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Phantom Hourglass Was I the Only One That Loved PH but Hated ST?

Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Location
Chula Vista, San Diego, CA
It seems everyone's opinion is the opposite of mine. Everyone loathed PH and everyone loved ST. Was I the only one that heavily enjoyed PH? Was I the only one that absolutely loathed ST?

Discuss.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
I liked PH a lot. It was my very first portable Zelda. The stylus controls were intuitive, fun, and a bit difficult. It added the Anouki, a unique ice-dwelling race. Linebeck was a great character and I loved watching his backstory and true personality develop. The sailing was better than WW's; having unlimited cannonballs and shorter trips made it much more enjoyable. The main quest in itself was long for a portable game. Overall I enjoyed it a lot and it's definitely one of the best handhelds.

Then there's ST. Now don't get me wrong, I liked it, but probably only because it was Zelda. The graphics and controls were improved a bit, which is a plus. Despite that, it had little going for it. The quest only had 5 temples (6 if you count the Tower of Spirits). The characters had no personality. Riding the train was pretty fun at first, but then got boring and stupid. Overall it just didn't compare to what PH brought to the table.
 

OhYeah!

♫A▼▲A▼▲
Joined
Apr 21, 2011
I too, prefer PH over ST but I can't say that I hate ST. I really liked the story and the sense of adventure in PH.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
Im currently playing through both, and I like ST better as far as story but i like sailing in PH, so its 50/50 lol
 

Katelynn

Flirtatously Flirty
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Location
Texas
I was dissapointed with both actually. Phantom Hourglass too much back-tracking, and didn't really have a thought out plot. Although it is a sequal to Wind Waker,(One of my favorite games) it lacked in many things. It had a few good moments, but the game itself wasn't really enjoyable to me. Spirit Tracks could've been better. The final product of the games was. . . Much less exciting than the trailers, I was looking forward to seeing Princess Zelda on the DS, and having a Phantom of all things as a helper, but. . . Then they made the phantom helper. . . Zelda? I mean what the heck?! And then, they go and murder the best (in my opinion, she is better than Peach so. . .) Princess's of all time! And it wasn't a very good death either. There was a bit of running around, that didn't bother me at all, but the several duets you had to do were a bit Tedious. I enjoyed the Final, Sacred Duet though, it had a decent length, and feature all of the Lokomos piping in the help, but I hated the Malladus fights. They were so "Ganon" re-run-like. All Malladus was, was just a Ganon re-color, but the ending and the credits were worth watching.
That's about it. . .


Sincerely,
Nayru
 
Joined
May 9, 2011
Location
Grumble Grumble...
I completely agree with you, though most likely for different reasons. PH was my favorite DS game, I don't know why I love it the way I do, but I really enjoy it. However, ST is my least favorite Zelda game because I cannot beat it. Not because the puzzles are too hard, because I have severe asthma and cannot do the Spirit Flute sections. After a few scary experiences where I couldn't breathe, I started having friends do it for me, but I do not count that as having beaten it because I did not do all of it myself. This is really frustrating for me, and ruined an otherwise enjoyable game.
 
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Location
Ohio
I agree i loved PH, it is even in my top 5 Zelda games list(The only ones i havent beat yet are AOL, FS, and FSA).
I think i love it because of the sailing being quicker and easier to deal with compared to WW, the way the story was carried out, and the sence of adventure.
In ST i hated the train cause i felt like i missed so much of the overworld on the train and i felt the ToTOK was designed better than the Tower of Spirits
 
S

Spirit Tracks

Guest
i am looking for phantom hourglass, but id say ST is pretty fun. But i really want PH.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
I havent played PH but I didn't like ST.
The train was really tedious (and really shouldn't be in a Zelda game).
The story was nice though, I liked it.
 

ironknuckle1

Archer Extraordinaire
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Location
Fishing pond
Well i don't hate St but I definitely prefer PH over ST. I guess since it was one of my first Zelda games and one of my first DS games that it kind of holds a special place above ST. But other then that I like PH more then St because the boat when compared to the train allows you to freely roam more easily due to it not being restricted to a certain path and because the storyline to PH seemed more thrilling and exciting (at least to me). The problem with ST's storyline was that for the first 4 dungeons it is repititive and you always no what you would have to do next. It was always Tower of Spirits-Sanctuary-Temple rinse and then repeat. I guess I found PH's storyline to be at least not as cookie cutter though PH had some cookie cutter parts it to me didnt seem to be as much of the plot was cookie cutter as ST's was. But that doesn't mean St is bad I loved ST for its inclusion of new weapons such as the Sand wand, whirlwind, and the whip and for its increased graphics.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Folsense
Spirit Tracks is definitely better than Phantom Hourglass, for a variety of reasons. First, the mode of transportation. We already saw a boat in Wind Waker, so boating in PH was no real thrill, and it felt like a chore, and kind of an afterthought. There weren't nearly as many islands in PH as there were in WW, and you lost the sense of exploration like there was in WW when you were exploring a gigantic 7x7 map. In ST, however, we were introduced to train conductor Link, traveling around Hyrule on a steam locomotive. This worked great. The touch controls were easy to use, the cannon was a blast (lol), and it was just much more exciting, as you explored all four regions. You also got a sense of discovery, thinking, "what's around this bend?", and you were enticed to explore.

Second, the central dungeon, as explained above. PH had the Temple of the Ocean King, which you were required to return to and re-explore after each main dungeon. The hourglass gimmick was fun, and racing around the temple before time ran out was a bit nerve-wracking and exciting, but having to re-visit the temple upwards to 5 times was a real chore, and it just became not fun after the first few times. ST kept this same idea of a central dungeon, but it was presented differently. After completing each realm, you unlocked another floor of the tower, and this was completely different from the floor below it, presenting a wholly original challenge each time.

Third, the gameplay that made ST great just wasn't there in PH. PH felt way too similar to WW, and while, I wouldn't mind that, I don't want two identical clones, they have to be at least a bit unique. ST felt new, and even with the similar graphical style, I didn't let that stop me from enjoying an adventure different from PH. Having Zelda along for the ride was a welcome treat, and a constant companion with you was a nice change in the formula. The items in ST were also better suited for the type of game that it is. For example, in PH you receive items identical to games before it, not providing you with much variety, but rather with a sense of deja-vu. ST, on the other hand, had the whip, which was all new, and it was used in very unique ways both in and outside the ocean realm. Also, the deku spinning thing was also cool, and it made for different and more challenging puzzles. The last element that trumps PH is the addition of the Spirit Flute. Similar to the Ocarina and Wind Waker, the spirit flute allowed you to play various songs to trigger outside events. The DS microphone and stylus were put to great use, and, although not very bus-friendly, it was a lot of fun playing the duets with the lokomos.
 

tetrafan

Zelda Fan Girl
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Location
SkyView Temple
I enjoy both PH and ST. But I prefer PH its longer and more fun then ST. I hate doing the Flute Duets in ST its glitchy and can take hours to get right:mad: I dread doing the next song each time.:shake:
 

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