Perhaps it's not one of the better Zelda games, but it still offers a fun experience.
- Decent story
- Graphics look fine
- Controls work just as well as they did Phantom Hourglass
The Bad:
- Travelling by the train is boring and takes away from exploration
- The Spirit Tower segments are horribly boring
Just like my review deck says, it's not one of the better Zelda games, but it still has its moments of fun.
In my opinion this game improves on Phantom Hourglass, but then again I guess that's not saying much.
The most controversial thing about this game is the new method of transportation: a train. Most Zelda fans were bothered by this because it strips away the exploration factor that the series is famous for; in fact, the series has ALWAYS had an exploration factor, but if you don't care about that, then the train won't bother you much.
Story-wise, this game's plot is somewhat interesting I guess, but I don't want to give anything away so I won't get into it.
Graphics-wise, this game doesn't improve on the graphics of Phantom Hourglass, which is fine I guess because they still look fine.
Sound-wise, this game has a decent soundtrack, but it's not anyting to write home about. The sound effects are fine as well. There's not much more I can really say here.
The controls of this game are fine, they're the same as the ones in Phantom Hourlgass, so I can't really say more there.
Enjoyment-wise, this game is enjoyable most of the time, and it improves on Phantom Hourglass by getting rid of The Temple of the Ocean King, but this game has something else that's almost as bad: and that's the Spirit Tower. You don't have to repeatedly do the same things over and over in the Spirit Tower, but that doesn't prevent those segments from being boring. Sure it offers the new concept of taking control of phantoms, but that doesn't stop the Spirit Tower segments from being overly long and boring. In fact, the Spirit Tower actually interrupts the flow of the story, and I never enjoyed going there. Other than the Spirit Tower segments, however, the sidequests and dungeons are as fun as ever, and this game will keep you playing for hours.
Overall:
Story - 8.0
Graphics - 7.9
Sound - 7.7
Controls - 8.0
Enjoyment - 8.3
Bottom line: If you enjoy Zelda games and you own a DS, proceed it with caution and don't expect anything spectacular.