legendofzelda
Latest
Miyamoto talks Zelda -- Link a lefty no more
If you didn't already know that Link, the hero in the Legend of Zelda series, was left-handed, we simply do not know what to do with you. In fact, we might ask that you get a CAT scan to help understand why you are a Nintendo fanboy who lacked this simple knowledge. In time, we could forgive you. Fact of the matter is, Twilight Princess has changed it up a bit under Miyamoto's command and Link is now right-handed. But, GameCube owners do not fear. Link will continue to be left-handed as tradition tells for you. Here is what Miyamoto himself said in his defense of making Link a righty: "Although Link is [traditionally] left-handed, at E3 we noticed people seemed to be using the right Wii controller to swing his sword. That's why we decided to make Link right-handed. The interesting this is, on the GameCube Link is still left-handed; because of the mirror mode the game map is reversed." All banter concerning the mirror mode must cease immediately. Sorry Leftorium lovers, you'll have to sit this one out.
Wii: then and now
"People change. Hairstyles change. Interest rates fluctuate." When Hillary Flammond uttered those words in Top Secret, she clearly hadn't experienced the gaming industry -- a marvelous, often magical place where things change very quickly indeed. As today's cataclysmic explosion of Wii news demonstrates, things can change for better or for worse. Yesterday's truth may become today's obsolete press release. So, what has (and hasn't) changed for Nintendo between then and now?Then: The Wii could play DVDs via an unspecified and entirely nebulous dongle. The original console description reads: "Two Disc Formats, One Slot: Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content."Now: Inserting a DVD into the system will likely produce a polite error message indicating a complete inability to play DVDs. Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan explains DVD playback was removed "in order to deliver the machine at a cheaper cost and because most people today already own DVD players." On the plus side, this reduces the amount of times we'll have to type a dubious word like "dongle."
Wii: last minute rumors [update 1]
It's almost time, fanboys and girls, for the big announcement that is almost certain to bring us the launch details on the Wii. What does that mean for Wii Fanboy?Rumor roundup time! Yee-haw!After the jump, we not only bring you a rumor compendium, but we also offer the official (!) Wii Fanboy predictions on launch and release date.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess FAQ
Over on the WiiChat.com forums, i0n has posted a helpful FAQ encompassing 51 items related to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Not sure about the differences between the GameCube and Wii versions? Curious as to which Link will star in TP? Wondering who Midna is? i0n's got answers.Of course, the FAQ doesn't crack any of the game's great mysteries, but it's a well organized hub for the information and ideas that have been shared thus far.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass preview
The Legend of Zelda, like Pokemon, Final Fantasy or any other great series, will never grow old to gamers like us. No matter how much Zelda you shove down our throats, we will always take it with a smile. The demo at Leipzig was the same as E3, but IGN felt the need to give us an update as if they feel the game is as hot as it was back in May. The answer -- of course it is you half wit! We kid, we kid. The four available stages on the demo (boss fight, Field, Sea and Dungeon) are as impressive as ever. Though the new controls are a little tricky, we know that several gamers, new and old, will adjust. We won't see Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass until 2007, but we are sure the wait is well worth it.
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Video and screens
It might be the same stuff we have seen since E3 but it doesn't hurt to get another look at it. It is Zelda afterall. Plus we get to see some sweet boomerang action. That's worth a post right? On top of this video we have some more screens for you as well. It is difficult to see the video and screens knowing that it will be almost forever until we get to play the game ourselves. Hopefully we will see it early 2007. Then again, probably not. See the link for the screens below. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass screens from Advanced Media Network [Via Go Nintendo]
Sum-up of Phantom Hourglass
How long have we waited to hear more about Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass? Too damn long if you ask us. We finally got a little more info to share with you. The plot! Here you go: Many months have passed since the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Link, Tetra and Tetra's band of pirates have set sail in search of new lands. They come across a patch of ocean covered in dense fog, in which they discover an abandoned ship. Tetra falls into danger when she explores the ship alone, and Link falls into the ocean when he attempts to rescue her. When he washes up unconscious on the shores of a mysterious island, he is awakened by the sound of a fairy's voice. With the aid of this fair, he sets off to find Tetra - and his way back to the seas he once knew. You remember Tetra right? She was the blond mouthy pirate that threw Link out of a barrel into the Forbidden Fortress and talked to you through the stone she gave you. Yeah, her! Now, we get to save her. How much longer do we have to wait? Oh, yeah... forever.
String Quartet + Zelda = Goodness
We understand that some people may not be to keen to classical music. But, when you take a string quartet and have them play classic and unforgettable Legend of Zelda songs, you've got yourself something. And yes, we realize that this was added to YouTube in May but you can never have enough Zelda in your life. This quartet is a nice group of talented individuals with a great combination of Zelda favorites. Enjoy! [Via Go Nintendo]
Happy Zelda music day
Today is Friday, and you know what that means. That's right, it's time for a bunch of videos of people playing Zelda music! This ukulele performance (found via Wonderland) is pretty impressive, but continue reading for an equally impressive piano medley (from Video Game Pianist Martin Leung) and a little ditty played on a real ocarina!
Majora's Mask Fierce Deity Link figurine
There are two kinds of gamers in this world: those who favor Ocarina of Time and those who prefer Majora's Mask. Sure, the latter is a much smaller group -- easily dwarfed by Ocarina fans waving its 40/40 score in Famitsu magazine ("the first game to do so," they helpfully remind you) -- but First 4 Figures sent word that Majora's Fierce Deity Link would be the first in their lineup of Legend of Zelda figurines, undoubtedly beating out the much anticipated Ocarina Ingo figurine. At 14.5" tall, and $130, this thing is collectors only, we're afraid. Wouldn't want you recreating the epic showdown with Majora and busting your sword, y'know?See also: Colossal figurine ... at 1/150 scaleCollectible Metroid statue
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."]
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.
