Topic: The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks First Impressions

Yus!

The game is so-so. I kind of like the train. It's fun to blow the whistle lol. I would the say that the game gets tougher before you reach the 3rd dungeon. I haven't really completed the game yet. I just finished the 3rd dungeon and I'm stuck in the towers of spirits <.<...trying to get around that lol.

I prefer Phantom Hourglass, and mostly for the exact reasons you just mentioned. o_o I though it had better puzzles, it was more difficult (I can beat ST dungeons as I had played the game hundreds of times), less reliance on the mic (which I prefer), and rabbits are pretty much fish. I also thought Phantom's music is much better than Spirit's, which seems rather dull in comparison. The boat is essentially the same thing as the train but you swap freedom and maneuverability for pretty graphics, and blasting was done just as much before. Not to mention Phantom Hourglass was bigger, had more dungeons, more replay value, higher difficulty (that one's opinion of course), and more. I will agree with you that the tag-team is brilliant though. Different strokes for different folks is kinda corny but very true. O.o

Just passed the Tower of Spirits for the third time. Onto the Fire Dungeon.

@zss_shadow

Strange... I've yet to pick it up so I can't weight in yet, but the reviews are pretty much unanimous in saying the exact opposite of what you've said regarding the relative strengths of the two games. I haven't read a review yet that doesn't refer to this sequel as significantly improved in puzzle design and overall difficulty, and they've also all stated that this game is a larger, lengthier adventure. I understand that the primary dungeon is large enough this time so that the combined dungeons in ST are a good deal larger than in the former game. Perhaps you added to the length of the previous game by sailing around aimlessly a lot?

Oh well, I'll find out soon; I keep resisting since I've already made so many superfluous purchases this month (and it's December -- I still have gifts to buy for others!), but I'm sure I'll break down and grab it soon enough.

Do it!

im really excited for this and hopin to get it 4 christmas cuz im broke

I really like this game. The main temple is not as annoying as in PH as there is no time limit nor the need to replay previously beaten floors.

I can't really say it's better though as this game has a very slow pace. The train driving is not really boring but it is awfully time-consuming. Sometimes you have to transport people or cargo and if you fail you have to start all over eating up several minutes of time. This is an issue if you want to complete the various side-quests.

Great game.. The train riding can be slow, but the puzzles make up for it. The bosses are also rather challenging (except for the ocean one, kinda like a bellum impersonator [no spoiler intended]) I also like the whip, except it has a sorta short reach. It has alot of side quests, and I'm enjoying it just as much, if not a little more then phantom hourglass. (which ive seemed to misplace.. .) The spirit pipe lokamo songs can be annoying, smoe taking a few hours. but heres a tip - go for rhythm , not notes. I'll also add more to this later, as I've just done the 4th lokamo song (I'm pretty sure i misspelled lokamo)

It's Locomos actually.

The songs are hard to play when it is going rather fast. Since you have to blow in the microphone it can be a bit breathtaking.

Only four dudgeons!? [infinitly sad]

theres more than 4, plus there's lots more sidequests than PH, and I found them a lot more fun than PH's sidequests too.

I'm almost through the game (at the "5th" dungeon as of last night), and i've been loving it, but i think at the end of the day, i'll end up placing towards the lower half of my personal "best Zelda games" list. There's more "sidequest" stuff i have to do, but i don't usually have the desire to do a long fetch-quest which is only long because of the train gameplay mechanic. I enjoy the train, but as has been said it takes away some of that open game-world Zelda-feel. Not sure if i consider ST better or the same as Phanton Hourglass; ST probably a touch better in some respects (especially the "main/hub" dungeon), but i do think i preferred the boat-travel over the train-travel.

There's indeed only five real dungeons. The final boss is fought outside of a dungeon, which is rather unusual for a Zelda game.

Phantom Hourglass was longer, even though it wasn't a terribly long quest either. I also liked how that one was more open-ended, like a Zelda game should.

I still can't say which is better as of yet. A bit of time will have to pass before I can judge about that.

Nintendo power gave it a 9.5 - higher than NSMBW. Though I'm sure it was a different reviewer.

Two words... looks from side to side to make sure no one is listening
_{IGN Guide...}

Well I think it is whole lot better than PH. I enjoyed PH when I first got it, but I'm having an even better blast with this one. Sure, PH had its freedom with the boat, and it was easier to maneuver in the water rather than tracks, but ST is better in every other way. How? First of all, the music tracks are ALL great sounding and original, and the dungeon music is leagues better than PH's. PH's music were all dull and repetitive, save for maybe ONE track. Also, the dungeon design is excellent. And so are the puzzles. I like to say that I'm experienced with Zelda-like puzzles, but a whole bunch of the puzzles made me scratch my head and keep trying over and over again. I don't ever remember another Zelda game do that (well, maybe Twilight Princess... damn sacred grove statues...) Another thing, for better or worse, is that it involves a LOT of strategy and thinking ahead. Some of the puzzles have you do split-second actions to get a certain essential key or something, while traveling by train always keeps you on your toes whenever the Phantom Trains are near you. Yes, there are Phantom Trains in this game (not the type from FF6!), and they can get very annoying. If they collide with your vessel, then its game over and you have to start from wherever you started the train ride. And to make matters worse, some even follow you, so you have to either run away or keep chucking cannonballs at them. Luckily, that is the ONLY major annoyance in the game, and everything else is awesome. The difficulty, needless to say, is higher (at least, after getting the 3rd rail map it is), and the music is better, and new weapons are made available, too. Sure, there's the usual boomerang and bombs, but theres also a whip you can use Indiana-Jones style, and the boomerang can even do some extra things, like create ice bridges from Blue Torches. All in all, Spirit Tracks is an excellent game, and every Zelda fan should play it.

But thats where you ruin the fun for yourself. I'm proud to say I beat ST without any help.