Kotaku Australia » legend of zelda: phantom hourglass

Forbes Predicts Future Classics

Mark Wilson — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:00:56 +0000

The financial minds at Forbes have taken off their big business hats for a moment to focus on a more pressing topic: classic video games. Which of today’s titles will become immortalised in our hearts, marble statue-ised into our next Super Mario Bros 3s that we can’t put down a decade later? Well, they’ve compiled a list of their top ten and it’s…actually not that bad. And of course, Mario has made an appearance.

Portal Brain Age 2 Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass BioShock Puzzle Quest Rock Band Super Mario Galaxy Wii Sports The Witcher WoW: Burning Crusade

Needless to say, a fiery debate will rage in the comments and give this list a good sorting. I’m actually not so sure about BioShock, of all choices, as single player FPS experiences don’t seem to stand the test of time (meanwhile, multiplayer is a whole different story).

And now that the industry has become so successful at creating high quality, more polished sequels, will any of these titles really be in play a decade from now?

The Future Of Videogames [Forbes via WiiWii]

Zero Punctuation And The Phantom Hourglass

Mike Fahey — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:20:28 +0000

This week’s Zero Punctuation sees Yahtzee go head to head with Nintendo’s reviewer masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, coming to the inevitable conclusion that the next Zelda game would be much better were it Okami. This is of course true for most games released these days, but I’m not going to point that out to him lest he disembowel me with a well aimed, super-speed tirade.

Zero Punctuation: Phantom Hourglass [The Escapist]

The Feather Stylus Arrives

Flynn De Marco — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:15:00 +0000

I was pleased as punch to receive a little package from Nintendo in my mailbox yesterday with my feather stylus. My Nintendo members who registered their copies of Phantom Hourglass were treated to this free prize from the Big N. I still say Japan gets all the best swag, but this is pretty sweet and will add one more to my ever growing stylus collection. I can hardly wait to whip this one out on the subway and touch it thoughtfully to my lip, looking like a modern day Oscar Wilde as I attempt to solve the latest New York Times crossword puzzle on my DS.

Australian Sales Charts

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:30:00 +0000

It’s going to be a dual-screened Christmas down here this summer. I can feel it. So can the charts: just look at all those DS games! Phantom Hourglass is kept out of the top spot only by some Halo game, Drawn To Life miraculously enters at #3 and in total six of the top ten games are for Nintendo’s handheld.

1) Halo 3
2) Phantom Hourglass
3) Drawn To Life
4) Juiced 2
5) Brain Training 2
6) FIFA 08 (PS2)
7) Pokemon Diamond
8) Pokemon Pearl
9) SingStar Rock Ballads
10) Brain Training

[charts courtesy of GfK]

Check My Golden Phantom Hourglass Box

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:00:00 +0000

I got this yesterday for pre-ordering Phantom Hourglass through EB Games here in Australia. It’s aluminium, feels indestructible, the logo on the top WILL NOT scratch off and it actually works as a carry-case. Pop it open and there’s space for both GBA and DS games, and it supports both versions of the DS (it comes with an extra layer of padding for those who aren’t as loyal to their original DS as I am). Isn’t it just gorgeous?

Nintendo Giving Away Phantom Hourglass Feather Styli

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:40:39 +0000

Feel ever so slightly disconnected from Link when using a dull, stock Nintendo DS stylus? Friend, we have a deal for you. Simply buy a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, register it at Nintendo.com, burn through a quick online survey and a mere 4 to 6 weeks later, you’ll be tapping touchscreens to your heart’s content with this lovely little feather pen stylus.

Sorry, Canada, you’re going to have to wait a little longer for yours, but you can still partake. The rest of you? Out of luck.

Nintendo wants to hear your thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass [Nintendo - thanks, Tim!]

Frankenreview, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Mark Wilson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:00:24 +0000

Since the last scene of the GameCube’s Wind Waker, we’ve been craving cel-shaded Link at the lust level we generally reserve for booze, pantsu and headshots. So his triumphant return in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS had us… how can we put this gently… playing the DS without a stylus.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on the newest Zelda title—offering almost enough time savings for you to finish school, get a job, become rich, buy the game and retire early to play it—because you don’t need to click around and fight all the ads. Eurogamer
Phantom Hourglass follows the events of the GameCube’s Wind Waker, and does an unbelievably successful job of aping its visual style too, wisely focusing on creating expressive and beautifully-animated characters rather than effects, or environmental detail. As happy as most fans were to see Twilight Princess revive Ocarina’s epic mood, the immense charm and polish of Wind Waker’s art deserved better than the scrap heap, and so it’s a delight to see it continued here.

CVG
Controlling Link with the stylus is like riding a bike without holding the handlebars: you know it can be done, but at first you might worry that it’s just a stupid thing to do. It’s not. Stylus control of Link is a very cool thing. Say sayonara to the d-pad, then, and embrace the technology that makes Phantom Hourglass the most enjoyable Zelda game since Ocarina of Time.

GameLife
Hold the stylus anywhere on the screen, and Link will run in that direction. Tap an enemy and Link will rush forward and attack it. Slash back and forth and he’ll swing his sword in a wide arc…You can also draw on the game’s map, perfect for plotting your ship’s course at sea or making notes about places of interest you might want to return to later. And simple actions like throwing a boomerang become novel again when you’re drawing the path that it will take, directly on the screen.

Variety
In some cases, gamers are asked to unearth buried treasures by plotting intersections on a map. In others, the game relies on more devious brain twisters, one of which even involves hidden numbers and the use of cryptology. There’s occasional repetition in the dungeons and at least two cases in which the puzzles are so complex that finding their answers seems more about luck than honest intellect. But overall, this “Zelda” game succeeds by keeping players’ mind fully engaged.

Gamespy
One of the most satisfying reasons to explore hidden parts of the world is to find some of the many ship parts you can customise your vessel with. From your bridge to your cannon, you can take the ship to the shipyard and see just what kind of super-vessel you can come up with…Salvaging treasure from the bottom of the sea is represented by a simple mini-game that can be frustrating, since failure requires sailing back to the dock to get your salvage arm fixed, but is a nice diversion to have.

- Looks like it’s a keeper. Now to finish BioShock, Metroid, and Halo 3… this list is getting heavy and it’s barely October.

Nintendo’s Friendly Text Reminder

Mike Fahey — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:00:32 +0000

In case you weren’t aware, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass hits stores today, so be sure to run to your local store and pick up a copy. I almost forgot myself, but luckily Nintendo had my number, thanks to the Zelda Contest I told you about last month. This blinked onto my phone an hour ago:

Zelda fans make sure you get to stores today to grab The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for your Nintendo DS.

Funny thing… I don’t remember authorising text messages when I sent in my contest entry (just to see how the contest worked mind you), and the rules for said contest don’t mention anything about them contacting me outside of letting me know if I won, so it’s rather annoying to be getting these unsolicited. Can’t seem to find any way to get myself excluded from the messages either. Well at least I didn’t forget the game, right?

New York Phantom Hourglass Launch Spectacular

Mike Fahey — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:00:32 +0000

Halo 3 isn’t the only game that gets a fancy shmancy New York City launch event. Nintendo is kicking off the release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass with a party on Sunday the 30th at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Plaza. Fans will be able to get their picture taken with a Link facsimile, participate in costume contests and trivia quizzes, and from 2-4PM they’ll be able to buy the game a day before release! The event runs from 1-4PM, with the costume contest taking place during the last hour, so you have extra time to squeeze into those tights. The only reason I didn’t stay after the Halo event for this launch is that I am pretty damn exhausted. I’ll be there in spirit though, even if I end up sleeping past 4PM.

The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

Brian Crecente — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:29:20 +0000

Alrighty, I’m going to try liveblogging some Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass play on my DS Lite. No clue how well this is going to work since it’s such a tiny screen and I haven’t landed a capture device from Nintendo yet.

OK, I’m going to get started now. Hit the jump to comment and ask questions, I’ll try to keep an eye on the site and the comments to see what questions you might be asking. As always, don’t watch if you don’t want spoilers. This is my first time playing this part of the game, so I have no idea if there will be plot spoilers.