I will try and keep spoilers to a minimum as I'm sure most of you don't want the story ruined, but then again, I haven't got a clue about the story as I can't read Japanese. And with this language problem it has made the game a bit more of a challenge, so please remember these are initial impressions of a game that may be easier in the English version as we'll all be able to understand it. I will only be commenting about Hyrule Adventure and Navi Trackers, as I haven't has a chance to play Shadow Battle.

Four Swords + is the simple reason why the Zelda series should have never made the jump into 3D. I haven't smiled at a Zelda game since playing the Oracle games, fine OoT, MM and TWW were all good games in their own right but Four Swords + proves that The Legend of Zelda games should remain in the 2D top down format. The sprites, the gameplay and overall feel to the game brings back some very good memories of A Link to the Past, the game moulds its way around situations and the mechanics of for example a dungeon, though they can be simplistic, and brings everything to a very challenging experience. Of course I'm not saying Ocarina of Time didn't have any challenge nor do I want to continue comparing the dimensional differences, but there was the element of fun that was missing and Four Swords has brought that back to the series.

Graphics
Well what can I say? In Hyrule Adventure, the game is just a slightly upgraded version of A Link to the Past, of course the graphics change between the GameCube and Game Boy screen. The GameCube parts screened on the TV boasts a lot of nice graphical upgrades from the original ALttP designs most of the objects were based on and has a lot of Wind Waker style touches to it. The Bombs now explode into swirls, the water is quite realistic, but still in a cartoon way and there's many other graphical touches that make the game unique. When on the Game Boy screen the graphics are basically the same as A Link to the Past's. Everything down the smashing of the bottles and the way the items react just bring a good sense of past Zelda gaming. It's all very good.

Navi Trackers is slightly harder to judge graphical wise and too be honest I shouldn't really judge it. The game basically works solely on the GBA, with Tetra screaming at you on the TV screen. All I can really say is that the graphics are colourful and vivid and yet again brings a different style to Zelda gaming. On the TV it's the cel-shaded affair from The Wind Waker and as it's just one or two characters on the screen, there's no point in judging the cel-shaded graphics again.

Music and Sounds
Now here's one big nostalgia trip. Nintendo have brought together music from previous Zelda games and it works very well! The music and sound effects range from A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, with each level I play the smile gets bigger and again it brings back some very good memories. The Dungeon and Boss music are just some of the pieces from ALttP that again captures you into the world that is known as Zelda. There is however, original music to the game and is an excellent addition to the games. There isn't much else I can comment about the music and sounds in the game, except that the intro music is…Nah I won't tell you, but it's good for those who have played ALttP. However, for those of you who want to know, there's a Zelda site out there offering an MP3 of the song for you all to download.

Storyline
I shouldn't really comment about this as I haven't got a clue what's going on in the game. The language barrier is a huge problem. So far I've had to interpret from what I've seen from the cut scenes, which isn't too much of a hassle, but it does give me the urge to want to know what is going on. But from I've gathered from cut scenes, I think I've got a simple idea in my mind, but I'm not going to tell you as it'll ruin the surprise for all of you.

In Navi trackers the barrier is even stronger as the characters actually talk! I haven't got a clue what they're going on about, but as the game is rather simplistic there isn't much need for it…I don't think at least…unless they tell you how to unlock things, which then means I'm missing out on something. There really isn't a storyline to Navi Trackers anyway, it's just good multiplayer fun.

GameCube to Game Boy Connectivity
Now this is where the game really shines! At long last there is a game that has made full use of the GCN to GBA connectivity and it isn't just a stupid little commodity. As most of you already know from websites and magazines, in Hyrule Adventure the action switches between the GCN and GBA, e.g. when (a) Link walks into a house the person who's controlling that Link would then see him running around inside the house on the GBA. Of course with this switch, if you're playing with a friend, you'll be allowed to go into the house and your friend(s) will remain on the TV screen, allowing you to freely explore the house without any restriction and your friend(s) can continue with their own tasks. It's all good fun. And I'm extremely impressed with this feature; I haven't seen this great kind of GBA usage since Animal Crossing. Maybe there's hope for the connectivity after all? Congrats Nintendo!

In Navi Trackers the GBA is essential. All the action is on the GBA screen as Tetra and friends are shouting at you on the TV screen. This doesn't affect the game in any way.

Overall Look – Other bits not mentioned
Before I continue I must say that Navi Trackers is one of the craziest games I've played on in years. It really does bring up the question of why Nintendo are removing it from the US and European versions! Granted that there is a load of speech, but can't they just find someone suitable for the voice of Tetra and friends?
The game is simple but incredibly addictive and should bring hours and hours of multiplayer fun! This is just proof that Nintendo haven't lost their quirkiness.

There is one noticeable change that people will soon spot in Hyrule Adventure. Instead of having a great big overworld, the game is split into Levels and then these levels are split into separate stages for you and your team to get through. Now you're all wondering why and how could Nintendo do such a thing? Well the simple fact is that this level structure works extremely well and having a big overworld just wouldn't work. If there was an overworld your friends would try and go different ways and then it would all end up in big arguments. Not exactly the best thing to happen with a multiplayer game. It's a refreshing change for sure and I actually like how it's been setup. And if you're wondering if some of the elements that could only be achieved in overworlds only have been removed, then fear not! Some of the levels are like the overworld parts, e.g. take a village there's still a cucco hunt and much more, but I don't really want to spoil the surprise now do I?

All in all, I'm very impressed with the game! It's put a great big smile on my face and I don't want to remove it. However, as it's in Japanese I haven't looked closely into the storyline, so things may be much simpler in English. But as this is a multiplayer game, I'm sure storyline isn't the major point that Nintendo are trying to get across but just a good old fashioned Multiplayer romp with friends. Overall, it's a good game that has partially restored my faith in Nintendo. Good job!