16 September 2009

By: Andrei Dumitrescu, Games Editor
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Coming on December 7

Steam-powered DS

Nintendo has confirmed that it will release The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks on December 7 on the Nintendo DS. The game is the long awaited sequel to the 2007 hit Phantom Hourglass and will have to really deliver a complex and engaging experience to satisfy gamers who have been asking Nintendo for it since 2008.

Spiritual Nintendo

The game builds on the same stylus control mechanics as the previous title but is set to offer better built dungeons, more challenging boss fights and new gameplay mechanics focused on controlling the phantoms that gave Link so much trouble in the first iteration. Another significant difference is that the boat sections that often felt frustrating in Phantom Hourglass have been replaced with sections during which Link controls a train, as hinted at in the title. The train will feature sections where ghost trains need to be avoided and its weapons will allow players to take on a variety of enemies. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will not be a game that redefines the series but Nintendo is hoping that enough innovation is present to make it as loved by players as Phantom Hourglass. The Japanese company has also announced release dates for a few other titles set to appear before Christmas. A Nintendo Wii port of Call of Duty 4, which has been renamed to the weird Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex should be released on November 10, the same date when the Mobilized Nintendo DS version arrives. It's also no surprise that the all-new Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Wii is set to appear before the end of the year, although no clear date was mentioned, while the company is also planning to release Space Invaders Extreme 2 on October 20 and Phantasy Star Zero on November 10.
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26 March 2009

By: Andrei Dobra, Games Editor
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Announced by Nintendo for the DS

New adventures for Link

Link will drive a locomotive in this game Wikipedia
In the gaming industry, a lot of franchises have gained the status of iconic ones, among them being Nintendo's very successful The Legend of Zelda series, which amazed gamers ever since its first appearance on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The brainchild of Nintendo's head designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, it fascinated people with the adventures of Link as he traveled around the mystycal land of Hyrule in order to save Princess Zelda. As the Game Developers Conference is currently underway in San Francisco, the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, took the chance to announce a brand new game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. The title will appear exclusively on the DS handheld, and will be very similar to the previous DS-only iteration, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, but Link will now have to wonder around the world in a steam-powered locomotive, hence the title. With the opportunity to control both the main character and Phantom, players will have to navigate and explore various dungeons and solve puzzles using almost the same intuitive interface as the one featured in the Phantom Hourglass. The gameplay will be shown on the bottom screen, while maps of the dungeon or portions of the cinematics will be shown on the top one. Considering the very solid lineup of games that will be appearing on the DS in 2009, it seems that Nintendo will certainly keep the high sales trend alive up until the end of the year, when this title is announced to hit store shelves. As a bonus, here is the first trailer of the game, which was shown by Iwata at the GDC, courtesy of GameTrailers. More details will certainly appear over time, but until then, we can enjoy watching this video.
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