The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords+

[Adam Stone]

Great impressions there Mr Earl. Good to see you?re enjoying it so much. I too was delighted to see a passel waiting for me when I got home yesterday ? I love the box art

The chances of me ever playing this with another person(s) is doubtful, so am grateful there is a solid, fun and highly appealing single player experience here. It is absolutely wonderful. This is the first experience of using the GBA/GC link connectivity, ive never really been interested in it before, but using the GBA creates a whole new experience for me. I tried using the controller, but it really is the GBA all the way.

The comments you made about the sound effects and music are spot on. Especially the echoing sounds from the tv. Also how it feels like the one and same game using the two devices ? as an example, out of pure interest I throw the boomerang through a door while in the GBA view? amazingly the boomerang was then shown on the tv for a moment before returning back through the door and to the GBA screen. That?s just freaking amazing?

The graphics are surprisingly charming. The Wind Waker effects are a delight to see and blend pretty well with the 2D environments and sprites. Nice to hear the familiar Link cries and even the individual character mumbles from different folk u meet. Great stuff. Oh?. And the water affects are just gorgeous ? and the waterfall? my goodness. Beautiful.

Cant play anymore now until late this eve, but am really looking forward to spending some quality time with it. In fact, just thinking about it is making me smile. A must. No doubt about it. I just hope it doesn?t get overlooked as simply a small update of Four Swords ? with little to offer the solo player. It has so much to offer. As the interview states, it really should have been called ?Four Swords +++?

[Commander Marklar]

Haven't tried Shadow Battle properly yet, had a quick go but the missus doesn't really like playing competitively (sore loser ).

One of my fave moments so far is the third Tingle mini-game we've unlocked ? it's a game of tick! Woo!

[Geoff D]

Playasia currently have this as their weekly special, priced at $38.90 (plus postage)

[PeteJ]

I sold quite a few of my games as money is quite short at the moment, but every time I sell one the money goes straight into a new game.

I wasn't actually going to buy 4 Swords + until the US release, but at ?21 you can't really beat it.

Besides....

NOA confirms today that the US version of Four Swords will not have the Navi's Trackers/Tetra's Trackers mini-game.

source: 1-up

What is the Tetra's Trackers thing like? A big thing to miss?

[Commander Marklar]

It's a multiplayer title (obviously) where the players play a mini game to get a bunch of items to use in a treasure hunt game, once finished. The treasure hunting makes up the main mode of the Trackers game. Players go around hunting down the tokens, by the looks of things, with various random events popping up in between. Kind of reminded me of Kirby's Airride, only in reverse (you do the 'city game' after the mini game, but get items from the mini game to use in the 'city')

There are LOADS of audio prompts and things happening on the TV though, while players run around on their GBAs. I have NO idea what is going on on the TV; Tetra (and various other Zelda-folk) seem to tell players as a whole, or individually (I have a feeling it says the name entered, non-english), what is going on/about to happen/mini-events, etc... so it's all a bit mad.

Seems like there are rewards and new maps, etc... for continued play but I've only played it a couple of times and the language barrier gets in the way more than it does in the main game.

[PeteJ]

Thanks, the Trackers thing doesn't sound so hot, but I've ordered the game anyway.

I'm a bad person and I'm going to hell.

[Tonma]

How chuffed am i?

I was about to order it this morning but it completely slipped my mind.

Now its ?12 cheaper than i thought.

Sometimes it pays to have a mind like a sieve afterall.

[SharkAttack]

Tetra's trackers looks quite kool actually although I understand the need to drop it from the US version unless they wanted to delay it for months.

It features a voice recognition system so Tetra and the other characters on screen refer to you by the name you type in.

Also one of the characters is the fantastic fake pirate character who you play battleships with in Wind Waker but with full vocals! Woo!

Not that I can play it anyway (lack of GBA).

[Commander Marklar]

It is kinda fun, but I think it would be much more fun if I knew wtf was going on, on-screen!

I'm a bad person and I'm going to hell.

Good! More people to play Four Swords when we're all dead and buried

[Earl]

Up to the level 2 dungeon now, didn't have much time to play today. I think level 2-2 is my favourite so far. The GBA connection is superb on this level. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone but it's a pretty big villiage that resembles Kokiro in LttP. There are loads of people to talk to and many puzzles to solve that include phasing in and out of the level.

Using orbs given to you by certain villagers, you can phase in and out of the main GC level. Once you enter a warp, you are transported to a slighty different version of the level on your GBA. You can see your little team all blacked out on the TV while controlling them on the GBA. It really is an excellent use of the connection between the two machines. Anyway the puzzles have you interacting with people in both realities and making use of the many weapons that are on offer. Lots of Japanese text here but again if you have played Zelda games before you'll be fine.

On thing struck me as I was playing this level. I remember Adam saying how much more he enjoyed playing Wind Waker in Japanese because of the greater sense of accomplishment he got in getting past an area. This is exactly how I felt today. I'm sure all the talk from the villagers would more or less have told you how to beat the level. Without this I had to figure things out for myself and enjoyed it immensly. There was a great deal of satisfaction on my part when I finally finished the level and I think I'm going to enjoy this game more than I would with a full English translation.

[MikeF]

I got my copy this morning but only had a very brief go on it. Initial impressions are excelent and I can't wait to try it in multiplayer

[martTM]

I don't know why, but I seem to be the only person I know (or have seen on various forums) who not only 'gets' Tetra's Trackers, but absolutely loves it. There's loads of scope for stuff besides just collecting the stamps and the more you play, the more you unlock for later. There's still a fair bit I'm working out, but it just has so many nice touches - like someone said earlier, the battleships bloke from Wind Waker pops up for a bingo-style game that uses the numbers of the stamps and on a card you can collect, plus more features open on each map the more you do. It's crazy and slightly more madcap than the main adventure (and that's crazy enough), but I have to say it's found a place in my heart... somewhere between the cholesterol and all the McDonalds I've eaten over the years.

[dr_manhattan]

Still waiting for this from play asia a week after it's shipped is this normal? as you guys all have your copies.... (sorry Marcus)

[Papercut]

my will power is losing the battle in resisting to buy this. the playasia offer hasn't helped.

I have one question - are there any tricky language problems, or is it all blindingly obvious?

thanks.

[Commander Marklar]

I'd say it was blindingly obvious, especially as the important bits are usually in kana anyway (and highlighted; see what I did there? narf). Go on, do it man!

Except for Navi Tracker's; that's a different kind of crazy