The Legend Of Zelda - Spirit Tracks
Lively Bunch in this section, eh? :P
This may be a weekly, or bi weekly, or monthly thing for me, Previews/Reviews that is.
Anyway, let's get to it.
Having been a Zelda fan for like, ever... it was obvious I was going to pick up this title.... but it kind of befuddled me. Zelda fans are no stranger to new, weird plot devices in Zelda games, but Spirit Tracks employs a train. Yeah, the chuga chuga choo choo kind of train. An Ocarina (LTTP), a Horse (OOT, MM, TP), a sailboat (WW, PH) and now, in the latest cel-shaded incarnation, a Train. When this game was first announced, fans didn't know what to think, as is the usual fanfare that comes with Zelda games, we just had to wait and see what they did with it.
The time has come, and for the hardcore Zelda fans, you won't be disappointed. Following the same formula as the other 1,000 games in the series, ST has all the treasure plundering, baddie whooping action found in PH, but it's too much of the same thing. I found that after playing PH, ST seemed to be... a cut and paste hack job. Too many puzzles follow the same route, too many odd jobs are the same, etc. etc. Musical instruments find their way back into another Zelda series, but again seem like an obligatory add-on.
Graphics and gameplay wise, if you've played PH for DS, you're going to be right at home with ST. All stylus (sometimes L button) controls are definitely the way to go for this series, even if at certain points, you don't feel *totally* in control of your character, as the simplest tap or touch can mean doom for poor Link. In the graphics dept. , ST doesn't fail to disappoint at all, pretty much pushing the DS to it's limits as far as 3D gameplay go, even including some beautiful boss scenes at the beginning of battles. Getting back to the train, it's pretty simple to set your route and go about your business, but having to follow a set path rather than have a free flowing land/ocean, like in WW/PH was definitely a step back for me. It proved slow, and tiresome having to evade other trains, which end up one hit killing you if you crash into them, forcing you allllll the way back to your beginning destination. :mad:
The storyline (as mentioned by one of the main characters) takes place about 80 years after PH, and in certain instances, chooses to link (hah, not *that* Link) the two stories together with a few throwback characters, and a little story involvement. Again, pretty much on par for the Zelda series, but seemed a bit thrown together.
All in all, Zelda: Spirit Tracks has that pinchable, cute face of a baby that you love to adore, but when it starts crying and pissing itself, you won't think twice to play "kick the baby" and kick the DS off.
Gameplay - 7
Graphics - 9
Story - 9
Overall - 8.3
