The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Arrives on the North American VC Tomorrow

sweet ive never played this one. guess i should finish wind waker first, been a long time since i touched that game

This is for Wii U, right? The article doesn't say, but I assume it is.

This is great and all but I'm sure I'm not the only who's thinking "how am I going to solve that one puzzle that required me to close the DS on the gamepad?"

@majinx07
I came here to ask that very question.

...This ain't Rhythm Heaven. TwT

I WANTED SPIRIT TRACKS....

As for the map transfer, my guess is that you'll have to close the game via the home menu and reboot the game.

Coincidentally, I just finished it today on my 3DS. Such a good game. Personally I find it very satisfying it was easier than the typical Zelda. You can just enjoy the ride.

@Megumi_Sagano Why would you want Rhythm Heaven on the VC? Do you like lag?

Maybe it'll be by pressing the home button or something. I'm sure they've thought of a way of getting around console specific issues like that.

I still have the originals! I don't throw away my Zeldas!

Alright, I'll have to get it, then...after finishing all the other games I've started but never finished...oh, boy...
@MetaRyan Yes.

give us Mario party 3-7

@Yoshi ...What lag? >_>

Now we're talkin'.

NoA pissed off a lot of people with their drip feed tactics, but, it may pay dividends now IF they choose to distribute those games throughout the course of the next 9 months to fill the release gaps.

Which has always been my suspicion. NoA seems to like to keep a backup plan- like when we gamers hoard all the best items in a game thinking they may be of use later, then end up beating the game and spamming them all on the final boss fight.

Well NoA, the end is here. Time to spam all those items, er, games you've been stockpiling.

@Megumi_Sagano The lag that results from playing on a TV/Gamepad, which tends to be about two frames for VC titles. Makes all the difference for a rhythm game. It'd be much easier to play it on the hardware it was designed around.

@Yoshi ...Wario Ware Touched doesn't lag for me at all...so....>.>

Metroid Prime Hunters, with actually good controls that won't break my hands, like the ability to map the camera to the right joystick, idk... and maybe even Metroid Prime Pinball?!

@Megumi_Sagano Warioware is not a rhythm game.

So how do you play it? You gotta hold the gamepad differently?

@Yoshi ...It still didn't lag. >_>

I have the cartridge but never finished it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it in the next 15 years, once I've cleared up my backlog.

Will there be online support? I highly doubt it. I love this game and one of the reasons I loved it was for the online functionality. Nintendo should incorporate the online capabilities of these old games instead of just porting the game. If that's the case, take it out.

I want it, but I don't want it.

@Megumi_Sagano It does lag, but it isn't noticeable for a game like that. When you're trying to tap and flick to the beat (or those dreaded offbeats!) of the music in a rhythm game, it can be a nuisance when the game penalizes you even though you thought your timing was correct. It may not make the game unplayable, but it would make the game more unforgiving than it was originally.

Also, the game runs for $10 for a physical copy, at least on Amazon. That's a much better option.

@adam9431 Man, tell me about it. Big reason why I'm mostly skipping this generation (except my Wii U).

Why aren't DS VC games on 3DS?

Such a great game, I hope it sells enough to bring the sequel to VC too. I learned to love these touch Zeldas after struggling so much with the play style. Definitely two masterpieces of their generation.

On a side note: How will they pull the map puzzle where you had to close DS? I know there's a suspend function but it's not nearly as intuitive as it was in the original.

@Ichiyama it's not just video games. I also have a backlog of amiibos and Animal Crossing amiibo cards/Pokemon TCG packs that I haven't even opened yet . . . probably a hoarding problem more than anything . . .

@JaxonH Speaking of spamming...

Remember that conversation we were having on the other site about "online", well look, everyone's favorite, Day 1 paid for DLC.

http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/bib4RuC7xxI8fX1lKYDJQs9Tt0_M2OGt

I'm sure you'll pick it up no questions asked, but Day 1 paid DLC always leads to internet griping.

Have you guys covered this yet @ThomasBW84 I expect a full write up by the time I wake up in the morning.

NOA had a tweet about it as well, 9 ours ago. I can't belive nobody brought it up. Maybe I just missed it? Or you guys skipped it b/c apparently there are yet more censorship issues? I'm going to bed.

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica

NOA working to fill in vc gaps??? Uhhhh no!! It has been and continues to be a horrible snails pace of a service 3+ Years and except for rare occasions NOA continues to torture us with...one...vc game...a week!! And even though gba & ds was added there is still sooooo many classics still missing!!! I hope this is finally rectified with the NX!!

This is welcomed news.

@Yoshi I have the Homebrew Channel with a Rhythm Heaven VC inject and havent noticed any difference between this and my cart... I've been digging into the Taiko no Tatsujin series on Wii U as well, and after some fiddling got the input lag down well into the playable range. Maybe that helps?

Its something that'll change between TV sets and resolution. If there was any input lag introduced by the emulation, I didn't notice it. I also tested Elite Beat Agents and that was damn ace as well...

Still got it for DS/3DS....and that's what it should be played on.

Here's hoping for Spirit Tracks soon...

@majinx07 Oh gosh I remember that Q A Q

@Yoshi ...Yeah I'm done arguing...I've compared GamePad with TV...there's no lag.

I really dislike playing DS games on the Wii U. No matter what option I tried it never looked right to me.

@Megumi_Sagano Very well. Just keep in mind that I was not discussing TV vs. Gamepad on lag. I was saying that both of them have lag.

Nice! Been waiting on this to hit the big screen. Will be getting.

@Yoshi @Megumi_Sagano

Yoshi is correct. For some reason, VC titles have the most lag in general.... Although 2 frames is really REALLY good, especially compared to the vast majority of HDTV's (Or some of the other god awful Virtual title releases.... NERD did good), it is more lag than actually playing on a ds .

I hope there is a good emulator in the package. Hopefully bring some good news data for the compatability tables.

@majinx07 lol i believe you throw your gamepad at the screen

I will probably pick this up, I prefer playing LoZ games on a larger screen anyways...

What's the best zelda between this, Spirit Tracks and Minish Cap?

I'd say Minish, but I barely remember the DS games. I think I liked Spirit Tracks a little more. I do like how it tracks the receding of the seas, with ST having an almost completely dry Hyrule.

@MrSands I'd say Minish Cap, but I have yet to play this one. Spirit Tracks was excellent, but I liked the charm and focus of Minish Cap.

Linebeck. If for nothing else, play this game for Linebeck.

@MrSands I never played phantom hourglass or spirit tracks, but Minish Cap is the best 2D Zelda in my opinion.
It's very unique and the sidequest to collect and fuse kinstones is one of the best in the series, very addictive.

Still have the original game, and the sequel. My only real gripe was the reliance on pen control for most everything and the DS touchscreen was hard to draw concise lines on. With the much larger Gamepad to play on, though, Wii U definitely fixes this limitation, which means the game might actually be more fun to play.

@MrSands They were all pretty mediocre.

The DS Zelda's have a glorified map screen replacing the once peerless design of a zelda overworld.

And Minish cap is really small, gimmicky, completely railroaded, has the worst most pointless "Sidequest" in the series, in the form of the god awful 'Gacha' design for absolutely nothing worthwhile. But man does it have some of the most gorgeous pixel art ever.

If you want to know why Zelda became an Icon of Video games on the go, get Links Awakening.

@Indy83 Splatoon's Squid Beatz minigame lags just enough to be incredibly frustrating, though I'm not sure if that's a Gamepad issue, or if the devs just didn't sync it right.

Yes, HDTV lag is.concerning and every TV works differently on this regard, but almost every TV apply less post processing on native resolutions compares to smaller ones. Thats why it's recommended to turn on Game Mode on TV and apply the native resolution of the TV on the video confira of the console

One good solution for adjusting lag I found on Rockband. The guitar has a mic and to adjust lag, you start the config and you put the guitar near the speaker of the TV. The game will make some noises and will automatically adjust the correct "input window". The GamePad already has a mic, it is very easy to do this, but I dont think Nintendo will care to do this.

One good

Despite all of the mixed opinions on this game as a huge fan of Wind Waker I fell in love with this game and it's sense of adventure almost immediately. Hopefully Spirit Tracks gets released on the E-shop soon because I have yet to play that one and copies for it go for a rather high price when compared to the ten bucks it would be on the store.

How did I like Phantom Hourglass, you ask? Well, suffice it to say that up until A Link Between Worlds came along, it was my favourite handheld exclusive Zelda ever.

The gorgeous cel shading and ultra-intuitive stylus controls meanwhile, ensure it'll remain a stone cold classic for many years to come – particularly when played on the 3DS XL and its huge touchscreen!

YES! I have Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks, so I'll definitely get it for a low price to complete my collection. 😂

Phantom hourglass is my favourite portable Zelda game...so much fun. I hate Spirit tracks, having to constantly blow on the mic makes the game unplayable in public.

For Phantom hourglass first time player, you will get stuck in the game within a couple hours: my advise to you is to remember there's a mic in your console. It will save you hours of frustration. Trust me.

For a my Nintendo reward can we have new super Mario Bros. Or this for the 3ds.

@majinx07

You will have to tap the toon link amiibo to the wii u gamepad

This will be the first DS VC game I purchase. It's been too long since I played this one.

Sure the game has some glaring issues but it's still fun.

There's an episode in PH where you need to shut the DS (close the lid). How are they going to do that with Wii U controller?

Glad to see they are finally putting the minimum effort into the virtual console. Still want to see games like Hotel Dusk, Trace Memory (and the unreleased Wii sequel), The Last Story, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Retro Game Challenge (and the unreleased sequel), and other gems.

I really wish Capcom had the licensing to re-release Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars on Wii Virtual Console.

Finally, jeeez. Now if we could get the several dozen other titles released in EU already that'd be just prime!

Wasn't this title one of those released long ago in Europe? If so, then how come the question of closing the lid for a puzzle of some sorts keeps getting asked here? Surely, the review had stated the solution?

@MetaRyan
It's just come to light that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will be landing tomorrow on the Wii U on the 12th for the weekly update.