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‘Zelda’ legend lives on with newest Nintendo release

"Zelda," one of the top selling video game series and industry paragon of the RPG adventure genre, has been in the hearts of gamers since we first pushed that shiny, golden cartridge into the NES oh so many years ago. The series has since become one of the most influential forces in gaming development and an icon of video game perfection. With such high standards to live up to, it's almost surprising that each new installment manages to honor and often further that shimmering, gold beacon of glory from which the series was born.

Marking 20 years the green-clad hero has been in the hearts of Americans, Oct. 1 saw the release of the newest "Zelda" game and also the first one to appear on the Nintendo DS, "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass."

One of the amazing things about the series is that despite presenting virtually the same story in every game — princess Zelda stars as the damsel in distress whose only hope is the destined hero, Link — we never grow tired of it. "Phantom Hourglass" is no exception.

Directly picking up the story a few months after "Wind Waker," the 10th installment in the "Zelda" series, ended, Tetra a.k.a. Zelda is abducted by a mysterious ghost ship. Link, in the form of a child with a disturbingly oval-shaped head and bug eyes, must save our pirate wench of a princess, but, failing, he washes ashore on an island.

Nintendo recycles the general blueprint of towns and puzzle-filled temples, but it's precisely that familiarity that makes the game so polished and enjoyable. You'll even be advised (pestered) by Ciela, another detestable fairy accomplice as in prior installments. "Phantom Hourglass" strongly evokes the very basic feel of the old-school games, but wields tight, smart game play unlikely to be found in another adventure RPG, especially not on the DS.

Yet, "Phantom Hourglass" also brings freshness to the series, taking full advantage of new functional possibilities permitted by the various features of the DS, much more so than the tacked-on Wiimote waving in "Twlight Princess" on the Wii.

The most drastic change is that the entire control scheme is stylus based, with no alternate d-pad scheme. Fortunately, after the initial adjustment, it feels very comfortable and responsive, though at times you'll be frustrated with the little green bastard for running into monsters instead of hacking them down, or for tumble-rolling right into a lava pit. Both screens are used very smartly, as are other features of the DS, such as the microphone — but you'll surely feel (and look) ridiculous shouting "Hey!" to the game or blowing into it to extinguish torches, etc.

Although it's one of the best looking games to appear on the DS, with very crisp and colorful rendering, it resembles the SNES and GBA renditions more than the N64 ones, which is sad considering the system is capable of graphics that could top "Ocarina of Time." Nevertheless, "Phantom Hourglass" is the deepest, most complete game to grace the DS yet, and it's truly evidence of the series' continued success.

It probably won't replace "Ocarina of Time," "A Link to the Past" or "Twilight Princess" as your favorite "Zelda" adventure, but it definitely lives up to its legendary name.