Developer: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release: 2009

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the 2^nd installment of the Legend of Zelda series for the Nintendo DS. Like all its predecessors, this game is also an action-role playing game and has kept the perspective/viewpoint to those of the older 2-dimensional Zelda games while sporting 3-dimensional graphics. Once again, the game lets you control Link, the game’s protagonist, and assumes his adventure to save Princess Zelda. Though unlike Mario games, the protagonist you control in each games are different from one another and existed in different timelines and worlds even though he has the same name. Also unlike Mario games, Zelda games also have a fully fleshed out story. But as the story and characters in each game are not in continuity, it will not be necessary for gamers to play through previous games to enjoy this one.

It is quite a feat for Nintendo to have translated Zelda’s complex control scheme to a portable console. As the DS do not have enough buttons, Nintendo had decided to use the touch screen and the microphone as the interface. You are able to play through the whole game with just the touch screen and the microphone, although buttons can be used to access certain features easily. You move the character by touching the direction you want Link to move and the speed of the character’s movement is based on how far your stylus is from Link, the further the faster. Attacking with the sword can be done through 3 different ways. You can attack enemies by tapping on them, swiping a line between you and the enemy to do a horizontal slash or move your stylus in 360 degree around Link to execute the 360 degree circular slash. There are also quite a number of weapons and items to be collected and used. One interesting weapon is the boomerang. To use it, you switch to the weapon and then use you stylus to draw the path that you want the boomerang to follow. There are also other weapons which require you to blow into the microphone to activate them. The game also features this flute which requires you to blow into the microphone and use the touch screen to move the flute much like a harmonica to play certain tunes.

Movement in the game is not restricted to foot and as the title suggests, you are able to travel around the world on the spirit tracks in a train. The train controls are simple and requires you to either shift the gear to accelerate or brake. You are able to switch paths and attack enemies with a cannon.

The heart of all Zelda games is still the well designed dungeons. There is any mechanics introduced in this game that are not found in the previous Zelda game on the DS. Even so, the puzzles in the dungeons are cleverly designed and are varied enough to keep the gamers engaged throughout. Boss fights are satisfying although the bosses in this game are much easier compared to previous Zelda games. Generally, this can be considered the easiest Zelda game and is particularly noticeable if you have completed other games in the series. That doesn’t mean the game is easy and gamers new to the series will still find it of a decent challenge.

Like the previous DS outing, Spirit Tracks follows the cel shaded art style that was first used in the series by The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker on the gamecube. The graphics are bright and colourful and the cel shaded style allows for extremely expressive facial animations. Much of the game is pleasant to look at with only certain environments that used extremely low resolution textures marring the aesthetics. The music in the game is excellent and is made up of mostly remixed tunes from the past games.

The Legend of Zelda games have always been excellent with interesting story, characters, huge world to explore, tight gameplay mechanics, cleverly designed dungeons and satisfying boss fights. Spirit Tracks does most of that really well and doesn’t disappoint. A good game to tide Zelda fans through until the next installment releases on the wii.

Rating: 9/10
Weiwen

Simpsons Game
XBOX 360

Apart from The Ghostbusters, one of my childhood favourites (and still is) are stuff from the Simpsons. So this week, I'll review this game that originally came out on the Playstation 2, but was ported over to the XBOX 360. Published by Electronic Arts in 2007.

I bought this game not because I knew it existed (I didn't), but because my 'mentor' at my place of internship recommended it to me. I hunted this game down on the local forums and bought it second hand for $20. Not bad for a game! I like buying games at $20.

Anyway, this is a 3rd person action-adventure game in which players control different characters throughout the game. There isn't a real storyline in this game: players traverse the town looking for both special tokens that unlock stuff, and special points of interest. At this point in the game, it pretty much reflects a beta version of Grand Theft Auto if it was made in the 90s.

As you enter one of these points of interest, the game will enter a short cutscene, and the game will 'formally' begin. The first mission is the one where you control Homer in his land of chocolate. Everything, from lampposts to bunnies, are covered in chocolate and naturally Homer would go all crazy and spastic. The overall mission objective would then be to follow the white chocolate rabbit, which Homer remembers as being in the storybook 'Snow White and stupid town'. After that compulsory tutorial/level, you are given free reign to explore both the town and the Simpson's place.

Art is excellent. I really really love how they managed to fit the game artwork into almost something like that in the television series. Everything is colourful and strong, and fits very well together.

Game design is great. I love how they made each level and the GTA-style mechanic they employ. Each 'formal' level is differently themed and is very varied. For instance, the player gets to control Bart in one of the level entitled 'Bartman Begins', which is a reference to Batman. In that level you have to recover an item which one of the enemies stole. Other levels have really funny references to them, like an EverQuest themed level, or one that is a gameshow that is exclusively about the different countries in the world. Each character also got has a different playing style and special attack: for Homer, his breath can kill enemies much quicker than his punches. For Bart, he can transform into Bartman and do stuff like gliding with cape.

For the most part, this game is all about references and jokes that a normal intelligent sentient being is able to understand. It is also probably one of the first game that references itself inside in the game (shown in an opening cutscene), which is really funny.

One of my pet peeves is the terrible camera control. Most games which employ a third person perspective tend to have lousier camera control than a game which doesn't employ one. In this game, perspective is almost non-existent and it is extremely difficult to gauge the distance between two platforms, and there is almost always a death involved when you try to jump the gap. Fortunately, lives are infinite and so the user can always try again. But it is really annoying to keep dying!

There is multiplayer support for this game. I bought this game because I wanted to exclusively play it with my younger brother. In co-op mode, players can still play the 'campaign' (for lack of better word) mode of the game together with their friends, so it is reaaaaaaaaaaallly great. For a game like the Simpsons, you HAVE to play it in co-op mode.

Overall I like this game a lot, if I were to compare it to the old arcade version, I would still say that the arcade version is a lot better (because of the 4 player co-op) but this one comes reallly close. It would have been higher if not for the camera control.

Rating: 8.5/10