Gaming Spirit Tracks = Worst Zelda Game EVER!

jalaneme · Feb 5, 2010

Inunah said:
I disagree completely. All the points you mentioned were the highlights of the game for me. Even the death by train and falling into lava parts. I'd give it 100 stars out of 5. Seriously. This game is way more awesome if you actually try to pretend you're Link.

Seriously. I like the train. Unlike Phantom Hourglass, taking sixty years to go somewhere isn't that bad anymore. Phantom Hourglass had NOTHING to look at, and it made me want to rip out my eyes in frustration and boredom. Spirit Tracks has stuff to look at, and trains. If I had known nothing about the game except "Link rides a train", I would still have gotten it. I think I just like trains. And the whistle. Oh yes, the whistle. I blow it with the music.

I also like the sidequests (the 1 or 2 that weren't, I like them too) where you tote people around to different places. It's challenging, and it's made it a habit for me to obey the signs even when noone is being toted around. It's like driving a car, for me, except I hate cars and it's technically not me driving.

And the stamp book sidequest... I loved it. I thought it was fun stamping the pages and seeing the neat designs each location had on their stamps. I also like the rewards... The little conductor outfit is adorable!

Only thing I don't like: Link looks a bit too thin. Is he taller or is he just not eating enough?

i guess you have very low exceptions then, ST is not the best zelda in the series, zelda has changed a lot since OOT, zelda was at it's peak on the handhelds with the minish cap, it's a shame no other handheld zelda game has yet to beat it.

also i am guessing that i am getting bored with the series after playing the games for nearly 24 years there is nothing else to add to zelda anymore.

HoTsHoT89 · Feb 5, 2010

I'm in line with the OP. Spirit Tracks was actually the first Zelda game that I had to struggle finishing it. Riding point to point with the train was a huge bore, and it felt like a huge rehash of Phantom Hourglass' boat rides. For PH, you could at least discover secret places. As for ST, it would only be time till you find them. I was even more disappointed when I reached the Dark Realm, where the train could actually speed up. That made me cringe even more.

I hated the Temple concept in PH, and in the sequel it's back - with clunky Zelda following you around. Most of the puzzles could have been more complicated and fun, but to rely on the Phantoms to maneuver around the Tower was a huge pain.

There's much complaints to be had, but the OP pretty stated most of them. I remember few years back when I played Link to the Past with my original GBA under a dim light. You guys know how hard it was to see thru the screen, but I went on - just because the game was that addictve and fun.

nasune · Feb 5, 2010

True this game was bad (take it from someone who played all zelda's including the CD-i games) but you know what, I could have lived with most flaws. The one thing that I hated most was how Zelda acted, after the first time she was such a brat all I wanted to scream to the bloody screen was 'excuse me princess' (the show which spawned that line was pretty bad too by the way) and just turn it off. Still I did finish it but I won't be repalying it for a good while.

miyagiCE · Feb 5, 2010

I completely agree with all of the points alucard77 raised. One more thing though, I didn't think Phantom Hourglass was necessarily better. Same boring shit that took me ages to play through.

The only thing I remotely liked about this game was mentioned a couple of posts above; Zelda's not just a silly statue or sleeping beauty to be rescued. Sure, her personality's terrible, LOL at the Paris Hilton statement, but I thought it was rather cute how during the game she's dumbfounded by the things Link has to go through during his many quests to rescue her.

Also, Inunah, thank you for your heartwarming post. While I completely disagree with anything you said, your post totally made my day and put a smile on my face. Much obliged.

Leo Cantus · Feb 5, 2010

I agree with most of the points you raised, especially the train. It sucked compared to a ship. You feel too restricted because there are tracks instead of an open sea. Also, its so annoying customising it, you have to trade treasures to Linebeck. In PH you could find any buy treasures, much easier. Also the characters arent very innovative, they copied Linebeck from PH, and that woman pirate.
And yes, the game is very short, too short. And a lot of do this do that. You can guess whats coming up. Zelda was a nice touch coming along with you. I would personally give the game a 7.

Guild McCommunist · Feb 5, 2010

CD-i Zelda games take the trophy as worst Zelda game ever. And yeah, Zelda II was pretty mediocre, I must say.

This game wasn't bad, but it was a pretty lackluster Zelda.

Terenigma · Feb 5, 2010

I read the first post and i dont even need to read the rest of the posts that may or may not defend this game but the OP is spot on. iv posted my negative review of this game on the forum already 2-3 times so ill keep it short and sweet this time but this game is by far the worst zelda game ever. take away the zelda name and this would dismissed in a day

phantom hourglass was a GREAT game , spirit tracks is not the same game but better. its inferior in practically every way

anime4ever · Feb 5, 2010

Fuck the trains!

Give me back my boat!

Destructobot · Feb 5, 2010

Fuck the trains and the boat. Give me back my huge Zelda worlds that I can explore and interact with.

CrimzonEyed · Feb 5, 2010

Darn the flute songs!
i don't think the flute was a bad idea but that u need to blow in it yourself was horrible, poor us gamer with our uber condition.
Darn ever time i meet 1 of the old geezers i was about to die when they finnaly were happy with my flute concert.

Guild McCommunist · Feb 5, 2010

Destructobot said:
Fuck the trains and the boat. Give me back my huge Zelda worlds that I can explore and interact with.

This.

One of the cool parts of Zelda was roaming a majestic world, whether it be on foot or horse. I mean, it was truly majestic looking in Twilight Princess, not to mention very moody as well. I was just in love with roaming across the Hyrulean fields on my noble steed. Boats and trains just make everything so cramped, confined, and linear.

Why can't they just make an Ocarina of Time DS and cut the crap?

PuyoDead · Feb 6, 2010

Destructobot said:
Fuck the trains and the boat. Give me back my huge Zelda worlds that I can explore and interact with.

Exactly. I'm really not liking this trend of cutting the overworld. That's been a core aspect of Zelda games since NES. Why ever they thought it would be a good idea to hinder that, I'll never understand.

choconado · Feb 6, 2010

wow. Now I'm going to have to reconsider this being on my soon-to-download list.

I've played a whole slew of the zelda games, and PH was probably the least enjoyable one I've played, yet was a solid good time. (Adventure of Link was pretty lousy too, come to think of it. I'm not going to jump on the meme bandwagon of talking about the cd-i games without playing them). Good to know that they continued the downhill trend that PH started.

Slyakin · Feb 6, 2010

I totally 100% respect your opinion, but I find that Spirit Tracks, as well as other games by Nintendo, are just experiments, so to speak. Ocarina of Time was a rousing success, but how can they do that again? They'll work, and see how the market reacts.

...But I would like an Ocarina of Time DS.

Terenigma · Feb 6, 2010

Slyakin said:
...But I would like an Ocarina of Time DS.

how about OOT and Majoras mask on the same cart

CrimzonEyed · Feb 6, 2010

Terenigma said:
Slyakin said:

...But I would like an Ocarina of Time DS.

Click to expand...

how about OOT and Majoras mask on the same cart

That would be dangerous for my health seriously

OSW · Feb 6, 2010

You make a good argument there. I would have to agree with most of what you said, although I'm only about half way through the game, i feel no motivation to finish the game at all.

Link0518 said:
Terenigma said:

Slyakin said:

...But I would like an Ocarina of Time DS.

Click to expand...

how about OOT and Majoras mask on the same cart

Click to expand...

That would be dangerous for my health seriously

hahahaha, totally bro

I am r4ymond · Feb 6, 2010

After about 1-3 hours of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks gameplay, I got bored. The story was a bit repetitive...and hard at some times.

8BitWalugi · Feb 6, 2010

My brother preferred this game way more compared to Phantom Hourglass. I liked PH, but he hated it, mainly because he didn't like the boat travel and the Ocean King temple was easily one of the worst gameplay mechanics ever. (It is, you have to repeat TIMED puzzles, go through every single floor when you returned, enemies were unkillable, and they insta-killed you.)

He didn't really mind the train travelling if only because it was hard to get lost, but he did say it was a weird design choice that's going to get lots of hate. Plus he hardly had ANY problems that you listed, enemies are varied when your off the train, and he never had any problems with the stylus controls.
The DS's mic has always been shit, so that's more of a problem of the actual system. Still he was able to breeze through every duet no problem.
Your problem with the darkness in the Spirit temple comes down to personal opinion. I thought that the puzzles idea of getting you to manage torch Zelda and Link was quite challenging.
Upgrading your Transport in Zelda has ALWAYS been optional, and is generally just for looks anyway. Besides those evil trains could be avoided and slowed down easily, maybe you needed to plan ahead more instead of charging in stupidly?
I have no idea what your talking about with the timed events, but the fact that I don't remember them in Spirit Tracks, and DO remember them in say OOT, MM and PH says a lot.

Also your conclusion is utterly flawed because you seem to have almost no memory of what the Ocean Kings temple was like. It was WAY more annoying, it got you to re-do EVERY puzzle, and it was easily 100 times worse than the Spirit Tower.
Also seriously who the hell bothers with 100% in games? Of course it's going to be annoying as hell trying to do that. But it's been like that for every Zelda game.

This review to me just smells like someone who got way too annoyed at trying to 100% this game.
Train sequences were a stupid idea true, but they have enough variety for the basic game quest, the rest of the problems you listed all seem to be way blown out of proportion.

Whatever it's your opinion. It just seems way to anger induced. This is why I don't bother with 100%ing games like this. This game is easily one of the better Zelda games to be made.

PuyoDead · Feb 6, 2010

Nobody is going to argue with you about the Ocean King's Temple being an utter garbage idea. Like I said, it almost killed PH for me. And I actually praise ST for getting rid of that wretched idea. But the other problems (no real overworld, for example), are not enough to forgive it. And that it took three pages for someone to finally speak up in favor of this game, that says a lot considering the "BEST GAME EVAR" madness when it was released.

Gaming Spirit Tracks = Worst Zelda Game EVER!

Female Gamer

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So zeta slow!

(not on boat)

Terenigma everywhere

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Crave the Hammer

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Hey! Hey! Oh!

Doesn't understand a damn thing on here

See ya suckers

Terenigma everywhere

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Taiyohhhhhh!

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