Comments on: Gamer Limit Review: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

By: TVT

TVT — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:01:06 +0000

While it’s true that Spirit Tracks represents a stagnation, it’s largely a sign of lazy game design rather than that the general formula is becoming weak and boring. Zelda’s console entries are reliably incredible, and LttP and the traditional handhelds have always been awesome (MC’s length and difficulty issues aside).

The main issue with the series’ DS entries is not that the formula is old, but that the DS games don’t actually have the formula. Usually, it’s “Pointless Hour of Tutorials” followed by “First Dungeon” followed by “Engaging Exploration in the Detailed Overworld Full of Secrets” followed by the next dungeon, and so on until the end. PH and ST don’t have that. Rather, we have “Pointless Hour of Tutorials” followed by “Visit the Annoying Pointless Linear Stealth-Based Dungeon Full of Invincible Phantoms that Contains a Magical Map”, followed by “Painfully Linear Traversal of an Entirely Empty Overworld with No Secrets Whatsoever Yet is Inexplicably Full of Easy Enemies That Serve No Purpose But to Ensure That You Are Paying Attention”, followed by “Unremarkable Dungeon”, rinse and repeat, INCLUDING the pointless tutorials on how to fire your cannon or move the Phantom around or follow pointless signs.

Zelda needs to stick to the basic formula, but actually execute it with flair and creativity, instead of gutting the formula and giving us its cel-shaded mutilated corpse.

By: Georgie

Georgie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:51:10 +0000

I buy Nintendo consoles especially for Zelda and as yet I have never been able to finish 1 of them! At the moment on ST Im stuck on playing the 2nd tune with the flute thing. I know where Ive got to blow and the tune to play and at what tempo, but my DS misses some of the notes and now im well peed off with it. Ive blown gently, hard, tilted the blow hole at different angles, does anyone have any tips please. Im contemplating putting my hairdryer on and using that see if it works Im that desperate!!!

By: the kid gamer (actully!)

the kid gamer (actully!) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:55:12 +0000

I think that ph and st were meant for kids. Think about it gofey graphics, easy puzzels, all that stuff if you are a grown up I under stand how fell about ph and st but if your a kid get a life! (not really)

By: Reap

Reap — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:30:46 +0000

@ Ram

I KNOW! It’s not like person 1 could like object A and hate object B and person 2 could like object B and hate object A!!!! ONE OF THEM HAS TO BE WRONG!!!! It’s not like, you know, people could like different things about different games! That would be like an OPINION! Nobody has one of those!

By: Dr. Eggnog

Dr. Eggnog — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:36:33 +0000

I like Ram’s comment, and perhaps he doesn’t count the CDI titiles as part of the series. I’m playing Phamtom Hourglass right now, and it’s okay, I guess. It’s too easy, but I like the stylus controls really well actually. And I think this was a solid review.

By: Heinster

Heinster — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:02:34 +0000

‘Spirit Tracks is the weakest title in the entire series’

Betrayes the reviewers knowledge… He hasn’t even seen or heard the 3 CDI titles, otherwhise he could have never said anything like this.

But as an old fan of Zelda Link to the past and Ocarina of time, I can only agree with the declining quality in game experience ever since.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:45:07 +0000

This is the epitome of bad reviews.

By: SxYSpAz

SxYSpAz — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:01:24 +0000

link needs to retire? well, that definitely tells me that you and me are on two very different levels of gaming. I’ll probably stop gaming when i start thinking that. So, am i buying this game anyways? yeah, i think so.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:28:30 +0000

To the previous Anonymous:

I simply pointed out valid inconsistencies between the review and the actual product. Note that I didn’t even claim the game is better or worse than anything.

Glad you’re probably not a professional at reviewing games. Intelligent debate does not seem to be your forte.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:23:16 +0000

That’s a fair opinion, however I felt it was not conveyed well in the review itself. For the Tower of Spirits, it simply failed to clearly mention the differences (no time limit, no health draining, no repeating areas) and instead almost gives it the false impression that it is the same as Phantom’s Temple. I felt for the Tower, they did a good job of varying the puzzles with the different phantom types that were introduced. The teleportation puzzles or the boss battle I shouldn’t spoil here were the highlights for me so far.

As for the dialogue, I won’t argue personal opinion again. However since Alfonzo has a pretty small role in the plot (practically one cutscene), I’ll still take the stance that there are equally bad or worse offenders in every Zelda game. Think about the many Tingles, or the OoT owl.

Again my issue with this review is that it overstated many of the negatives, almost to the point of misinforming the uninformed reader.

It sounds like we could agree to disagree.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:43:19 +0000

Ha. Good thing Chase reviewed this, I would have given it an even lower song. I’ve never been more disappointed in a sequel. I loved Phantom Hourglass; it is one of my favorite DS titles. But Spirit Tracks just doesn’t have the same gusto, and just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

And the best developed princess zelda character? Then you’ve never played Ocarina of Time, which is LEAGUES AND LEAGUES better than either DS game.

In Phantom Hourglass, you didn’t have to start the dungeon from the beginning either.

By: Chris Carter

Chris Carter — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:22:53 +0000

@Anonymous
I honestly felt like the dialogue was MUCH worse than any Zelda game I’ve ever played.

As I brought up before in my first comment, Alfonzo’s lines are easily the worst written bits in any Nintendo game.

I also feel like praising the Tower of Spirits just because it’s better than Phantom’s Temple is a fallacy. If I gave you two pieces of moldy bread, would it be better than one? I personally felt like I was repeating myself over and over, with the exact same “grab three pieces of power” environment.