The trailer also seems to suggest that all the train tracks are magical shackles placed on the ground to imprison an evil presence. So that's why there are train tracks around! We would have guessed "interstate commerce."
Introducing the Spirit Tower in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
by JC Fletcher 
on Nov 20th 2009 2:00PM
45
The trailer also seems to suggest that all the train tracks are magical shackles placed on the ground to imprison an evil presence. So that's why there are train tracks around! We would have guessed "interstate commerce."
Reader Comments (45)
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:07PM wardob said
I was hoping there would be no temple like the ocean king's temple in the last game. It really is what ruined the experience, I liked the rest of it.
It's good to know you can skip the parts you played through already though, hopefully that makes the temple fun and not tedious.
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It's good to know you can skip the parts you played through already though, hopefully that makes the temple fun and not tedious.
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 3:06PM (Unverified) said
I heard that you will never repeat the same parts of the Temple more then once (unless you want to find secret items)
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 4:24PM Extinction said
Why is Nintendo so stupid as to repeat their same mistakes? This was the reason many people gave up Phantom Boredomglass
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 8:48PM Extinction said
"They listened"
No. Had they listened, they wouldn't have done it at all.
Had they listened, Phantom Boredomglass wouldn't be filled with the same boring crap they apologized for in Wind Waker.
Had they listened, they wouldn't have just switched sailing to a train with even less excitement since there is no free roaming.
Had they listened, they'd let you control link with dpad and buttons.
Had they listened, they wouldn't have any microphone-blowing BS
Had they listened, the game would be full 3D like OOT and MM, instead of overhead
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No. Had they listened, they wouldn't have done it at all.
Had they listened, Phantom Boredomglass wouldn't be filled with the same boring crap they apologized for in Wind Waker.
Had they listened, they wouldn't have just switched sailing to a train with even less excitement since there is no free roaming.
Had they listened, they'd let you control link with dpad and buttons.
Had they listened, they wouldn't have any microphone-blowing BS
Had they listened, the game would be full 3D like OOT and MM, instead of overhead
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:20PM TRTX said
The reason the Temple of the Ocean King was bemoaned was because you had to go through the same sections over and over again.
However, if the Spirit Tower allows you to skip regions you've done before...then would that remove the reason the original temple was bemoaned? Hence there should be no bemoaning...
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However, if the Spirit Tower allows you to skip regions you've done before...then would that remove the reason the original temple was bemoaned? Hence there should be no bemoaning...
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:22PM Gun Barrier said
I don't like the music they used in the intro, it seems very "unZeldaish." Sounds more like music that could be used for an Okami sequel.
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:35PM Gun Barrier said
The Okami music does not sound like Zelda music at all, to me. I just don't like the sound of this intro.
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:55PM sonicspike41 said
The music in Okami was distinctly more Asian than what you'd normally find in a Zelda game, and it lent itself to the story and overall style of the game. Amaterasu seems a more fitting character for Asian music than Link.
I think Link has always better fit the more adventurous orchestra style music, with a little Celtic-like music as well. He just seems more Irish than Asian.
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I think Link has always better fit the more adventurous orchestra style music, with a little Celtic-like music as well. He just seems more Irish than Asian.
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:58PM sonicspike41 said
Add this as a new rule:
@@|http://adm.fwmrm.net/p/viddler_flashplayer/*
That should white-list the viddler player while still keeping the other add rules as they are. Basically, it lets you watch viddler videos again (and so far seems to still keep them ad free).
Reply
@@|http://adm.fwmrm.net/p/viddler_flashplayer/*
That should white-list the viddler player while still keeping the other add rules as they are. Basically, it lets you watch viddler videos again (and so far seems to still keep them ad free).
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:25PM mrmobius said
I don't mind the same temple visited many times as long as every time it is only a new part of the temple we have to go in to. Then it's all new content, not just game lengthening repetition.
I'll leave an open mind, even though my first thought when I heard this was 'damn!'
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I'll leave an open mind, even though my first thought when I heard this was 'damn!'
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:39PM I am a machineee said
Okay didn't Nintendo say that it wasn't going to be repetitive like PH, but it will still have a central area? With saying it is exactly like Temple of the Ocean King, a lot of people aren't going to want to check this potentially fun title out, when it simple isn't the case.
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:48PM I am a machineee said
Right here: http://ds.ign.com/articles/104/1042825p1.html
"The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks improves on a few elements from complaints people had in the original Phantom Hourglass. One issue was when the game forced you to replay dungeons just to get to the new, unlocked portions of the temple. But in Spirit Tracks, the Tower has an entrance staircase that allows you to ascend and bypass the previously completed portions, so no constant backtracking."
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"The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks improves on a few elements from complaints people had in the original Phantom Hourglass. One issue was when the game forced you to replay dungeons just to get to the new, unlocked portions of the temple. But in Spirit Tracks, the Tower has an entrance staircase that allows you to ascend and bypass the previously completed portions, so no constant backtracking."
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:50PM I am a machineee said
Okay I accidentally skipped a sentence in the main article :( *(holds head in shame)*
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 2:54PM Mighty Ponygirl said
I actually didn't mind the returning to the Ocean King temple that much because the new tools I picked up meant I could shave seconds off in new interesting ways. Not that I was over the moon for it, it was definitely less fun than say, more dungeons.
If they're saying the staircase allows you to bypass previously completed areas of the dungeon, then I don't really see what the problem is. Obviously, they could have broken them into separate dungeons, but if they have anything resembling a story-based reason that you have to keep returning to the same dungeon, then I guess that's their decision as writers. I'll still get the game and play it. But then it wasn't bloody likely that I would give a Zelda title a miss so I suppose they don't really have to worry about pissing me off.
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If they're saying the staircase allows you to bypass previously completed areas of the dungeon, then I don't really see what the problem is. Obviously, they could have broken them into separate dungeons, but if they have anything resembling a story-based reason that you have to keep returning to the same dungeon, then I guess that's their decision as writers. I'll still get the game and play it. But then it wasn't bloody likely that I would give a Zelda title a miss so I suppose they don't really have to worry about pissing me off.
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 5:08PM xxxsam said
I loved the sailing in Wind Waker. It really felt like you were there (in the middle of the ocean on a tiny boat). PH doesn't have sailing; you control a crappy steamship by drawing the route on map with a stylus. There's significantly less time sailing.
I liked PH, but certainly not as much as most other Zelda games. Didn't even mind the repetitive temple (in fact, it didn't stick in my mind at all as a problem - whereas, as you can tell, the sailing-becomes-steamship thing did).
I think PH is probably worth a try if you like Zelda in general. If you're not sure it's worth full price, you could always pick it up used.
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I liked PH, but certainly not as much as most other Zelda games. Didn't even mind the repetitive temple (in fact, it didn't stick in my mind at all as a problem - whereas, as you can tell, the sailing-becomes-steamship thing did).
I think PH is probably worth a try if you like Zelda in general. If you're not sure it's worth full price, you could always pick it up used.
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 5:34PM mrmobius said
I enjoyed the sailing in Wind Waker. The only annoyance was that you had to sit still in the ocean if you wanted to use the cannon. I reckon if they did a sequel to Wind Waker on the Wii, had the same sailing as in Wind Waker, but then had you able to use the IR sensor to use the cannon while the sails are still up so can do a bit of tactical strafing while using the canon. The best parts of sailing in Wind Waker were the watchout pirate towers in the middle of the sea, but if you were able to move and use the cannon, then you could develop some amazingly large sea battles. Also, if you were able to update your cannon, or get a partner to control a second cannon, you could make really complex sea battles.
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 3:15PM Brunibrun said
I loved WW, hated PH. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I'll give this a shot though.
They should really just make a port or sequel to Four Swords, give it Wi-Fi, and call it a day for portable Zelda on the DS. It's not they'll be making stuff like Link's Awakening or the Oracle series ever again.
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They should really just make a port or sequel to Four Swords, give it Wi-Fi, and call it a day for portable Zelda on the DS. It's not they'll be making stuff like Link's Awakening or the Oracle series ever again.
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 3:32PM OMGITSJAD said
The Spirit Tower will also be less annoying due to the inclusion of the Phantom controlling feature too.
All i'm worried about is if there's a Spiritglass hidden away in there that'll give unneeded hatred because I hit that one switch in 5 seconds instead of 2 and need to repeat it over again.(Plus, are there any Wi-Fi games in ST, like PH...?)
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All i'm worried about is if there's a Spiritglass hidden away in there that'll give unneeded hatred because I hit that one switch in 5 seconds instead of 2 and need to repeat it over again.(Plus, are there any Wi-Fi games in ST, like PH...?)
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 4:32PM Scuffles said
I generally don't care for timed anything or having to play a level over and over again but I really had no problem with it in phantom hourglass..... If anything I would think people would be complaining that omg noooo I have to sail across the ocean to get to some other island again, which to me seemed much more pointless and was repeated far more often .... but I didn't mind that either
come to think of it I thought I would hate the timer in majoras mask as well but I ended up not minding it either, made an interesting game play mechanic or plot McGuffin or what have you.
I also couldn't stand the graphics from windwaker but I loved them in phantom hourglass, go figure on that one lol
not sure if I will snag this early on or wait a bit for a price drop ...... sadly I am obligated to buy it cause its a zelda game and I love them
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come to think of it I thought I would hate the timer in majoras mask as well but I ended up not minding it either, made an interesting game play mechanic or plot McGuffin or what have you.
I also couldn't stand the graphics from windwaker but I loved them in phantom hourglass, go figure on that one lol
not sure if I will snag this early on or wait a bit for a price drop ...... sadly I am obligated to buy it cause its a zelda game and I love them
Posted: Nov 20th 2009 5:11PM xxxsam said
Do they price-drop the Zelda DS games? I just searched for Phantom Hourglass and several places are still selling it for exactly the same price they had when it was new. Certainly the official retail seems to be the same. Of course, you could always get it cheaper used after a bit.
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Posted: Nov 20th 2009 6:04PM Nook said
don't bury stuff - especially bad guys, dismember it and burn the individual pieces in different areas of the world - then launch the ashes into space, or mix them in with paints...no...don't do that - whatever gets painted may become possessed!
boring video, looking forward to the game. good to know you don't have to go through areas you have alreay been through, and no timer please, no caustic atmosphere too.
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boring video, looking forward to the game. good to know you don't have to go through areas you have alreay been through, and no timer please, no caustic atmosphere too.
Posted: Nov 21st 2009 12:27AM (Unverified) said
But couldn't you effectively skip parts in PH? The new tools you gained allowed you to bypass who sections.... it was like metroid, where you're constantly backtracking throught the same areas, but with new tools making each trip easier and faster.
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Posted: Nov 21st 2009 11:19AM (Unverified) said
Nintendo is somehow frustrating us, in order to completely suceed with Zelda Wii.
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