I live in Canada, sure, but I live in a town that has great summers and long Autumns. Therefore, I still get surprised – after 23 years – when it gets really fucking cold and there’s snow outside. Anyway, I’ve provided the bleak view of my backyard.
Another bizarre thing is that I beat the titular game the first day of the theme week, so I’m left a little directionless. We have yet to hear if Riddles agrees with me, so I’m just wandering around wondering what to play. So I’ve been playing Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest V, Forza 3, and Twilight Princess. What a bizarre mix. Anyway, that’s all I had to say, really. Just catching you folks up. What have you guys been up to?
Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the 31st editon of Hey! Look! Listen!
Man, can you believe we’ve put out 31 of these things? I can’t. I say “we” because, shamefully, Ethos has been forced to step in at a few different times in the past. Regardless, it’s a fairly impressive feat. Let’s see if we can’t keep it up.
Introductions! My name is Oliver “Riddles” Motok, and I just got done eating some delicious Chinese food at Chef Wang’s. Silly name aside, that place is standalone proof that there is some culture in Murfreesboro. Or decent Chinese food, at least.
But I tarry. Let us proceed to the odds and ends I’ve assembled today.
New Final Fantasy XIII TV Spot
I figured I’d start today off with something exciting. This TV spot is short, uninformative, and in Japanese. However, it’s also quite pretty, and is composed of almost entirely new footage.
Shitty pop song is… shitty.
Final Fantasy XIII Is Not Perfect, According to Famitsu
Given how rarely they USED to award perfect scores, Famitsu’s gone a little overboard with the 40/40 rankings in the last few years, at least in my opinion. I think they know it too; and perhaps it’s just my suspicious little mind at work, but I almost feel like that’s the ONLY reason they awarded Final Fantasy XIII the just-short-of-perfect score of 39/40.
Three reviewers gave it a perfect 10, while one fucker just had to go against the tide and give it a 9. Here’s some of what he had to say:
“Unquestionably the highest echelon of event and movie scenes. Moreover, changing Optimas on a dime, the varied abilities and being able to use multiple magics at once bring real exhilaration to the battles. That high quality is unfortunately offset by a story that stays linear until the midway point. The lack of gimmicks during the middle of the game also worried me.”
Maybe we can chalk it up to a poor translation, but his complaint over a “lack of gimmicks” makes no sense. Neither does his comment on the “linear” storyline. Last I checked, FFXIII was a Square Enix RPG. Not sure what he was expecting.
I know it sounds like I’m angry that FFXIII wasn’t given the “prestigious” 40/40. I actually could care less, I’m just a little confused by the above paragraph. Also, I really do get the feeling that a 40/40 was purposefully avoided, for one reason or another. (Final Fantasy XIII.net).
Dead Space 2 Details Emerge from Game Informer
My life, people. My stupid subscription expires the month before the only cover story I’ve cared about all year is published. “Sigh” doesn’t even begin to describe it. But while I may not have a copy of the mag, IGN does, and they were nice enough to sum up the more relevant points of the article.
The biggest change, reportedly, will be the location. Instead of a cramped spaceship, Isaac will be navigating a massive space-station, aptly named Sprawl. A change in location is absolutely necessary; I just hope Visceral manages to create the same sense of unease that came with the Ishimura’s darkened hallways.
In other news, Isaac will, in fact, have a voice in Dead Space 2. Like, a voice that speaks lines of dialogue. ”He’s a little bit more of a veteran, and he’s going to have a voice,” executive producer Steve Papoutsis told Game Informer. “He’s going to relate through dialogue and story, and have more of a take-charge attitude this time around.”
Hm. I tentatively approve of this decision, I just hope Isaac doesn’t spend too much time talking to himself. It could work against the game’s atmosphere.
According to IGN’s paraphrasing, Visceral will be adjusting the pacing of the sequel so that players don’t feel “vulnerable throughout the entire game.” In fact, at times players will feel “superior.”
Maybe, hopefully, something was lost in translation, but that information right there is not entirely welcome to me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but a sense of hopelessness and vulnerability all but defines the survival-horror genre. When I play Dead Space, I don’t want to feel like I can take on anything; I want to feel like surefire death is around every corner. I recognize it’s a little early to get up-in-arms now, though. I’ll wait until I see more from the game.
Finally, the combat in Dead Space 2 will remain largely the same, utilizing the same system of strategic dismemberment. And as rumored, there will be an online component to the game. No details were offered, though, other than the expected – you’ll be able to strategically dismember your friends. And hey, that could be fun. (IGN).
PlayStation 3 Hardware Sales Still Unprofitable
We all know that Sony’s doing a lot better in the console race these days than they have in the past, but the question of whether or not they’re turning a profit has remained untouched until now. And sadly, the answer is still “no.”
iSupply, an electronic market research and consulting firm, recently came out with a report on Sony, their PS3, and all costs involved. And to be sure, what they have to say is largely positive. First, manufacturing costs for the PS3 have been cut down to roughly $336.27 per console, which amounts to a loss of USD $31.27 for each system sold. Now, compare those to numbers from October of 2008, when the PS3 cost $100 more, and Sony was losing $49.72 on each system sold.
“In light of these factors, the PlayStation 3 probably is already at or near the tipping point for profitability,” said Andrew Rassweiler, director and principal analyst for iSuppli. So yeah, Sony’s still losing money on the PS3. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and they’re shooting for it. (iSupply, IGN).
Arkham Asylum PS3 Sales Surpass 360 Sales
On that note, let’s have some more positive PlayStation tidings! According to the ever-watchful NPD group, the PS3 version of the AWESOME Batman: Arkham Asylum has sold about 10,000 more units than the 360 version has. Apparently the PS3 versions free DLC , which allows you to play as the Joker in challenge rooms, made all the difference. Makes sense, I suppose. I bought the PS3 version, but I never even looked at the DLC. I don’t really count, though, because I buy almost all multiplatform games for the PS3. (IGN).
Dante’s Inferno Gets Special Souped-Up PS3 Edition
Jeeze, the PlayStation 3 is just on a roll in my column today. EA has recently announced that PS3 owners will be receiving a “Divine Edition” of their upcoming action game based on the classic writings of Dante. The Divine Edition will come with developer commentaries, a Wayne Barlowe digital art book, the soundtrack to the game, and a digital copy of the complete Longfellow translation of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. And best of all, it keeps it’s $59.99 price tag intact. Yes, 360 owners, EA just told you to go fuck yourselves in the most graceful of ways. Be enraged. Oh, wait… I probably don’t have to tell you that. Anyway. Check out the FREAKIN’ SWEET boxart below. (IGN).
Seriously, this boxart makes me more excited for the game than anything else has.
Let’s End This on a Hilarious Note…
I’m guessing this video was from the late 90s, because if my memory serves me, that’s when every single parental figure in my life was trying to tell me that Pokemon was a craft of Satan himself. Lucky for them, I never really gave a shit about it anyway, but I still found their desperate attempts to make me despise it humorous. ALMOST as humorous as this video. Enjoy! (Everything is Terrible).
That’s all for now, Ladies and Gents. I enjoyed writing, as always, and I can only hope you enjoyed reading. ‘Till next time!
It started when I woke up at the unholy hour of 8:30 a.m. Why would I do such a thing? No reason unless I absolutely had to, and today I had to, because about two months ago I was pulled over and ticketed for driving with three-month expired tags. Pretty stupid, huh? Anyway, today was my scheduled court appearance, since it’s apparently necessary to appear in court for EVERY MINOR DRIVING INFRACTION when you live in Murfreesboro. Seriously, can’t I just send the city a check? Why do I have to go stand in front of a judge just to tell him “yes, I was driving with expired tags.” Makes no damn sense.
My total payment to the city of Murfreesboro was 115.50 USD. My fine was a whopping two dollars, while the goddamned courtroom fee accounted for the other $113.50. And… I think I just answered my own question.
When I returned home I was VERY tired, having woken up a good deal earlier than I’m used to. What better thing to do when suffering from a lack of sleep? Record an episode of MAP, obviously. For all those who are tired of hearing us shout “worst podcast ever,” worry no longer – MAP Episode 43 really is a piece of literal shit. I was asleep for the most of it, and I think the rest of the panel might have been as well.
After that I took a nap. It was a good nap, too.
After that nap, I played some SPIRIT TRACKS! Hooray for theme-week relevance! I still haven’t played enough to offer any impressions, (just beat the first temple) but it’s a hell of a lot of fun, I can tell you that right now. Still not the biggest fan of touch controls. It’s not that I dislike them, I just view them as an over-simplification. Really, though, I can’t express how happy I am just to be playing a Zelda game again, even if it is a handheld title. All it takes is for me to hear that Princess Zelda theme, and I’m hooked again. Gah, me and my shameless fanboyism…
Anyway. I finally ate some food, so now I’m just… really tired again. I think it’s time to attempt a GOOD night’s sleep. ‘Till tomorrow, faithful readers!
We’re back, folks. This is the bizarre love child of Hey! Look! Listen! and Scatter Storming. Wherein there’s no particular date or set form, but I generally talk about previews, interviews, and scattered news that Riddles doesn’t care about. Given that the title is Nintendo centric, it’s only appropriate that I’m going to talk about Zelda and Final Fantasy on the Wii.
Eff Eff Sea Sea: Sea Bee Preview -
That’s FFFCC: CB, or Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers. Otherwise known as “The game that’s trying to compete with Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for dumbest name. Anyway, this is a li’l old, but watch it anyway. It’s from late November, so recent enough. The gameplay actually looks quite intriguing, but I’m upset to hear that they’re doing away with traditional levels. I don’t understand that. It’s one of the most satisfying parts of any game to level up and pour over the resulting enhanced stats. Bozon didn’t really go into detail, but it sounds like the game isn’t a complete Zelda clone. I have to see extensive menu coverage before my worry is eased. But still, I’m more optimistic for this game than ever before.
And now a trailer for the same game -
Official trailers for Crystal Bearers suffer from being way too dramatic. I mean, even if the graphics were PS3 HD caliber, it’d be difficult to take that voice over seriously. I’m also not drawn in by grand sweeping statements that don’t connect me to the characters at all. I mean, it looks like the story segments will be well executed, but the trailer didn’t really help the cause. Especially when the one character-based throwaway gag at the end is the most stupid offensive thing I’ve ever heard. Hey, why not just quote it?
I think we’d both benefit if you went on a diet. No offense.
I mean, sure, I get that they’re trying to make fun of the fact that women are apparently obsessive with diets, and it’s supposed to be tongue and cheek, but it just feels very 1960s to me. Like, “aren’t you supposed to be in the kitchen?”. And not in the making-fun-of-actual-sexists way, but in the we’re-actually-sexists way. Despite all this, I’m still going to give the game a chance. If only by listening to reviews, initially.
Aonuma talks Zelda -
I really do like the way Aonuma’s talking about the next Wii Zelda title. I know that Nintendo’s always way too positive, but it sounds like they know that Twilight Princess suffered from a case of the vapids, which is encouraging. Aonuma’s mind helmed the brilliant likes of Majora’s Mask and Spirit Tracks along with strong titles like Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, so I think he’s entitled to another legitimate chance on the Wii after Twilight Princess. After all, TP didn’t suck, it was just pretty empty.
Aonuma talks more Zelda -
This time on the DS. I was backing the transition of the “toon shaded” Zelda sub-series to the DS from the beginning, and Aonuma talks about more reasons why it was a good idea. Like the last interview there’s not much meat, but for Zelda fans, scraps are like a meal.
Hey there! It’s a new week, a new Scatter Storming, and I actually have things to say! Can you believe it? Last week I was playing Spirit Tracks most of the time and wasn’t allowed to talk about it, so it was difficult for me to come up with anything. But now I’ve beat and reviewed it and given back my pre-release copy, so Riddles can bring relevance to the theme week for the rest of the time. For now? Let’s pick my brain!
IGN’s got a new look! -
And they’re really fucking excited about it. It’s better, yes, but their video page still needs tons of work. You know there’s a problem when I prefer to watch their stuff via YouTube. It’s a new player too, so ugh. Oh well, the site itself is faster and prettier now too. Although I think the new logo is interchangeable with the old one.
In which Ethos starts talking about Looney Tunes and ends up talking about the Wii -
I’ve been watching Looney Tunes recently before going to bed. Brilliant stuff. While it sucks that the hilarious Daffy Duck was used less often during the golden years in favour of the far more uninteresting and unfunny Sylvester, Bugs is always amazing and there is no better timing in anything ever than in the Roadrunner cartoons. Anyway, I wasn’t in the mood for it last night, so I decided to play some video games. How novel! I looked at my impressive array of current gen games and decided that I was in the mood for something old school. I booted up FF7, was enjoying it, but decided I wanted something even more old school, and a very rare craving for FF6 hit me. I say rare because I’ve tried the game multiple times and even got through about half of it once, and I’ve never loved it. However, I always wanted to beat it and give it a fair shake since it receives so much love. Anyhoo, since I just moved, not everything is in perfect order so it took me a bit to find my ol’ PSX Anthology with FF6 on it since it’s my only copy of the game. FFV was in there just fine, but I open up the back end and BLAMMO, it’s disc 1, season 2 of The Office. Great show, to be sure, but it makes for a terrible entry in the Final Fantasy series.
I ended up playing Dragon Quest V for DS.
This is a picture of me taken while I told this story
But the story doesn’t end there folks, no! You thought you were in the clear! No such luck!! I decided to boot up my Wii today to see if the Virtual Console had FF6. It absolutely doesn’t, but I haven’t looked up Wii news by choice in a long time, so I had no idea. Anyhoo, I decided that since the system was already on, I might as well check to see if the Nintendo Channel has any new DS demos.
It didn’t.
Not any interesting ones anyway, but it DID have an update to the channel itself. I have no idea how recent it is, but I was surprised. They now have an option for much higher quality video display, and it looks and streams great. Not a single hiccough in the 7 minute Shigeru Miyamoto interview I watched. It also has really interesting stats about your game library including which games you played the most and for how long. It includes WiiWare and Virtual Console as well. You can watch game videos, see what games people like the most, related titles, and more. I thought it was a genuinely good experience. Now, if only it wasn’t years too late, and if only it fixed the rest of Nintendo’s horrific online service, then we’d be in business.
Final Fantasy XIII got a 39 from Famitsu -
And people care? FF9 got a 38 and it’s better than a girl who swallows. It’s like the YouTube comment I saw today when I watched the IGN review for Link’s Choo Choo Adventure. The guy was actually upset that the game got a 9.3 saying something like “this game was at least a 9.6, IGN’s gone to hell”. Forget that 9.3 is an incredible score, and that Bozon doesn’t hand out scores like that too often. Also, somebody’s minute difference of opinion doesn’t – or shouldn’t – change your opinion. Anyway, I want FFXIII.
Oh yeah, Zelda’s AI -
I didn’t mention this in my review. While the whole “control Zelda as a big armored dude while in the Spirit Tower” was a great mechanic, her AI when you called her to you was incredibly stupid. Like, she’d be almost right beside me, I’d press the “call” button so that she’d follow me and she would literally walk in the opposite direction. It was almost as embarrassing as having Zelda afraid of rats work as a puzzle mechanic.
Look for another Tingle feature -
Remember that one time I did that Tingle! Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah! feature? Yeah, I’m bringing it back this week. Basically when I have previews and interviews to comment on, I’ll bundle them together into that madness. Look forward to it.
That’s it! Long and gorgeous. Just like my penis. The cover and title, once again, has no relevance to the content, I just like that picture of me and my Dad. Later, assholes!
I”ve returned, faithful readers, to return my rightful position at the head of HLL.
I suppose I must once again begrudgingly thank Ethos for filling in for me. And also for penning that monster of a Spirit Tracks review directly below…
Let us move on to the news!
Dead Space 2 Confirmed
Well, this certainly doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s officially official now. From the game’s official announcement:
“We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey,” added Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Dead Space 2. “The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it. There are still loads of Necromorphs that need killing. In Dead Space 2, not everything is exactly as it seems. Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you.”
This comes soon after the release of a teaser image, shown below. The text was soon decoded, and translated as “The nightmare is over but it will not end.”
Makes no sense, but it sounds awesome. Needless to say, I’m quite excited, seeing that the original Dead Space is one of my favorite current-generation games. I’m also glad to hear that Isaac is back as the main character; maybe he’ll actually have something to say this time around…?
OH, and this just in: the next issue of Game Informer will feature the first details on the game. What a fantastic time for my subscription to run out. Here’s the full-cover spread below, revealing some notable upgrades in Isaac’s outfight:
Yakuza 3 North American Release Officially Confirmed
Well this one isn’t much of a surprise either, frankly. Sega finally decided to stop playing coy and confirm a rumor that’s been going on for some time now. Writing on the European PlayStation Blog, SEGA Europe’s Online Community Manager had this to say:
One of my responsibilities as it were is dealing with our classic franchises, so I’m especially delighted to be able to at last confirm something that we’ve been working on for what seems like forever.
YAKUZA 3 IS COMING TO THE WEST!
The game will be released in March of 2010.
I’ve never played a Yakuza game before, and I’ve never really cared to. But for some strange reason, I find myself becoming more and more interested in playing Yakuza 3. Perhaps it’s just because I’ve been following the tumultous story of its North American release for months now. I think I might be a little preoccupied with a certain Final Fantasy XIII in the month of March, but I find myself with some extra cash and time, I might have to give Yakuza 3 a try. (European PlayStation Blog).
Check Out BioShock 2’s Big Daddy Wreaking Havoc
While this video doesn’t do much to ease my fear that BioShock 2 will be overly action-oriented, it is, admittedly, quite awesome.
As skeptical as I am about the game, I’m excited at the same time. A bit of an odd feeling, really.
And unfortunately, I think that’s all for today. Slow news week thus far. But while HLL may have been short today, Ethos’ review of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is most certainly not. Scroll down a bit, and give it a read.
LIKED: -The music (when it wasn’t recycled)
-That the gimmicks didn’t turn out to be gimmicky (see: train and spirit flute)
-A chronology that is easy to follow
DISLIKED: -When the otherwise great controls failed me
-The really really crappy and bad warp system
-The drab looking dungeons (I’m looking at you, Tower of Spirits)
Let’s be completely honest here, folks. I call myself a Zelda fanboy, but I’m not really. I’m an Ocarina of Time and a Majora’s Mask fanboy, sure. But go further back in the series and I haven’t beat a single other game. I can’t get into Link to the Past, the original NES Zelda frustrates me to no end, and while apparently the Oracle games are the best thing since stuffed crust pizza, I always gave up half way through. In fact, I just sort of wrote the handheld Zelda games off in general. I didn’t even notice when Minish Cap came out, and I casually played most of it later with mostly apathy. The DS has changed all that, however. Nintendo has brought the Wind Waker world to their portable wonder and has only improved the sub-series by doing so. For the sake of pure honesty, I don’t remember Phantom Hourglass except for the fact that I loved it and thought it capitalized on the potential Wind Waker set up.
But that’s a whole bunch of text without mentioning the game of honour once. So how is Spirit Tracks? Did the cartoony Link go too far with trying new things? As someone who cringed with the world the first time I saw Link ride on the screen in a ridiculous conductor outfit, I can happily say that this is easily the best the cel-shaded Link has ever been.
Don't mess with the best, 'cause the best don't mess.
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the Wind Waker sub-series is that the games are completely transparent in their chronology. This game does feature a new Link, yes, but the connections to Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass are everywhere and intended to be so. Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after Phantom Hourglass on new land that has been discovered in that time. Tetra and Link discovered it and named it Hyrule in honour of the ancient land below the sea. Soon after its discovery, an evil force known as the Demon King and the spirits of good had some crazy battle that ended with the Demon King suppressed – not defeated – by the good guys by means of some magical tower. This tower acts as the centre hub for the game world. Those who played Phantom Hourglass will be familiar with how the next part plays out.
Essentially the game takes on the predictable structure of: Spirit Tower section, explore newly unlocked part of world, beat temple, repeat. Luckily, returning to the Spirit Tower isn’t quite the same annoying affair it was in Phantom Hourglass. Instead of being forced to race through the same sections time after time against the clock, Spirit Tracks lets you skip all the previous floors and uses good – and occasionally quite difficult – level design to add challenge to the experience. This eliminates almost all of the gimmicky feeling that the structure had in the previous DS installment.
Speaking of gimmicky, let’s talk about the train. Since Spirit Tracks mostly takes place on solid land instead of an expansive ocean, the boat is gone. No more sailing, not even for a single meter. Its replacement is the controversial train. My initial concerns were largely tied to the belief that it would be too restrictive. This is definitely not the case. Not only are there a large and always growing number of branching paths, but when it comes down to it, even in Phantom Hourglass you would really just draw a path from Point A to Point B. Link wasn’t able to swim around in the ocean just like he can’t run around the overworld by foot. In fact, there are so many paths that riding around in the train even has a great sense of exploration. Unexpected, perhaps, but undoubtedly true. Not just that, but there’s tons to do as an engineer. You can blast enemies, change speeds and directions on the fly, hail down travelling hot air balloon shops, capture bunnies, and even just shoot bombs at rocks. The experience is rich, fun, and even rewarding. Unfortunately it’s far from perfect. Changing directions is possible, but a pain in the ass, and sometimes the overall experience is just a little boring even with all the frills. To top off the list of negatives while travelling, Spirit Tracks has by far the most obtuse and unhelpful warp system out of any Zelda game to date. Its existence is better than nothing, but not by much.
But back to the upside. Back are the touch controls from Phantom Hourglass, and while not everybody loved them, I’ve definitely been an advocate from the start. Link and his bizarre arsenal of weaponry control like an intuitive dream most of the time, and the touch screen allows for puzzles that just wouldn’t be possible on another system. More importantly, the weapons and items are a blast to use. You’ll see classics like the boomerang and the bow and arrow, but that’s where the familiarity will stop. Zelda is a series that continuously delivers by offering unique and fun items and weapons, and Spirit Tracks is no exception. However, for all the praise, touch controls do have their weaknesses. It might be impeccably precise to draw the path for a boomerang, but try to control Link in a tight area surrounded by enemies and lava? Not so precise anymore. It won’t happen too often, but there will be moments that you will likely want to scream in frustration because Link auto-jumped in the lava again when you really just wanted him to hit a switch. Again, it’s not common but it’s worth mentioning.
Speaking of frustration, Spirit Tracks gets to be one of the more difficult Zelda games in recent memory. I am a bit of a pro at Zelda dungeons, usually. I’ll blast through a complicated puzzle that even some Zelda veterans will be stumped at, but by the end of Spirit Tracks, I had to give more than just a few moments to solve the stuff it was throwing at me. I wouldn’t categorize the game as a terribly difficult one overall, but by recent Zelda standards, it definitely grows to be a toughie. Obviously depending on your preference, this will either bring you great joy or great anguish. Personally, I was generally pleased with the challenge.
Writing this review, I’m beginning to realize just how massive Spirit Tracks is. I tend to write brief reviews, and this is a novel before I’ve said half the things I want to. So let me try and be concise when describing the last things that truly stood out to me about Link’s latest adventure.
First off, the music was an absolute treat. Despite some very disappointing repeat tracks in the dungeons, the music is layered, rich, inspired, and easily the best to come out of the series since the N64 era. Of particular note are the duets with the sages that are scattered throughout the game. You play a form of pan flute by blowing into the microphone – which feels surprisingly fantastic instead of gimmicky – in response to the music a sage will play for you. The result is a sense of magic and wonder that has been notably lacking in the Zelda franchise of late.
D'awww
Next are the graphics. Still the best on the handheld, only rivaled by the latest Kingdom Hearts effort. Close-ups are still a little ugly, and there can be some pretty nasty slow-down and pop-in, but overall the game is very easy on the eyes, especially during the rare but extremely beautiful areas that take up both the top and bottom screens.
Speaking of, the boss battles are a complete blast, true to form. I personally preferred the epic and very clever battles presented in Phantom Hourglass, but Spirit Tracks offers nothing disappointing, if not a little more safe. Although the unique train boss battles are worth mentioning as a welcome and intense addition.
Finally, the game is deceptively robust. I spent a lot time beating the main quest and dabbled here and there in some side quests. It’s obvious that there is much more to unlock even though I got to the end credits. The coolest part about a lot of the sidequests is that beating them actually unlocks more “spirit tracks” and therefore more of the world to explore. It’s a really cool mechanic that encourages side questing in a new way.
I would somehow love to say even more about this surprisingly strong title, but I suppose I should wrap things up. It’s cool to see Nintendo continue to grow their franchise in new ways. Spirit Tracks is obviously trying to build a new Zelda mythos and I’m all for it. It’s refreshing to see the start of new characters and legends forming in a land with a familiar name.
Ultimately Spirit Tracks suffers from a predictable structure, graphical slowdown, occasionally sexist game mechanics, and a train that – while usually awesome – can also be boring and hard to use to quickly get to specific places. Also the middle dungeon, while well designed, still takes up a lot of the game and even the best puzzles don’t save it from feeling tired by the end. However, Spirit Tracks succeeds by telling a charming tale accompanied by a robust world, fantastic music (when it’s original), great controls, and a much needed sense of magic. Wind Waker started the trend of proving that Zelda works and even thrives in new environments, and Spirit Tracks just furthers the cause. Highly recommended.
It’s December 7, and where is my copy of Spirit Tracks? Not at GameStop, that’s where.
If my memory serves me right, Nintendo does this frequently – announcing ship dates as release dates. And every single time a Nintendo game I care about is released, I stupidly hope that THIS time, things will be different. And without fail, I am disappointed.
As the years go on, I become more and more convinced that they are nothing but a pure and unadulterated evil.
But while I may be Spirit Tracks-less, I’ve managed to keep myself entertained, thanks to Spike TV and its back-to-back airing of Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2. I’ve never seen them before, and I missed the first hour or so of Volume 1. Now I’m trying my best to make sense of Volume 2.
Also, the frequent commercials for the upcoming Spike Videogame Awards are making me wonder if I should DVR them this year. I’ve never paid attention to them before in my life, simply because I’ve never viewed them (or any videogame award show) as terribly relevant.
Anyway. Perhaps some Wind Waker later. It’s my day off, I have to fill it with as much nothing as possible. I leave you with this for now:
Yes, this is essentially Spirit Tracks Week, but we decided to be hilarious and call it Link’s Choo-Choo Week. Aren’t we adorable?
Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical. Welcome to the second Zelda-themed week in a row, Ladies and Gents. In case you’ve forgotten who I am, (which is entirely possible given how scarce I was last week) my name is Oliver “Riddles” Motok, and I’m actually pretty excited about the impending release of Spirit Tracks.
Yes, I know I’ve been skeptical in the past, but for a variety of reasons (some that I can’t divulge) I’m a lot more optimistic now. I’m still not the biggest fan of the stylus controls introduced in Phantom Hourglass, but I don’t hate them either.
So stay tuned, faithful readers, and we’ll see where these SPIRIT TRACKS take us. Or… something. Blah. Just insert a more sensible pun yourself.
Final Fantasy XIII Is Not Perfect, According to Famitsu
Dead Space 2 Details Emerge from Game Informer
PlayStation 3 Hardware Sales Still Unprofitable
Hey there! It’s a new week, a new Scatter Storming, and I actually have things to say! Can you believe it? Last week I was playing Spirit Tracks most of the time and wasn’t allowed to talk about it, so it was difficult for me to come up with anything. But now I’ve beat and 
Oh yeah, Zelda’s AI -
Dead Space 2 Confirmed
Yakuza 3 North American Release Officially Confirmed
LIKED:
But back to the upside. Back are the touch controls from Phantom Hourglass, and while not everybody loved them, I’ve definitely been an advocate from the start. Link and his bizarre arsenal of weaponry control like an intuitive dream most of the time, and the touch screen allows for puzzles that just wouldn’t be possible on another system. More importantly, the weapons and items are a blast to use. You’ll see classics like the boomerang and the bow and arrow, but that’s where the familiarity will stop. Zelda is a series that continuously delivers by offering unique and fun items and weapons, and Spirit Tracks is no exception. However, for all the praise, touch controls do have their weaknesses. It might be impeccably precise to draw the path for a boomerang, but try to control Link in a tight area surrounded by enemies and lava? Not so precise anymore. It won’t happen too often, but there will be moments that you will likely want to scream in frustration because Link auto-jumped in the lava again when you really just wanted him to hit a switch. Again, it’s not common but it’s worth mentioning.
