LegendofZelda posts (Subscribe to this feed)

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 Bête Beauty and the Beast.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Look, it's all well and good stomping off to rescue princesses and reassemble golden triangular relics, but at least remember that it's a cold, unforgiving world out there, and you'll need something warm to wrap around yourself at some point. As the only other Zelda quilt we've posted about was never put up for sale, this one should do the trick, even if it is ... $475?! We advise chopping grass to raise the required funds.

Take a closer look at this work of art after the break.

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.

• Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total)
  
• Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total)
• Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total)
• Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total)
• Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total)
  
• Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)

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 long way.

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.

We don't have to tell you that a lot of people weren't exactly fans of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; Nintendo fans who loved it (and even those who didn't) heard the complaints over and over again. That's made a few people a little wary of the upcoming Phantom Hourglass, and we understand. Really, we do, even if we don't necessarily agree. But from every scrap we've seen from the latest handheld entry in the franchise, it's shaping up to be a real adventure -- which is the biggest complaint about the series as time goes on. We've seen it. We've done it. We've been been heroic through the ages, and though we love every moment spent in Hyrule, sometimes, we crave something a little different. From the looks of things, we're about to get just that, and more.

Our own JC Fletcher spent some time with Phantom Hourglass recently at PAX, and his report is nothing short of glowing. Everything in the game feels fresh and new, and what's more? It's just plain fun. There are all the elements we need for a Zelda game: familiar enemies and tasks, but the smooth stylus-based controls turn the forests and seas of Hyrule into a whole new world. We've been waiting for this one for a long time, but the closer we get to release, the more it seems that it's all been worth it.

We've tucked a video behind the break that offers up a short glimpse of simple navigation that shows off the stylus-based movement, so you can see for yourself. Just watch out for the trees.

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.

We're about as nerdy about NES games as one can get without becoming a ruined shell of an eBay addict, but we're pretty sure we'd get self-conscious about walking around with this Legend of Zelda overworld map belt on. But, then, we'd be more self-conscious about walking around with no pantal support at all. Alas, this belt is for ladies only, so we won't be testing our love of Zelda and secure pants against our modesty.

The belt will be available for sale on the 27th, at a special price of $15. Boy, this is really not expensive!

[Update: it's actually unisex. Also, I suppose it's silly to think of a belt being 'for ladies only.' If it looks like a belt you want to wear, wear it! Thanks to unbreakable_idea for the correction.]

[Via Wonderland]

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.

[Via DS Fanboy]

For such a popular console that tries to offer something for everyone, the Wii also manages to be somewhat controversial -- and we're not just talking about Manhunt 2 here. The motion-sensing controls have been a bone of contention when it comes to nearly every game, even those people seem to enjoy. Some gamers find them awesome, and others ... not so much. We've selected six games which cover a range of game types (and aren't all first-party, either) as a measuring stick of what you think is best when it comes to Wii controls. We encourage you to vote early (and often!), but feel free to talk about other choices in the comments, as well as the reasons behind your picks.

You might have noticed that Wii Sports isn't on this list (and neither are several other well-received games!). We considered including it, because not everyone agrees that it works quite well as a showcase of the Wii control capabilities, but decided at the last minutes to include only non-bundled games. Feel free to voice your support for Wii Sports in the comments, however!

Which of these games boasts the best motion-sensing controls?
	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
	Cooking Mama: Cook Off
	Trauma Center: Second Opinion
	Madden NFL '07
	The Godfather: Blackhand Edition
	Resident Evil 4 (Wii)

[Via Wonderland]

It's true, we didn't hear much about The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at Nintendo's E3 keynote. But Nintendo discreetly dropped some images into a press release and stuffed them into our briefcase, giving us the notion that if they happened to be shown to you guys, it wouldn't be terrible.

A few new screenshots have been added to the gallery, as well as some character art. One of the pieces is the same artwork used in the supposed US boxart, which, to us, confirms the validity of that boxart. Man, the Wind Waker art style still out-styles pretty much everything else out there, especially in mainstream AAA games. Sorry, every other game.

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!