|
View previous topic :: View next topic
|
| Author |
Message |
Perseus
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:09 pm Post subject: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again? |
  |
|
So, Phantom Hourglass is out today (it's Monday night where I am), and I've got myself a copy! The sequel to what was maybe 2/3 of my favourite game ever (mixed in with 1/3 of my most hated game ever); the antidote to the Ocarina of Time meets LoTR nonsense of Twilight Princess (a game which, frankly, I haven't played, mostly because I don't have a Wii yet, but also because I can't see myself wading through the same bullshit I did in Wind Waker in a game which doesn't have its sharp aesthetic style, or sense of adventure, or PIRATES!).
Or is it? I've only played through one hour of the game (pausing because it asked me to shout into the microphone, a decidedly inconvenient act given that I was in the middle of a public library), and so far I'm cautiously optimistic.
The fun-to-bullshit to fun ratio is gratifyingly high so far. Only two things really bug me so far, the first being a completely brain-dead design decision, or rather, one that assumes *I* am completely brain-dead, despite having just solved a puzzle that, while not overly taxing, certainly proves that I at least am of normal intelligence, and have a reasonable short-term memory to boot. Those who've played the game will know instantly what I'm talking about: the "helpful" message that appears EVERY TIME you pick up a small key. I won't go on about it (any more), because Tim already has in his ABDN review of the game, but really... I almost screamed at the game when I got the same damn explanation for the third time, not 5 minutes from when I'd picked up the first small key!
The second thing that bugs me is how insanely difficult it is to roll, which isn't such a big deal right now given that I've not been *required* to roll to do anything in the game. It's just kind of annoying given how well the rest of the controls work, and they really do work... really well! Except for occasionally covering up the action with my hand when I'm running to the left, using the stylus to move and fight just feels really intuitive. It's kind of an AHA moment, to control Link (or whatever you choose to call the little feller) for the first time, and to just point in whatever direction you choose and have him run that way. It feels like how adventure game control schemes *should've* evolved (instead of the half-assed control schemes we got in Broken Sword 3/Dreamfall/etc): the ultimate evolution of point-and-click. I really hope Zak & Wiki controls a bit like this, except with a Wiimote. Judging by impressions online... it sounds like it does!
Getting back to Phantom Hourglass- let's see... the puzzles are great, nothing too difficult yet, but they feel a bit fresher than what we've seen in Zelda-style games of recent years, it's got the same great atmosphere as Wind Waker, and captures the essence of its visual style pretty well to boot!
What really brought a tear of joy to my eye was the sailing, or rather... navigating? Just like moving Link around, it's an exercise in simplicity. No more tedious wand-waving to change wind directions- just draw a line to indicate your desired course, and the boat chugs along it! I can't wait to see how the cannon works, once I get the cannon! I'm expecting it to be similarly great! Well, I'm getting back to the game, hoping that the fun-to-bullshit ratio remains high. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
 |
108
fairy godmilf
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: tokyo
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| Perseus wrote: |
| The second thing that bugs me is how insanely difficult it is to roll, which isn't such a big deal right now given that I've not been *required* to roll to do anything in the game. |
And it never will be!
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
winkerwatson
badmin
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:23 pm |
|
|
Tim I will buy this game if you think I should buy this game do you think I should buy this game?
_________________
tim? |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
108
fairy godmilf
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: tokyo
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:27 pm |
|
|
Yes, Winker, you should.
It's the feel-good hit of the year.
If you've ever liked a Zelda, you're bound to LOVE Phantom Hourglass!
_________________
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Broco
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:41 pm Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| Perseus wrote: |
| the "helpful" message that appears EVERY TIME you pick up a small key. |
I think maybe they feel they have to do this. At this point, it wouldn't really feel like a Zelda without the redundant, unskippable messages when you open a chest.
Last edited by Broco on Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:41 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
winkerwatson
badmin
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:41 pm |
|
|
thanks tim
_________________
tim? |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
invisibleyogurt
Joined: 30 May 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:00 pm |
|
|
| I'm sick of Zelda as of late and the controls and difficulty sound like bullcrap (not to mention the newly ramped-up patronization to those clueless casuals.) Not interested, sorry. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Mr Mustache
Mean Mr. Mustache
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: bushwick
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:17 pm |
|
|
The casuals are out to ruin gaming :(
_________________
The people are like wool to me. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
invisibleyogurt
Joined: 30 May 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:22 pm |
|
|
:(((
...Okay, but how many casuals actually need to be told what a key is EVERY SINGLE FREAKING TIME THEY PICK ONE UP? |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Mr Mustache
Mean Mr. Mustache
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: bushwick
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:29 pm |
|
|
As absurd as it sounds, I think broco is right about that. The messages have been more or less the same since Ocarina of Time most likely it wouldn't even occur to those working on Zelda games that this could be a problem.
_________________
The people are like wool to me. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Texican Rude
forum ruler of Iraq
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:50 pm |
|
|
I'd like to see an interview where they confront that.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Perseus
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:54 pm |
|
|
What, is this game still not out yet in the USA? Or is everyone avoiding it because of general SB anti-Zelda sentiment? Come on, people! At least give this a *try*.
| 108 wrote: |
| Perseus wrote: |
| The second thing that bugs me is how insanely difficult it is to roll, which isn't such a big deal right now given that I've not been *required* to roll to do anything in the game. |
And it never will be! |
Glad to hear that! I guess the developers just felt the need to shoe-horn that move into this game because they felt like it wouldn't be a Zelda game without it, or something? Good thing they were smart enough to realize they hadn't implemented it nearly well enough to use it as a puzzle element, though it might've been even smarter not to implement it at all!
| invisibleyogurt wrote: |
| I'm sick of Zelda as of late and the controls and difficulty sound like bullcrap (not to mention the newly ramped-up patronization to those clueless casuals.) Not interested, sorry. |
I was sick of Zelda lately, too, but this game feels very different from any recent Zelda game I've played. The controls are the very opposite of bullcrap, seriously. They're just simple, and elegant (well, except for the aforementioned roll move).
Anyway, I've sunk in a few more hours into the game, and my enjoyment level is just ramping up. Got myself the way awesome boomerang (hint: hold the left, or right, trigger to select it rather than using the on-screen icon), which really opens up the game's puzzle possibilities, and am now making my way down the main dungeon, which is Metal Gear-like in a very good way (as opposed to the crap stealth section of Wind Waker- hey, it looks like the Zelda dev team can acknowledge and even learn from their own mistakes after all!). Very tense. I actually died once on level B3, which stunned me right there and then because I can't recall the last time I died in a Zelda game.
Nope, not seeing how the game was "dumbed down" for the casual market at all right about now. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
idle
QUAD DAMAGE!!!
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:10 pm |
|
|
| Perseus wrote: |
| What, is this game still not out yet in the USA? Or is everyone avoiding it because of general SB anti-Zelda sentiment? Come on, people! At least give this a *try*. |
It's supposed to be available tomorrow afternoon, if you're not stealing it off the internet. In which case yes it is available.
That'd probably be the only way I'd play it, personally. I just played through TP a few months ago, I won't need to play another Zelda game for quite a while. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Texican Rude
forum ruler of Iraq
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:22 am |
|
|
| Perseus wrote: |
Nope, not seeing how the game was "dumbed down" for the casual market at all right about now. |
Yeah they dumbed it down in terms of cutting some of the bullshit. It's still there, but..YES.
It's a pretty good zelda game. Wait till you try Multiplayer! Figure out which map is the Blood Gultch.
_________________
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Broco
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:27 am |
|
|
| Rud13 wrote: |
| It's a pretty good zelda game. Wait till you try Multiplayer! Figure out which map is the Blood Gultch. |
Nintendo has really got their act together in terms of multiplayer. NSMB's multiplayer was easily the best part of the game. I haven't had this much fun since SNES Mario Kart deathmatch. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Perseus
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:35 am |
|
|
Yeah they really did cut out a fair bit of bullshit in this game. I hope they take the positive feedback (i.e. the phenomenal sales) from the game to mean that they should cut the bullshit out even more in the *next* Zelda. We could be in for some good times on the horizon.
Related: there aren't any talky tutorial bits in the section where you first find and use bomb plants. I can't really understand the rationale behind this decision, but I do appreciate it! |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Broco
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:45 am |
|
|
| I think the phenomenal sales will be attributed to the fact that there are 50 million DSes out there. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
gooktime
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: no
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:47 am |
|
|
| I detested Twilight Princess, will this restore my faith? |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
rabite gets whacked!
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:27 am |
|
|
It's another Zelda. I appreciate the nautical theme I guess, but after one dungeon I can tell it's going to be the same old thing, plus maybe more stealth? With worse dialog. Zelda for kids, I guess, which is really saying something.
PS, Protip: you can generally just blow into the microphone when a DS asks you to yell. Sibilance and all; there's no voice recognition here.
New Games Journalism Plot Point: Somebody write 5,000 words about a game that leads you around by the hand, while you're leading the protagonist around by the hand. Quick!
EDIT: The boomerang is very well implemented, I forgot to say.
_________________
| Mr Mustache wrote: |
| They should probably stop letting dimwitted nerds near the creative aspects of videogames, is what I think. |
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
internisus
dorkus malorkus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:34 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| Broco wrote: |
| Perseus wrote: |
| the "helpful" message that appears EVERY TIME you pick up a small key. |
I think maybe they feel they have to do this. At this point, it wouldn't really feel like a Zelda without the redundant, unskippable messages when you open a chest. |
In absolute fucking seriousness, I don't think that I can stand to play another game that does this. What about treasure chests with rupees? Do they remind me how much a red rupee is worth everytime I find one? I just can't do that again.
Also, I am not much of a multiplayer guy. Chances are that, outside the unusual possibilities of the Kentucky thing I guess, I would never play multiplayer even once if I got this game. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
rye
Joined: 06 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:59 am |
|
|
| I should be playing this by the end of the week, one Amazon ships my pre-order to me. I'm optimistic! Trying not to read too much of the thread until I've had a chance to play myself. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Texican Rude
forum ruler of Iraq
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:34 am |
|
|
Like I said in the original thread, I'm not sure I could have stood the game if it was in my first language.
_________________
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
dessgeega
damaged
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:08 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| internisus wrote: |
| In absolute fucking seriousness, I don't think that I can stand to play another game that does this. What about treasure chests with rupees? Do they remind me how much a red rupee is worth everytime I find one? I just can't do that again. |
this game is patronizing and lacking in any kind of subtlety. i've only played an hour or so.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Focus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:18 am |
|
|
I don't mean to be snarky or anything of the like, but when is everyone going to get over it already? You can do something FUN in those few seconds while you just tap the button/screen and look somewhere else.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
internisus
dorkus malorkus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:39 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| dessgeega wrote: |
| internisus wrote: |
| In absolute fucking seriousness, I don't think that I can stand to play another game that does this. What about treasure chests with rupees? Do they remind me how much a red rupee is worth everytime I find one? I just can't do that again. |
this game is patronizing and lacking in any kind of subtlety. i've only played an hour or so. |
How about the map-drawing? Is that doing anything for you?
| Focus wrote: |
| I don't mean to be snarky or anything of the like, but when is everyone going to get over it already? You can do something FUN in those few seconds while you just tap the button/screen and look somewhere else. |
Can you imagine playing Half-Life 2 with the game pausing for 3 seconds to explain what those energy orbs are everytime you encounter one? |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Mr Mustache
Mean Mr. Mustache
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: bushwick
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:41 am |
|
|
Fyi, Toups is wrong about Wind Waker's narrative.
_________________
The people are like wool to me. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Focus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:50 am |
|
|
I can imagine that happening in HL 2 if they did it several games prior, yes.
_________________
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Judge Ito
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: IA
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:53 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| internisus wrote: |
| What about treasure chests with rupees? Do they remind me how much a red rupee is worth everytime I find one? |
This really isn't a big deal.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
dessgeega
damaged
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:56 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| internisus wrote: |
| How about the map-drawing? Is that doing anything for you? |
| at the gamer's quarter, dessgeega wrote: |
| scribbling on maps is a smart game mechanic, all the better for how naturally it suits the ds, but it only means that you're expected to pull four switches in an order prescribed by a nearby tablet, and the game will remind you upon reading to pull up your map screen and jot those numbers down. |
_________________
|
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Zebadayus
pelvis othello
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: Louisville, KY
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:39 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| dessgeega wrote: |
this game is patronizing and lacking in any kind of subtlety. i've only played an hour or so. |
If you wouldn't mind Dessgeega, would you explain to me in what way/s it is patronizing you, and where it is lacking subtlety where it shouldn't be?
_________________
What a post! So much effort, so many generalisations and so much garbage. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
dessgeega
damaged
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:41 am |
|
|
| dessgeega wrote: |
the underlying problem of phantom hourglass, i think, is that the developers are incapable of subtlety.
i'm not referring just to the patronizing authorial voice that has come to be characteristic of the zelda series - though, yes, this is a game that will give you two pages of instruction on how and where to use a key every time you find one even though you found and used another one less than five minutes prior (and even though the function of a key, when confronted with a locked door, is really one that the player can be expected to deduce).
it's something deeper than that. this game seems genuinely distrustful of the player. the chief supporting character is a reprehensible coward who boasts of his own exploits even while he finds excuses to keep himself out of danger, occasionally showing up to drool over the possibility of treasure. a ghost laments its inability to take notes on maps that aren't marked with a ds icon.
scribbling on maps is a smart game mechanic, all the better for how naturally it suits the ds, but it only means that you're expected to pull four switches in an order prescribed by a nearby tablet, and the game will remind you upon reading to pull up your map screen and jot those numbers down. you can expect that that and every other puzzle in that dungeon will require you to use the boomerang you just found, by the way.
half-life 2 tries to tug the strings of player psychology in so gentle a way that the player won't notice. zelda is afraid of that kind of subtlety, so it yanks the player around on a leash while barking orders. repeatedly, in case the player misses them the first time.
at least the boat is less cumbersome than in wind waker. |
_________________
Last edited by dessgeega on Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Intentionally Wrong
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: Wichita, KS, USA
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:42 am Post subject: Re: Phantom Hourglass: Making Zelda fun again! |
|
|
| zebadayus wrote: |
| If you wouldn't mind Dessgeega, would you explain to me in what way/s it is patronizing you, and where it is lacking subtlety where it shouldn't be? |
Check here.
_________________
Obsequious pigs are not welcome in Mulravia. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Zebadayus
pelvis othello
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: Louisville, KY
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:28 am |
|
|
That's ridiculous Dessgeega.
Phantom Hourlgass and Half Life 2 are very different beasts.
Patronizing? Distrustful? Subtlety? You're laying it on pretty thick Dess.
Is the game fun?
_________________
What a post! So much effort, so many generalisations and so much garbage. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
internisus
dorkus malorkus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:59 am |
|
|
| zebadayus wrote: |
That's ridiculous Dessgeega.
Phantom Hourlgass and Half Life 2 are very different beasts. |
You're wrong. She is absolutely right. They are both singleplayer videogames with deliberate one-time type level designs, and the basics of manipulating player psychology subtly so that s/he feels free but still -- willingly and without sensing the manipulation of a guiding hand -- jumps through all of your fun hoops, that psychology and all of its elements, including the visual language of the game like I KNOW WHAT A KEY IS YOU ASSHAT -- is the same across the board.
Everybody here likes to say "you can't compare that to HL2 because they're trying for different things," but the truth is that, once you are looking at HL2 at a low enough level, it's a benchmark for game design that can be applied to a whole hell of a lot of games from all kinds of genres.
Why do you think that The Troops was able to compare HL2 and SMB so aptly? Because, with rare exceptions, all of these games are built of the same basic principles and elements. And this goes back to BEFORE Mario, as well. Understanding those fundamental things and how it is that they are done well and in what way they work or ought to work in this or that particular game that is different in this or that way is WHAT WE DO HERE. Lately, it seems like everyone is afraid of that, afraid to hold up their champions and to learn from them. It's like everyone's afraid of this demoralizing backlash of "YOU CAN'T DO THAT IT ISN'T FAIR THEY ARE DIFFERENT", but that's exactly why you can do that and why it's important that we do that. Otherwise we're just a bunch of idiots not doing anything here.
Also, read this. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Cycle
just call him badass
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:27 am |
|
|
| internisus wrote: |
| Everybody here likes to say "you can't compare that to HL2 because they're trying for different things," but the truth is that, once you are looking at HL2 at a low enough level, it's a benchmark for game design that can be applied to a whole hell of a lot of games from all kinds of genres. |
I disagree! You really can't compare games that try to do different things. Seriously. Like, you can't even compare Halo and Half-Life IF YOU ASK ME.
AND EVERYBODY DOES.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Felix
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: vancouver
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:28 am |
|
|
put me in the camp that's played an hour or so of this and is none too impressed, but we'll see what's what.
in the meantime, i think it's high time for a new DS friendcode roster. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
SuperWes
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:41 pm |
|
|
Yeah, comparing Half Life and Zelda is ludicrous. One tries with all of its might to be immersive (Half Life) while the other tries with all of its might to be fun without obstacles (Zelda).
Because of the DS's popularity, this game will be a lot of people's first time playing a Zelda game. That could explain the messages a bit, but mostly I just want to put my hand in the "get over it" camp. It's kind of annoying, but if it enduces rage in you or makes you feel the need to post on a messageboard about it you should probably reassess your priorities. If something as small as that is the biggest thing you can complain about I'd say that game must be pretty fuckin' great!
-Weş
_________________
 
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
DaleNixon
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: dirty dirty south
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:51 pm |
|
|
I think I will buy this game on a whim so I'll have something pleasant to play on my business trip next week.
_________________
 |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
internisus
dorkus malorkus
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:09 pm |
|
|
| Cycle wrote: |
| internisus wrote: |
| Everybody here likes to say "you can't compare that to HL2 because they're trying for different things," but the truth is that, once you are looking at HL2 at a low enough level, it's a benchmark for game design that can be applied to a whole hell of a lot of games from all kinds of genres. |
I disagree! You really can't compare games that try to do different things. Seriously. Like, you can't even compare Halo and Half-Life IF YOU ASK ME. |
Of course you can. You just have to do so in legitimate ways. For example, comparing the design of the Covenant dudes to the Overwatch dudes would be silly, as would looking for an analogue to HL's puzzle-solving (like having to fix dark energy reactors, for instance). Those would be silly ways to try and compare the games. But for the use of visual language or other transparent manipulation of player psychology? Of course you can compare them, and you should compare them. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Perseus
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:45 pm |
|
|
| dessgeega wrote: |
| it's something deeper than that. this game seems genuinely distrustful of the player. the chief supporting character is a reprehensible coward who boasts of his own exploits even while he finds excuses to keep himself out of danger, occasionally showing up to drool over the possibility of treasure. a ghost laments its inability to take notes on maps that aren't marked with a ds icon. |
Captain Linebeck is quite a dick, but he's not actually the main supporting character- your fairy companion, Ciela, is. Linebeck, in addition to providing you with your main means of sea transport, is meant to be Link's comic relief foil— a pompous, braggadocious self-proclaimed heroic figure who wants all the glory without spending any of the effort, as opposed to the innocent, wide-eyed yet courageous Link, who, as ever, seeks no recognition for all that he does. I think it's fair to say that the game intended for this contrast to be fairly obvious to the player by the way Ciela keeps harping about Linebeck's bastardliness whenever he tries to take credit for Link's achievements. It's basically the same thing that Half-Life 2 or Halo does with all the NPC characters who treat you with royal reverence, except in reverse.
| dessgeega wrote: |
| half-life 2 tries to tug the strings of player psychology in so gentle a way that the player won't notice. zelda is afraid of that kind of subtlety, so it yanks the player around on a leash while barking orders. repeatedly, in case the player misses them the first time. |
The game does lay it on a bit thick at the beginning, but I can see why, given the game's target audience- the casual cross-over audience. I don't think the game's bossy style is the best way to get its ideas across, either, but I see the signs of it easing up as it goes along. Like I mentioned before, the game trusts you enough to let you handle bomb-plants for the first time without a tutorial sequence, or even a set of stupid instruction pages (correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't notice any).
The game by no means strips away all of the Zelda series bullshit, but it's doing a good enough job to keep me pleased. I'm two temples into the game (fire, and wind), and, frankly, neither of them was overly exciting, or innovative, but they were short enough to breeze through, and let me get back to the meat of the game fairly quickly- the Ocean King's Temple, which so far has provided enough excitement to justify my purchase of the game. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
Felix
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Location: vancouver
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:28 pm |
|
|
i do like so far that the logic of the puzzles has reverted to more a brain-teaser mentality (as it should be) than videogamey, rube-goldberg-lite nonsense; 108 said as much in the ABDN review, but it's definitely here and it's definitely tangible. that said.. i still don't think i want to bother with committing to this game. it's too loose-tight in some way i can't quite figure out. that is to say, i'm dying often enough, but i don't really want to play the game any better, and i desperately want to attribute that to something other than complacency.
this, of course, is contributing to the general feeling as of late that nintendo wants me to up and move on, already. which i'm finally coming to appreciate.
i don't know. i'm just going to play mother 3 instead for a while. |
|
| Filter / Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
