Topic: Zelda DS: Phantom Hourglass

[Kairon]

This is probably my favorite Zelda since the first one.  It did so many things in amazingly.  Most of the concepts used for one boss fight could have entire games based around it (crab boss especially).  I actually managed to die once or twice which I haven't done in Zelda game in years.  The touch screen blows the old system out of the water.  Using the items is fast, easy and the touchscreen gives most of the items some extra awesome.

<3 SixthAngel.

Oh, and my favorite ship was always a hodgepodge of parts. For some reason I'm too eclectic to consistently favor all the parts of one style together, or maybe I just have commitment problems? Eheh... Either way, I've always felt that it was sad that game's punish me for my impulse to mix-and-match while rewarding players who gather up complete, uniform sets.

[EasyCure]

Yay i'm glad this thread was bumped, i never got to talk about how awesome this game was because of how late to the party i was!

i agree with all your points, except the rupee/ship parts. Not that i disagree, i just feel indifferent. It was a neat incentive to spend rupees on parts but I never purchased any. I had a funky custom ship cuz i mix and matched any parts i came across, but buying them wasn't a priority. Maybe one day i'll play it again and collect them all.

I must say my favorite weapon to use was the hook claw and how wonderfuly it was used. It was one of my favorite dungeons because of it, and the boss fight was sweet when i figured out how to use it. So much fun! I hope the next console Zelda lives up to the fun this title was.

[M.K.Ultra]

I just finished my first play through of PH on the Wii U VC. I could not find a topic on the DS VC so I was advised to dust off this old thread and bump it. I am now getting a warning from the site so I hope this is cool with everyone  .
Thoughts on the game
I really enjoyed this game. I liked the length of the overall game and the length of the dungeons. I liked the controls, the weapons, and even the salvaging mini-game. I missed out on the DS completely so it really felt fresh to me to use the microphone and touchscreen in such novel ways. I usually don't like when I have to look things up but that only happened twice in this game which acceptable for me.
Using the Wii U
As you probably know the Wii U VC has quite a few options for displaying the two screens. I chose the one where the game pad is the lower touch screen of the DS and the TV is the upper screen of the DS. The worked really well. I was mostly looking at the game-pad but during the boss battles when both screens were used it was really exciting. When I got to the one puzzle where you are supposed to close the DS I thought "Well, I could touch the gamepad to the TV but I don't think the game would detect that" but I realized you can just go into the VC menu (using ZR) and then come back and it works like closing the DS.
Even on the big screen this game looks surprisingly good (about PS1 quality). It makes me pine for the alternate reality where there is a 3DS virtual console that uses the gamepad as the lower touch screen and my 3D TV to display the stereoscopic 3D top screen. 
Reading this thread.
I also read through this whole thread before posting. It is not surprising that the controls were so divisive as this a recurring debate. People that grow up pressing buttons like pressing buttons. I think the next gen might be the same way with touch screens. Personally I love new ways to interact with games but I get the opposition.

If people feel like reflecting on this game after another decade has passed I would be interested in hearing about it. I should have comments on Spirit Tracks when I get to that in a year or so.

[Stratos]

The multiplayer for this was an absolute blast. Is that working with the Wii U version? I'd be down to grab it if the multiplayer is restored.

[M.K.Ultra]

The multiplayer for this was an absolute blast. Is that working with the Wii U version? I'd be down to grab it if the multiplayer is restored.

I am not sure. I will check and get back to you.