it. I love the way the sword fighting is, although it is a little simple. This game is awesome. Anyone should give this game a try!

A few cons about the game is that it would be nice to scroll through dialog with using the buttons instead of the stylus all the time, and controlling link like that would be helpful too. Well those are just minor things. I haven't found any major flaws to the game yet. ^^

SOOOO Fun to play!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a gamer (really!)... I've a newbie and only have been playing baby games like Brain Age and Mario... After seeing the advertisement and commercials (daily!)and reviews about Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, I finally ordered one =]. The game is fun and does not take a brainer to figure out the puzzle and such. I've just finish the game today and still wandering around for the sidequests. The story, even though not so original, is captivating and easy to follow.

I like the way the dialogue goes- kind of hip not so Lord of the Ring with those medieval conversations. I gave the game five star because the graphic is great for a DS game and the fun side of it (not too hard that you give up and not too easy that'll bore you). Two words: AWESOME game! A must HAVE. Will absolutely recommend to anyone with a DS.

Great For A First-Timer!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a self-proclaimed video game newbie, but while procrastinating for finals I picked up my husband's DS and started noodling around with this game. It took me just over 3 weeks, but I finished it and LOVED it! It wasn't too hard and was much, much more interesting than most games. Fantastic story, funny dialogue, action-packed and not too hard. I would recommend this to any spouse who is intimidated by video games!

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions