The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS)

I've been playing this game ever since I got it. Basically, it's your typical Zelda game, but cleverly designed so that it's great for a handheld. There's so much to say about this game, i'll have to put it in quick bullet points:

1. Considering this is on the DS, the graphics are brilliant
2. The touch screen controls are fun, easy to use and work really well (may take you a bit to get used to them)
3. There are lots of puzzles to solve, none of which are too difficult
4. The boss fights are really enjoyable
5. Generaly, the gameplay is excellent
6. The diffiuclty level is set perfectly
7. Nice, short learning curve
8. Great for a handheld game, as it's a little more bite sized than the console versions. As in, it's easy to juct pick up and play for 10 minutes.

To be honest, this is one of those games where I really can't think of anything bad to say about it.

Even, if you're not a Zelda fan, or you've never even played a Zelda game before. You'll love this.

I have played and completed the legend of Zelda phantom hourglass in Japanese
(I can read both English and Japanese) so I will give you an overall review of the whole game!

Let me make this clear first, this is the best Zelda game ever! If you were one of those people who said "no" to the cel-shaded graphics, and I know that some of you reading this review were, then you wouldn't be saying that now. Link, the cool little guy, looks miles better in his childish cel-shaded form and makes the game play all the more funnier, speaking of funnier, this game is full of highly commercial moments, unlike twilight princess (I'm not saying it's a bad game or anything) which is why a lot more people will prefer this to the other titles.

The missions, I love. There is one point in the game where you have to explore a giant stone island in the shape of a DS! Anyway, the main aim of the game is to venture deep, deep down into the Phantom Dungeon (I will not tell you why because I don't want to spoil the game for you.) The only problem with this though is that there is life-sapping evil in the dungeon that would kill link if he went in. Fortunately, by defeating the first boss in a smaller anti life sapping dungeon you receive the Phantom hourglass with ten minutes worth of sand. Now using the magic of the sand protects Link from the evil of the dungeon. Now having only ten minutes worth of sand means Link can only stay in the dungeon for ten minutes. The only way to get more sand is to defeat more bosses and the more sand you get, the further down you can go. Though if you die for whatever reason you have to start from the beginning of the dungeon. I know this sounds like a pain but at certain areas there are sort of like check points. So if you die you just come back to these spots, very handy! Of course, like in any other Zelda game there will loads of guards and ghosts and demons and so on so be prepared for a load of tough fights. Anyway, there are also heaps of side missions but we'll be hear for days I describe all of those!

Yo Ho Yo Ho a pirates life for me! When you're not battling evil in one of the many dungeons you can be sailing around in your ship, battling pirates, fishing for fish and other creatures..., playing a whole host of mini games and pimpin your boat. Yep, that's right you can change and completely customise your boat from the cannon right down to the paint work. Its great fun to do and looks really good when completed.

Making use of the famous DS touch screen are the abilities to:
* Control link and interact with almost every object in the environment
* Control your ship
* Fight enemies and pick up items
* Write notes on the map (a very helpful tool when sailing the great sea)
* Set a course for your boomerang before letting it fly

The graphics, oh the sweet, sweet graphics. From Links hat gently bobbing in the breeze to the epic sword fights between you and a demon to the smoke filled explosions that emit from your cannon, the game just oozes detail and charm. This game has some of the best graphics on the DS and that's saying something because I have seen loads of great graphic games on the DS but this Zelda game puts most of them to shame!

Multiplayer something this games does best! Up to 4 players can battle it out in a mini dungeon. The goal is to grab force pieces and bring them back to your base but these little blocks of beauty slow you down making it easier for your opponent/s or one of the many monsters to attack you. Just to let you know, whacking your opponent with your sword is equally as rewarding as scoring a force point! Another great thing is the ability to control guards and set them loose against your opponent. Just to let you know, this game uses WI-FI which will please many of you!

Overall - This is truly the Best Zelda Game in the franchise by far so when it comes out in October/November most of you will have died and gone to gaming heaven! From shouting into the mic to get somebody's attention to completing that extra hard frozen snow dungeon, this game will seem all the more exciting when you revive it. Of course there are hundreds of more things to do and see in this game but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you now would I?

I'm very very impressed with the people who made this game. Everything is so well thought out, the story, plot, art, puzzles, dungeons...everything. Especially the gameplay, using the stylus has never felt more appropriate and fun in a game. What I like is that the dungeons aren't like normal adventure games where you just slash monsters. Each dungeon is a puzzle in itself and you have different weapons besides your sword to aid you. Not to forget there are so many side quests and adventures like treasure hunting and collecting rare gems to improve your ability. Overall, I would say that it's the best game on the DS, and that means a lot since I don't play many adventure games. Kudos to the Zelda team!