There aren't many gamers who don't harbor fond memories associated with the Nintendo 64's classic adventure (and to many, the greatest installment in the Hylian franchise), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to its beloved story and incredible visuals, it was a groundbreaking third-person adventure through an intricately detailed fantasy world -- but would we (and Game Rankings) still hold the triforce-hunting adventure in such high regard if we had experienced Hyrule directly through the point-eared protagonist's eyes?
In a recent discussion between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and revolutionary game developer (and Time's most influential person of 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, it was outed that Shiggy secretly possesses a penchant for first-person shooters (notably, Rare's seminal N64 shooter Goldeneye), and that he'd considered creating Ocarina of Time using an Oblivion-esque first-person perspective. We're not quite sure how this would have affected the title -- but we're certainly terrified of the prospect of witnessing Darunia's sexy dance of seduction first-hand.
Big thanks to Supafine's "Legend of Zelda: Visceration Station" webcomic for finally (and logically) explaining the heart system to us. The least we, as the Joystiq community, can apparently do is bestow you the honor of best game-related webcomic of the week.
Second and third place went to XKCD and College Humor, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any gaming comics you stumble upon this week!
IGN has a little fun this April Fools' Day with its exclusive Legend of Zelda movie trailer. The preview plays out like one giant cliché with fan service and a distinctive Uwe quality to it. We'd love to embed the preview and show you, but the code is broken and all we seem to get is some PSP-licker (and game butt-rubber) hosting a show.
Last year we had another impressive Zelda-inspired April Fools' joke with a preview for a Legend of Zelda game set in a future/Star Wars version of Hyrule. We can't help but think IGN's trailer would have been better (and more over the top) had Link been walking down the street of some poor provincial town and people started bursting out singing like the opening of La Belle et la BêteBeauty and the Beast.
After the NPD group's short-lived hesitation in providing monthly US console sales data spawned many an unhappy emoticon, it comes as a great relief to present October's magnificent results. This is especially true considering that all platforms have ducked out of last month's Halo effect and returned to their familiar positions -- the Wii and DS are back on top and the PlayStation 3 is, well, you know.
GameDaily notes that the industry once again saw over $1 billion dollars leaving wallets at uncanny speeds, placing total sales for the year (through October) at $10.5 billion. At the same time last year, the amount had "just" reached $7 billion.
Currently popular on GameTrailers, we missed Skullkid700's montage of Zelda commercials from earlier in the year. Since this sort of thing only gets better with age, we're highlighting it here. We've come a longway.
See the montage after the break. Yes, it includes the Zelda rap. You have been warned.
When all else fails in the world of hottest videos, we can always turn to Seth Green's maniacal "Robot Chicken" series for some skewed take on our beloved video game memories.
Today's bastardization of gaming canon comes in the form of Legend of Zelda, following his rescue of Zelda. It didn't quite turn out as planned, but hey, at least he got eight rupees. Our only critique is that Link doesn't hold them high over his head in a dramatic pose.
It's kinda strange how GameTrailers is doing the job we'd expect from a video game cable network. Anyway, right on the heels of the second installment in their Final Fantasy retrospective, GameTrailers has also released the first part in their Metroid retrospective. The five part series starts off with Metroid on the NES and Metroid II on the Game Boy, subsequent episodes will come out every week.
Of course, the series goes in game release order and not chronological order. Metroid II is actually much later on in the Samus plot line than the Metroid games of recent -- but we're sure that'll all get explained. This retrospective seems to be done just as well as the Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy ones we've come to enjoy. Hopefully in time they'll find a little section on the site to dedicate to these for lazy Sunday afternoon viewing.
Camp Hyrule, the virtual summer camp moderated by Nintendo, has been devastated by earthquakes, floods, Bowser attacks, and meteor showers. So, to celebrate its 13th year of operation, the camp has decided to shake things up a bit with the biggest disaster yet: closing its doors. That's right, no more Java-based summer camp games or Photoshop contests, plus you'll have to find a new excuse to dart around in tights and a tunic.
To ease the separation anxiety, the site will hold a contest from August 13-26 to win a life-size Link statue. Fond memories not included, but bitter resentment is free.
Released in Japan just a few days ago, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass has performed respectably on store shelves so far. And by "respectably" we mean the Japanese have devoured the game as ravenously as we would eat popcorn if forced to watch Uwe Boll's rendition of Alone in the Dark (you know, to distract us from the pain). The DS game sold 350,000 copies in just two days, making it the fastest-selling Zelda game since Ocarina of Time nearly ten years ago. Now if we can just contain our excitement for six more months, we'll get to enjoy the game in English!
FINALLY! After a year of waiting, Tingle's trusty UK fanbase will be appeased with the release of Freshly Picked - Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland on September 14.
Originally released in Japan in September 2006, Freshly Picked is a unique action RPG that has Tingle traveling to various islands, solving puzzles and battling enemies all in the pursuit of rupees. Given the title character's poor standing with western audiences, we're as surprised as anyone that this Zelda spinoff is being localized for the English market, and didn't just stay in Japan as we all hoped thought it would.
Well before Tingle-mania reaches their shores, European DS owners will also be getting a handful of first-rate portable titles. Metroid Prime Pinball was just released this past week; Brain Age 2 will be landing on June 29 (well before the North American launch date); Elite Beat Agents is out on July 13th, and Pokémon Diamond and Pearl will be taking over the lives of British children on July 27.
Respected Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has reportedly given Legend of Zelda:Phantom Hourglass a near-perfect 39 out of 40 score, according to CVG. That number is based on four reviewers -- three giving the DS adventure a perfect 10, and one dissenter only awarding 9 points.
Phantom Hourglass is the 17th game to earn a near-perfect score of 39 (A Link to the Past was the first). Two Zelda titles to have earned perfect scores are Wind Waker, which was the sixth game ever to earn a perfect score from the publication, and Ocarina of Time, which was the very first. [Source] So yeah, Famitsu really loves Legend of Zelda. They want to marryLegend of Zelda and then get divorced and cite "irreconcilable differences." It's hard to understand, we'll explain it when you're older.
Ever wanted to read a novelization of the Legend of Zelda series? No? Well, we've got one for you, anyways.
A blogger known as Grownup Gamer has begun a project where he will be writing extensively about every game in the Legend of Zelda series in chronological order. We can't emphasize the word "extensive" enough -- each entry is extremely detailed, but Blogging Zelda fortunately is well-written enough to be an interesting read.
Grownup Gamer has actually been blogging since the end of May, spending just under two weeks to complete the first and second quests in the original NES Zelda. He is currently mowing through Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. Fifteen titles in all have been planned for completion, including the yet-to-be-released Phantom Hourglass.
With less than two weeks before its Japanese release, Nintendo has opened the official website for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Treasures hidden within include several new videos that show off basic gameplay and Link's touchscreen control. To promote laziness (and so you don't have to sludge through squiggly Japanese menu screens) we've embedded the videos below. For an extra dose of Zelda fun, try playing all three at the same time!
With Zelda: Phantom Hourglass nearly released--well, for Japanese gamers, that is--GameTrailers has posted a few brief gameplay clips that show the touchscreen controls. Gamers outside of Japan will have to wait until later this year to play the DS RPG/adventure. (Make the wait even longer by watching Japanese commercials for the game.)
Start forming opinions on the controls. After the break, watch demos of movement, swordplay, and curved boomerang throws, all handled with the stylus.
A new speed run for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has just been posted on Speed Demos Archive. Daniel Hart blazed through the game in 5 hours 39 minutes, about ten times faster than we hobbled our way through on the first try. Daniel says he could shave 5-7 minutes off the final time but is happy with the current achievement. We say he's bragging, but boy has he earned it. Videos are available for download as well as embedded in Flash (Part 1 is shown above) for easy ooh-ing and aah-ing.
