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Joystiq Presents: A Zelda Story
Do you remember the first day you played your favorite game? What about the moment you bought that game; what lengths did you go to pick it up? Joystiq's own Reviews Content Director Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM) recalls the story of the the day he bought The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64, and discusses the patience of his mother with our Community Manager, Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello). Listen to the MP3
Watch Ocarina of Time get crushed in 18 minutes, Metroid Prime in 55
In an age where seemingly everyone stresses about how long their games are versus how much they cost, it seems like some people just can't plow through them fast enough. Take Cosmo Wright's insane run through The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example. Using glitches, he managed to clear the entire game in just 18 minutes and 10 seconds, setting a new world record. You can watch the whole thing in its entirety above, and you can do it in the span of your average lunch break. Meanwhile, speedrunner T3 set a world record in another beloved Nintendo game, Metroid Prime. He sent Samus through the GameCube classic in just 55 minutes of in-game time. Check out T3's run after the break. [Image: Nintendo]
Eiji Aonuma's Ocarina of Time anecdote hits the heartstrings
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is almost universally recognized as a classic, but technical quality is not what makes the game special. According to designer Eiji Aonuma, the game's greatest strength is its ability to inspire people. In a recent Nintendo Japan update, Aonuma relays the story of a young girl who was hospitalized with an unnamed illness. To help pass the time, her mother purchased a copy of Ocarina of Time. "At first, she felt 'this is impossible for me,' but over time, she began getting the hang of it," Aonuma wrote, courtesy Siliconera translation. "Then one day, she told her mother, 'if Link is trying this hard, then I will, too!' as she put more effort into her rehabilitation." Aonuma claims this inspiration drove the young girl to fight off her illness and she soon returned to full health. "To think that one could put in more effort after watching Link to do the same, and that such a positive way of thinking arose from the game, is something that makes me very happy" Aonuma added. "It's not that we purposely intend that while making games, but the key lies within what the players get to experience in the world." [Image: Nintendo]
Bizarre Ocarina of Time mod replaces Link with Sonic the Hedgehog
Prominent streamer Vinesauce recently broadcast some The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time footage to his fans, but with a twist: Link had been replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog. [Thanks, BPMΩ.]
Amazon sale on 3DS games: Fire Emblem: Awakening, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and more
Whew! E3, huh? Right? Y'all remember when that guy said that stuff, and then all the things happened? What a crazy week! We don't know about you, but we're feeling like it might be time to unwind from this week's insanity by catching up on our gaming backlogs while we wait for all these sick-looking next-gen jams to drop. Fire Emblem: Awakening, Mario Kart 7, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Super Mario 3D Land and a mess of other great 3DS games have all been dropped to around $30 on Amazon, which is convenient since we were just saying how we need to catch up on our backlog. Weird! Head past the break for the full list of games and their pertinent purchasing links.
Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Zelda: OoT 3D and Starfox 64 3D now available on EU 3DS eShop [Update: NA too!]
Four more 3DS games will now be available as digitally distributed titles, at least if you live in Europe. Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Starfox 64 3D should all be available on the European 3DS eShop momentarily, Nintendo announced during today's Nintendo Direct presentation.Update: All four of these games will also be available on the North American eShop on Thursday, October 18, which is two weeks from today. The convenience of not having to go to a store will run you a smooth $40.
3DS has sold over 5 million in US to date
The 3DS has surpassed five million units sold in the United States, Nintendo announced today. Contributing to that new milestone: over 155,000 3DS systems were sold in the US in the month of June, according to NPD data cited by Nintendo.In addition, Nintendo moved "more than 150,000 units of the Nintendo DS family and nearly 95,000 Wii consoles." In terms of 3DS software, Nintendo revealed new life-to-date totals for three million-sellers: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (over 1 million), Super Mario 3D Land (2.1 million), and Mario Kart 7 (1.75 million). If there's a conclusion that can be drawn from this, it's that not enough people bought Kid Icarus Uprising.
Play some card games with the cast of Zelda
Some days are sad, some days are happy, and some are just packed full of Zelda for some reason. Today is one of those days and we're not complaining -- Fangamer is selling a pack of Zelda-themed playing cards designed by DeviantArt user Nelde, and they are utterly gorgeous.The face cards feature famous Zelda characters, including Zelda, Link, Dark Link, Mikau, Darmani and more. The suits have been updated as well, to rupees, swords, heart bits and triforces. Fangamer warns that the decks won't ship until May, but the good people of Zelda Universe say they already received their orders, so go ahead and take a chance on love. Or Zelda cards.Or both. It's just that kind of day.
New Zelda: Ocarina of Time bug beats game in 23 minutes as child Link
Just because a game has been played by millions of people, millions of times over, doesn't mean we've uncovered all of its secrets. Case in point: YouTuber ZeldaFreakGlitcha recently used a bug in Ocarina of Time that allows him to complete the game in 23 minutes. The glitch involves defeating Queen Gohma and activating, but not traveling through, the warp gate, which then drops child Link in Ganon's castle, and miniaturized missions ensue.Usually we'd say defeating Ganon is no small feat, but with this, well... you know. ZeldaFreakGlitcha is live-streaming more attempts to beat his best bug time today on TwitchTV.
Zelda lexicon expands, Gerudo language translated and fontified
The Hyrule Historia continues to divulge dark, long forgotten secrets of the Legend of Zelda mythos. Well, mostly timelines and fonts, but that's still pretty neat for everyone in the Joystiq chapter of the Hyrulian Historical Society. The latest gem to be unearthed (insert appropriate sound effect here) from the Historia's gushing fount of knowledge is a translation of the written language used by Ganondorf's people, the Gerudo, and a font to go with it. Decoded by Sarinilli, the same topographical alchemist responsible for creating the Skyward Sword font, the Gerudo language is also an alternate representation of the 26 characters of the English language. Strangely, the only numerals in the Gerudo alphabet are 1 and 5, which can be used as an effective (if inefficient) alternative for the Roman numerals I and V. Hypothetically, this new knowledge could be used to translate Gerudo texts found in Ocarina of Time, but that sounds like way too much work to us. To be honest, we only joined the Hyrulian Historical Society for the political connections. The Gerudo Typography font is available for free, non-commercial use at Sarinilli's DeviantArt profile.
Put these cute Zelda figures from Japan in your pocket
The cheap-toy twist-knob machines lining grocery stores and movie theaters across the western world don't contain Zelda figures, which makes them more proof that Japan is way cooler than everyone else, ever. Takara Tomy Arts is offering six gashapon figurines direct from Japan, including characters from The Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword. Import specialist NCS is taking pre-orders for the collection, dubbed the Zelda Figure Collection, for shipment in April. For $30 you can get two tiny Links, a Tetra, Zelda, child Link and child Zelda. Even with import costs, it's much cheaper than a plane trip to Japan and the 100-yen coins you'd have to spend on cool toy capsules.
Adorable Zelda fan video will fill up your hearts
Sometimes, you find a video on YouTube and you think there just might be hope for humanity after all.
Nintendo's Mario and Zelda 3DS bundles hit the US November 24
You've seen Nintendo's new 3DS bundles in a few Black Friday ads already, but the company made it official today, detailing the two special holiday packages it plans to release on Thanksgiving Day -- and giving us another opportunity to stare at that Zelda system. The Cosmo Black bundle contains a special Cosmo Black 3DS decorated with Zelda imagery, along with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The Flame Red bundle contains a plain old Flame Red 3DS with Super Mario 3D Land. Both are priced at $199.99, but you'll be able to find them cheaper at certain retailers.
Best Buy selling Mario, Zelda 3DS bundles for Black Friday [update: Zelda bundle is the special edition!]
Best Buy's Black Friday ad is eerily similar to Walmart's in its list of game discounts, but features something we didn't see in the Walmart ad: holiday 3DS bundles. For $179, you'll be able to pick up either a Cosmo Black system with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D or a Flare Red system with Super Mario 3D Land, a savings of $30 over buying separately. Unfortunately, the systems included in the bundles are the normal 3DS colors, and not the spectacular custom-designed 3DS in the European Zelda bundle. On the upside, that means we won't be among those battling you on Black Friday morning. Update: The GameStop Black Friday ad shows a clearer picture of the Zelda bundle -- and it is the special Zelda 3DS!
Europe's Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS is a magical artifact
We've never personally felt the need for a 3DS that plays only European-format games ... until now. Nintendo of Europe announced an absolutely lovely Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D bundle, featuring some gold embellishments on the top, and gold accents to power icons and the 3D slider. The bundle also includes a copy of the game, with an exclusive double-sided sleeve -- which means that if you import the set, you'll have at least one properly region-coded game. It'll be released on November 25, exclusively in Europe ... unless Nintendo of America would like to make an announcement today (please?). %Gallery-138785%
Nintendo has one million seller per console in last quarter
The NPD suggested that audiences were receptive of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (by which we mean they bought it), but new data from Nintendo reveals just how successful the game was in its debut month. In its list of million-selling first-party titles for the last quarter (ending June 30), Ocarina of Time is the only 3DS game listed, having sold 1.08 million copies -- approximately 270,000 in Japan, 810,000 elsewhere. Nintendo's other platforms also feature one lonely million seller each ... well, technically there are two on the DS, combined: Pokemon Black and White sold 1.36 mllion in the quarter, bringing it up to a global life-to-date total of 12.87 million. And Mario Kart Wii repped for the Wii all by itself, selling 1.22 million in the quarter, up to a ridiculous 2.82 million lifetime total.
The Legend of Zelda celebrates 25 years with a symphony
The Legend of Zelda is 25 this year, and Nintendo is celebrating its birthday the way any young, virile adult would want, with a trip to the symphony (Don't tell Nintendo a bar would be cheaper). The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert is scheduled for October 21 at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre, featuring complete symphonic renditions of the series' classic songs as chosen by composer Koji Kondo. A full tour of the show will begin in 2012. The concert will feature a 70-piece orchestra, much like the one we saw during Nintendo's E3 presentation, above. Tickets for the Pantages concert will go on sale August 1, ranging from $35 to $150, depending on how much you appreciate your childhood.
June NPD: Duke Nukem Forever is #2
Yes, it's true. A startling (and vaguely insulting) number of American consumers ignored our review and purchased Duke Nukem Forever, rocketing it to the #2 position on the NPD sales charts for the month of June. Perhaps they just didn't want to ask for refunds on those 14-year-old pre-orders. The Duke occupies a position on the charts just under its equally retro (in a different way) Take-Two contemporary, L.A. Noire. Also notable on the sales charts is the debut of another time-lost title, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. At #5, it is the first 3DS exclusive to chart in the NPD top ten. Find the top ten best-selling games listed after the break. It's definitely a triumphant month for the past, as total game sales were down from $1.15 billion in June of 2010 to $1.03 billion in June of this year. Once again, however, Microsoft is happy, declaring its Xbox 360 the only console in the US to show year-over-year growth. The Xbox was the top-selling console with 507,000 units which Microsoft claims is "nearly twice as many units as other current-generation platforms" this month.
Navi could have been a lot more annoying (and hairy)
Navi in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was annoying in a "fly in your kitchen at dinnertime" way, but the filmmakers at Humble Punch Productions have shown us it could've been worse, like "12 foot radioactive cockroach in your meatloaf as you serve it to the President and First Lady" annoying.
What you didn't know about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
After playing The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time in both two and three dimensions, you probably think you know everything there is to know about the watershed action-adventure, but how wrong you are! In a recent Iwata Asks, Shigeru Miyamoto and Iwata unearthed even more dirt on the game. For example, did you know Miyamoto and team didn't think cutting grass was particularly fun, but fans of Link to the Past demanded it? It's true! Did you know it was kind of inspired by Twin Peaks? It's true! Did you know that Navi is the real Keyser Söze? It's true! No, sorry. We misread. That last one's made up.
