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DS

The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks to Feature New Instrument

by Pedro Hernandez - November 9, 2009, 4:28 pm EST
Total comments: 33 Source: Official Nintendo Magazin

In addition to the train, Link will also have the Spirit Pipes to aid him in his journey.

Official Nintendo Magazine has unveiled a new instrument in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS. Reminiscent of the Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, Link will be using an instrument called the Spirit Pipes, which can be used to summon special powers.

Before visiting any temple, Link has to find guardians called Lokomos. They will teach Link a song that restores the tracks to the temple. The player will then have to listen to the metronome in order to keep the rhythm. In order to play the Spirit Pipes players will have to blow into the DS's microphone while tapping the touch screen.

The Legend of Zelda: The Spirit Tracks will be released on December 7 in North America, and December 11 in Europe.

Special thanks to forum user Killer_Man_Jaro for the tip. Discussion on The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is already underway on our forums.

Talkback

KDR_11kNovember 10, 2009

Sigh... Nintendo, will you PLEASE pull your head out of your ass and realize that the DS is a portable system and not everybody is comfortable pulling embarrassing shit in public?

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)November 10, 2009

I concur, KDR. Then again, a Legend of Zelda game is something that I would probably want to sit down with and put a couple of hours into in each sitting. If I'm playing my DS in public, it never goes beyond a 30 minute stint during a bus journey - I don't think I'd like to play Spirit Tracks in such bite-sized chunks.

But yeah, microphone integration in videogames is meant for home consoles, really.

Chozo GhostNovember 10, 2009

In my experience the DS microphone is really only used for blowing. So, you therefore might say that the DS microphone really blows...

StogiNovember 10, 2009

Or you could say, Nintendo likes to be blown.

StratosNovember 10, 2009

At least playing an instrument is a better use of the DS mic than having to scream 'how badly I want' parts for my ship. And I had to try and scream before I found out that you could just blow into the mic to get the same result. The next morning other people in the house were like "what in the world were you doing in your room last night?"...very awkward.

So what else can Nintendo announce about this game to further underwhelm me? Seriously, I've never been so unexcited about a Zelda game before.

KDR_11kNovember 10, 2009

Quote from: Killer_Man_Jaro

I concur, KDR. Then again, a Legend of Zelda game is something that I would probably want to sit down with and put a couple of hours into in each sitting. If I'm playing my DS in public, it never goes beyond a 30 minute stint during a bus journey - I don't think I'd like to play Spirit Tracks in such bite-sized chunks.

But yeah, microphone integration in videogames is meant for home consoles, really.

I played PH on the train but that stupid shout part couldn't be done there, had to go home for it.

Quote from: Stratos

At least playing an instrument is a better use of the DS mic than having to scream 'how badly I want' parts for my ship. And I had to try and scream before I found out that you could just blow into the mic to get the same result. The next morning other people in the house were like "what in the world were you doing in your room last night?"...very awkward.

I tried to blow into the mic at the Goron city with the bridge part, it told me I wasn't loud enough.

Ian SaneNovember 10, 2009

Forced touchscreen controls, microphone blowing - you'd think this was a DS launch title.

Nintendo, the DS really got going once everyone stopped trying to use all the unique features and just made good games with whatever controls worked the best.  Even YOU have made games like that.  So why, with Zelda of all things, do you suddenly have a hard-on for shoving gimmicky bullshit down our throat?  The DS is a huge success.  Everyone likes it.  You don't have to "sell us" on the concept anymore.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 10, 2009

"The DS is a huge success.  Everyone likes it."

They're giving more of why people like it!  There!

KDR_11kNovember 10, 2009

Eh, touchscreen controls worked fine in PH and allowed the items to do much more than in regular Zelda games but the microphone is just stupid.

Yay, blowing forcefully into a mic. It sort of worked (but not really) in Mario & Luigi 3. I guess. But I'm with TYP on this one.

I feel like every time that Spirit Tracks gets me back a little bit, it takes two steps backwards.

"New instrument? Sounds cool. Wait...microphone blowing? Are you effing kidding me?"

I'm actually feeling negative not only on the blowing part but also on the inclusion of yet another instrument. I know this trend goes back all the way to the original game, but why does Link need to have something musical in every game? It usually feels like an excuse not to design a new item that is actually useful in combat/exploration. Brutal Legend is getting called out for having needless guitar solo mini-games, and I think it's time we became more critical of Zelda doing the same, especially since the music bits are so repetitive even from game to game.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 10, 2009

This whole attacking enemies with swords and riding some weird transportation are so repetitive even from game to game.

I'M LOOKING AT YOU, 8-BIT NES ZELDA.

Ian SaneNovember 10, 2009

Quote:

I'm actually feeling negative not only on the blowing part but also on the inclusion of yet another instrument. I know this trend goes back all the way to the original game, but why does Link need to have something musical in every game? It usually feels like an excuse not to design a new item that is actually useful in combat/exploration. Brutal Legend is getting called out for having needless guitar solo mini-games, and I think it's time we became more critical of Zelda doing the same, especially since the music bits are so repetitive even from game to game.

The sad truth is that most of Nintendo's franchises are old enough now that they've become formulaic.  You see this with everything.  Earlier on a franchise isn't defined yet so it tries all sorts of new stuff out.  But eventually people expect certain things and it becomes less about pushing forward and more about meeting expectations.  When A Link to the Past was released Zelda was still being defined so they introduced all sorts of new stuff that became conventional.  Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda so they were breaking all this new ground.

But now, Zelda is clearly defined so it's going to fall into the trap of being formulaic.  Having a musical instrument is seen as a requirement so they throw it in every time.  What they really need to do is strip Zelda to only it's bare essentials (ie: having an adventure in a continuous open world with real time interaction) and then go for broke with whatever ideas they want without feeling the need to reuse certain ideas because they're traditional.  It's hard for developers to do that though.  There is always the risk of re-inventing a franchise in a way people don't like and it is of course easier to reuse the same ideas again and again.  So while I'm not thrilled when Nintendo does that, I can certainly see why they would.

Chozo GhostNovember 11, 2009

Blowing aside, I also disapprove of the presence of a Train, which is an anachronism in the medieval world that is Hyrule...

Phantom Hourglass had a steam boat, did it not? Why not have a Train? The touch screen controls don't bother me. It's just this stuff like blowing or yelling into the microphone, annoying switch puzzles, and a missing overworld that turn me off to these DS Zelda games.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 11, 2009

It's been more than 20 years since Zelda came out on NES.  Hyrule already had an industrial revolution.

King of TwitchNovember 11, 2009

It's a slippery slope, next thing you know she's gonna be demanding equal pay, maternity leave

broodwarsNovember 11, 2009

*sigh*

Once again, as we all know: Microphones are for blowing.  Yeah, Nintendo seems to be doing its damnest to make even me completely uninterested in this game (and Zelda is my favorite franchise of all time!), and shoveling DS launch-caliber crap into the game is just the latest nail in the coffin.  I have to agree with Jonny as well: I love music, but I'm sick of every Zelda game having to have an mandatory musical element for solving puzzles.  I see we'll have to wait for Zelda Wii to finally see something new in this franchise (outside of the train, of course, but we'll have to see how that shakes out)...maybe.

GoldenPhoenixNovember 11, 2009

The only way I'll buy this game is if Ganon or Ganondorf pops up at the end or something. Besides that I just can't get excited for it, the new trailer does nothing for me.

StratosNovember 11, 2009

The multiplayer possibilities alone excite me about the game.


Speaking of which, if anyone still wants to play Phantom Hourglass multi, Post here and I'd love to play.

broodwarsNovember 11, 2009

Quote from: GoldenPhoenix

The only way I'll buy this game is if Ganon or Ganondorf pops up at the end or something. Besides that I just can't get excited for it, the new trailer does nothing for me.

I'd like to see a new Zelda villain, personally.  Give Ganon/Gannondorf some time to become cool and exciting to see again.  Just don't give us another lame villain like Vaati.

Chozo GhostNovember 11, 2009

Its not like me to hope for a Nintendo game to fail, but if this one did it might send Nintendo a message to quit crappifying their core franchises.

StratosNovember 11, 2009

That is sad you never even knew it existed. It supported Wi-Fi and both single and multi cart play locally. It even had achievements and leveled rankings. Getting achievments gave you special ship parts and when you played other people you randomly swapped extra ship parts. That helped you complete your ship sets.

broodwarsNovember 11, 2009

Quote from: Chozo

Its not like me to hope for a Nintendo game to fail, but if this one did it might send Nintendo a message to quit crappifying their core franchises.

I wouldn't call this "crappifying a core franchise", just that it's another case (another being Pokemon) of Nintendo spinning its wheels with one of its core franchises as it struggles to find new representations of the same things we've been doing in that franchise for a long time.  That's a long ways from strapping a jet pack on the main character and having them run around cleaning up Sludge, or having an aircraft pilot decide to run around shooting things on the ground.  ;)

broodwarsNovember 11, 2009

Quote from: Stratos

That is sad you never even knew it existed. It supported Wi-Fi and both single and multi cart play locally. It even had achievements and leveled rankings. Getting achievments gave you special ship parts and when you played other people you randomly swapped extra ship parts. That helped you complete your ship sets.

Yeah, I remembered it once I thought about it for a while, so I altered my original post to reply to someone else.  Just like so much else about Phantom Hourglass, though, it was just particularly unmemorable to me.  It was a variant on Pac-man, wasn't it?  With one player being Link and the other 3 being villains in a map from the Temple of the Ocean King?

StratosNovember 11, 2009

I never really intended to get the game but it was a Christmas gift and for some reason the multiplayer just clicked with me. I became one of those crazy players who really knew how to play the game well. Except other 'expert' pansies disconnected so I couldn't get any points.  >:( I even manned up and let a noob swipe my points when he beat me once when I got really cocky and took too many risks.

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)November 11, 2009

Quote from: NWR_pap64

Prediction: Despite the doubts fans will be all over the game once its released.

Quote me on this.

Seconded.

Quote from: Killer_Man_Jaro

Quote from: NWR_pap64

Prediction: Despite the doubts fans will be all over the game once its released.

Quote me on this.

Seconded.

Thirded.

I'm probably going to get this in the launch window despite my reservations. I'm Zelda-starved and I did kind of enjoy Phantom Hourglass when I finally sat down, borrowed it from a friend, and played it last year.

Quote from: NinGurl69

This whole attacking enemies with swords and riding some weird transportation are so repetitive even from game to game.

I'M LOOKING AT YOU, 8-BIT NES ZELDA.

Your reductive logic ignores the argument I have already made, which is that Zelda games' musical instruments tend to be mini-games or special-use items that are not integrated into the gameplay very well. In both Zelda and Metroid, the best items/abilities are always those that let you play the game in different ways and can generally be used at any time, often for some side-effect beyond the primary use in puzzle-solving.

mac<censored>November 15, 2009

I'm looking forward to this game -- the train sounds awesome, I thought the PH touch controls were absolutely brilliant, and, well, general Zelda goodness!

Yes it's all a bit formulaic, but so are 99% of other games, and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether a game's fun or not.

The blowing does seem stupid, but it sounds like it will rare.

KDR_11kNovember 16, 2009

Quote from: Jonnyboy117

I'm actually feeling negative not only on the blowing part but also on the inclusion of yet another instrument. I know this trend goes back all the way to the original game, but why does Link need to have something musical in every game? It usually feels like an excuse not to design a new item that is actually useful in combat/exploration. Brutal Legend is getting called out for having needless guitar solo mini-games, and I think it's time we became more critical of Zelda doing the same, especially since the music bits are so repetitive even from game to game.

Wait, people complain about the solos in Brütal Legend, a game about music?

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