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.

“We haven’t committed to Zelda in 2010,” he told GTTV host Geoff Keighley. Which will obviously upset those keen enough to hope for Zelda in 2010, but also stupid enough to have expected a game that hasn’t even been officially shown off yet to be out in the next year.

Especially when it’s a “proper” Zelda game, the last one of which took about 173 years to come out.

[Nintendo On GameTrailers TV]

Green told me that this is part of a trend, one I’d not been privy to. It goes back to Kirby, that pink puffball of a Nintendo character who was given some angry eyebrows for his American release.

Based on Green’s comparison of the box arts I’ve reprinted here, Europe will be sold the upcoming DS game The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks with Link the train conductor. America gets a swordsman. For a little more on the comparison and its history, check out the original article.

American Link Is Hardcore [Press The Buttons]

Free Realms #1 (of 12) Written by J.S. Lewis. Drawn by Jon Buran.
Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
SONY teams with WildStorm and best-selling fantasy author J.S. Lewis (the Grey Griffins series) for an exciting adaptation of Free Realms, their new MMORPG! This 12-issue series mirrors the nonstop action of the game, offering exciting adventures, battles with vicious monsters and, of course, the allure of gorgeous fairies!

The story begins when a young boy is abducted and dragged into a darkened forest teeming with twisted monsters. It’s up to a relic hunter and a pixie to save him, but their mission is cut short when a horde of troll-like creatures captures them!

The Legend of Zelda: Vol 7…
Summary Via Publisher Viz Media:
Four Swords, Part 2

The Green, Red and Blue Links reach Death Mountain, where they challenge Shadow Link and Violet Link in battle. Then, inside the Fire Temple they learn a terrible secret about the Dark World and the evil power behind Vaati. To defeat this great enemy, the different coloured Links must find a way to become one again in order to harness the power of the Four Sword!

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventures Vol 5…
Summary Via Publisher Viz Media:
R to L (Japanese Style) New friends, new lands, and all-new Pokémon-the next chapter of one of the greatest adventures! Most kids spend their days at school, but not Hareta. Raised in the wild by Pokémon, he can climb as high as an Aipcom, swim as fast as a Magik

Who will catch the Legendary Pokémon Dialga?Hareta’s battle with Mitsumi comes to an end, but will Mitsumi stay loyal to Team Galactic or her old friend Hareta? Either way, the race to find the Legendary Pokémon Dialga continues! Cyrus, Team Galactic’s leader, is determined to catch Dialga and seize its power for himself. Can Hareta and his friends beat Cyrus to the final prize? New friends, new lands, and all-new Pokémon: Return to one of the greatest adventures!

Sonic the Hedgehog #205… Written by Ian Flynn. Drawn by Steven Butler
Summary Via Publisher Archie Comics:
“On the Run Part One”: Bunnie is back, but worse for wear with her wounds being tended in the hospital. Luckily, her friends are by her side… but not for long, as a less-than-lucid Eggman attacks in his Egg-Tortoise walker! Sonic and Tails spring into action, while Iron Queen and crew watch with wide eyes. Why are they so interested in seeing Eggman captured? It’s the start of a new pulse-pounding tale guest-starring Nicole, Antoine, Monkey Khan, Espio and more!

PLUS: “Birthright Part One”: Now it can be revealed: the long-held secret of the disappearance of Lien-Da’s father!

All photos from Kiddy Land, a toy store in Tokyo’s Harajuku district.

The first in the one-quarter scale “Master Arts” line of licensed Twilight Princess centre pieces, Zant will set serious Zelda fans back $US349, but will clearly present a nerdy conversation starter at your next cocktail party. At an impressive 21 inches tall, it’s unlikely that anyone will miss it. Especially if placed between a set of Legend of Zelda salt and pepper shakers.

We’re a bit sceptical about the item’s selling spiel:

The Bit Legend of Fuzz Guitar Effects Pedal is an intense sawtooth shaping fuzz that creates tones reminiscent of C64, Atari, and other old video game consoles. Operates on standard 9 volt battery.

That might be a bit of a stretch for a humble effects pedal, but hey, as has been pointed out, it’s got a Zelda theme on it as well as the word “fuzz”. That should be good enough for most.

Devi Ever The Bit: Legend of Fuzz Guitar Effects Pedal [Musician's Friend, via Insert Credit]

We’ve seen video game musical performances in the past, but none that have managed to convey the underlying sense of despair so prevalent in Pong as this particular quintet.

Ash Ketchum and Link, otherwise known as ArachnidianDream and Lennart Jansson, arraigned music from Mario, Kirby, Tetris, Zelda, Pokemon, Halo, and yes… Pong, for Seattle’s Marrowstone in the City program. The Nintendo-themed tunes are nicely done, but once you get to the stirring Halo solo you’ll need a tissue to soak up the happy tears. Then, once you’ve recovered from Halo and feel as if you’re in the clear, Pong sneaks up behind you, tackles you to the ground, and stuffs wads of melted awesome into your gaping maw. Don’t try to scream; it’s already too late.

Stop Playing Homework and Do Your Video Games – A Video Game Quintet [YouTube via Destructoid]

Click the thumbnails for more details.

Street Fighter IV #3 (of 4)… Written by Ken Siu-Chong. Drawn by Joe Ng.

Summary Via Publisher Udon Entertainment: It’s bad girl VS school girl as Crimsom Viper makes Sakura her latest target! How does Sakura fit into the S.I.N. organization’s plan.. and why would they want Dan Hibiki as well? The answers could be DARKER than anyone suspects!

The Legend of Zelda, Volume 6: Four Swords – Part 1 … Written and Drawn by the duo known as Akira Himekawa.

Summary via publisher Viz Media: Four Swords, Part 1. Link, now a Hylian Knight, serves Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle. When Shadow Link kidnaps Princess Zelda, Link once again must prepare himself to defeat the forces of evil. To do so, he needs the legendary Four Sword, but getting it means releasing and then battling the ancient evil power Vaati. The Four Sword also splits Link into four different versions of himself, and these new Links aren’t team players! Rescuing Zekda, beating Vaati, and getting his wild alter-egos under control isn’t going to be easy!

Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Vol. 11… Written by Ken Penders, Kent Taylor. Drawn by Kyle Hunter, Art Mawhinney, Manny Galan, Patrick Spaziante, Harvey Mercadoocasio, Andrew Pepoy .

Summary via publisher Archie Comics Media: The Sonic Archives series has emerged as one of Archie’s best-selling trade paperbacks, as fans both new and old can relive the glory days of Sonic the Hedgehog in these high-quality, digitally-restored graphic novels, complete with all the classic Sonic stories from the 1990’s! Now with Sonic Archives Volume 11, Sonic lovers can add to their collections issues 41-44, stories which are almost impossible to come across now. And best of all, the colours are completely re-mastered to give the issues a brand-new look!

Stories include: “… And One Shall Save Him” – Sally, Sonic and Geoffrey attempt to save King Acorn, but will they survive the Zone of Silence as past and future collide? “In Every Kingdom There Must Exist a Little Chaos” – the epic “Sword of Acorns” storyline begins here, as Knuckles searches for the fabled sword against staggering odds! “The Dream Zone” – the story that introduces the “Dream Watcher” device that will play a major role in the “Endgame” saga! “Black & Blue & Red All Over” – Evil Sonic is back… and it looks like Knuckles is helping him!