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 marry Legend 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.

See Also:
The Shields of Zelda

[Via 4cr; image source]

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.

After approximately 325 different and generally inappropriate permutations, we finally concluded that the above and dreadfully straightforward headline would be best suited to conveying the arrival of today's four new old Virtual Console games. "Zelda Moons Midori on Funkotron" was certainly a viable option, but it simply inspired the wrong sort of mental image. We actually want you to envision these four games arriving on the Wii's Virtual Console service at 9AM PST today:

• Milon's Secret Castle (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Though it's not much of a secret castle if the title gives it away, it certainly is one that adheres to video game tradition. Expect to rescue a princess and several valuable items -- musical instruments in this case -- within its recesses.
  
• ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Video game tradition is given the boot here, with amusingly mismatched aliens, Toejam & Earl, saving their planet by ridding it of a human scourge.
  
• Dead Moon (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Alright, now we're back to protecting the Earth from alien invasion. It's why we have side-scrolling shooters like this one.
  
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Everyone's favorite pointy-eared protagonist returns to Hyrule in the Virtual Console's 100th release. Aid Link in his battle against the forces of evil, Zelda's newfound narcoleptic tendencies and an endless wave of best Zelda ever / worst Zelda ever controversy.

That is, until Reggie Fils-Aime administered an unforgiving slap to the face and instilled hope once more. Speaking at the recent Nintendo Summit in Seattle, the Nintendo of America president confirmed that the musically rich Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy would both be out before your Official Iwata Swimsuit 2007 calendar becomes worthless. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS was given similar assurances and will likely join the anticipated Wii duo in this holiday season's battle for shoppers. You'd best start stocking up on that financial ammunition.

Take a look at the Japanese box art for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (via DS Fanboy). The art style and content is very reminiscent of The Wind Waker, which makes us curious: given the passage of time since the GameCube release and the fulfillment of a more "adult" Link with Twilight Princess, how you do you feel about the young Link look? Think about it, and check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Joystiq hands-on: PlayStation Home
Joystiq interviews BioShock LE cover artist Adam Meyer
Readers pick best webcomic: Wii and my shadow
Today's goal-reaching videos: Mario Strikers Charged

News
Smash Bros. site now up, music detailed
Skid Row, Poison, Extreme in 80s Guitar Hero
New Metroid Prime 3 screenshots
Step right up for Carnival Games: more minigames for the Wii
Riddick remake confirmed for PS3, Xbox 360
Sony's High Velocity Bowling started 'literally right before' Nintendo announced Wii Sports' Bowling
No DirectX 10 update for Supreme Commander
Konami expects Metal Gear Solid 4 by March '08
Tom Clancy's EndWar to be fully voice-controlled
Haze will have four-player co-op campaign
Halo 3 beta adds Banshee on Valhalla
WoW patch 2.1 helps feed the habit

Rumors & Speculation
Unlikely Kane & Lynch director under consideration
New Wii download service (not VC) coming, hints Impossible Mission dev

Culture & Community
The Arsecast reborn in bite-sized bits
Dave Karraker's attempts to restore Sony's PR
Ubisoft CEO Guillemot dismisses E3 as 'only for the US'
Famitsu gives Resident Evil 4 Wii a 9.5 out of 10
Engadget's how-to make an Xbox 360 laptop (part 3)
Shrinky Dinks + 8 bit gaming = BitKits
PC World products of the year: Wii, 360 Elite ... um, no PS3
Leipzig benefits for E3 death, gets 40% larger
Getting deep on Dead Rising
Blizzard grants dying child's wish

It seems you're not just Time Magazine's overall person of the year, you're also the most influential. At least when it comes to influencing a poll on the 100 most influential people of the year. After being nominated for Time's own top 100, it comes as little surprise to see Nintendo's legendary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, place highly in the list constructed by internet users. With an average rating of 75 (out of 100) and 129,573 votes, the Mario maestro places 9th and effortlessly defeats the likes of Oprah Winfrey (43rd), George W. Bush (97th), George Clooney (26th) and Nelson Mandela (24th). Sure, the anti-apartheid, pro-democracy Nobel Peace prize winner wasn't involved in the creation of a new video game system this year, but we'd be remiss not to point out the amusing and somewhat bizarre priorities of voters.

And what of the list above Miyamoto? There you'll find Kiefer Sutherland (8th), J.K. Rowling (6th), Dane Cook and, nestled snugly in first position, Rain (who?). Time Magazine's own list wisely does away with rankings and lumps the designer on page 92, but not before suffering a critical lapse in sanity and asking Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel to extend his fingers beyond the WASD keys. Noting that Miyamoto "opened the world" to a host of "people who never even wanted to visit it before" is about all Wendel's article can manage before losing the plot and discussing his 12 championship wins, ultra-performance PCs and how he'll spend the rest of his life "championing video gaming as an equal to pro football or basketball."

Good thing he didn't write the Mandela bit, then.

Being a generally mild mannered and lackadaisical bunch, we become worried when an impressive DS Lite mod appears on eBay and suddenly implants within us desires that are nothing short of sinister. Crafted by the same hands and mechanical forceps (probably) that produced an equally attractive Legend of Zelda Wii makeover just over a month ago, this particular variant of Nintendo's portable powerhouse demands a dramatic increase in our current rupee supply.

We don't care how many blades of grass we have to mercilessly chop down or how many pots must be senselessly shattered to further our goal. This little device, with its customized charging stand and LED that is "calibrated to not be overbearing or too dim" must be ours.

Or yours, if you outbid us. True, a portion of your money would go to Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity, but we'd forever hold a grudge. The kind of grudge that will see all your precious (and amusingly buoyant) pigs tossed into the nearest ocean.


[Via DS Fanboy]

Joystiquery
Metareview - SSX Blur
NYCC: Godzilla Wii eyes-on
NYCC: Pirates of the Burning Sea interview
Poll: How much are you playing Wii?

News
Sony hopes to resolve PS3 "shortages" by May
New Year's gaming gorge ends in death
PS3 firmware v1.54 adds UVC camera support
Sony unveils launch lineup for Euro PlayStation Network
Study finds correlation between violent scripture and aggression, similar to games
Namco Bandai announce Outpost Kaloki successor for Wii
Stuntman Ignition on PS3 & Xbox 360 in summer 2007
Rhode Island's gaming convention and the college gaming scene
Beatmania IIDX Gold to go on test in an American arcade
Wiicade opens up remote buttons for Flash games
PS2 held ransom for gas money
Warner Music acquires Microsoft game music rights
EA's pure 'Skate' campaign
Multiwinia: Darwinia goes multiplayer in 2008

Rumors & Speculation
PS3 background downloading already broken?
GDC director: PS3 owners will be "very happy" next week
Analyst: Developer profits to suffer until 2008
Is the 20GB PS3 already on its way out?

Culture & Community
Play The Impossible Quiz, lose your mind
Know your roots: The history of consoles (1972-2006)
News flash: Baseball players play baseball games
Six ways to revitalize your old Xbox

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is surely a game that needs no introduction.

So, in closing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be available on the Wii's Virtual Console service this Monday as of 9AM Pacific Time. The chance to ride Epona, exact vengeance upon the Skull Kid, travel through time and hurl verbal atrocities at the Water Temple designers can be yours once again for the sum of 1,000 Wii points ($10, or more rupees than your current purse can hold).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Shigeru Miyamoto has spent a lifetime developing hit games for Nintendo -- Mario, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, etc. Speaking to CNN's Talk Asia, the industry legend disclosed that he hopes to continue working on games for everyone to enjoy that tackle themes atypical for gaming.

"There is an abundance of themes that people are interested in," he said, "and video games have only touched on few of them." No examples are cited, but would he consider working with serious, mature themes such as heartache, loss, redemption, suffering, et cetera? Miyamoto, alluding to Nintendo's new mantra, also explained that his future projects will be simple enough for all ages to enjoy, which is something he has always seemed to be adept at, though our previously-mentioned themes will probably not feature into universally-appealing projects.

The interview touched briefly on violence in video games, a theme Miyamoto does not wish to tackle. "Looking at the overall picture, it is important to understand and feel the pain that people might have ... we also have to take a careful approach, even in the circumstances when we are not portraying direct violence." Though the game legend might have aversion to violence, his words imply that there are cases when non-excessive presentation of aggression is understandable. Then again, if his goal is to appeal to people aged five to 95, then violence is probably something he's better off avoiding.

The Talk Asia interview also serves as a primer for those interested in Miyamoto's background; much of the history discussion reads like a Wikipedia entry.

[Pictured: Link nonviolently driving a sword into Ganon's head. Don't worry, he doesn't die.]

Joystiquery
Joystiq interview: Soenke C. "Warby" Seidel
Playing Dirty: Good enough to eat
Ring of Death: A Xbox 360 story -- Part 1
Today's hottest game video: Wii Boxing beat-down

News
Games for Windows editors not sold on Vista yet
Tokyo Game Show 2007 extended to a four-day run
Sony explains UK's PS3 price, lack of 20GB model
European gamers to be caught in Gundam Crossfire
Capcom demos playable Flash version of Phoenix Wright 4
Rock the vote with legislative measures in 2007
Konami battles to draw with childhood obesity
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage crashing into Xbox 360
Lost Planet multiplayer patch March 9
Vista casual game problems are 'grossly overstated'
PSP hardware shipments plummet, software up slightly
Blast Factor multiplayer, Jet Moto (PS1) added to PS3 Store
Square Enix blames Wii friend codes for lack of FFXI
Bigger 360 Mem Unit resurfaces, forced back down
Darwinia upgrades for Vista
Online retailer quits selling games, blames industry
EA to publish Mercenaries 2, still PS3-only
Sweden to open virtual embassy in Second Life
Aquazone publisher fishing for MS Points, 5000 MS Points!
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles unveiled for PSP
Konami announces Dewy's Adventure for Wii
EA pledges to be Nintendo's #2, Spore DS confirmed

Culture
CUBE video takes games to "a whole new dimension"
Animal Crossing banned from Japanese school

Green chus? Bottomless pits of water? Warp birds named after hexadecimal color codes? Maaaybe...

IGN forum poster yoshi117's list of Twilight Princess "Easter eggs" isn't entirely useless; in fact, it highlights many of the inconspicuous details that were sprinkled into Nintendo's heralded masterpiece. The importance of these minute elements is often overlooked in game development, but Nintendo EAD proves once again how a little touch of wonder, or harmless act of mischief, can provide a lasting memory.

[Thanks, KozWiz; via Wii Fanboy]

As noted earlier, a list published by UK newspaper The Independent reveals what many already assume; Nintendo's Mario is the best-selling franchise of all time. Coupled with the second best-selling franchise Pokémon (also a Nintendo property), the two series, which have sold a combined 348 million games worldwide, account for nearly 34% of the total sales of the top-twenty best-selling franchises; which include two additional Nintendo IPs ranked in the top ten, Donkey Kong and Zelda. So what's Nintendo's secret?

Cross-culture appeal, spin-offs (e.g., racers, sports titles, puzzlers), brand saturation (e.g., apparel, card games, TV shows), and E-ratings all appear part of a profitable formula built for the long haul.