My Review: The Legend of Zelda- Phantom Hourglass (DS)

For me, the defining moment (and often moment of purchase) of a new system is when a game in one of my favorite franchises gets an installment on it. In fact, you can probably track all of my console purchases to the proximity of available Kingdom Hearts games, but that’s a story for another time. In the case of Nintendo, the arrival of a new Zelda game pretty much cements my purchase of their latest gadget. Usually, it’s worth it. Phantom Hourglass, the first Zelda game for the Nintendo DS, uses many of the DS’ unique features, while also providing one of the best portable adventure gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

STORY

Phantom Hourglass is a rare direct sequel to a prior game in the Zelda series; in this case, The Wind Waker for the Gamecube. Zelda games do tend to be self-contained, however, and the main story of Phantom Hourglass doesn’t really have too much to do with The Wind Waker, outside of a few references at the beginning and the presence of some minor comic relief from Tetra’s pirate crew. For all intents and purposes, Phantom Hourglass is a similar game to The Wind Waker, but it’s not necessary to have any experience with the prior title.

Old Review: Twilight Princess (GCN)

This is one of the first reviews I ever wrote, waaaaaay back in 2012. Looking at it now, there are a few things I would change or wouldn't completely agree with now, but I do have a great fondness for Twilight Princess. The game was my very first Zelda game, and remains a milestone in my development as a gamer. So, here's my review.

My Review- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is, at the time of this writing, the most recent console Zelda game. It is also another favorite of mine, as it was the first game of its kind that I ever played, and made me realize that video games could be a storytelling medium. Twilight Princess is a fantastic game, arguably the best console Zelda title- timeless gameplay, great graphics, an intriguing story, and a level of polish rarely seen in games. Please note that this review is of the Gamecube version and not the Wii.