I LOVE THIS GAME!!!I HAVE PLAYED ALL THE ZELDA GAMES. I WOULD SAY TO BUY IT IF YOU ENJOY ROLE PLAYING GAMES.NOT EVERYONE DOES.IT'LL BE UP TO EACH PERSON.REALLY GREAT GAME!

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when i heard spirit tracks was coming out i thought "ohno not another phantom hourglass" and with the added wtf factor of making link a engineer, it seemed kinda gimmicky. well, im here to tell you that is not the case! it feels like they took everything that was crap from phantom hourglass a dumped it. very nice controls, very nice graphics (for the DS), and ofcourse very nice gameplay that pushes the limits of what the zelda series is capable of! even the train riding is awesome. my only complaint so far is the story seems kinda lame so far, even though i know zeldas are supposed to have incredible storylines. and it seems really short, i played for a day, and beat the first two temples. supposedly im already halfway done if there really are only 4 areas and 4 temples. anyways, besides that great, get it if you're interested.

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What's there to say about a Zelda game? Nintendo has been doing this long enough now that they don't make a bad one. The inclusion of Zelda as a 'playable' character adds a lot more depth to the series. It's definitely a step-up from Phantom Hourglass (you don't have to revisit a temple or something after every dungeon cleared). Thanks for reading!

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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the successor to the first Zelda DS, Phantom Hourglass. PH was fun, but it required you to revisit the same temple about, what, 4 or 5 times? That's too much. Spirit Tracks takes everything bad about PH, and takes it to a whole new level.

Since Zelda games are heavy on story, I'm just gonna give you the rundown. Link is now a train conductor, and is on his way to get his official certificate in Castle Town. He meets Zelda, and they set off for the Spirit Tower, a creepy huge tower looming in the center of Hyrule. It's certainly seen better days, and it's the cause of the Spirt Tracks' (railroad tracks) disappearances all about Hyrule. When they get there, they are ambushed and some dude kills Zelda! That's right. Kills her. Link brings her soul to life at the Spirit Tower, with help of an old lady, and she tells them a big long story.

Spirit Tracks follows a linear format, but with added twists throughout. First, you must retrieve the Spirit Maps from different floors of the Spirit Tower. You get these with the help of your pal Zelda, who's soul is in disguise in a Phantom's costume. Then, you set out to the realm's sanctuary, learn a song, and clear the zone's temple and restore the power to the tracks, then repeat.

The graphics looks great, one of DS's best, and are a step-up from the 2007 predecessor. Control is simple, use the stylus to move Link, just tap and he'll come running. Double-tap to roll, and swipe to slash your sword. The train is one of the biggest additions to Spirit Tracks, and it is incredible. Much better than any of his old boats, the Spirit Train is a great new addition to the Zelda Transportation Library. You trace your route on the map, and off you go, controlling your speed, firing enemies with your cannon, and avoiding enemy trains.

It's a Zelda game, and what's a Zelda game without new items? Spirit Tracks boasts some old favorites, such as the boomerang, bow and arrow, and bombs, all which use great stylus control (especially the boomerang). New items include the Deku Fan, which you blow into the microphone to send a gust of one flying. Perfect for stunning enemies, activating fans, and getting items. The other new item is the Whip Snake, a Indiana Jones-esque whip. Link uses this to attack enemies, swing over pits, and hang on to flying objects. Both are great. I would've liked to see the Clawshot somehow incorporated into the DS, but that's just me.

There's a lot of depth and replay value to ST. Spawnning 5 incredible dungeons, tons of villages and places to explore, and fun addictive minigames such as hunting rabbits, stamp collecting, and collecting treasure. Also, once you acquire a new item from the dungeons, you are encouraged to revisit past areas and find hidden secrets that you couldn't access before using your new items. The bosses in ST once span both screens, like in PH, but these are much interesting. Each have unique ways to beat them, usually using the item you acquired, but aren't too tough.

The biggest new addition, in my opinion, is the Spirit Flute, which may even beat the Ocarina in best Zelda Instrument Category. Playing is simple, just drag along the bottom screen to move the flute to its respective holes, and then blow into the DS microphone. You use the flute to restore the Spirit Tracks's power with duets from the Lokomos, access new hidden items, and much more.

That about wraps up the ST review. It beats Phantom Hourglass in every way imaginable, and is one of the best DS games out there. Buy it.

Pros:

Great Zelda Adventure

New Items, Dungeons, and Quests

Spirit Flute

Cons:

Linearity

Overall: 9.5/10

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I don't have much to say how good and bad for this game as it's quite repeatable.

For me, I really enjoy this game. I also feel the flute's part is fun. The puzzles are good, some of them are easy and some of them you gotta really think and figure out a way to get it done.

However, I don't like much about the train's part that you need to ride the train from place to place. It just slowed the flow of the story somehow.

Anyway, for $25 dollars to own this famous series of game and just released a month, it's a steal I think.

Besides, as a parent like me, you should aware, there are many games having too much violence, and the idea behind is insane even they are rated as teen, I don't need to worry much for my kids playing this game.

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There may be some vague spoilers below, but nothing too revealing. I'll cover the new gimmicks first:

Link, the engineer - "Geez, the Zelda idea well is sure running dry, huh?" was my first thought upon seeing the trailers a few months before the release date. Turns out that I enjoy the train elements more than I expected. The designers give you plenty of stuff to do while traveling, and you encounter a growing cast of enemies as the game progresses. And when there's nothing else to do, it's always fun to try your stylus-equipped hand at creating slow and dramatic cinematic camera sweeps of our favorite green-clad hero on his way to save Hyrule. Towards the end of the game, the use of the train figures in more significantly, even including a sort of Pac-Man-on-steroids bit of gameplay. While being able to travel only where the titular Spirit Tracks lay on the overworld map makes traveling a bit more efficient, it does kind of take away from the free roaming exploration aspect of the series. While I imagine some people will hate the train, I think it's a nice change of pace (though I'm already itching to get Link's two feet back on the ground).

Zelda, the Phantom puppeteer - Again, this idea turned out to be better executed than I expected. While controlling Zelda is a little cumbersome at first, it ends up adding a nice gameplay element. Though nothing revolutionary, the Link-Zelda partnership allows the designers to add some creative puzzles and action sequences. There are a variety of different Phantoms this time around so that helps keep things fresh. The use of Zelda is generally confined to the Tower of Spirits, so you won't be dealing with this during the normal temples. All in all, I highly approve of how they worked this into the game.

The temples:

The temples (or dungeons, if you will) have always been to me the bread and butter of Zelda games. The temples in Spirit Tracks are good, if not incredibly challenging for the most part. They are also extremely linear, which is probably not surprising to most. Even when you're backtracking, it's all linear backtracking, if that makes any sense. The first few temples are quite easy and short, but from the fourth temple and on the puzzles get increasingly complex, and you'll likely spend an hour or more on each one the first time you play them. The later boss fights are also pretty epic, and a whole lot of fun.

Pros:

+ The graphics are great, and the various cutscenes are well done.

+ DS stylus controls are well-implemented with only occasional annoyances. I found myself using the left shoulder button to equip items, and doing that in conjunction with aiming or drawing paths with the stylus proved to be quick and efficient. One of the later items, new to the series, would be chore to use with the conventional D-pad and buttons, but the stylus makes its use fast, easy, and fun.

+ As we've come to expect from the Zelda franchise, the music here is excellent (and using headphones is recommended if at all possible). The songs played with the Spirit Flute, especially the duets with the various Lokomos, are all enjoyable. However, the real winner for me is the overworld train theme. It is simply fantastic, which is fortunate because you're going to hear a whole lot of it, and the slight alterations of it that occur in different situations (train speed, how much of the Spirit Tracks have been unlocked, etc.) are a nice touch. At certain moments in the Ocean Realm, there's even a reference to the sailing theme in The Wind Waker. Every time Link departs from a location, the theme starts up, the train starts steaming, and then music and train blast off together. You'll experience this dozens of times, and it never loses any excitement.

Cons:

- It takes about an hour to get into any action (and by action I mean not just fighting, but puzzles and exploration as well), and even that initial bit is far from gripping. You'll play for over two hours before reaching the first temple. Compare this to the beginning of A Link to the Past (whose opening is my favorite in the Zelda canon), where within minutes you're in the heart of the action. To be fair, this somewhat long orientation period is now quite typical for Zelda games so it's nothing out of the ordinary.

- DS gimmicks (blowing into the mic to play the Spirit Flute, having to yell at certain times) are sigh-inducing but tolerable.

- Princess Zelda is often pretty annoying, both in cut scenes as well as during actual gameplay. Though they are unplayable characters, the Princesses in OOT and TWW are much better. And if you hate the look of Toon Link, you'll definitely groan at Toon Zelda.

- Contains the tedious filler that has been customary for Zelda titles for quite some time. By that, I mean fetch quests and the like which are unchallenging but time consuming, simply acting as chores. And I don't mean side quests, either (of which Spirit Tracks has plenty). I mean mind-numbing stuff that you simply HAVE to do. Though this adds gameplay hours, it hurts replay value. Take out the padding and I'd probably start the game over again tomorrow even though I just beat it today. As it stands, I don't expect to replay it again for quite some time. Limiting side quests to a minimum, experienced Zelda fans should complete the game in 20-25 hours the first time through. However, I'd argue that at least 30% could be trimmed off, resulting in a better game with more replay value. And this is coming from someone who likes long games.

It may seem like I'm being overall critical on what is overall a fantastic game. I imagine it's simply because the Zelda franchise is the one that I hold nearest and dearest to my heart, and therefore I tend to being extremely critical of it, desiring and demanding nothing short of near-perfection. However, though I consider Spirit Tracks to be merely an excellent Zelda game, I always remind myself that when given a fairer comparison against all video games, it's nothing less than outstanding. I'm grateful for every new Zelda title that comes out, and this one is no exception. I'd easily recommend it to just about anyone.

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This game had some bad reviews because it takes place on tracks,but i thought it was good. I can't say I like the new ds games as much as the old game boy advance ones, but this one was enjoyable. I especially like having two characters to control instead of one. Amazon delivered it in a timely fashion, and it has worn some palm marks into the ol' ds too. Thanks.

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This game will test your reflexes and coordination as much as any other touch based game, but it's the puzzles that put it over the top.

Over and over again, I found myself stumped; exploring the colorful environments, scribbling notes on the maps, experimenting with new items, always feeling like the solution is just out of my reach. Then when I finally got it, it was always so satisfying that I couldn't wait to jump back on the train and journey to the next chapter.

The action is there as well, and with the multi-tasking required to guide two characters in the central dungeon, it will put your scribbling skills to the test, but it's the well-paced environmental puzzles that kept me glued to the screen.

The presentation, including creative touch screen controls, the story, and the interface, are also polished to a sheen, so much so that I can't think of another handheld adventure game that even comes close. It's funny to hear the complaints in the reviews--Zelda games have such a high standard that what can easily pass as the best portable game of the decade is rated down for the most trivial reasons and personal gripes!

Get it if you love a good challenge.

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The Spirit Tracks is an excellent addition to the Zelda franchise. Although its' prequel the Phantom Hourglass was good, the constant backtracking almost ruined it for me. Luckily, that issue has been fixed in this game. The dungeons are wonderful as usual, great boss fights, and some tricky puzzles that are extremely rewarding to solve, (but also frustrating if you can't figure out what to do)The addition of having princess Zelda occupy a phantom knight make for some of the best puzzles in the series. Although an excellent handheld game and better than its prequel, it still falls behind the other Zelda games.

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It is always hard to review something like LZ:ST. People either love or hate Zelda and will react accordingly each time a game is released. For better or worse, LZ:ST plays like a new version of LZ:PH from two years ago. Personally, I like this game better and I would imagine the majority of Zelda players will agree.

This Zelda is continuing in the cartoon series. I've found Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass to be attractive and LZ:ST is no different. In fact, maybe too similar. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between LZ:PH and LZ:ST without knowing what you were looking at.

The story is fairly typical Zelda fare, nothing even too groundbreaking in the series, its always just interesting enough to justify the series of dungeons.

Link uses the Spirit Train instead of a boat this time around and it works plenty fine. You can toot your horn and fire a cannon later in the game. The side mission of hunting rabbits keeps the train sessions mostly interesting, but like the boat, it is probably not as fun as riding Epona in the console Zeldas.

The game controls great for stylus only control. If it irritated you in PH, it will irritate you now as there has been no real changes to the control scheme and no option for D-pad control. One minor improvement is the use of double taps for rolling instead of drawing circles on the edge of the screen.

LZ:ST is a short game though, in travel speak, it will probably last you one long car trip or two plane rides. Like many Zelda games, there is plenty to do, collecting rabbits and stamps prime among the activities, but the dungeons all seem extremely short and easy. The puzzle answers are rarely more difficult than finding a drawing or note somewhere in the dungeon and making a few drawings on the map. I'll be the first to admit that the game mechanic IS fun, but it is awfully easy as well. One new mechanic is fun, and that is controlling phantoms with Zelda. Sadly, this is only done in the tower, which is a very limited part of the game. Its too bad, this could have been even more entertaining to use.

Bosses have also made no improvements. Each boss is just like bosses you've seen from ALTTP and on. You find a weapon in the doungeon and then you use it to defeat the boss. This mechanic could use some freshening. Maybe use multiple items on a boss? Something.

New items are entertaining, especially the snake whip and the pinwheel.

In the end, Zelda is Zelda. A few minor tweaks here and there make this an overall stronger game than Phantom Hourglass, but not exactly by leaps and bounds. If you love Zelda, you'll love this game. If you aren't a fan, nothing here will change your mind.

Yes, Nintendo basically keeps putting out the same Zelda games for us over and over, but its hard to argue when they are all so good...

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I had a great time playing through this game. It adds a few new elements to how things worked in Phantom Hourglass. And if you enjoyed Phantom Hourglass, you'll love this one too!

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Back in 2007, when Phantom Hourglass was released, I wrote in my review that it is not likely that we'll see another Zelda game for the DS soon. Now, 2 years after, we are greeted by a new and better game just in time for the holiday season.

Toon-shaded Link is back (groan!) but the excitement and thrill of this game is enough to forget this "little" fact. I guess the idea of realistic art style Link like in the Twilight Princess will never materialize for the DS. And on some levels, this doesn't seem like a bad idea because it would be difficult to appreciate it anyway on such a small screen.

Still love the fact that the game is played using stylus-based controls. It gives a lot more possibilities to the player than just the usual control scheme. This feature will most likely follow through 'til the last Zelda game on the DS.

Zelda is finally getting some much needed involvement in this game! People have always wondered why a character named Link is the star in a game called The Legend of Zelda. Now, we have a game that shows us who this Zelda character really is. We get to know her in this game more than in any other Zelda game in the past. I love that she is part of the storyline than just the usual damsel-in-distress kind of way.

The various puzzles offered in this game has some difference with the usual stuff that we get in a Zelda offering. But the challenge and uniqueness of these brain teasers are refreshing, to say the least. They are the heart of a true Zelda game.

I enjoyed the Phantom Hourglass but I must say that Spirit Tracks is better in so many ways. Over the weekend, I saw at least 4 kids around midtown playing this game. I guess, like me, they have gotten their gifts early this year.

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This game is a must buy for all you Zelda fans out there. The game carries the same quality and satisfying gameplay that the Phantom of the Hourglass did. I just can't say enough about this game and how Great it is. A new adventure for Link and company with a world to explore via Train. The gameplay mechanics are very familiar which is not a bad thing since it worked so well in the first. So journey to the land of Hyrule and prepare to immerse yourself in the challenges and story to unfold. I give it a 2 thumbs up.

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This game is just as good as the phantom hour glass. It different enough but still the same. You have new weapons and great side quests! I hope they keep making these games.

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Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is easily one on my favorite games on the DS. After trudging my way through Phantom Hourglass, I had low hopes for Spirit Tracks after seeing how graphically identical it was. And it's true, the graphical style, control scheme, and even the structure of the game are very similar to its predecessor. Then what about this game made such a positive impression with me? The only thing that was truly wrong with Phantom Hourglass was the pacing. It took me a long time to get through it, but Spirit Tracks had me hooked until the end. I enjoyed riding the train... especially blowing the horn, which was ALWAYS satisfying (as lame as it sounds). The boss battles were great and even the dungeon designs were clever, with a couple genuinely tricky puzzle. I heard some reviews early on about how easy a game it is... For me, it was not only more difficult than Phantom Hourglass, but thankfully less frustrating. This is one of my top DS games, along with Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and Contra 4. Amazon has been selling it for real cheap since Christmas, so pick it up! it's definitely worth it.

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