They're great fun. Playing the 'discovery' sound when you find some old leftovers in the fridge, playing the prize sound when you find 100yen down the back of the couch, and playing the phantom sounds when your boss nearly catches you on youtube at work.

Video Games: providing the soundtrack of our lives. If you'd like to hear what each one sounds like, Gene has thoughtfully provided us with a YouTube clip of samples.

We chose a couple of the products (games) we know are so loved ... and picked colors we know appeal to consumers right now... It's already this incredible cake and we just want to put more icing on it.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on the newest Zelda title—offering almost enough time savings for you to finish school, get a job, become rich, buy the game and retire early to play it—because you don't need to click around and fight all the ads.

Eurogamer
Phantom Hourglass follows the events of the GameCube's Wind Waker, and does an unbelievably successful job of aping its visual style too, wisely focusing on creating expressive and beautifully-animated characters rather than effects, or environmental detail. As happy as most fans were to see Twilight Princess revive Ocarina's epic mood, the immense charm and polish of Wind Waker's art deserved better than the scrap heap, and so it's a delight to see it continued here.

CVG
Controlling Link with the stylus is like riding a bike without holding the handlebars: you know it can be done, but at first you might worry that it's just a stupid thing to do. It's not. Stylus control of Link is a very cool thing. Say sayonara to the d-pad, then, and embrace the technology that makes Phantom Hourglass the most enjoyable Zelda game since Ocarina of Time.

GameLife
Hold the stylus anywhere on the screen, and Link will run in that direction. Tap an enemy and Link will rush forward and attack it. Slash back and forth and he'll swing his sword in a wide arc...You can also draw on the game's map, perfect for plotting your ship's course at sea or making notes about places of interest you might want to return to later. And simple actions like throwing a boomerang become novel again when you're drawing the path that it will take, directly on the screen.

Variety
In some cases, gamers are asked to unearth buried treasures by plotting intersections on a map. In others, the game relies on more devious brain twisters, one of which even involves hidden numbers and the use of cryptology. There's occasional repetition in the dungeons and at least two cases in which the puzzles are so complex that finding their answers seems more about luck than honest intellect. But overall, this "Zelda" game succeeds by keeping players' mind fully engaged.

Gamespy
One of the most satisfying reasons to explore hidden parts of the world is to find some of the many ship parts you can customize your vessel with. From your bridge to your cannon, you can take the ship to the shipyard and see just what kind of super-vessel you can come up with...Salvaging treasure from the bottom of the sea is represented by a simple mini-game that can be frustrating, since failure requires sailing back to the dock to get your salvage arm fixed, but is a nice diversion to have.

- Looks like it's a keeper. Now to finish Bioshock, Metroid, and Halo 3...this list is getting heavy and it's barely October.

Of course, he checked the fundamental parts at the beginning. Then, I asked him to play an almost finished version. Some time later he called me and all he said was that it was fun and he thought it'd sell well.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass, Zelda's Debut on Nintendo DS Approaches

Legendary Franchise Goes Portable Oct. 1

REDMOND, Wash., July 2 /PRNewswire/ — What do you get when you combine
the world's best-selling video game system, the Nintendo DS(TM), with one of
Nintendo's best-loved franchises, Zelda? An epic new adventure that satisfies
longtime fans but draws in new players with intuitive touch-screen controls.
Launching Oct. 1, The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass, complete with
crisp 3-D cartoon graphics and multiplayer battles over Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi
Connection, marks the debut of the franchise on Nintendo DS(TM).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070702/LAM039LOGO)
"Since 1987 The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold more than 52 million
units worldwide," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice
president of marketing and corporate communications. "The Legend of Zelda:
Phantom Hourglass stays true to the richness of the console Zelda franchise
while introducing new controls that allow veterans and first-time gamers to
become fully immersed in the adventure."
The game involves legendary hero Link and Tetra, the leader of a band of
pirates, as they discover a ghost ship in dense fog. Link falls into the ocean
when Tetra gets into trouble, and he wakes up alone on the shore of a
mysterious island. Throughout the game, Link collects sand for his Phantom
Hourglass, which allows him to explore deeper and deeper into a time-limited
dungeon in his quest to find Tetra.
You can play the entire game with only the Nintendo DS touch screen. Walk
up to characters and tap them to start a conversation. Slash your stylus
across the touch screen to swing Link's sword. If players touch an enemy with
the stylus, Link attacks. Players can even navigate their ship or set a route
for their boomerang simply by drawing a path on the touch screen.
The robust single-player adventure will have Zelda veterans and newcomers
alike engrossed by the story as they move through the game with the stylus. A
special two-player battle mode lets players connect locally or via Nintendo
Wi-Fi Connection. One player controls Link as he tries to gather as many Force
Gems as possible, while the other player manages the enemies who pursue Link.
The replayability of these winner-take-all matches is virtually endless.
In both style and characters, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
echoes the smash-hit The Legend of Zelda(R): The Wind Waker(TM) for Nintendo
GameCube(TM), which sold more than 2.2 million in the United States alone. But
the inviting, easy-to-understand story and ease of control will attract casual
and younger players who might be new to Zelda games.
As a special bonus for Nintendo's rewards club, My Nintendo members who
register the game and their Nintendo DS hardware at MyNintendo.com and fill
out a short survey will receive a special Nintendo DS stylus that looks like
an old-fashioned quill pen, modeled after an item in the game (subject to
availability).
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass follows hot on the heels of another
classic Nintendo franchise with amazing new controls. Metroid(R) Prime 3:
Corruption, the third installment of the hit trilogy, launches with motion-
sensitive controls exclusively on Wii(TM) on Aug. 27. For more information
about these games, visit http://www.Nintendo.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video
games and more than 409 million hardware units globally, and has created
industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and
Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in
Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the
Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's
Web site at http://www.Nintendo.com.

SOURCE Nintendo

Touch-ds.jp recently conducted an interview with Nintendo mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto about the upcoming Zelda game for the DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Being as it's all in Japanese and most of us over here can't speak the language, the fine folks at the Hylia have translated it so we can all share in the Miyamoto magic. Towards the end, Mr. Miyamoto send out a few messages, with one of them going out to the Zelda fans.

First, a message to the Zelda fans. I think the Zelda series has evolved throughout the years. This game is no exception. We've changed the gameplay mechanics and it makes the game fresh and fun. We've also introduced the phantom hourglass system, and I'd like you to give it a try. Furthermore, the staff has done some research on Zelda to decide whether something fits in the game, so this game has many elements with the Zelda essence.

It's a great little interview and I just love hearing game developers talk about their work. People like Peter Molyneux, Ken Levine and Mr. Miyamoto passion in what they do and it really shows when they talk about the great games they make for us all to enjoy. Flynn De Marco

Japanese Miyamoto Interview [touch-ds.jp]
Miyamoto interview translation [The Hylia]
[via GoNintendo]

The The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass publicity train is picking up steam with a four page article in Japan's Nintendo Dream. Sure, we know that the game will take full advantage of the DS stylus, letting players control Link, sword movements and the boomerang all with the touch pen. And the new details?

• Depending on how you move the touch pen, Link has three different sword attacks.
• Touch on-screen arrows, and Link will move objects in that direction.
• Touch on a far point, and Link will run or jump there.
• Touch on a close point, and Link will walk there.

And there you have it! Brian Ashcraft

Zelda DS [The Hylia via QJ.Net]

As the release of Phantom Hourglass in Japan draws near (June 23), we here in the US are still in the dark as to when exactly we'll see it on our shelves. Until then, we will have to be satisfied with whatever crumbs we can gather from Japanese publications like Famitsu. French website Jeux France has got some great, if not a little grainy, scans from the most recent issue of Famitsu featuring screenshots from both the single and muti-player modes of the game. Sadly, DS graphics don't look so hot when you blow them up to magazine feature size, so be prepared for some chunky looking images. Still, pixelated graphics aside, this looks like it's going to be a really fun game. Now if we can just get that US release date confirmed, I'll be a happy camper. Flynn De Marco

Images : The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass [JeuxFrance]

Ah, the wonderful world of Digg. Home to many interesting stories as well as many unsubstantiated rumors. Take for example this recent story that has been rising up the Digg charts. Website Zelda Universe posted a story claiming that the upcoming DS game Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will utilize a voice chat option. The author of said article fully admits that he doesn't know Japanese but is learning and translated this "news" from a Famitsu article.

Thankfully, the folks over at The Hylia were able to provide a real translation that revealed no reference to a voice chat option for the game. So, sorry to burst your bubble, but if you read this story on Digg, it is sadly, patently untrue. You can read the full translation of the article here. Flynn De Marco

Voice Chat Not in Phantom Hourglass [The Hylia]

Lovers of arbitrary frustration, good news! The upcoming DS Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass features invulnerable enemies who annoyingly swarm you on the overworld and against whom you are powerless to fight!

They are called chasers and Press the Buttons makes the connection between chasers and those annoying "hurry up!" gimmicks game designers use to frustratingly pad out short, unchallenging game experiences.

The presence of invincible enemies in practically any game is usually enough for me to fly to Japan, knock on the lead designer's door in the middle of the night and smash my beefy fist right into a sleepy, bleary face. Ask Masashi Tsuoboyama, lead designer of Silent Hill 4. But with these obnoxious "Eijis" on one hand and my ineffable love for Shigeru Miyamoto on the other, I'm feeling pretty conflicted right now.

One thing's for damn sure: Shiggy ought to know better.FLORIAN ECKHARDT

New Zelda Keeps Link on the Run [Press the Buttons]

That latest issue of Nintendo Power has some delicious crumbs about the new Phantom Hourglass, reports Zelda fansite Land of the Legend:

• The first Nintendo DS Zelda game was originally planned to be a Four Swords game, but now that Eiji Aonuma has the chance to revive The Wind Waker, he choose this path. Phantom Hourglass will set the tone for all future DS Zelda games.
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will see the return of Bow and Arrow, Hookshot and some sort of musical instrument, alongside the items we have already seen.
• It is not likely Ganondorf will return in Phantom Hourglass. However, before his defeat in The Wind Waker, his evil influence spread across the Great Sea.
• The King of Red Lions will not see a return in Phantom Hourglass.
• There is one master dungeon you need to complete in the game. You can only progress so far though, so to proceed you need to work your way through other dungeons.
• The Darknut-like enemies we have seen in the multiplayer mode is a new type of enemy, called the "Chaser". These enemies will chase you through the entire dungeon, but by using certain pots, Link can get immune for certain moments.
• Though Eiji Aonuma did not want to give any details on this yet, he confirmed that the microphone will be used in Phantom Hourglass.

I'm bummed about King of the Red Lions taking his leave. Despite the sometimes ridiculous amount of time spent on the ocean in Wind Waker, I always had a soft spot for him. That said, the sheer amount of the DS' gadgetry being used in Hourglass is pretty damn cool. I wriggle with fannish anticipation! Eliza Gauger