I sat down at Nintendo’s Redwood City office to get a good look at the single-player mode for myself (since all I had to go on were Nintendo Power previews and Stephen Totilo’s experience) before diving into the multiplayer mode. I was given a choice: I could replay the same demo Nintendo Power and Totilo had already covered, or I could be one of the first to see the second dungeon in the game – the Snow Temple.

What kind of correspondent would I be if I didn’t go for the latter? A copycat, that’s what!

What Is It?
The Snow Temple was described to me as the “second” dungeon in the game once Zelda and Link are sent to the Tower of Spirits to restore the Spirit Tracks of Hyrule. The level began outside the snow-covered structure with the train parked out front and Zelda hovering beside Link.

What We Saw
The temple had about three floors and judging from the main room that requires puzzle solving, I’d say I completed three quarters of it before having to stop to play some multiplayer.

How Far Along Is It?
The game comes out December 7. I was playing on a normal-sized cartridge that could well be a final version of the game.

What Needs Improvement?
My Snow Temple For An Item-Toggling Button: Link started this dungeon with the Whirlwind item and earned the Boomerang about halfway through. To use an item, you’ve got to select it from a menu so that it appears in an icon in the upper right-hand side of the lower screen. Tapping that icon activates the item and then you do whatever is required of you to use it (blow in the mic for the Whirlwind, draw a path on the screen for the Boomerang). There came a point in this dungeon where you had to use the boomerang to create a path of ice over water (by crossing its path through an ice torch and back across the water) – and then quickly change to the Whirlwind to activate a switch out in the middle of the water. Because the ice path melts quickly, your timing has to be spot on and it can get pretty fiddly when you’re trying to bust out the Whirlwind, aim it and THEN blow into the mic. I died at least twice, wishing in vain that a tap of the shoulder button would switch between items.

Dude, Where’s My Zelda? As soon as I set foot in the Snow Temple, Zelda shrank and faded away with a sigh. It turns out she can’t go with you or help you within the Temples and you can’t talk to her for advice the way you could with other companion characters in other Zelda games. This turned Spirit Tracks into an experience that was an awful lot like Phantom Hourglass. Phantom Hourglass was good, so that’s not an automatic minus – but I think people were expecting the all-new Zelda gameplay to be a consistent feature instead of an area-specific thing.

What Should Stay The Same?
Shallow Learning Curve: Truthfully, I never beat The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and it’s been ages since I’ve touched it. But it really didn’t take long to master the stylus-only controls and the menus weren’t at all difficult to navigate and interpret. People who missed out on Phantom Hourglass are going to be just fine adjusting to Spirit Tracks.

Sure Rings My Bell: The entire temple was based on moving three bells into a main room together so that Link could trigger them in a sequence to open a door. This objective was communicated entirely through visuals (little panels with bells on different note lines, panels on the floor, etc) and all of the puzzles were familiar slide-the-block, clear-the-room-of-monsters affairs that I know and love in Zelda games. I got so caught up in the familiar, simple gameplay, I didn’t mind dying twice and getting stuck three different times.

Final Thoughts
Despite not having beaten Phantom Hourglass and not really liking The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (yeah, I said it – you wanna fight?!), playing Spirit Tracks felt like coming home. That’s probably the best feeling I could ask for from a game, especially so close to the holidays when I long for that feeling and have all this extra time to play games.

So instead, I give you these screen shots Capcom provided so you can make the call. What do you say?

Shonen Jump: New Final Fantasy XIII Scans [Final Fantasy-XIII.net]

September!

No, wait!

Ah yes, here it is… March 9. Yep, we’re getting a Square Enix RPG at the same time as the US. In fact, we’re getting it a few hours before the US. Amazing.

Ubisoft, the Australian distributor for Square Enix, announced today the game would ship on both PS3 and Xbox 360 in Australia and New Zealand on – yes – March 9.

That is March 9, 2010, just in case you’re wondering.

Exclusive Illusive [sic] Man Gameplay [GameTrailers]

While earlier developments had led to a degree of pessimism on the part of European fans (well deserved considering Square Enix’s previous localisation efforts), this morning it was revealed that the game will be out in Europe on the same day it’s out in North America.

March 9.

Which, when you think about the way the world spins, means Europe gets a Final Fantasy game before the US. Crazy.

Kotaku AU Note: We’ll confirm this date with Square Enix’s Australian distributor as soon as possible.

Ignore the intimidating Japanese text at the outset. Fairune is simple enough to pick up. Arrow keys move you around; attacking a creature is as straightforward as walking into it; items can be used by hitting spacebar and cycling through your inventory.

It’s a maze game at heart. Your progress is measured by whether you can work out where and when you’re meant to use certain items to unlock new paths. Best of all, you ought to be able to finish it comfortably within your lunch break.

Fairune [Skipmore]

Speaking with GI.biz, Wada said, “We’ve completed the master of the Japanese version, and for the US and European versions we’re just adding the final touches.

“The last stage of development has gone very smoothly this time.”

Excellent news! Then again, this game has been in development for nearly four years already… “final touches” could be a relative term in Square Enix lingo.

Square Enix hoping for “long platform cycle” [GI.biz]

Yes, as the Final Fantasy faithful have likely already predicted, this Friday, November 13, Square Enix plans an announcement, announcing that announcement of announcements on the publisher’s official blog. What will it be? Oh, we’re guessing that it has something to do with the game’s North American release date, a date that looks more and more like spring of 2010, possibly arriving before April — and after the Japanese release on December 17.

While a North American release date is exciting, it’s nothing if Square Enix fails to bring soft pink Final Fantasy XIII themed PlayStation 3 hardware to these shores.

So big. The magazine also has Hope’s summon, Alexander, and brings word that Final Fantasy XIII will come with Final Fantasy XIV beta codes when it goes on sale in Japan.