Nintendo's latest installment in the Zelda series has come to the Nintendo DS. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (ゼルダの伝説 夢幻の砂時計) hit shelves on June 23rd, and Link is looking better than ever.Besides being fantastically fun and addicting, the game comes equipped with a very handy and simplistic function that makes a great kanji learning tool.
Basically, any kanji that shows up in message windows (such as when a character is talking or Link is reading a sign) can be touched using the stylus. While you're touching it, the reading will be displayed in hiragana. Very impressive, Nintendo!
Once you've got the reading, you can consult a dictionary or online resource to get the meaning. The simple act of looking up a word will help cement it in your mind. You'll also be using the word to progress in the game--instant application!
So even if you're a bit kanji impaired, I highly recommend picking up this title! You'll not only have a great time playing, you'll also be learning some excellent, new kanji.
7 comments:
Let me tell ya, this has improved my reading skills in-game incredibly. I can't really read most of the kanji, but with the extra help, oh ya.
doesn't mean it's any less hard to play, though
That's great to hear! What are some of the new words you've learnt?
Looking up half the words in a dictionary will also make the game slow paced and a lot less fun. Do you really want to spend the time to learn the kanji for 'dungeon'?
True, but so what... it a heck of a lot more interesting than most plain and dull Kanji books!
bigmog,
I guess it all depends on what you want out of the game. For plenty of gamers who are playing solely for the "game", then it might not be worth it. And that's completely understandable.
But for some players, they want to find a way to work on their Japanese while playing games, which Zelda DS has provided an excellent method for!
It works for everybody!
sometimes those characters are so long-winded. i get bored and just start skipping through what they say. i've been burnt, though, because now i'm stuck!! :(
may,
I know where you're coming from! Sometimes characters in games just go on and on and on and on...
So far the writing in Phantom Hourglass is pretty good, though. It's good fun and I've been laughing along a lot.
Post a Comment