View Full Version : Phantom Hourglass
OffTheWall16
02-26-2008, 03:48 PM
Well i got this game for Christmas but i havent played it in a month because of the stupid ocean king temple.
Does anyone else think the temple is stupid and repetitive?
Dont Spoil the Ending
csidegamer
02-26-2008, 04:24 PM
Very. I put it down for a month before the 5th run thru.
Made it with 18 seconds left.
Now to beat the game tonight. Hopefully.
lokizz
02-26-2008, 04:46 PM
yeh the temple you need to keep returning to does get annoying.aside from that the game is awesome.
Celticfan106
02-26-2008, 07:44 PM
Yeah, that's the worst part of the game. I finished it up luckily, But I'm still running around looking for shi parts, when I'm not playing Professor Layton.
coltyhuxx
02-26-2008, 07:46 PM
I stopped playing half way through the ocean temple. it was not fun anymore.
The rest of the game rocks.
VioletArrows
02-26-2008, 08:37 PM
Got fucking sick of it and turned on the AR.
MrJohnnySpot
02-26-2008, 08:41 PM
Yes it does suck and is tedious at best, but at least once you get through it at a certain point you don't have to restart from the beginning every time, just half-way through. :lol:
But, it really is an awesome game and if you can overlook that stupid temple, it's totally worth it.
snakelda
02-27-2008, 03:43 AM
yeah,it was suxorz.
Everyone slams this game for backtracking of the Temple but show me a Zelda game where you didn't have to backtrack. I don't think Zelda changed, but most of us did.
lokizz
02-27-2008, 07:43 AM
yeh but its one thing to go back with a new item to hit up one or 2 spots in an old dungeon to find something. but its a whole other monster when you basically do the same damn dungeon completly over and over and each time youre stuck with a time limit and each time the dungen gets bigger and bigger with seemingly no end. you know a game maker fucked up when youre toolin around in a game having a blast only to dread the inevitable return to the kings temple.
crunchewy
02-27-2008, 10:22 AM
Keep in mind that there are lots of shortcuts you can find that make your repeats go much faster, plus it's kind of fun looking for those new shortcuts. Yeah, it's not a perfect game, but I still loved it. Finished it a month ago or so.
Yes, the temple is stupid and annoying. However, with better items you can take short cuts, which make it less stupid and annoying with each run-through. You will get to a point where you can get through it very quickly and easily, provided you realize the right strategy. Definitely a really crappy part of a pretty good game though.
BTW, the thing that's 100x as stupid and annoying is Jolene hijacking your boat every 5 minutes. You only get rewarded the first 3 times though. And her existence in the plot of the game is pretty pointless. Holy fuck I hate Jolene.
botticus
02-27-2008, 12:35 PM
yeh but its one thing to go back with a new item to hit up one or 2 spots in an old dungeon to find something. but its a whole other monster when you basically do the same damn dungeon completly over and over and each time youre stuck with a time limit and each time the dungen gets bigger and bigger with seemingly no end. you know a game maker fucked up when youre toolin around in a game having a blast only to dread the inevitable return to the kings temple.Pretty much. I got through the fifth run after resorting to a guide out of despair and boredom, but then I was reliant on a guide. Just gave up and sold it. Quite sad.
The temple didn't annoy me much at all. I liked how new stuff opened up as you gained new skills. :shrug:
dmaul1114
02-27-2008, 02:01 PM
Hated it. Nearly quit the game because of it, but eventually beat it over a couple of months.
But three of my biggest gaming are:
-timed levels
-back tracking/repeating areas
-stealth/sneaking around sections
So clearly the OK temple is something I was going to LOATHE. I didn't like the controls much either. They work ok, but they're just not as responsive for moving, fighting etc. as traditional controls so it seemed gimmicky to me.
PH is easily my least favorite zelda game, I'd probably give it a 7.5-8 and honestly it probably deserves lower from me as I'm sure I'm bumping it up some just because it's Zelda and I love the characters etc.
Everyone slams this game for backtracking of the Temple but show me a Zelda game where you didn't have to backtrack.
Maybe backtracking in the overworld, never requiring doing parts of the same dungeon five times to beat the game. And again, it's compounded for me by being timed and having stealth sections.
Vinny
02-27-2008, 02:05 PM
The temple did suck but it was nice how as you got more items, there were more and more shortcuts that made it faster.
But still, it was prety stupid.
lokizz
02-27-2008, 03:30 PM
Yes, the temple is stupid and annoying. However, with better items you can take short cuts, which make it less stupid and annoying with each run-through. You will get to a point where you can get through it very quickly and easily, provided you realize the right strategy. Definitely a really crappy part of a pretty good game though.
BTW, the thing that's 100x as stupid and annoying is Jolene hijacking your boat every 5 minutes. You only get rewarded the first 3 times though. And her existence in the plot of the game is pretty pointless. Holy fuck I hate Jolene.
yeah that shit was annoying to but those 2 thing aside i liked the game and prefered it over twilight princess. had a better ending than twilight princess too lol.
carro
02-27-2008, 09:59 PM
yea the temple thing got pretty repetitive
but the game overall is good
jedi_liz
02-27-2008, 10:36 PM
I rented this game through GameFly and haven't even found the guy Liebrass or whatever his name is. I made it through the cave, thank goodness, but how do I get to the tree? Do I have to wait for that Liebrass guy?
OffTheWall16
02-28-2008, 04:23 PM
I'm on the final time through and i accidentally walked into the blue light and it sent me back and i was like fuck this and havent played since
csidegamer
02-28-2008, 04:27 PM
Did the same on my third time thru.
What a pain in the ass.
Nixon's Revenge
02-28-2008, 05:50 PM
I really enjoyed this game until I had to go back to the temple for the fifth time.
However, up until that point it was good stuff and the DS controls don't feel tacked on.
hero101
02-28-2008, 06:08 PM
Damn, I'm tired of using all the stylus controller seems to annoy the hell out of me. Hmmm, I just got into the first temple. Seems like the interface is drive me nuts. Does it get better?
dmaul1114
02-28-2008, 06:15 PM
Damn, I'm tired of using all the stylus controller seems to annoy the hell out of me. Hmmm, I just got into the first temple. Seems like the interface is drive me nuts. Does it get better?
No. You get more used to it. But you're not going to suddenly start liking the stylus controls.
As I said earlier, they work ok, but as they were less responsive than normal controls I just never cared for them. New control schemes should only be used when they offer an improvement over traditional controls.
PR Mega X
02-28-2008, 06:22 PM
Damn, I'm tired of using all the stylus controller seems to annoy the hell out of me. Hmmm, I just got into the first temple. Seems like the interface is drive me nuts. Does it get better?
I hated it at first, but after a while I honestly didn't think anything of it. I would have preferred traditional controls, but the longer I played it, the more I got used to the stylus.
Having said that: the Ocean King temple is a pain in the balls. I just beat the game last week (played about 3 weeks straight), and loved it overall. But that...could have been left out.
jedi_liz
02-29-2008, 12:28 PM
I'm sending the game back to GameFly. I wasn't impressed. And Since I don't have instructions, I don't know how to get Link to swim (he kept drowning). Hopefully someone else can continue the game I started,even though ti was saved under my DS's username.
crunchewy
02-29-2008, 02:02 PM
I really liked the stylus controls. They worked fantastic. Perhaps I'm in the minority, though?
lokizz
02-29-2008, 02:35 PM
the stylus controls take getting used to but they work well enough. it just kinda sucks youre very limited to how you attack with a sword. but it makes using your special weapons very easy.
crunchewy
02-29-2008, 03:30 PM
I thought battling with the stylus was really fun and, generally to me the stylus controls did add to the game quite a bit. Yeah, it was slightly annoying to be rolling or swinging when unintended, but that really wasn't a big deal and otherwise I didn't have any problems with the controls. I'm looking forward to another DS Zelda game and I hope they'll keep (and improve/expand upon) the stylus control. At least I hope there will be another one!
PR Mega X
02-29-2008, 05:15 PM
I'm sending the game back to GameFly. I wasn't impressed. And Since I don't have instructions, I don't know how to get Link to swim (he kept drowning). Hopefully someone else can continue the game I started,even though ti was saved under my DS's username.
Yeah...Link doesn't swim in this game. You have to *avoid* the water.
I'm sending the game back to GameFly. I wasn't impressed. And Since I don't have instructions, I don't know how to get Link to swim (he kept drowning). Hopefully someone else can continue the game I started,even though ti was saved under my DS's username.
You obviously can use the internet, why not look on gamefaqs? It sounds like you gave up before getting into the game at all.
It's a bad zelda game, but as far as DS games go it's pretty great.
You obviously can use the internet, why not look on gamefaqs?
Some players consider looking at gamefaqs as cheating.
keithp
03-01-2008, 02:03 AM
Some players consider looking at gamefaqs as cheating.
I doubt anyone would consider looking at the instructions so you know how to control the character to be cheating. Is it cheating to read the instruction book that comes with games?
I doubt anyone would consider looking at the instructions so you know how to control the character to be cheating. Is it cheating to read the instruction book that comes with games?
Nope but I'm guessing not many faqs explain game controls.
lokizz
03-01-2008, 02:49 AM
Some players consider looking at gamefaqs as cheating.
id agree with that if you use the faq from beginning to end but who doesnt use a faq every once and a while. i had to use it a few times especially when it came to drawing the symbol on the red door. i knew what to draw but wasnt sure hwo to draw it properly so itd open up. very annoyng.
id agree with that if you use the faq from beginning to end but who doesnt use a faq every once and a while.
ME <---------------- Is a reason why I never get to finish some games and I tend to avoid future games by those developers.
lokizz
03-01-2008, 07:06 AM
ME <---------------- Is a reason why I never get to finish some games and I tend to avoid future games by those developers.
man youre going to miss out on alot of stuff then. i grew up in a time before gamefaqs so i can attest to being at a point in a game where i couldnt beat it cause i couldnt figure out what to do or what i was missing. sometimes you need a little help i mean yeah back in the day youd either use nintendo power or ask a friend but i love game faqs. guides cost too much and not every game is so hard or confusing you need a faq. funny enough i usually reach one ro 2 spots in zelda games i cant figure out. if its not that then i want to make sure ive gotten every item or bottle or heart piece.... maybe not all heart pieces those can be annoying to locate.
question why do you feel its cheating? me personally what i think of as cheating are cheat codes. i dont get the point of putting in a god mode code the first time you play a game and then say you beat it.
man youre going to miss out on alot of stuff then. i grew up in a time before gamefaqs so i can attest to being at a point in a game where i couldnt beat it cause i couldnt figure out what to do or what i was missing. sometimes you need a little help i mean yeah back in the day youd either use nintendo power or ask a friend but i love game faqs. guides cost too much and not every game is so hard or confusing you need a faq. funny enough i usually reach one ro 2 spots in zelda games i cant figure out. if its not that then i want to make sure ive gotten every item or bottle or heart piece.... maybe not all heart pieces those can be annoying to locate.
question why do you feel its cheating? me personally what i think of as cheating are cheat codes. i dont get the point of putting in a god mode code the first time you play a game and then say you beat it.
Yes miss out on endings of badly designed games where if you miss or forget a single line of dialog in 30+ hour game you're stuck. This a single example but there's plenty more.
Don't you remember during NES days when you figure something out by yourself instead of looking at some guide or asking a friend? I do and got a huge high from that. I think that is what's different between you and I. You get more enjoyment out of completing a game than figuring things out for yourself.
lokizz
03-01-2008, 10:41 AM
Yes miss out on endings of badly designed games where if you miss or forget a single line of dialog in 30+ hour game you're stuck. This a single example but there's plenty more.
Don't you remember during NES days when you figure something out by yourself instead of looking at some guide or asking a friend? I do and got a huge high from that. I think that is what's different between you and I. You get more enjoyment out of completing a game than figuring things out for yourself.
just cause youre stuck in a spot doesnt mean theyre poorly designed. i like challenging games and some of the greatest ones have hard spots in them where you need help. ive beat plenty of games myself but then some games we all need help with one spot here or there. i think that was one of the best parts about old school gaming the kind of odd community we had where your friends may have figured out something you didnt or this friend knew a guy who knew how to beat this game and could ask him what to do.
hell re 2 when i first played it kicked my ass for alot of reasons ( my love/fear of zombie films, it was my first time ever playing a psx, and the puzzles were diff from anything id ever played in the 16 bit era) but some of those puzzles were hard to me and i needed help and because of the help i got i beat the game and gexerienced a great story and from then on ive kicked every other re games ass.
btw what games have you stopped playing alltogether because of not being able to figure things out on your own?
just cause youre stuck in a spot doesnt mean theyre poorly designed. i like challenging games and some of the greatest ones have hard spots in them where you need help. ive beat plenty of games myself but then some games we all need help with one spot here or there. i think that was one of the best parts about old school gaming the kind of odd community we had where your friends may have figured out something you didnt or this friend knew a guy who knew how to beat this game and could ask him what to do.
Right, you like the community aspect but that still doesn't mean everyone likes that more than beating a game without any help. No offense but you do understand that people's brains are wired differently. What makes you happy doesn't necessarily will make someone else happy.
Well last game I quit because I got stuck on was Trace Memory. And I'm not a adventure gaming newbie either. Beat The Longest Journey, Myst 3, all 3 Journeyman Project, and etc.
dmaul1114
03-01-2008, 11:28 AM
the stylus controls take getting used to but they work well enough. it just kinda sucks youre very limited to how you attack with a sword. but it makes using your special weapons very easy.
That was one of my two issues with stylus controls.
1. It makes the sword combat even more limited than the already pretty bland combat in the Zelda series.
2. It's just not as precise as regular control. I ran off ledges, into stuff etc. much more than I would have with the D-pad.
dmaul1114
03-01-2008, 11:38 AM
It's a bad zelda game, but as far as DS games go it's pretty great.
I was going to balk at that as I didn't care for the game and there's a lot I've loved on the DS.
But post 2006 you're pretty much right. I only bought 3 games last year (Zelda, Planet Puzzle League and Picross) and none were mindblowing, and there's nothing announced for 2008 yet that really has me excited.
DS sure has faded fast from being by far my most played system from Late 2005 through the 2006 holiday season.
DS sure has faded fast from being by far my most played system from Late 2005 through the 2006 holiday season.
IMO is because of early excitement of PSP has died down. We see this all the time with Nintendo. They are content with the status quo but kick into higher gear when they get some serious competition on portable market.
jedi_liz
03-02-2008, 02:13 PM
I gave up on the game because I could not for the life of me, figure out how to find Linebeck at that Temple (which I didn't know how to GET to). Oh well, I've got other games I want to rent instead.
dmaul1114
03-02-2008, 02:32 PM
Yeah, if you couldn't get to that temple, then I'd just stay away from Zelda games period. :lol:
hero101
03-03-2008, 11:18 AM
Dude, even I got past that part. He is wearing a blue outfit. All you was click on one of those switches to open the forcefield. You could have look at gamefaqs too.
I gave up on the game because I could not for the life of me, figure out how to find Linebeck at that Temple (which I didn't know how to GET to). Oh well, I've got other games I want to rent instead.
crunchewy
03-03-2008, 02:25 PM
2. It's just not as precise as regular control. I ran off ledges, into stuff etc. much more than I would have with the D-pad.
Did you check to see that your touchscreen was calibrated? I had no problems with accuracy. I didn't run off ledges accidentally, at least not that I recall. The control felt smooth and intuitive to me. The only problem I had, and it was very minor, was unintentional slashing of your sword. Similar for tumbling. It really wasn't a big deal.
As far as "bland combat". I didn't find it bland, only fun. If you thought that past Zelda games had bland combat too, then perhaps this series just isn't for you. Zelda games aren't about complicated combat action.
dmaul1114
03-03-2008, 02:37 PM
Yeah my touch screen is fine. It's not like I was falling of ledges all the time, just every once in a while.
But that's just because I run around haphazardly in games, and the touch controls aren't quite as responsive as regular controls. And I just in general don't like them. I like traditional controls and just have a hard time getting into touch screen control in these types of games, full motion control games etc.
I didn't think past zelda games had bland combat, they had more complicated dodging, more effort required to score a hit, etc. With this it was just dumbed down to where all you had to do for most enemies was just tap them and link would run up and kill them.
As for Zelda, it's probably my all time favorite series. Especially Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Those games are about as good as it gets.
I just didn't care for this game nearl as much as other entries in the series because I didn't like the controls, the too simple dungeons and going through the OK temple multiple times.
What can I say, Nintendo is changing--casual games, touch screen controls, motion controls etc. They've just gotten away from what I loved from the NES through GC: nice, hardcore games with traditional controls. At least Phantom Hourglass is the only main game that I've though suffered from this. Twighlight Princess, Mario Galaxy (and New Super Mario Bros) and Metroid Prime 3 were all incredible still.
But I'm not optimistic that will continue. I've already got rid of my Wii, and I kind of doubt I'll bother with any Nintendo platforms beyond the DS. They're making tons of money, but they're no direction just isn't giving me enough of the type of gaming I enjoy these days.
I have been playing this game for the past week or so and it was exactly what I needed right now. A great Zelda adventure game. So far, the mix of story and action is just right. It has just the right amount of secrets.
Being able to take notes on the map is great. I mark down where I see areas that I might be able to access in the future (such as grappling hook poles, the "eyes" on the walls, etc) which makes it very easy to go back to those areas once I get the tool.
I just found the ghost ship for the first (last?) time and the game is great so far.
I tried WFC online last night and it was fun. It's too bad that, at least from what I can tell, you can't trade items over the internet, only from local wireless mode.
The stylus control does seem a little unnecessary. I also notice that I have fallen into water, etc far more than I ever would have with just the d-pad. However, I really enjoy the special item control with the stylus. I would be far more annoyed if I had to constantly switch from stylus to d-pad, so I accept the slightly inferior stylus controls. They really hit the nail on the head with the control scheme, the combination of the d-pad for menus and the shoulder button for items. The worst part about the stylus controls for me is that my stylus/hand sometimes blocks my view of the screen.
EvyLou
08-08-2008, 11:39 AM
Thanks for the reminder, I still need to finish this! I think i'm returning to the temple for the last time - I'm pretty sure i'm near the end (I seem to do that with a lot of games - get to the end and then quit). Although, since I haven't played this in 6+ months i've probably forgotten most everything about it. I was going to try and get everything, all of the hearts, etc. Now I may just beat it and be done with it.......
Still, I do remember having a lot of fun with this game. Yeah the controls were a little uncomfortable (I also fell in the water more than I would have) but you have to give it some points for taking a chance and putting some unique stuff in there, as well as some memorable boss battles.
EvyLou
08-10-2008, 02:20 AM
Well, I ended up finishing it tonight. I'm not sure why I put it down in the first place, because I was literally an hour or so away from beating it.
I still think the touch controls got a bad rap in this game. For the most part everything is done really well - the only part that gets complaints are the rolls, and I don't even think the game forces you to do any at all. I really like the controls for the final battle, lots of variety in there.
Just wanted to emphasize that if you own a DS and have any interest in the Zelda games, you should definitely pick this up and don't let the controls scare you. Especially with the Radio Shack clearance and other cheap prices lately.......
OffTheWall16
08-10-2008, 10:24 AM
I am close to beating it i realized i needed to beat the ice temple before i could go to the ocean king temple part 5 i still dont want to do it
I actually forgot you could do rolls in the game. The only time I have bothered is near the beginning when you roll into a tree. I haven't went around rolling into trees just to see what they give, unlike Link to the Past, where I used to constantly ram into trees to look for goodies.
I finished the game 3 days ago and it was great. Refreshing. A little on the easy side, but what Nintendo game isn't? I don't know what the complaints about the temple are all about. Each time you go back, you have new items which give you huge shortcuts. My halfway point "save" used a measly 4 minutes. I finished the game with 9 something to spare (out of 23) and 4 minutes of that was wasted by repeatedly getting hit in the final phantom battle because I was careless and figured I had time to burn.
Ruahrc
08-19-2008, 02:58 AM
I think that if you made really good use of the note-taking features then the game was not as tedious as many would say. I wrote down detailed notes on how to beat each level of the temple and so going back through it was easy every time because I knew exactly what to do- and like you I had copious amounts of spare time to complete the new sections of the temple.
Same went for collecting items, etc. I made careful notes when I came across an area that pretty obviously was meant to be returned to later, and it made it all the easier to collect the items/hearts.
Ruahrc
dmaul1114
08-19-2008, 09:57 AM
For me the temple just sucked balls as it hit two of my biggest pet peeves.
1. Replaying areas over. Short cuts helped, but still annoying.
2. Stealth gameplay. I hate having to hide and sneak around in games, so that made the temple suck all but the last time through.
As I've said, I love Zelda games but I really had to struggle to get through this one. Hated that temple, didn't care for the touch screen controls, didn't like the story, don't like Celda graphics much etc. etc.
Chacrana
08-19-2008, 12:42 PM
This is still the shittiest Zelda game ever... probably worse than those CD-i games. It has no redeeming qualities and I'm glad I sold it.
PhoenixT
08-19-2008, 01:01 PM
I think that if you made really good use of the note-taking features then the game was not as tedious as many would say. I wrote down detailed notes on how to beat each level of the temple and so going back through it was easy every time because I knew exactly what to do- and like you I had copious amounts of spare time to complete the new sections of the temple.
Same went for collecting items, etc. I made careful notes when I came across an area that pretty obviously was meant to be returned to later, and it made it all the easier to collect the items/hearts.
Ruahrc
The dungeon was easy enough that I didn't particulary need notes to get through it. It was however horribly repeatitive and boring and damn near ruined the game for me given it was the "only" part I didnt care for :(.
cochesecochese
07-02-2009, 03:34 PM
As good a thread to bump as any I suppose.
I'm looking to trade for some parts. I need the Log Prow, Stone Hull, the Drill Prow, the Battle Wheel, the Golden Wheel and that's it.