On a whim I purchased the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and must say, it’s pretty good. I never wanted to get it because I hate the art direction they went with it however, I wanted to play a game that took the Nintendo DS Lite’s capabilities, in terms of controls, to their full extent. Most games I have use either the stylus or the microphone and in a lot of cases only used them to a limited capacity. Not so with the Phantom Hourglass. You use the stylus exclusively in controlling your hero and solve some puzzles using the microphone, which is something that’s surprisingly enjoyable and makes up for the horrible graphics.
Good:
- Wonderful control scheme
- Able to jot notes on most maps
- Puzzles are fun to solve, especially ones involving boss battles
- The character animations are surprisingly fluid in contrast to the graphic textures
- Nothing’s more amusing than being ripped to shreds by enraged chickens
- It’s Legend of Zelda
Bad:
- I HATE the graphics (some people may like it, but it’s a direction I’m disappointed in seeing)
- While I love the control scheme, it’s a bit awkward to get the hero to tumble
Square Enix is doing a great job in sucking money from me. The latest siphon? Final Fantasy IV remake for the Nintendo DS. While not the first remake of this classic, it seems to be running up for the best. Complete overhaul in both graphics and gameplay tell the story of redemption of a fallen knight in a new light.
Have you pre-ordered your copy? On the fence? Check out the official site and watch the trailers. 
One particular game on my distant radar is Mirror’s Edge by DICE. It’s a First Person Action-Adventure game where the main character is a Runner, someone who delivers packages and messages via their own feet. Why not just use FedEx? Well, it seems information is a heavily controlled commodity and many wish to be discreet in their dealings. If you’re intrigued by this concept, check out the wiki site dedicated to the game. Don’t forget to check out the video (mp4 encoded).
Losing myself in Metal Gear Solid 4. Going through my second playthrough. More info to come later as I’d hate to spoil things for people who have yet to beat or buy the game.
This coming Thursday, June 12, 2008, is the launch date for Metal Gear Solid 4. I had already reserved a copy of the Limited Edition at Gamestop quite some while back and it’s been an bearable wait. I didn’t spend a lot of time fawning over the previews of the game and only recently lost a good chunk of time watching the latest trailer and video advertisements for the ingame PMCs (Private Military Company). From all that I’ve seen, MGS4 seems to take elements from the previous installments and make them better. For example, the cumbersome, and irritating, camouflage mechanic from Metal Gear Solid 3 has been streamlined into the Octocamo, which is an electronic camouflage system that when activated, automatically blends with whatever surface Snake is next to.
Other changes also helps ease gameplay, like allowing Snake to walk/shuffle while crouched. It has always pissed me off when I had Snake crouched in previous games and tried to move, only to find him going into the prone position. But the best part, for me anyway, is the near certainty that MGS4 won’t do the switcheroo on us like what happened in MGS2.
After watching the trailers, I already have some expectations on the quality of the graphics, which isn’t really a good thing, but with the quality that was in the previous games, I have faith that I won’t be disappointed.
