So the other day, I *finally* beat the latest Legend of Zelda game, Spirit Tracks. I’ve been a big fan of the franchise for a while now, and I really loved the last DS game, Phantom Hourglass. But I have to say, Spirit Tracks left a little to be desired.

My first complaint is with the control scheme, which, like in PH, is based exclusively on the stylus. I really don’t remember it bothering me much or at all as I played through that game, but with Spirit Tracks, I found myself cursing the stylus regularly. Why? Because there are times you need to control Link, Zelda, and an object, and doing so all with the stylus got to be a bit much after a while. An option to use the control pad and buttons would have gone a long way.

And the use of the microphone, which was a necessity for this game, become somewhat annoying. Look, I accept the fact that I might look like a total tool playing my DS on the Long Island Railroad on my way to and from work based primarily on my age. I can live with it. But when I’m forced to hold the damn thing up to my face and blow into it – repeatedly, when trying to play a new song on the Spirit Flute – I am sure I must be getting the “What is up with THAT guy” glance from my fellow commuters.

Still, I don’t want to rag on the game totally. The story was really cool, and actually featured somewhat of a shock in one of the first cutscenes. It had some very cool dungeon designs and puzzles, and some of the new items were really fun. A whip! A sand wand thingy! If you’re a fan of side quests, there was no shortage of them here, even though I didn’t really have the patience required to go beyond a couple of them. And despite my frustrations, the game was definitely “beatable” – it took a few times of me putting the game away and coming back a few days later, but in the end, I was able to restore peace to the land.

I don’t think there are any upcoming DS games that I’m anxious to get my hands on, but I do wonder what a 3D Zelda will look like on the recently announced 3DS!