legend of zelda
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They're papercraft models, not dolls
Whether it is indicative of the versatility of paper or the dedication of video game fans is unclear, but the fact of the matter is that someone has gone to great lengths to capture Link's likeness in a detailed papercraft model. We find the little fellow to be a strange mix between endearing and creepy, likely the reason why we won't be downloading the accompanying instructions and attempting to fold our very own recyclable Hyrulian Hylian into existence.Princess Zelda also makes an appearance on the clearly obsessive (yet helpful) website, if only to add a feminine touch to a gaming lineup otherwise dominated by manly Star Trek ships, Advance Wars tanks and sluggish Tomb Raider vehicles (Lara excluded). Site proprietor Ninjatoes certainly does a fine job at making plain 'ole paper more interesting, though it probably comes at the cost of being rubbish at most card games. [Via Bits & Bytes & Pixels & Sprites]See also:Sonic papercraftMake your own Quake PapercraftKatamari Prince papercraftRevolution controller made of paperGame Boy Micro origami
A Little Tingle In Your Life
One of the Legend of Zelda's silliest characters is finally getting his own time in the spotlight. Yes, ladies and gentleman, everyone's favorite fairy-elf guy Tingle is starring in his own RPG. Not a whole lot has been said about this game, but we do occasionally get a few nice screenshots to look over and wonder what this game is all about.So far, we know that you play as Tingle before his prime days of a treasure-obsessed occasional appearance in Wind Waker and Majora's Mask.In the game, he is on his way to a spring when Old Man Rupee convinces him that happiness rests in rupees and throwing them into springs.Judging from the photos it appears that tight green head-to-toe spandex has always been a Tingle thing.
360 title in Famitsu's most wanted. Wha??
Several sites have been posting Famitsu's latest most wanted list. But wait! What's this? An Xbox 360 exclusive, Blue Dragon -- the RPG being developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker studio -- is number 8. A prestigious spot indeed for a 360 title. Even more impressive, Blue Dragon tops the Japanese favorites like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is just the sort of thing that Microsoft's new Japanese PR blog should be pimping, and pimping hard. Be warned, the read link points to a Nintendo fan site. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the 360 at all. So, just prepare yourselves for that.
Cellda: cell phone, not cel-shaded, Zelda
More like Cellda, amirite?So, we all agree that most cell phone games are really, really boring (we agree on this, right?), but here's one that we think any red-blooded gamer can still muster some excitement over: The Legend of Zelda. That's right, the plain-old, original Zelda ... but with a twist. The homebrew heroes behind this project have seen fit to update all that old, pixelated stuff with new, Minish Cap-ish graphics, and they're looking good. Don't believe us, check out these hi-res maps or -- better yet -- download the latest demo (featuring dungeons one through three) for your Midp2-compatible phone. Don't have one of those? Then try out the PC executable. Can't run one of those? Sorry, bub.[Via Flicker Gaming]
Decap attack: Link minces Moblins in digital painting
Artist Derek Yu (who also brought us this tasty tutorial) has posted this imposing portrait of our favorite Hylian hunk. Gone are the soft cel-shaded features of his youth; replaced with chiseled biceps holding decapitated Moblin heads, Link is a little more Michelangelo than Donatello, and his face is a little more Leprechaun than Link.If you're interested in this sort of thing, Derek has posted a series of images from throughout the digital painting process, so art nerds, get grokking. Everyone else can just download the higher-res file and pretend it's a screenshot from the next, next Zelda adventure.
CNN Money sees Wii launching as early as September [update 1]
The words of CNN Money's Chris Morris, which suggest a Wii launch in late September or early October, are certainly tantalizing and not entirely unrealistic. Getting the machine onto store shelves and into our loving, embarrassingly weak arms would give Nintendo a healthy lead on the PS3 and Microsoft's glut of holiday titles, not to mention the joy it would grant fans of intergalactic bounty hunters and pointy-eared archers. Morris cites an earlier analyst report by P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research which notes that Nintendo already began manufacturing final retail consoles on 21 June, providing ample time until a prospective September launch.Further evidence comes in the less sturdy form of past release dates of Nintendo consoles, with only the Gamecube missing an October or September release window. Of course, if the Wii launches worldwide immediately, one would expect a strategy similar to that of the DS launch -- that one happened in November as well. While it's not entirely unfeasible, Morris' suggestion is still swathed in speculation. With no details available on manufacturing, Nintendo may have simply started up the production line early (if they did so at all) to avoid launch shortages which plagued the Xbox 360 and are sure to plague Sony's machine.Unfortunately, it looks like the only words we can fully trust right now are the ones from official (and sober) Nintendo men and women.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!][Update 1: Nintendo has (predictably) put the kibosh on this one, with a spokesperson stating, "There's no change in our plan to release the console in the last quarter of this year."]
Readers pick best webcomic (May 29 - June 3)
Sorry about being late on this, I had a gaseous expenditure of the cerebral cortex. It was a close week, but only one comic can win* -- Dueling Analogs and their topical strip about Link being voted "hottest male video game character" by Out magazine. 2nd place went to Concerned and 3rd is owned by Extra Life.Honorable mention (as we forgot to include them -- not that it seemed to matter) goes to Penny Arcade. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know (via comments below, preferably) of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!* - unless in the unlikely situation that two winning comics win the exact same number of votes ... and that would be seriously cool.
Wii Twilight Princess in widescreen, GameCube in 4:3
According to a Nintendo press release titled, "Nintendo Introduces the Next Leap in Video Games," the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will feature a widescreen mode, but the GameCube version will not. This can be inferred from the following statement:"[Twilight Princess] will also be playable on Nintendo GameCube, but without the widescreen format or special controller functions."Is this Nintendo's subtle way of urging us into its next generation? Why does a stripped-down GameCube version of Twilight Princess even exist? Is Nintendo simply satisfying fans that are hesitant to upgrade to Wii? Wouldn't a Wii-exclusive Twilight Princess drive more sales of the next-gen console? What's Nintendo's strategy here? Questions ... questions ... questions ...[Via Nintendo press release; thanks, Oro]
TIME gets hands-on with the Nintendo Wii
We knew we should have taken that call from Miyamoto the other day, but our loss was TIME magazine's gain, because the Mario and Zelda creator was looking for someone to, wouldn't you know it, take the upcoming Wii for a little spin. TIME's five page article is so full of interesting deets that we barely have room to scratch the surface here, but suffice it to say that Lev Grossman not only reports on his hands-on experiences with a number of games, he's also able to get inside Nintendo's head, if you will, and tease out a bit of the methodology behind what some hardcore gamers perceive as the company's madness (Wii? those controllers? Nintendogs?). As for the actual gaming, Grossman got to play some tennis (the sensors even allow you to add spin), slay some dragons (brandishing the controller like a sword in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), and bring those wacky Warioware minigames into the third dimension (think: fishing, weight lifting, cooking, etc.). Geez, this thing sounds like so much fun that we may just skip the Sony keynote this afternoon and see if the folks from Nintendo will let us play with their goodies.
Magazine scans of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
French website Jeuxfrance has scans from Japanese gaming-mag Nintendo Dream of Nintendo's upcoming DS-megahit, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The in-game images don't appear to reveal anything new beyond the demo video shown during Iwata's GDC keynote in March.There are some new things, however, like the drawing above which would seem to indicate that Link's spin-attack will be controlled using the stylus. We're all for stylus integration and all, but that makes us nervous in a Metroid Prime: Hunters demo sort of way. The questionably accurate machine translated page says we can expect a playable version at E3, so we'll try and pencil Link in while we're there...[Thanks, Einhanderkiller]
Joyswag: Next-gen Zelda FTW!
We received far more entries for our intentionally brief Odama screenshot contest than we imagined. We've now seen more Scientology jokes (it's the one religion you're allowed to make fun of), Star Wars scenes (man you guys are nerds!), and even an MSPaint-applied wiener (you know who you are) that we think is allowable by law. In comparison, our selection was a pretty safe bet. The formula for a winning entry is as follows: Dress Tom Cruise as Link Make him crazy (note the red eyes...and Tom Cruise) Add revmote (natch) Add dialog to taste Voilá! Winning entry! Nice job RS! Odama is on its way to our great neighbor up North. A big thanks to everyone that entered our humble little contest. Keep reading to check out some more awesome (and deranged) creations from our runners-up.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass video
The British Gaming Blog has obtained a spectacular video trailer of the newly announced Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and we insist that you download and watch it immediately. The game seems to be a follow-up to Wind Waker, boasting colorful cel-shaded graphics and exploration of the open seas.It looks like the action mostly takes place from a top-down perspective and incorporates plenty of touch screen activity. We're particularly amused by the ability to draw the trajectory of Link's boomerang and scribble notes on his crusty dungeon map. No word on a release date yet, but we think "now" would perfectly suffice.[Thanks JohnathanEx!]
Zelda DS: Phantom Hourglass Revealed
Our Joystiq informant, Christopher Grant, informs us straight from Iwata's GDC keynote that a new Legend of Zelda game, Phantom Hourglass, is destined to be released on the DS. And yes, we get to use this old chestnut:Zelda? More like Celda!More news as it breaks.[Update: The conference is now over. It was...kinda boring. An epic post summing up all the DS details from the conference will be uploaded shortly.]
Miyamoto: Twilight Princess uses Revo controller
Has the saga finally come to a climactic end? It would seem that we can finally lay this epic opera of speculation, magical allusion and straightforward denial to a well deserved rest: According to a Nintendo of Europe interview with recently knighted design genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will take advantage of the Revolution controller."I would say that we are progressing well with completing it. And one of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller.”Now, how exactly one would take advantage of the Revolution controller is up for debate (get your mind out of the gutter, please), though we're quite prone to the idea of tossing boomerangs, swinging swords and ensnaring innocent fish. For the rest of the interview, you'll have to either get a bothersome Nintendo VIP membership upon following the link or pay a visit to the GAF forums. [Via GamersReports]
Intelligent design; the evolution of Link
In honor of The Legend of Zelda's twentieth anniversary, here's an evolutionary diagram of Link throughout the years, culminating with Twilight Princess's Link on the right. Someone oughta put this on a shirt.Bonus points* for anyone who can rattle 'em all off. Double bonus points for anyone who can figure out which Link is (sort of) missing.See also:Old school Zelda rap commercialHappy Birthday Zelda! 20 years old today*current exchange rate: 1 Bonus Point™ = $0.00
Zelda: TP will be "special" on the Revolution
Despite the incessant back and forth, the unending rumor and rejection, it looks like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will feature "special" Revolution functionality! In an interview with EGM in the upcoming March issue, Reggie all but confirmed it saying, "The trick will be what makes it special to play on the Revolution, and to the extent that we could create something like that, boy, wouldn't that be fantastic?" It sure will Reggie. I mean would... it sure would.We all anticipated this functionality when the info got leaked the first couple times. So now that the speculation regarding future Revolution controller compatibility is gone, it's time to speculate on what kind of functionality the game will have. I'll begin: Wind Waker-style music composing? The fishing minigame will rule! Swordplay FTW? Grappling hook? On second thought, not sure that one's gonna work.Follow the whole tumultuous affair:Zelda: Twilight Princess delay is officialTwilight Princess back on schedule Twilight Princess gone 'til NovemberNintendo shoots down Revo details: "still speculation"Magazine reveals Revolution details: Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Donkey KongaNintendo dismisses Zelda use of Rev controllerZelda: Twilight Princess can play on Revolution controllerReggie: Twilight Princess still GameCube-bound[Thanks, dsub]
Sights and sounds of retro Famicom keychains
For the price of $13.50 you can get a keychain featuring cool, retro blocky graphic coupled with a miniature Famicom controller that makes character-relevant sound effects, like this especially obnoxious one from Ice Climber (wav).I couldn't imagine having one of these in my pocket, repeating that sound effect ad nauseum every time something hit the "A" button; the pixelated portion is aces though.[Via GameBrink]
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker... LEGO-style
When I was a kid my older brothers were always using their LEGOs to build the entire Star Wars universe. By the time I got older, LEGO was doing that for me-kinda took away from the fun, you know? I'm relieved to find out that you can't buy the LEGO-version of just any popular franchise... yet. That's right, if you wanna play Zelda, then you're gonna have to build Zelda! [Thanks, Shizzle]
