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Tag: The Legend of Zelda

  • Sonic Dons Link’s Green Hat And Tunic In Lost World DLC

    Last year, Nintendo announced that Sonic Lost World would be getting two free Nintendo-themed DLC packs. The first was based on Yoshi’s Island and the second was teased to be based on The Legend of Zelda. Now it’s official – The Legend of Zelda Zone is the next piece of DLC headed to Sonic Lost World.

    IGN reports today that The Legend of Zelda Zone in Sonic Lost World will be a bit different from the Yoshi’s Island DLC. For starters, it won’t be as linear as the previous DLC. Sonic will be able to explore an open Hyrule Field and even dive into a dungeon full of enemies, heart containers and other secrets. Sonic even looks different as he’ll be wearing Link’s trademark green hat and tunic throughout the level.

    Of course, Sonic won’t be the only in the level wearing the green hat and tunic. Link from Skyward Sword will appear every now and then on his red Loftwing. This does present some weird discrepancies, however, as the Hyrule Castle is from Twilight Princess and the enemy models are pulled from Ocarina of Time. It’s probably best not to think about such things though and just enjoy the fanservice.

    If you want to learn more about the new crossover, here’s a 5 minute developer commentary with footage from the DLC:

    The Legend of Zelda Zone comes to Sonic Lost World tomorrow, March 27, and it’s completely free.

    Image via IGN

  • Watch This Guy Beat Majora’s Mask In Under 2 Hours

    The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a deceptively lengthy title. The game may only have four dungeons, but its wide variety of side quests ensures that you’ll spend 20 to 30 hours finding everything in the game. What if you ignored those side quests though? Could you beat the game’s four dungeons in a quarter of the time? How about less than 2 hours?

    Kotaku reports that Swedish speedrunner EnNopp112 has been beating his own Majora’s Mask speedrun world records since the start of the year. His latest attempt saw him beat his own record again with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and 51 seconds. It should be noted that no cheats are allowed in this speedrun, but in-game exploits and glitches are. Speedrunners frequently exploit these glitches to skip large portions of the game and it’s entirely legitimate. It’s also incredibly impressive.

    If that’s not impressive enough for you, EnNopp112 also holds the world record for a 100 percent speedrun of Majora’s Mask. Typically, a complete playthrough of the game would take anywhere from 20 to 30 hours. EnNopp 112 managed to complete the entire game in a little under 5 hours and 30 minutes.

    Here’s his record breaking any completion speedrun:

    And here’s his 100 percent speedrun:

    Last year, famed Zelda speedrunner Cosmo Wright beat The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in less than 20 minutes. He still holds that record. As for Majora’s Mask, his only attempt resulted in a completion time of 3 hours and 11 minutes. This puts him at rank 97 on the Majora’s Mask speedrun leaderboards and it’s unknown if he’ll try to climb those ranks.

    Image via CountBleck2009/YouTube

  • The Best Zelda Game Gets Ported To The Oculus Rift

    Last month, a coder made dreams come true when he ported the original Legend of Zelda to the Oculus Rift. It was pretty amazing, but it was also a reminder that it was only a matter of time before the best Zelda game was brought to the Rift.

    YouTuber Chadtronic recently used the Dolphin emulator and some other software to bring The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker to Oculus Rift. The entire game is now playable from the first person perspective and it’s kind of amazing.

    Of course, there are some drawbacks when forcing a third-person game into first-person. The design was not built around a first person perspective so some items don’t work as intended. It does, however, inspire hope that there may yet be a future for first-person action adventure games on the Oculus Rift.

    If you want to see how the Oculus Rift works with a game built with first-person movement in mind, check out this other video of Metroid Prime:

    Image via Chadtronic/YouTube

  • The Original Legend Of Zelda Goes First Person In Virtual Reality Remake

    The Oculus Rift has proven to be really cool if not the future of gaming. We’ve seen a lot of cool experiments coming from Rift developers, but there’s not been a lot of effort put into converting existing games for the Rift. That all changes now.

    A developer by the name of Ubiquitron has created a game called ZeldaVR. As its name suggests, it converts the entirety of the NES Legend of Zelda into a first-person virtual reality title. The land of Hyrule as you remember it from the 8-bit classic is all here, but in first person. It also seems a bit harder thanks to an increase in the number of enemies on the screen.

    Despite that, ZeldaVR is a really cool idea. It might not be the perfect fit for virtual reality headsets, but it’s certainly promising to see existing games being converted to virtual reality.

    If you want to take ZeldaVR for a test drive, you can download the beta here.

    [h/t: Eurogamer]
    Image via Vaecon/YouTube

  • Nintendo Reveals New Zelda Game In Nintendo Direct

    This morning, Nintendo took to the stage known as the Internet to reveal some new information on upcoming Wii U and 3DS games in a new Nintendo Direct. While most of the information was about games we already knew about, Nintendo took some time to reveal some brand new games as well.

    Starting off, Nintendo revealed that it’s working with Tecmo Koei on a new collaborative Zelda game. No, it’s not the new mainline Zelda game for Wii U. Instead, the two are working on a spin off called Hyrule Warriors that will combine the gameplay of Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors franchise with the characters and worlds from The Legend of Zelda. It’s scheduled to launch at some point in 2014.

    Here’s the first teaser trailer for the title:

    From there, Nintendo largely stuck to already announced titles for the 3DS with new details on Kirby Triple Deluxe. The game will be similar to past Kirby games, but will take advantage of the 3DS by allowing Kirby to switch between planes. There will also be two new mini-games, including a four-player fighter featuring only Kirbys and a rhythm game starring King Dedede. It will be released at some point in 2014.

    Next, Nintendo said that Yoshi’s New Island – the third game in the Yoshi’s Island franchise – will be directed by the creator of the original Yoshi’s Island on the SNES. It will be available in Spring 2014. Here’s a trailer:

    In a surprise announcement, Nintendo said that Gamecube fan favorite Chibi Robo will be back on the 3DS as an eShop title. Chibi Robo Photo Finder will task players to complete AR challenges by taking photos of real world objects. It will be available via the 3DS eShop on January 9. Here’s a trailer:

    Nintendo shared more details regarding its upcoming Pokemon Bank subscription service. Everybody who signs up for the app from launch through January 31 will get a free 30 day trial. Additionally, those who sign up before Sept. 30, 2014 will receive a free Celebi.

    Speaking of RPGs, Nintendo announced that Bravely Default will be getting a free demo on the eShop on January 2. This won’t be any old demo, however, as it features an entirely brand new story not found in the main game. It can be thought of as a prologue of sorts that will help players get familiarized with the game’s numerous systems.

    As announced at the VGX awards show, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be released on February 21 and will feature Cranky Kong as a playable character. Here’s a new trailer:

    In other platformer news, Sonic Lost World will be getting two exclusive pieces of DLC for the Wii U version based on Nintendo franchises. The first, which is available today, is based on Yoshi’s Island. It has Sonic traveling through a number of levels trying to save all the Yoshi eggs. It was hinted that next year’s DLC level will be based on The Legend of Zelda.

    Moving from platformers to sports, Nintendo announced that Wii Sports Club is getting golf today after launching with tennis and bowling last month. This new version of golf will feature the original nine hole course from Wii Sports as well as a new nine hole course based on Golf for the NES. It’s available starting today.

    In other games that are available today, Nintendo announced a new game for Wii U called NES Remix. As its name implies, it takes classic NES games and gives them a twist. One such twist is having Link from The Legend of Zelda taking the place of Jump Man in Donkey Kong.

    Another Wii U title soon hitting the eShop is Dr. Luigi – a twist on the classic Dr. Mario gameplay we all know and love. In Dr. Luigi, players are still clearing viruses, but they now have L-shaped pills. Nintendo claims this makes the game more forgiving. It will be available exclusively on the Wii U eShop on December 31.

    Of course, it wouldn’t be a Nintendo Direct without a new trailer for Super Smash Bros. In the latest trailer, it’s revealed that Rosalina is the latest playable character in the game. It would be more correct to say Rosalina and Luma are both joining as she can summon her star friend to fight alongside her.

    Finally, Nintendo showed off a new trailer for Mario Kart 8. It’s certainly the prettiest Mario Kart title yet, but it’s still Mario Kart. I’ll leave that up to you to decide if that’s a good or bad thing. In the meantime, here’s a new trailer:

    Here’s the full Nintendo Direct for your viewing pleasure:

    Image via Nintendo/YouTube

  • Nintendo Thinks This Infographic Will Convince You To Buy A Wii U

    Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen the launch of two next-gen consoles and both are doing incredibly well already. We tend to forget, however, that Nintendo ushered in the next generation of game consoles, but not necessarily hardware, last year with the Wii U. It’s not doing so well though, but Nintendo thinks it has what it takes to be a big seller this holiday season.

    Just in time for the holidays, Nintendo has released a Christmas-themed infographic detailing all the reasons why you should buy a Wii U over the PS4 or Xbox One this holiday season. It makes some compelling arguments, but like always, you need to look at your own specific needs and what the Wii U offers before making a final decision.

    First and foremost, Nintendo thinks it has the competition beat on games and price. For $299.99, you can get a Wii U Deluxe and copies of New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U. Both games are good 2D platformers, but their value is measured by how much your family likes old-school, often challenging platformers. For the families with children that have other interests, you can pick up either the Skylanders Swap Force Wii U bundle or the Wind Waker HD bundle.

    For games not bundled in with the hardware, Nintendo definitely has the competition beat. Just last week, Nintendo released Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U and gave pretty much everybody a reason to own the console. It’s easily the best Mario game since Super Mario Galaxy 2, and it should appeal to mostly everybody.

    Aside from Mario, Nintendo notes that it has a number of other big titles that should appeal to families and gamers alike, like Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U. While not mentioned, LEGO City Undercover is another good game that families and fans of LEGO games will enjoy.

    When non-gaming features are considered, the Wii U becomes a much harder sell. It can essentially take over your TV with Nintendo TVii, but Microsoft’s Xbox One does the same thing much better. The Wii U also has a few streaming apps, like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video, but the PS4 and Xbox One have far more.

    In short, the Wii U is a game machine, much like the Wii before it. If you want great Nintendo games that you can play with friends and family, the Wii U might just be the machine for you. If you want better multimedia features and the promise of true next-gen titles in the future, the PS4 and Xbox One might be more up your alley.

    Nintendo Thinks This Infographic Will Convince You To Buy A Wii U

    [Image: Nintendo/Business Wire]

  • Nintendo Held Its Own Big Launch Event Right Across The Street From The Xbox One Launch

    While the big news on Friday was the launch of the Xbox One in New York City’s Times Square, the Nintendo World Store across the street was having its own launch event. While the Wii U has already been out on the market for a year, the console finally got a game worth owning the system for on Friday.

    On November 22, Nintendo released two high-profile games for its Wii U and 3DS consoles. The first – Super Mario 3D World – is the kind of game that you should buy a Wii U for. Nintendo knows this and is pursuing a huge marketing campaign to get the console and game into the homes of consumers this holiday season.

    The second – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – is the sequel to the SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty big deal for Zelda fans around the world.

    Now, if these were any other games, they would be released and that would be that. This is Nintendo we’re talking about though and the company decided to hold a launch event at its Nintendo World Store that rivals what Microsoft did at the Best Buy Theater for the Xbox One launch.

    Check it out:

    While it may not be as exciting as the Xbox One launch, the fact that some fans waited over 15 hours to get their hands on a new Nintendo title shows some hardcore dedication. Now if only Nintendo could channel some of that dedication into hardware sales.

    [Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

  • ‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds’ Gameplay, Music Previewed

    Nintendo just this week announced that it managed to sell fewer than 500,000 Wii U consoles in the past six months. Those sales (and, in fact almost the total number of Wii U sales to date) were easily eclipsed by the 3.89 million 3DS consoles sold during that same time period. So with Microsoft and Sony preparing to challenge Nintendo further in the living room this fall, the company appears that it will be a handheld gaming company in the near-future.

    Backing up this notion is the stellar software lineup the 3DS has seen this year – especially from Nintendo itself. Fire Emblem Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and Pokemon X & Y were all major hits for the platform. Nintendo isn’t finished, though.

    On November 22, the same day Microsoft’s Xbox One launches, Nintendo will be releasing The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The game is being billed as a spiritual successor to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo. It will feature a mechanic in which Link will be able to transform himself into a 2-D depiction to move along walls.

    Nintendo today released two new trailers for A Link Between Worlds. The first is nearly two minutes of gameplay that shows off classic top-down Zelda mechanics, and sound effects. The second previews some of the music that will be included in the game – always an important part of a Zelda title.

  • Nintendo Announces A Zelda-Themed 3DS XL For North America

    Last month, Nintendo released a Zelda-themed Wii U to correlate with the launch of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Now the company is doing it again with its handheld line to celebrate the launch of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

    Nintendo announced this morning that the gold-and-black special edition 3DS XL will be coming to North America. The system has gold top and black bottom to reflect the parallel worlds of Hyrule and Lorule that appear in the game. Both sides have a Triforce emblazoned across the side to reflect this as well.

    Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma made a short video announcing the new bundle and explained the history behind the Zelda series infatuation with gold:

    “This beautifully designed Nintendo 3DS XL system continues a tradition that has delighted our fans for decades,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “It’s a special bundle for a very special video game.”

    Both the special edition 3DS XL and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will be available on November 22. The 3DS XL bundle will retail for $219.99 and come with a download code for A Link Between Worlds.

    [Image: Nintendo/Business Wire]

  • Lorule Is Hyrule’s Shadow Realm In The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

    Lorule Is Hyrule’s Shadow Realm In The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

    One of the core gameplay components from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was the existence of the dark world. It was a twisted form of Hyrule that reflected the evil heart of Ganon and his desires, and really stood out as a defining feature for the early SNES title. Now the Hyrule from A Link to the Past is back on the 3DS, but the Dark World got a new, decidedly cheesier, name.

    As was previously revealed, Link can turn into a chalk drawing and become a 2D figure on the walls of his surroundings. At certain areas, he can even travel through the walls and come out in an alternate form of Hyrule called Lorule. (Get it?). This alternate world even has a princess named Hilda that looks like exactly like Zelda, except that she has black hair.

    As for the rest of the trailer, Nintendo lays the nostalgia on thick. The three magic pendants, now bearing the symbols of the three goddesses, make a comeback as Link removes the Master Sword from its resting place in the Lost Woods. It even uses the same classic opening jingle from the SNES classic accompanied by a new orchestral opening song.

    What’s new is that there appears to be a new villain this time around that bears no resemblance to Ganon or Ganondorf. At the time of A Link to the Past, Ganondorf had lost what remained of his humanity and fully transformed into the pig creature we all know as Ganon. He was able to invade Hyrule by possessing the wizard Agahnim so perhaps the new villain in A Link Between Worlds is in a similar situation.

    [Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

  • Here’s Everything That Comes With That Wind Waker Wii U Bundle

    If you’ve been biding your time to pick up a Wii U, Nintendo just made its latest console a little more appealing on Friday with the launch of a new bundle that includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Not content to just include the game, the bundle also includes a number of other extras.

    To perhaps convince you that these extras are worth it, Nintendo has put together an unboxing video that shows you everything that comes with its latest Wii U bundle. Unlike the Nintendo Land Wii U bundle, this bundle does not come with a physical copy of its pack-in game. Instead, it comes with a download voucher for both the game and a digital version of Hyrule Historia.

    So, what makes this bundle worth getting over the Nintendo Land bundle? A digital copy of The Wind Waker HD might not be that appealing to everybody. Well, this bundle comes with a special Wii U gamepad that’s decorated in golden Hylian script from The Wind Waker HD. Hardcore collectors and Zelda fans will obviously want it, but your more casual Nintendo fan might want to instead opt for the Nintendo Land bundle. Both retail for $299.

    If you already own a Wii U, you have a few options in regards to obtaining The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. The digital download is available now on the eShop with a physical retail edition hitting stores on October 4.

    [Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

  • The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Gets A Delightful Launch Trailer

    Tokyo Game Show may have already started, but Nintendo doesn’t care. They don’t even attend. Instead, the company is out advertising its latest Wii U game – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD.

    Nintendo today released the launch trailer for The Wind Waker HD. It’s super charming and touches upon many of the major plot points in the game. Of course, that might be a bad thing for those that have never played it before.

    So, why release the trailer today when the game doesn’t come out until October 4? Well, Nintendo has decided to release the digital version early. You can download it starting at midnight tonight from the Nintendo eShop. The game will also be available in a new Wii U bundle that goes on sale starting tomorrow.

    If you prefer retail copies, The Wind Waker HD will hit stores on October 4.

    [Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

  • The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Is More Than Just A Pretty Face

    When it was originally released in 2003, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was lauded as one of the prettiest games on the Gamecube. Now Nintendo is bringing it back on the Wii U to remind people just how gorgeous it really is.

    In a new trailer, Nintendo UK shows off some direct comparisons between The Wind Waker on the Gamecube and the upcoming HD version on the Wii U. Beyond the move to widescreen, the HD version sports improved textures, lighting and anti-aliasing.

    Unlike other HD remakes, however, The Wind Waker HD isn’t content to just be prettier. Nintendo has overhauled the game to include a number of new and improved features to make the game flow better. Some of the enhancements include an improved Triforce quest and a faster sail. The Tingle Tuner has also been replaced with the Tingle Bottle – an item that allows players to share Miiverse messages with others through bottled messages.

    For many people, The Wind Waker remains the best Zelda title ever made. It was deemed already perfect in 2003, but this remake may just help convince those players that Nintendo could take perfection and make it even better.

    We’ll find out when The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD releases on October 4 exclusively on the Wii U. Those who can’t wait can pick up a digital copy on Sept. 20 either through the eShop or by picking up the new Wind Waker HD Wii U bundle.

    [Image: NintendoWiiUUK/YouTube]

  • Let This Trailer Remind You How Awesome The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker Is

    Let This Trailer Remind You How Awesome The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker Is

    The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is to many the best 3D Zelda game ever made. It may not be as dense as Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess, but it has a personality that no other Zelda game has yet to capture. Now it’s back in HD and ready for another go.

    In the latest trailer for The Wind Waker HD, Nintendo UK reminds us why the simple story of a boy looking for his sister is still one of the best Zelda stories ever told. Sure, the game eventually progresses into an epic tale where the world’s at stake, but it’s the peaceful moments – like Link going back to see his grandmother for some soup – that really matter.

    Unfortunately, the below trailer doesn’t really capitalize on these quiet moments. It instead focuses on the pirates, a battle with the Helmaroc and lots of sailing. Not that that’s a problem mind you, but it wouldn’t hurt to show some of the quieter moments alongside the epic hero bits.

    The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD launches October 4 exclusively for the Wii U. You can get a special edition at GameStop that includes a Ganon figurine, or you can get it early on September 20 through either the eShop or a special Wii U bundle.

    [Image: NintendoWiiUUK/YouTube]

  • The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Will Get A Hero Mode

    Upon completing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, players could go through the game again in Hero Mode. It was a more challenging version of the game where hearts could not be obtained from cutting grass and enemies dealt double damage. It was no Master Quest, but players wanting more of a challenge appreciated it. Now that same challenge is coming to what is arguably the easiest Zelda game ever made.

    Nintendo announced this week that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will include the Hero Mode that was present in Skyward Sword. The rules are still the same from 2011’s Zelda game – enemies do double damage and you won’t find any hearts. Take a look at some case examples in the video below:

    Alongside Hero Mode, The Wind Waker HD includes a number of other enhancements to the core game. For starters, the Triforce shard quest that everybody but me hated will be nerfed in the newest release. Originally, all eight shards had to be found in the ocean after Tingle translated eight sea charts. Now five of the Triforce shards will be on land while the other three will be in the ocean.

    There’s also a new first person mode that’s more akin to what you’re used to seeing in first person shooters. In previous Zelda games, the player could only enter first person view to aim and nothing more. Now players can move freely in first person, but can only use first person items while in this mode.

    The final major addition is a new sail that allows players to move faster over water, and even move against the wind. It kind of ruins the whole point of sailing in Wind Waker, but some people had complaints about it. At least Nintendo gives those us who loved sailing a choice to stick with the originally intended mechanic.

    The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be available exclusively for Wii U on October 4. You can grab it two weeks earlier on September 20 if you buy it from the eShop, or get it as part of the new Wii U bundle.

    [Image: Nintendo/YouTube]
    [h/t: IGN]

  • Wii U Gets A Price Cut, Game Release Dates Pushed Up

    Nintendo didn’t hold a Nintendo Direct this morning, but you’d be forgiven if you thought they did. The company announced a new handheld – the Nintendo 2DS – and now it’s detailing its holiday plans for the Wii U.

    First and foremost, the Wii U Deluxe is finally getting a price cut. The 32GB Wii U variant launched last year with a copy of Nintendo Land for $350. The same bundle will retail for $300 starting September 20.

    Nintendo also announced a Wii U/Wind Waker HD bundle that will also retail for $300 on September 20. The bundle includes a gold trimmed Wii U gamepad, a digital copy of Wind Waker HD and a digital download voucher for the excellent Hyrule Historia book.

    Speaking of Wind Waker HD, Nintendo pushed up its release a little bit for those who don’t mind buying digital copy of games. The eShop version of Wind Waker HD will release on September 20 and cost $50. The game will then release at retail for $50 on October 4. GameStop will be carrying a special edition version of the game for $55 that includes a Ganondorf figurine.

    What about Nintendo’s other Wii U titles for the holidays? The company announced that WIi U Party will launch on October 25 and come packed in with a black Wii Remote plus for $50. Super Mario 3D World has been pushed up from its original December launch date to November 22 and will retail for $60. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will launch on December 6 and retail for $50. As for Wii Fit U and Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, both titles are still listed as holiday releases.

    As for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party Island Tour will both launch on November 22 for $40.

    Wii U Gets A Price Cut, Game Release Dates Pushed Up

    The Wii U price drop and the earlier release dates show a Nintendo that’s really confident going into this holiday season. With a console that’s $100 cheaper than the PS4, Nintendo might have a shot at gaining some solid holiday sales from parents looking to get their kids a game console this Christmas. It just might lure over some older gamers as well with new entries from its popular franchises.

    [h/t: Kotaku]
    [Image: Nintendo/Facebook]

  • Watch This Guy Beat Ocarina Of Time In Less Than 20 Minutes

    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the most revered video games of all time and for good reason. It established almost all of the 3D action adventure conventions that many games still use to this day. It also has become one of the most popular titles among speed runners as of late, and those speed runners are performing some impressive feats.

    On Thursday, Cosmo Wright beat The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 19 minutes and 15 seconds. He broke the previous record of 19 minutes and 20 seconds and became the new world record holder in the process.

    Now, wait a minute. Isn’t Ocarina of Time an epic action adventure game that takes a minimum of 15 hours to beat? Under normal conditions, that would be the case. Speed runners operate a little differently, however, by exploiting in game bugs and glitches to skip entire sections of a game. What you’ll see below is Wright exploiting a recently discovered glitch that allows the players to transport directly from the first dungeon to the end of the game:

    One particular thing of note is that Wright’s playing Ocarina of Time on the iQue player. For those unaware, the iQue player is a Chinese “game console” that Nintendo released in the nation to get around the infamous console ban. There’s some controversy surrounding its use in speed runs, but Wright argues that it’s perfectly acceptable.

    [h/t: Kotaku]
    [Image: YouTube/CosmoSpeedruns]

  • Latest Nintendo Direct Just Made A Lot Of Phoenix Wright Fans Very Happy

    Nintendo announced a new Nintendo Direct yesterday, and said the intention was to discuss already announced Wii U and 3DS titles. That was mostly the case, but the company can never resist announcing new titles as well.

    Nintendo president Satoru Iwata kicked off the Direct with new information regarding third party titles hitting the Wii U later this year. First up was Sonic Lost World. He said that the game will feature connectivity between the Wii U and 3DS versions. Players will be able to build a RC helicopter in the 3DS version and then bring it into the Wii U version to help players interact with the game world. Both versions will be available on October 22.

    The other third party title to receive mention was Rayman Legends. There wasn’t a lot of new information available, but Iwata did announce that the Wii U version of the title will include Mario and Luigi outfits for Rayman and Globox. Rayman Legends is still on schedule to launch on September 3.

    During the last Nintendo Direct, Iwata mentioned that they would be launching a scaled down version of Art Academy for the Wii U. Today he announced that the game is called Art Academy Sketchpad and that it will be available on August 9. There will also be a Miiverse community for aspiring artists to share their creations.

    Iwata turned things over to Erik Peterson at Nintendo of America where he announced that Pokemon Rumble U would be coming to the Wii U eShop on August 29. The title is similar to the past Pokemon Rumble games, but now you can unlock characters in the title by buying NFC figurines similar to Skylanders or Disney Infinity. There will be 18 figurines available in all and they will be exclusively sold at GameStop.

    Peterson also announced a number of eShop titles for the 3DS. These include Summer Festival 92, Donkey Kong for the NES, Tecmo Bowl, Wario Land 3 and Super Mario Bros. 3. These will be available in the coming weeks and months.

    On a final note, Peterson announced that Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, and Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright will be both be coming to the 3DS in 2014.

    Iwata came back to make some final announcements regarding The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing. For Zelda, he divulged new details on The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. He revealed that the title will feature the world from A Link to the Past alongside an alternate world that’s not exactly like the Dark World from the SNES classic. He also revealed that the title takes place many years after A Link to the Past.

    As for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Iwata said that they will be fine tuning the Triforce shard quest to make it more palatable to gamers who complained that the quest took too long on the Gamecube.

    It was also announced during the Nintendo Direct that Luigi will be in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. It’s not exactly surprising, but it’s nice to know that Luigi will be back in the latest title.

    Finally, Iwata announced that Animal Crossing will open to players from all over the world. You should start to see players from Europe and Asia soon. He also announced that the Wii U will be getting a new app called the Animal Crossing Plaza that will feature all of your friends as well as the animals that populate your Animal Crossing town. It’s available now and will remain available until the end of 2014.

    You can check out the entire Nintendo Direct in its entirety below:

  • This Is What A Legend Of Zelda Film Might Have Looked Like

    Nintendo doesn’t exactly like the idea of letting others make movies based on their properties. I may like the Super Mario Bros. movie, but plenty of people think it’s the worst film ever made. Since then, we haven’t heard a peep from Nintendo regarding any movies based on their properties, except for that Animal Crossing anime film.

    Of course, Nintendo’s reluctance to license its properties to filmmakers doesn’t mean that said filmmakers have just given up on the idea of films based on Mario, The Legend of Zelda or Metroid. In fact, a pitch from Imagi Studios shows what a Legend of Zelda film would look like under their direction:

    “Zelda” teaser from Adam3D on Vimeo.

    According to Kotaku, the above pitch was created in 2007 in the hopes of attaining the rights from Nintendo. They were obviously unsuccessful. It is interesting, however, to see what could have been. The animators at Imagi Studios stayed pretty faithful to the designs of both Link and Zelda, but Ganondorf received a major redesign.

    Unfortunately, the pitch doesn’t tell us much else about Imagi’s idea for a Legend of Zelda film. Would they keep Link silent, or would they try try to add a voice to the stoic Hylian hero? We’ll never know, and part of me feels like that’s a good thing.

  • E3 2013: New Legend Of Zelda Headlines Content Coming To 3DS

    Today’s Nintendo Direct was mostly about upcoming Wii U games. It makes sense. Nintendo needs to reinvigorate its fanbase and make them excited for its home console. On the other hand, the 3DS is doing pretty well for itself. It will continue to do well for itself if the games being shown at E3 are any indication.

    Arguably the most exciting 3DS game this year is the new Legend of Zelda game. At E3, Nintendo gave it a proper title – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The game is a sequel to the SNES classic – A Link To The Past – so the title makes sense. Here’s our first real look at the title in action:

    Next up is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. We’ve already seen quite a bit of the new RPG from Intelligent Systems, but each new trailer just makes the game look better and better.

    Nintendo also announced a few months ago that it was bringing a new Yoshi’s Island title to its handheld. It now has a new, and rather uncreative title, for E3. Yoshi’s New Island is just as its name suggests – a new Yoshi’s Island.

    The only major non-first party title for 3DS this year is Shin Megami Tensei IV. It’s the first mainline entry in the series in over a decade so there’s a lot of hype surrounding the title. It will be out in July so the E3 trailer is probably the last proper trailer we’ll see until launch:

  • Nintendo Plans To Revive The Wii U By October With New Mario Game [Rumor]

    The Wii U is in a spot of trouble. What is Nintendo going to do about it? Well, not much at the moment. The company has delayed many of its biggest titles into the latter half of the year, and that was entirely intentional according to a new rumor.

    CVG reports that retailers in the UK are saying that Nintendo held back many of its biggest titles into the latter half of the year for a revival of sorts. In other words, Nintendo plans to release a number of high-profile games later this year to renew interest in the console. One of those games is reported to be the new 3D Mario game that Satoru Iwata promised back in January, with retailers saying it will be out by October.

    Aside from a new Mario game, the report says that Nintendo intentionally held back Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101 and Wii Fit U to help populate the latter half of this year with more Wii U game releases. There are some that refute that claim, and Iwata himself said the games were delayed after developers were taken off of games like Pikmin 3 to help finish launch games like Nintendo Land.

    Of course, the Wii U already has a number of titles that range from pretty good to fantastic. What’s stopping Nintendo from marketing the console based on those titles alone? The report says that Nintendo executives wanted to wait until all of the problems with the hardware and software, including long loading times, were sorted out. The Spring update helped to reduce said loading times, and a planned Summer update will decrease those loading times even more. Nintendo is expected to start marketing the Wii U in earnest after the Summer update.

    A statement from Nintendo UK said just as much:

    “From July onwards we will launch a succession of Wii U titles and we will promote these extensively until the end of the year. Marketing activity will include TV, print, online and PR as well as comprehensive experiential and social media campaigns”.

    The Nintendo faithful had better hope the company start marketing the Wii U sooner rather than later. The next PlayStation and Xbox are expected to launch in November of this year. Nintendo’s console will soon look outdated compared to the competition so it needs to prove that the Wii U, much like the Wii, is capable of providing those unique experiences that you just can’t find anywhere else. Super Mario Galaxy succeeded in that mission on the Wii in 2007, and a new 3D Mario game on the Wii U could do just the same this year.