It could be argued that no game series is more beloved by gamers than The Legend of Zelda. Between the original game, Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, there are several titles counted as favorites by many a gamer. One title in particular, however, stands out as the most infamous in Zelda lore: Wind Waker.

Controversial since its first reveal, Wind Waker sundered the Zelda fanbase. The battle lines were drawn on message boards across the country between those who liked or accepted the new cel-shaded look and those who despised the new direction of the series. While it was still among the biggest sellers for the GameCube, Wind Waker sold fewer copies than any main entry in the series ever.

When Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was announced, it rectified all of the controversial aesthetic components of its predecessor, seemingly ending the legacy of Wind Waker. However, the aesthetics of the game made a reappearance for Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and the game got a full fledged sequel in Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – a game that brought new elements to the Zelda franchise, just like its prequel. GameDaily BIZ takes a closer look at Link's first go 'round on the DS.

Zelda good as gold

According the NPD, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was the third best selling title overall during the September period in the U.S. This equaled over 224,000 units sold during the month. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was also the best selling title on the DS by over 80,000 copies.

In a way, the release of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was long overdue, as it matched up Nintendo's most successful platform with its most popular character outside of Mario for the first time. The combination seemed to benefit the DS platform (not that it needed any boosting) with nearly 500,000 hardware units sold during the moth of September. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass also marks a return of the franchise to the world (and "Celda" aesthetics) of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, showing that some fans are still willing to embrace the "cartoony" Link too.

Still, while sales were good, they don't match up with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii, which sold over 400,000 copies in its first month. This could be for several reasons: there was more pent up demand when Twilight Princess came out, the title selection was more limited on the Wii when it released or it may even be the case that the majority of fans prefer the "realistic" Link over the "cartoony" Link.

Has Link ever had to rescue a princess before?

The largest selling point and most unique component of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is its control scheme. Rather than just making a token gesture to the touch screen of the DS, as many titles on the system do, Phantom Hourglass embraces it. The touch pad is used to do everything, from moving Link around to swinging his sword and even plotting a flight path for your boomerang.

Along with the usual sort of Zelda adventuring, Phantom Hourglass features the return of a key component from its predecessor Wind Waker: sailing. Players plot their course on a sea map using the stylus and can search for treasure and fend off monsters. Also unique to Phantom Hourglass is an online multiplayer mode where players try to collect triangle pieces while avoiding 'Phantoms' controlled by the other player.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass has been very well received by critics, averaging a 90% on GameRankings.com. Still, many critics complained that the game was just too easy and that there wasn't enough meat to the online play. Another criticism was the game's immutability with the rest of the franchise. GameDaily's Chris Buffa said that Phantom Hourglass is charming despite its lack of innovation in his review.

"Phantom Hourglass' controls, combined with the boat segments, make it a quality adventure worth everyone's time," wrote Buffa. "You'll admire the graphics and bury yourself in the numerous side missions. For that, Nintendo deserves credit for shoving such a large world onto a tiny DS cart while retaining everything that makes a Zelda game enjoyable, from the memorable boss encounters to the catchy music (definitely play this game with headphones). Just don't believe all the hype. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a great video game and a must buy, though it's not the evolution we hoped it'd be."

Phantom Hourglass only the beginning?

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass benefited from a fairly low key but effective advertising campaign. The TV spot in particular stayed on message with Nintendo's advertising in the past year: their systems and games are for everyone. The 30-second ad zoomed into different people doing the exact same thing (playing Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, naturally), and did an excellent job of demonstrating the game's unique control scheme.

Overall, Nintendo can chalk up the release of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as a success. The game itself was appropriately an experiment built off of the biggest experiment (aesthetically, at least) in the franchise's history, which will perhaps encourage Nintendo to create more games of its ilk. One thing's for sure: Zelda and the DS are likely too popular a combination for only one game.