The Gamer's Quarter

Mister Toups · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:15 am Post subject:

Link has many of the same facial expressions as in the wind waker and they look horribly out of place on this character model. Thinking mostly of the "YOU GOT AN ITEM" face he makes.
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

silentmatt · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:07 am Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I was thinking, the whole NO SPOILERZ thing sort of ruins the casual sharing of tidbits that used to make playing Zelda games so great, so...

[n.b. no major spoilers follow]

Has anyone tried entering the bustling non-twilit castle town as a wolf?

What are people's theories on the fortune teller? The first time she told me my love fortune she showed me the fishing lake, which made me think maybe Link was going to fall in love with the cute fishing girl. The second time I had it read she showed me an old guy in the east throughfare. When I found him, he said 'donate money to my charity and LOVE will rain on you!'

So I thought maybe the more money I give to this guy the more chance there is of fishing girl falling in love with me. Later, however, I met the same old guy in the cafe and he told me 'Hey, have you been to the fortune teller yet? She's great!' which makes me think this is a scam, and he and the gypsy are in cahoots.

However, other times I've had my love fortune read since then I've just been shown various points in temples I've previously visited, so it's more likely that she's just showing me where the pieces of heart are, and everything above is just in my imagination :(

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dessgeega · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:05 am Post subject:

so the first dungeon was totally predictable. and oh boy, fetch quests galore! bug hunting, bridge finding. would someone explain what the whole bridge thing was all about? they stole a bridge? and i needed to replay a bunch of rooms i've already been to to find it? huh?

it's worlds better than ocarina though, even so far. hyrule field is much more acceptable now. though wind waker's ocean - in idea at least - works a lot better for me. can i tell you i actually like a lot of wind waker? its opening dungeon, inexplicable stealth sequence at all, is a lot better-paced than the monkey maze. and outset island doesn't require two hours of running around confused to leave.

the level of detail in this game makes the environment a much more difficult for me to navigate wind waker's simple, flat-colored landscapes. i've gotten confused and disoriented many times.

link is kinda hot*. he's pretty and strong and follows my orders. then midna showed up to complete my train of thought. andrew "mister" toups, after reading my article on D/s in rule of rose, told me "if navi was a housewife, midna's a dominatrix". i like her.

* the sandals may also have been part of it.

so i am at around the six-hour mark. i play on in the hopes that this game will in fact get better and you people are not leading me astray.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

OMG SPOILERS ON THE WAY TO THE SECOND DUNGEON (4-6 hours-ish)

I really, really liked the part before the first dungeon where you see a bridge lying angled up against a wall and you're all confused wondering what to do with it... And then a couple hours later you're supposed to find that same bridge and bring it all the way across Hyrule via Magic Warp Portal Shadow Gate.

It's not the best. But I liked it.

Edit: Oh.
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Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

kimkallstrom1 · . Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 26

Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

I'm no fan of Nintendo either, but I can't say I can see what it is you're trying to show.
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Perseus · . Joined: 24 Sep 2006 Posts: 56

This thread, along with the Wii game review thread, is slowly eroding my resistance towards buying a Wii now, before Super Mario Galaxy comes out....

On the other hand, I do have a Gamecube. Now if only anyone was selling copies of Gamecube TP.

Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

I think the only question left on my mind now is, once I have the means to, will I purchase a 360 or a Wii first?
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

dessgeega · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:35 pm Post subject:

tim, as far as i know you don't even play console games, so i'm not really sure what you're about right now.

anyway, i just finished the second dungeon. the "chase scene" has been the only part that's really made me say "oh. this has promise". sumo wrestling was pretty hot too, once i figured out the controls.

do the dungeons get less generic? the mines get some points for not having all lava rooms, but i'd still like to see a dungeon that had more than one color listed on its design sheet.

this is, though, probably the most focused game in the series, with the exception of adventure of link and majora's mask. it even extends as far as the dungeons, which is certainly preferable to "go wander around in this cave until you find a boss".
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david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

Yeah, there's some pretty non-generic stuff in the game's second half. I'm not saying it will "blow your mind," but whereas the first three dungeons pretty faithfully mimic Ocarina (forest, volcano, water), there are some definitely un-Zelda-like themes later on, or at least, stuff that doesn't directly copy anything else in the series.
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Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Well I just finished the second bug hunt. I wish the game would open up already! This first part of the game has been alright so far, but I'd go nuts if the whole game was like this.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Ok. I need a big wallet. Bug girl already gave me the 600 wallet, but it's nowhere near enough for my needs. I'm tired of finding Orange rupees and having to put them back. Wind Waker got it right- in that game there was plenty of room to store rupees and plenty of people who wanted to take rupees off you, so every little rupee was fun to find. Right now, TP ain't like that. Where's the big wallet guys Sad

If you could phrase your response in in the form of a Midna hint that would be swell.

P.S. I'm thinking that if I played this game again I'd probably enjoy the early stages a lot more, since I'd be playing them knowing that the game wasn't going to be all like this- without that awful 'OH MAN THE NEW ZELDA SUCKS' anxiety weighing down on me.

SuperWes · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:41 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Man, that blows. Thanks!

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

GSL · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:28 am Post subject:

FortNinety · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:12 am Post subject:

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:18 am Post subject:

i just reached the third boring dungeon, completely exhausted by everything between it and the last. i would have liked the escort mission more if it didn't keep repeating every time i missed one of those stupid birds, and most of the time i missed them because i was fumbling between my boomerang and bow.

that one cutscene - the history lesson - was fantastic, though. now i'm interested in where this is going, though i have an inkling. a jillion points to this game if the villian turns out not to be ganon, though i am not holding my breath! actually, i'll award half of those if the villian turns out to be ganon and not ganondorf.

i like the tone of this game. the twilight is a better-considered way to implement a light world-dark world dynamic than any zelda has managed since a link to the triforce of the gods. that being said, i don't really like the light world-dark world dynamic. i do like that the twilight realm is actually bright and digital and eerie instead of just generic black-purple land (metroid prime 2).

the second outfit looks really silly out of water. i'm expecting a boring slog through the third dungeon, but i'm looking forward to something more interesting after that. don't disappoint me, game!
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:39 pm Post subject:

you know, i think my biggest problem with the game - and it's only half the game's fault - is that it's a long game and i'm playing it on someone else's wii. i don't really want a wii, of course, since i don't really have the space to pretend-box or even a television wider than the sensor bar. but i would probably be getting along a lot better with the game if i could control the pace at which i play it.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject:

I thought the fourth dungeon was awesome, particularly the boss. It definitely put a great new spin on things.
...
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Mister Toups · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:31 pm Post subject:

dessgeega · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:33 pm Post subject:

so, the third dungeon is utterly predictable but i actually like that it has a layout that makes sense. yes, it's still kind of arbitrary and i can't imagine the ancients building a giant water puzzle to worship at, but there's a kind of myst-like discovery of strange, broken objects that blossoms into an understanding of what they are for and how they work. the dungeons are all pretty focused and organized in a sensible way (to the degree that they can be), and that works very well in a game that keeps as tight a rein on the player as this game does - much better than a relatively open dungeon like the original zelda's or even ocarina's would be.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject:

My favorite part of the dungeons so far is that the puzzles mostly revolve around inventive uses of items and abilities that you've had for most of the game. Nine times out of ten the solution is just a matter of looking at your inventory screen and applying some creative thinking. It's a really great way to get around the problem that both Ocarina and Wind Waker had where each item had one specific prescribed use that more or less remained static throughout the entire game. The way inventory is integrated into the puzzles goes a long way towards making your treasures feel like things which are actually useful and handy as opposed to things which are just there to be artificial keys to artificial locks.

I just finished the fifth dungeon, which was fantastic. Aounuma at his best. Reminds me of the neatest parts of Majora's Mask.
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

dessgeega · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:51 am Post subject:

so the boss of the third dungeon clearly owes a lot to shadow of the colossus, but the battle made me realize how much colossus owes to the eel in super mario 64!

so everything between that dungeon and the next is fantastic. the return to the castle, in the storm, with the faint sound of midna's labored breathing in the background, if you listen. the song that plays is wonderful (my father, who was around, commented on it even), though i wish the battle theme hadn't replaced it when i ran into enemies. and then the raid on the enemy camp. that was just mighty swell. i want things like that to appear randomly on hyrule field.

okay, the sacred grove was kind of dull, and tedious. and what was that puzzle all about? "the ancient ones erected us to challenge any potential heroes to a game of knight's move." (yes i know the puzzle wasn't actually knight's move.) but aside from that it was pretty good. this game is getting pretty good.

i am hoping the fourth dungeon will be interesting.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

Didn't anyone else not like the Temple of Time dungeon (7th one I think). It seemed like the dungeons had really been steadily getting better since the water dungeon (my least favorite up to this point) and this one just didn't do anything for me and I'm not sure why.

I'm thinking of subscribing to NP for the soundtrack if they're still doing that promotion. I'm not usually especially into Zelda soundtracks, but this one is fantastic.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

Ketch · . Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 420

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

It looks a bit like Tron to me.

I loved that Wind Waker boss, by the way! It was such a weird mixture of elements. The boss looks Aztec or Mayan in design, the music sounds like Switched On Bach or Wendy Carlos' synthesizer version of Beethoven, and it all has this tron-style futuristic aesthetic, and somehow this all coalesces to create a Greco-Roman sort of setting.

My dad thinks the square black particles that float up from the ground in the Twilight Realm are After Eight mints.

dessgeega · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:36 pm Post subject:

so i'm actually enjoying the fourth dungeon so far, even though it's at least the third time chasing down light-nabbing ghosts has been done in the series.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:58 am Post subject:

FortNinety · Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 3:16 am Post subject:

I'm sorry but the fishing (at least in the GameCube version) is total b.s. It took me over an hour to catch the two fish I needed. Actually I had to catch three because the cat wasn't around for the second fish. I've never been this pissed this early into a Zelda game.

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:47 am Post subject:

so the boss of the fourth dungeon was neat in an "i've always wanted to see zelda combined with pachinko" sort of way, but (as i've told andy) i would really like a zelda boss that i could actually fight with my sword. you know, other than the obligatory wail-on-a-motionless-defenseless-boss moments that they stick into each fight just to keep us from forgetting that we do in fact have a sword.

then it was right on into the mirror chamber, or (as i'm calling it) the "chamber of disappointments". ganondorf is the villian and the portal to another world i've come so far to find has been split into pieces which have been banished to various dungeons which i now have to go locate. woo hoo.

but hey, zelda snowboarding. and the fifth dungeon looks to be potentially the most interesting yet.

i'm just strangely satisfied to finally have each area of the map (that i know of) filled in.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:59 pm Post subject:

so the fifth dungeon is a refreshing change, though not without its problems! for starters, most of it is dependent on you having regular bombs. immediately before the dungeon, a shiny new type of bomb goes on sale. i bought it, thinking that the last time a new type of bomb went on sale it was immediately required in the following dungeon.

well the shiny new bombs (which are very expensive and of which you can only carry ten) don't work in this dungeon. and since they didn't work, i assumed that bombs were not the solution. i had to check gamefaqs (a second time, the first being right at the beginning of the game) to find out that i was intended to use bombs, just not the shiny new ones. so i had to leave the dungeon and trek to the other side of the world to buy normal bombs, then trek back.

the other frustration was the sub-boss. even after i figured out what i was "supposed" to do, the result just wasn't consistent. i felt like every time i tried to goad the boss into exposing its weak point, i had a 50-50 chance of getting hurt and missing the opportunity. and this particular sub-boss could kill me in several hits. i had to replay the battle until i got "lucky".

seeing a weapon in action and then getting to use it is awesome (and a trick that dates back as far in the series as the original), though. i wish there were more of it.

the characters who inhabit the dungeon are adorable, and so was the ending scene. nevermind that the boss was lifted straight from wind waker.

after that, though - i can't for the life of me figure out why they needed to make me repeat the most annoying part of the game. that being the "lost woods". ugh. i'm up to black-and-white land, which looks promising.

trying to play a game this long on a console that doesn't belong to me is exhausting. i've reached the twenty-hour mark.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 3:01 am Post subject:

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279