Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks is the newest addition to the Zelda Series, and I mean NEW. It just came out last week. I got my hands on a copy fresh off the truck at Gamestop and played way more than I should have considering it was the last week before finals and I had a lot to do.
The Spirit Tracks is for the Nintendo DS and had some great new additions to the gameplay. Most interaction in the game is controlled by the touchscreen with the stylus. You tap where you want Link to go and he goes there, tap an enemy and he attacks.

This game also added a new game mechanic, driving a train around the world map. Rather than giving you full freedom to explore the game world, you draw a path on a map with your stylus and the train follows that path. You can turn at intersections to change your path and fire a cannon at enemies as you truck along. I think this mechanic works to help the game world feel much larger. In previous games, you could walk from one end of the world to another, but in the one, knowing that you have to take the train makes the world seem HUGE.

Another new story element and mechanic added was having Princess Zelda's spirit with you throughout the entire game. She helps move the story along and in some areas, she can control Phantoms, huge walking suits of armor. When she's controlling the Phantom, you draw the path for her to follow so you can control two characters at once.

I think the game is a great new addition to the series and gave me a reason to keep my DS. Great story line and interesting new characters. Also, if you're a fan of the series, you'll know that Link has never had much of a personality. In this game he has a bit more of one. I won't ruin it for you, check it out.