* (restored)
‘When he was looking to create a new game for the Famicom Disk System — an add-on for the NES that never launched outside of Japan — designer Shigeru Miyamoto built a prototype in which two players could make their own dungeons, and then explore their friend’s creation. The exploration proved to be the most fun part, so Miyamoto and his team scrapped the creation tools and went ahead building a world of mountains and forests and lakes that players could traverse. They called it Hyrule. The game would eventually become The Legend of Zelda, a defining game for Miyamoto, Nintendo, and gaming in general.
‘“We named the protagonist Link because he connects people together,” Miyamoto explains in the book Hyrule Historia. Since the original Legend of Zelda first launched 30 years ago today, Link has starred in many adventures, each one like a retelling of an ancient fable. The core ingredients are almost always the same — you have a hero named Link, a princess named Zelda, and a villain named Ganon. But other aspects are changed, resulting in a new twist on a familiar formula. Over the past three decades Link has explored oceans and dungeons, partnered with pirates and fairies, and battled countless octoroks and skulltulas.
‘The game that started it all, the original Legend of Zelda on the NES introduced all of the key elements that are still in the series to date. Characters like Link, Zelda, and Ganon all appear (though Ganon doesn’t have a name just yet), as do the iconic Triforce and the land of Hyrule. Even the structure is largely the same: it may be a 2D game played from an overhead perspective, but it lays the foundation for the entire series.
‘The sequel moves in a different direction. You still play as Link attempting to save Princess Zelda, but you do you so from a side-scrolling perspective. Whereas as Zelda games tend to focus on exploration, The Adventure of Link has a heavy emphasis on combat, and introduces RPG-like mechanics, letting Link earn experience to upgrade his abilities. He can even cast spells. It’s a formula that no other game in the series emulated, making The Adventure of Link the black sheep of the Zelda family.
‘For the series’ debut on the SNES, Nintendo went back to the original formula. Much like its contemporaries Super Metroid and Super Mario World, A Link to the Past takes the familiar structure of a popular NES game and expands on it for new hardware. It also introduces a new concept that became a series trademark: parallel worlds. The game has Link traversing two different realms — one light, one dark — swapping back and forth in an attempt to defeat Ganon.
‘The first portable game in the series is also the first to not take place in Hyrule. Link’s Awakening introduces a new island, called Koholint, that Link needs to escape. It plays a lot like the other top-down games in the series, but it’s missing two key ingredients: neither Zelda nor the Triforce make an appearance.
‘The Zelda games Nintendo would prefer you’d forget, The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon were released simultaneously as the first games in the series for non-Nintendo hardware, launching on the CD-ROM powered Philips CD-i. That extra power is used to add animated cut-scenes, complete with voice acting for the typically silent Link. Unfortunately, the games themselves are awful — though licensed by Nintendo, they’re developed by animation company Animation Magic — and serve as probably the biggest stumble for the series.
‘Zelda’s 3D debut was an important moment for gaming. The early days of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 were filled with awkward 3D experiences, as game designers were still coming to grips with the notion of navigating three-dimensional spaces. Ocarina of Time, on the other hand, is confident and ambitious. Its vast, open rendition of Hyrule is a joy to explore, and it introduces concepts that helped shape the way 3D games were made moving forward.
‘Much like The Adventure of Link, Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel that differed from its predecessor quite a bit. Though it looks like Ocarina of Time, the sequel swaps the wide open fields of Hyrule for the parallel land of Termina, where Link must re-live the same three days over and over, Groundhog Day-style. Its smaller scope made it a disappointment to many looking for more of the same, but the game has since gone on to become a cult classic.
‘Zelda games are often about interconnected worlds, and these Game Boy Color games took that idea to its logical conclusion. Though separate, and taking place in two different locations, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages tell one interconnected story that you can only fully understand by playing both. When Nintendo ported A Link to the Past to the Game Boy Advance, it added a special bonus: Four Swords, a co-operative, multiplayer twist on the Zelda formula that was later expanded into the Gamecube game Four Swords Adventures in 2004.
‘If nothing else, The Wind Waker will be remembered for its distinctive look. The Gamecube debut for the series looks and feels like a playable cartoon, with cel-shaded visuals that turn its watery rendition of Hyrule into a beautiful fantasy world. Many Zelda games are focused on scale, giving you a huge world to explore. But The Minish Cap goes in a different, much smaller direction. The GBA game partners Link with the titular cap, which turns the hero into a miniature version of himself, letting him explore a new, tiny world hidden in Hyrule.
‘After the bright and colorful Wind Waker, Nintendo went in a much darker direction for Link’s next big adventure. Twilight Princess features a hero who could turn into a wolf, and a dark parallel world called the Twilight Realm. It’s the first game in the series to launch on the Wii and utilize motions controls, though a more traditional, controller-based version was available on the Gamecube as well. The cel-shaded look wasn’t gone for long, though. Nintendo followed The Wind Waker with a direct sequel on the DS. Phantom Hourglass keeps the same colorful look and aquatic theme, but introduces a new control scheme that lets you draw a path for your boat on a map using the handheld’s touchscreen. Two years later it was followed by another similar DS game, Spirit Tracks, which swapped the boat for a train.
‘Nintendo continued its quest to make motion controls an important part of Zelda with Skyward Sword. Not only is it the first game in the series built from the very beginning for the Wii and its unique controller, it also requires a special add-on, the Wii MotionPlus, that offers greater precision for virtual sword fighting. More than two decades after A Link to the Past, Nintendo followed it up with an inventive spiritual successor on the 3DS. A Link Between Worlds takes place in the same world as its predecessor — though a few generations later — but adds a new twist, letting Link turn into a two-dimensional painting so that he can slide along walls to sneak past enemies and solve puzzles.
‘Following in the footsteps of the Four Swords games, Tri Force Heroes is a collaborative game where three players need to work together to solve puzzle-filled dungeons. It’s also arguably the goofiest — and stylish — Zelda game yet, letting you deck out Link in everything from a Goron suit to a princess dress. The next big Zelda game is largely a mystery. We know that it will feature an open-world rendition of Hyrule, offering players more freedom to explore however they like. Other than that, though, we know very little. After multiple delays, the game is finally set to launch sometime this year, and it’s likely to be the swan song for the Wii U platform; a new console, codenamed NX, will be revealed later this year.’ — The Verge
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Stills
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Further
Legend of Zelda Official Site
‘The 10 Greatest Legend of Zelda Games In History’
”The Legend of Zelda’ news: Nintendo lets fans play the game at E3′
ZeldaWiki
”Zelda’ turns 30 and gets a browser-based tribute game’
Legend of Zelda page @ Facebook
Zelda Fan Game Central
Download Zelda Classics
”Legend Of Zelda’ In the Style Of ‘Game Of Thrones’ Will Ruin Your Childhood’
‘Nintendo Shuts Down Fanmade Browser-Based Zelda Game’
Zelda Games Play Online Site
‘Learning From The Masters: Level Design In The Legend Of Zelda’
‘Q&A;: LINK’S GENDER IN EARLY ZELDA GAMES’
Link’s Hideaway
‘This blind man spent FIVE YEARS finishing a Legend of Zelda game’
’15 Things You Might Not Know About ‘The Legend of Zelda”
‘World’s largest collection of sound effects from the Legend of Zelda series’
‘The Origin of the Legend of Zelda’
‘Zelda game wristwatch 1989’
‘The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am’
‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga is coming west!’
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Extras
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA RAP [MUSIC VIDEO]
How to Make Link’s Bomb from Zelda
Japanese Nintendo / Legend of Zelda TV Commercials from the 1990s & 2000s
Zelda Majora Mask: Link’s Dance
Is the Gold or Gray Legend of Zelda Cart Rarer?
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Porn
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Interview
Superplay: It’s been 17 years since The Legend of Zelda was released in Japan. Do you remember that day?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Yes, I remember that we were very nervous, because The Legend of Zelda was our first game that forced the players to think about what they should do next. We were afraid that gamers would become bored and stressed by the new concept.
Luckily, they reacted the total opposite. It was these elements that made the game so popular, and today gamers tell us how fun the Zelda riddles are, and how happy they become when they’ve solved a task and proceeded with the adventure. It makes me a happy game producer!
Superplay: What visions and goals did you have when you started to develop the game?
Shigeru Miyamoto: We started to work on The Legend of Zelda at the same time as Super Mario Bros, and since the same teams did both games, we tried to separate the different ideas. Super Mario Bros should be linear, The Legend of Zelda should be the total opposite.
Superplay: And everything proceeded as planned?
Shigeru Miyamoto: During the development of Legend of Zelda we were actually able to include more ideas than we first thought was possible. And with the technical improvements that have been made through the years, we are able to include more of our original plans. During the past years many new faces has worked on Zelda and brought new ideas to the field.
Superplay: Apparently the tale of Hyrule were created by Kensuke Tanabe, and he was very inspired by Tolkien’s books. How much of the original manuscript was written by him and what were your ideas?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Are you still talking about the the first Zelda game?
Superplay: Yes.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Tanabe wasn’t part of the Zelda team until A Link to the Past. He wrote the story to that and Links Awakening.
Superplay: So it wasn’t him that wrote the original manuscript?
Shigeru Miyamoto: No, no… All ideas for The legend of Zelda were mine and Takashi Tezukas.
Superplay: Okay, so what influenced you then?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Books, movies and our own lives. Legend of Zelda was based on my childhood.
Superplay: The sequel, Zelda II: Adventures of Link was a very different game. Why was this? And why have you never done anything like it again?
Shigeru Miyamoto: It was my idea, but the actual game was developed by another team, different people to those that made the first game. Compared to Legend of Zelda, Zelda II went exactly what we expected… All games I make usually gets better in the development process, since good ideas keep coming, but Zelda II was sort of a failure…
Superplay: So that’s why the third game looked like the first one?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Exactly. We actually see A link to the Past as the real sequel to Legend of Zelda. Zelda II was more of a side story about what happened to Link after the events in Legend of Zelda.
Superplay: How do the Zelda games timelines link together? Is there any connection between the different games, or do you take tell us a new Zelda story each time?
Shigeru Miyamoto: For every Zelda game we tell a new story, but we actually have an enormous document that explains how the game relates to the others, and bind them together. But to be honest, they are not that important to us. We care more about developing the game system… give the player new challenges for every chapter that is born.
Superplay: Will the story always come 2nd when you develop games?
Shigeru Miyamoto: The most important thing for me, is that the player get sucked into the game. I want the games to be easy to understand, and that the people appreciate the games content, its core. I will never deny the importance of a great story, but the plot should never get that important that it becomes unclear.
Superplay: Hideo Kojima used to say that when people spend 10 hours with his games, he wants to give them a message. Do you have a message you want to give us?
Shigeru Miyamoto: It’s worth considering, but I don’t have any plans to change the world, I just try to create the perfect game. I have never had the ambition to mediate any message. All I want to do is entertain people!
Superplay: The generation that I belong to was brought up with your games in the 80s and are now in their 30s. You’ve never thought about making games aimed at that age group?
Shigeru Miyamoto: I have never intended to make games for a specific age, I want to make games for both kids and adults.
Superplay: I know what you mean, but at the same time many gamers think that they have grown out of Nintendo games. It’s a fact that games like GTA appeal older gamers.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Yes, that’s true. The games industry is broader than ever, and there are many different ways to produce a game these days. Apparently many older gamers like Grand Theft Auto, but that doesn’t mean Nintendo will develop similar games, instead it’s our task to find new ways and create substitutes. It is our duty to produce alternatives to GTA.
I think it’s important that we producers keep things inside moral and ethic borders. I actually think that game designers have some responsibility for what we create. Of course the art of freedom and the right to speak are important, but we should be careful with what we create. Games are interactive entertainment and could affect young people…
Superplay: GTA does not interest me, but I must say that I became a little disappointed in the first scenes I saw of Zelda WW. Not that you’re using cel-shading, but that Link looked childish.
Shigeru Miyamoto: You’ve played the full version?
Superplay: Yes.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Whole game?
Superplay: No, only the Japanese version without understanding the story.
Shigeru Miyamoto: I think you will get another understanding when you play the whole Wind Waker in English. There is humor in the game, but also deeper sections. The first trailer was just a presentation of Link’s new face.
Superplay: But is this the Link you first thought of when you created the first Zelda game?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Link always looked like the same person, even though different techniques changed some details. But in Ocarina of Time 2 sides were created in him. 1 younger and 1 older. As you see now, the younger Link is the main character in Zelda the Wind Waker. He blended in better in the surroundings than older Link. Adult Link is in Super Smash Bros Melee and Soul Calibur 2. And we started with him as the main character in the new GameCube game before we changed direction and made The Wind Waker.
It’s my responsibility that Link is always Link, the character I once created. And I always think about how he will look in future games.
Superplay: Shouldn’t there be some room left for a Zelda adventure with adult Link as the main character? A darker, more serious Legend of Zelda with more depth?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Sorry, but I can’t talk about my plans for the future, but it is certainly possible that we will make a game like that.
Superplay: What is your favorite game in the series?
Shigeru Miyamoto: We were limited time-wise, in the development of The Wind Waker, and were forced to leave some things out of it, but when I look at the finished product, I think we have created something unique, both graphically and content wise.
Superplay: What is so special about Legend of Zelda? And why has Link become such a popular character?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Link is a regular boy when the game begin, but destiny make him fight evil, and I think many people dream about becoming heroes. For me it has always been important that the gamers grow together with Link, that there is a strong relationship between the one who holds the controller and the person who is on the screen. I have always tried to create the feeling that you really are in Hyrule. If you don’t feel that way, it will lose some of its magic. One of the things that makes Wind Waker so special is that we wanted to make the graphics clearer and because of that, we could show Link’s facial expressions. The way Link reacts creates a closer relationship with the player.
I strive to create communication and relationships in my games. Both socially with several people gathering in front of the TV to play together and relations with the controller and characters on the screen.
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The Legend Of Zelda #1 (1986)
‘In Feb. 1986, a little gold Famicon (Japanese Nintendo Entertainment System) cartridge was released into the world. Little did it’s creator (famous Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto) know that his new game would not only go on to sell over 47 million units worldwide, but it would go on to become one of the most popular and most highly revered franchises in video game history; spawning over 8 follow-ups. What Nintendo was able to accomplish with the original Legend of Zelda would effect the entire video game industry. Not only in design, but also in gameplay and how players would come to perceive console adventure games. Zelda set a standard from which all other games of it’s type would be judged, and set the bar for what players would come to expect from this new action RPG genre (though some people maintain that Zelda is really just an action adventure). It was an 8-bit masterpiece . . . an innovator, an epic and quite possibly one of the greatest games of all time.’ — Video Games Blogger
Excerpt
Excerpt: Talk-through
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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)
‘Zelda II: The Adventure of Link featured an overhead-view map like the first game, but introduced side-scrolling action sequences and RPG Elements such as level ups, magic and health points, and random encounters, as well as more complex world and story elements, including towns filled with characters. It was originally released for the Family Computer Disk System as The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken – however, unlike the previous game, the modified NES port was only released internationally and not in Japan. The game definitely left its mark on the franchise: while later games would return to the top-down action-adventure model of the original rather than being more like an RPG, towns filled with NPCs and sidequests would become staples of the series, and the magic meter appeared in a few more games until it was retired after The Wind Waker. The story basically has two threads. On the one hand, Link, after his defeat of Ganon in the original game, is attempting to collect the third piece of the Triforce: the Triforce of Courage. Doing this will help wake the sleeping Princess Zelda (not the same one from the original) from her long magical sleep. On the other hand, Ganon’s followers are trying to resurrect Ganon, and the only way to do that is with blood shed of the hero who felled him. Thus, there’s lots of enemies standing in Link’s way as he attempts to deposit six crystals in the six palaces throughout Hyrule and open the path to the Great Palace, where the Triforce of Courage is kept.’ — TV Tropes
Full Game Walkthrough
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)
‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (ALttP) is the third installment of The Legend of Zelda series. Released in Japan in 1991 and elsewhere in the world in 1993 on the Super Nintendo, ALttP was a truly innovative gaming experience. The scope of the game was unheard of for its time, with 13 unique dungeons, and over 25 Items, Weapons, and Equipment to acquire, as well as 24 Heart Pieces to find throughout Hyrule. Although fairly linear in gameplay, the game is praised for its immersiveness and deployability. In 2002, Nintendo re-released the game on Game Boy Advance with a few small changes, as well as the addition of a whole new multiplayer experience, Four Swords, which could only be played by linking up two or more GBAs with linking cables.’ — IGN
Full Game Playthrough
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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993)
‘On the surface, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening may appear to be an offbeat side-story to the main series. An oddball tale originally released on the Game Boy, it sheds some of the Zelda series’ staples and fills the gaps with its own hallucinogenic story that includes more than a few left-field references to the world of Mario. But I didn’t know any of that when I first played Link’s Awakening. It was my first Zelda and, years before Ocarina of Time defined the series’ possibilities for vast 3D worlds, the game’s comparatively modest 2D island map offered up an entire continent to me. I would explore every nook and cranny. Link’s Awakening launched in the era before mass internet when, for me, games lasted months, gameplay secrets took days to discover and strategies were passed between me and my friends by word of mouth alone. Despite its bizarre-sounding story and change of setting, Link’s Awakening is far from an offbeat handheld spin-off. Its story, heart and humour cements it as one of the series’ finest offerings and sets the stage for the games to come. It’s the first time you’re allowed to fish in a Zelda game, the first time you’re sent on a trading quest, and the first time you’ll learn songs to play on an ocarina. As my own introduction to the series, Link’s Awakening was a great place to start.’ — Eurogamer
Full game walkthrough
Ending
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth installment in the Legend of Zelda series, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The first 3D installment of the series, the basic engine and gameplay used were later re-used for future installments, including its direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The game began a tradition in the Legend of Zelda series; a major item or person in a game featured in the game’s title. The game is set in the kingdom of Hyrule. A youth named Link sets out on a quest to prevent the thief Ganondorf, the prime antagonist of the Legend of Zelda series, from obtaining the Triforce, a magical relic of omnipotent power, an event foretold by the prophetic Princess Zelda. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ganondorf successfully obtains part of the Triforce. By traveling back and forth through time using the mythical Master Sword, Link must amass the Six Medallions needed to defeat Ganondorf and restore peace to Hyrule. Ocarina of Time enjoyed wide critical acclaim as well as commercial success. It has sold over 7.6 million copies over its lifetime, and was the best-selling game in 1998, even outselling other hugely-anticipated games from that year such as Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life. It also received perfect scores from numerous gaming media publications, most notably Famitsu, and went on to place highly on top several “greatest games of all time” lists, including those from Gamespot, IGN and Nintendo Power Magazine. Ocarina of Time is often considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, and over a decade after its initial release, it still possesses the highest average score of all professional video game reviews for all video games.’ — zeldawiki
Excerpt
Excerpt
FULL GAME Walkthrough
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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)
‘Majora’s Mask is inarguably the weirdest Legend of Zelda game. Sometime shortly after the events of Ocarina of Time, our hero Link wanders into a country called Termina. Hyrule it is not: The ominously named region is home to an eerie cast of characters and hosts an inordinate number of strange happenings. An erratic mask salesman hoarding cursed objects? We’ve got one. Alien abductions? Frequent. Ghost hands in toilets and ghost giants throwing boulders and ghosts doing tai chi on huge mushrooms? More common that you’d like. The strangest happening is the grimacing moon falling out of the sky. Link is given 72 hours to find Skull Kid, an impetuous young creature, and steal back an item of terrible power, the titular Majora’s Mask. To do so, Link must liberate four spirits located in four temples scattered throughout the world. These spirits can help save the world, but for now, they have also fallen prey to the bizarre magic clouding Termina. He only has three days to do it, but with the help of his trusty magic ocarina, Link can rewind time for those three days and live them over and over like some Groundhog Day redux. Time management is the name of the game here. Anytime during the 72-hour window, you can play the Song of Time to rewind back to dawn of the first day. Having this limit means you must allot yourself ample time to clear regional quests and complete dungeons. In each area, what you do in the surrounding area directly affects your access to the dungeon and side quests, so you’ll need those full 72 hours. In one region the town is iced over, and defeating the dungeon boss is the only way to restore spring. In spring you have access to a handful of smaller missions that in turn reveal more major gains, like upping your sword power and finding your long-lost horse. Once, I completed this dungeon and then immediately rewound back to the first day…only to find it all frozen again. It’s this kind of thing you need to be mindful of as you play Majora’s Mask, and forces you to forgo leisurely exploration in favoring of beelining between quest points.’ — Gamespot
Zelda Majoras Mask Opening Cutscene
104 Ways To Die In Zelda Majora’s Mask
Terrible Fate
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The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (2001)
‘What started life as a remake of The Legend of Zelda à la Super Mario Bros. Deluxe was quickly changed to three individual titles, each representing a piece of the Triforce. Legend has it that when the code system became too complicated to work between three games early on, it was dropped down to two: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. Each game can be played independently or played consecutively for a true ending and a slightly-altered continuation in the second game of your choosing. Both titles push the Game Boy Color almost to its limit in graphical effects that are sure to impress skeptics of the little-portable-that-could, and the music can range from simple and melodic to mysterious and emotional. There are also quite a few nostalgic nods thrown in for good measure. There are several memorable songs that really stand out and provide the perfect emotional backdrop for what’s going on in the plot, but a handful of dungeon tunes are completely forgettable. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but the majority of tracks fit well. The animations and graphic designs are nostalgic and new at the same time, and polished to the console’s limit. There’s even a cameo by everyone’s favorite beloved/hated fairy friend Tingle in Ages, and a certain song from Ocarina with the power to drive a grown man mad that’s thrown into Seasons for good measure. On a personal note, I’m glad to report that these games don’t feature a rendition of Ocarina’s ‘indoor’ song. After hearing that in nearly every Zelda game since Ocarina’s release, I was relieved to find that these games have their own original generic ‘indoor’ music. Praise be the sound designers at Capcom. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages have a lot to offer any gamer, from the casual player to the hardcore Zelda fan. The newcomers will be engaged by the stories and fun gameplay, and the veterans will enjoy the pinnacle of 2D top-down Zelda game design. Each of these games easily stand alone as masterpieces, and combine to make one epic story with a nice, fulfilling conclusion. They are two of the best games on the Game Boy Color, and two of the best Zelda games ever made. It saddens me that they are overlooked by fans of the franchise, whether that be a conscious decision or simply a matter of not knowing they where there. Each is worthy of a perfect ten out of ten rating if I had to give a score. I hope with the re-release on the 3DS virtual console these games can get the love and respect they deserve and find a new audience in a new generation. With the amount of content, quality, and replayability in these titles, you will not regret adding them to your library.’ — Zelda Informer
Trailer
Long play: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Long play: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
‘Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise over the years has defined a genre, first revolutionizing the action-adventure and then evolving it with several critically acclaimed sequels spanning multiple console and handheld platforms. For many, the Zelda brand represents the pinnacle of gaming, a perfect convergence of polished design, tightly crafted control and beautiful presentation. Indeed, the N64 Ocarina of Time is widely considered the best videogame ever created. So to say that the GameCube Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has a lot to live up to is, simply put, the understatement of the year. And yet, Nintendo delivers. Director Eiji Aonuma’s latest offering is a breathtakingly epic romp into a dramatically changed world 100 years after the events in the N64 classic. Wind Waker masterfully baits and hooks us in with its scope and host of improvements over previous Zelda titles, and then it takes us on a long, ultimately satisfying voyage across troubled seas, into dangerous dungeons and against unforgiving foes. It’s not a game without flaws — there are a few minor shortcomings to speak of, but where it succeeds, it is absolutely unparalleled.’ — IGN
Trailer
The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker: Tetra’s Identity Part 1
The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker: Tetra’s Identity Part 2
Wind Waker HD Walkthrough Finale – Final Boss Fights + Ending & Credits
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The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (2004)
‘This four-player Zelda connectivity adventure combines gameplay on both the GameCube and Game Boy Advance for a mix of competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun. By hooking up GBAs to the GameCube, the action will move from the television screen (when players are on the overworld map), to the GBA screen (when entering houses and caves). Players work together to brave 24 challenges in eight levels in Hyrule Adventure (1-4 players, multiplayer only with GBAs) or compete in 10 frantic multiplayer versus battles (2-4 players, GBAs required). Takes place in similar environments as the SNES classic Link to the Past, but features updated character sprites, new special effects, and overall improved graphics. The Japanese version included an additional mode, known as Navi Trackers.’ — IGN
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – Part 1: Lake Hyla
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – Part 4: The Coast
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – Part 8: The Mountain Path
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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004)
‘The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is the twelfth installment of The Legend of Zelda. It was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Like most other titles in the series, The Minish Cap features the fully explorable land of Hyrule, although it can be viewed from the eyes of a human or the eyes of a Picori, a race of tiny people and an alternate form that Link can transform into. The game is part of the Four Swords series and features Vaati as the game’s main villain. However, unlike the multiplayer focus of the other games in the series, The Minish Cap retains the original form of exploration and dungeons as seen in A Link to the Past and the Oracle series, as well as returning characters and game mechanics such as Malon and the Spin Attack. New features include fusing Kinstones and shrinking to the size of a Minish.’ — Zeldawiki
Long play: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Part 1)
All bosses
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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2005)
‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii home video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in the The Legend of Zelda series. Originally planned for release on the GameCube in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was released alongside the console in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia the following month. The GameCube version was released worldwide in December 2006. The story focuses on series protagonist Link, who tries to prevent Hyrule from being engulfed by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. To do so, he takes the form of both a Hylian and a wolf, and is assisted by a mysterious creature named Midna. The game takes place hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, in an alternate timeline from The Wind Waker. At the time of its release, Twilight Princess was considered the greatest entry in the Zelda series by many critics, including writers for 1UP.com, Computer and Video Games, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GamesRadar, IGN, and The Washington Post. It received several Game of the Year awards, and was the most critically acclaimed game of 2006. As of September 2015, 8.85 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide, making it the best-selling title in the series.’ — Wiki
The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess – All Cutscenes/ Full Movie
Twilight Princess HD Texture Pack
The Legend of Zelda – Twilight Princess – All Bosses
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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007)
‘In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass players again assume the role of a green-clad hero who, for the sake of continuity, we’ll refer to as Link. The story is taken directly from the Wind Waker world on GameCube, basically picking up where the last game left off, as Link and Tetra sail off into the sunset. The game opens with the two of them manning Tetra’s ship as they search for the infamous Ghost Ship that is said to sail the seven seas. After a pretty engaging opening, Tetra of course fulfills her role as the damsel in distress, and it’s up to Link to get her back. It’s classic Zelda storytelling, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. From there Link meets up with a loud-mouthed fairy named Ciela and a Jack Sparrow-like treasure hunter named Linebeck, and the story kicks off. Right off the bat you’ll notice that Phantom Hourglass brings an impressive amount of cinematic presentation to the table. The graphical style is of course a play off the cel-shaded Zelda, but what really gives the game the “pocket Cube” feel to it is that every scene is shot with theatrics in mind, as there’s a ton of emotion and depth to the characters. You’re also going to notice, however, that the game can be a bit long-winded for the Zelda purists out there, and that constant commentary by Linebeck, Ciela, or numerous other characters in the world will continue well into the back half of the game. This of course improves the relationship between the gamer and the cast, but we can also see hardcore Zelda fans wishing the game would just back off and let them be on their way. And when moving into the core of the gameplay this “casual vs. hardcore” aspect that Zelda’s new attitude will inevitably bring is even more apparent. The controls, as mentioned, are entirely touch-based, so players looking for the classic Zelda feel will need to adapt to using a stylus instead of a d-pad. There’s no way around it, no alternate control scheme, and the game doesn’t apologize for its drastic change, even poking fun at the hardcore in one of the final dungeons by having a ghost of a fallen warrior mention that his desire for d-pad controls was his “only regret” in life. It’s pretty obvious Nintendo wanted to change things up a bit this time around, and love it or hate it, Phantom Hourglass is a touch-only game.’ — IGN
The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – Full Game Walkthrough
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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)
‘The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the fifteenth installment of the Legend of Zelda series, released for the Nintendo DS on December 7, 2009. Details about the game were revealed by Satoru Iwata at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. Spirit Tracks was put on display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. A direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass set a hundred years after the events of its predecessor in the new land discovered by Link and Tetra, New Hyrule, Spirit Tracks uses the same graphical style and many of the same gameplay features from Phantom Hourglass. A major difference from Phantom Hourglass, as well as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, is that overworld travel is by train rather than by boat. It is notably the first canonical game that allows the player to control Princess Zelda.’ — Zeldawiki
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – Part 1 – Zelda’s Ghost
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – Part 2 – Reaching Forest Sanctuary
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – Part 4 – Reaching Snow Sanctuary
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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)
‘The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an action-adventure game for the Wii video game console and the sixteenth entry in the Legend of Zelda series. Developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development and published by Nintendo, it was released worldwide in November 2011. The game makes use of the Wii MotionPlus peripheral for sword fighting, with a revised Wii Remote pointing system used for targeting. A limited-edition bundle featuring a golden Wii Remote Plus was sold coinciding with the game’s launch; the first run of both the standard game and the limited-edition bundle included a CD containing orchestrated tracks of iconic music from the franchise in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The game’s storyline is the earliest in the Zelda continuity, preceding The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Skyward Sword follows an incarnation of the series’ chief protagonist, Link, who was raised in a society above the clouds known as Skyloft. After his closest childhood friend, Zelda, is swept into the land below the clouds by demonic forces, Link does whatever it takes to save her, traveling between Skyloft and the surface below while battling the dark forces of the self-proclaimed “Demon Lord”, Ghirahim. Upon release, the game was met with critical acclaim, receiving perfect scores from at least 30 publications, including Edge, Eurogamer, Famitsu, Game Informer, GameCentral, IGN, Metro, and Wired. Much of the praise was directed at the game’s intuitive motion-based swordplay and the changes it brought to the Zelda franchise. The game was a major commercial success as well, having sold over 3.42 million units worldwide as of December 2011, just one month after its initial release.’ — Wiki
Trailer
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Movie [Complete Cutscene Compilation]
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)
‘I expected The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds to submerge me in comfortable familiarity, but what I didn’t expect is that it would be my favourite Zelda since Wind Waker, or that it would present me with some of the most inventive, cerebral puzzles in the series’ 27-year history. Between Worlds is a powerfully nostalgic experience for anybody with memories of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but it’s also an exceptional game in its own right. It doesn’t just pay homage to Zelda’s past glories. It reinvigorates its spark. This familiar Hyrule – built from brown layers of rock topped with bright green grass, secret caves full of scuttling creatures, deep blue rivers that carve through a landscape of desert ruins, volcanic mountains, and swampy wetlands – is a childhood dreamscape brought to life, colourful and imaginative and stuffed with secrets, and it has barely changed since 1992. But Between Worlds combines the emotionally potent familiarity of Link To The Past’s Hyrule with some of the most significant innovations that the Zelda series has seen in years.’ — IGN
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – Final Boss & Ending
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – All Item Locations (Guide & Walkthrough)
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds GLITCHES!
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The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (2015)
‘The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes takes the foundation established by Four Swords and expands upon it in many ways. Although there is one fewer hero than before, the concept is still the same: players join up to make teams of three and solve puzzles that require a considerable amount of cooperation. Each player controls their own Link, but going solo here will get you nowhere; these puzzles are built around needing multiple players to solve and can’t be done otherwise. The result is a unique gameplay experience with plenty of moments that are both challenging and hysterical, while still feeling like a Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes as a whole is a blast to play, and one of the best handheld co-op experiences out there, albeit with a few understandable frustrations when playing solo. One of Tri Force Heroes’ biggest improvements over Four Swords is in the construction of the puzzle design. Unlike Four Swords, which has previously seen multiplayer playable between two and four players, Tri Force Heroes is locked at three at all times. While this can potentially feel like a nuisance when wanting to play with only one partner, the puzzles tend to be more creatively built because of it, and feel much more natural due to a constant player count.’ — Gaming Trend
Trailer
15 Minutes of The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes Gameplay
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
‘Forget everything you know about The Legend of Zelda games. Step into a world of discovery, exploration, and adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a boundary-breaking new game in the acclaimed series. Travel across vast fields, through forests, and to mountain peaks as you discover what has become of the kingdom of Hyrule in this stunning Open-Air Adventure. Now on Nintendo Switch, your journey is freer and more open than ever. Take your system anywhere, and adventure as Link any way you like.’ — collaged
Trailer
The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
48 Things You STILL Didn’t Know In Zelda Breath Of The Wild
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p.s. Hey. ** CAUTIVOS, Thanks! Oh, I see, you can change the color and add text. This’ll take some thought. Hm. ** scunnard, Hi, J. Yes, I’m still interested, sure. Hit me up when the time’s right. ** bobby jones, Hi, welcome. Wow, yeah, possibly. ** Misanthrope, In recent years Leif Garrett recorded a cover version of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ with The Melvins, who were in the post, and I guess that triggered me? I saw him in concert in the late 70s. He lip-synced, no surprise. I always smoke two in a row before I get on a plane. Huh, that might be fun to go to Roland Garros. I’ll see if I can talk anyone I know here into doing that with me. Doubt it, but … ** _Black_Acrylic, Agreed on both fronts. I’ve been eyeing that Surgeon newbie too. If you get it, let me know if I should. Big Sam? That’s his name? Wow. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Right, them, I remember. I think I remember especially liking some girl who dressed up in an animal costume or something? It’s weird, I like banana flavor, but I almost never want to eat bananas themselves. There used to be this kind of awful artificially flavored banana chewing gum that I liked a lot. Can it still exist? It might be way too artificial for the current climate. I think love will have to give me the money to buy new headphones, so maybe he will do that. I know just the person whose dandelion head I’d like to blow on. Love replacing the ‘s’ in every word involving ‘s’ into a ‘z’, G. ** Jack Skelley, Let’s rob each other’s stuff blind. What do you say? Yeah, me too, re: current Melvins. They are such gods. They are like the Bachs of everything. ** A, Hi. Coffee over tea. But I like tea okay. I think I’ve only heard a couple of 1975 songs, and I don’t remember what I thought. They’re very ‘rock’, right? Nothing eats one alive like working on a novel. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. Oh, it’s not that crazy, really. Or not that much crazier than usual. I wish it was a lot more intense, actually. I think the international media is playing the protests way more up than they actually are. ** Sypha, I haven’t listened to Skinny Puppy in a million years. Or Paul McCartney either, come to think of it. Ladytron seems to have shot their whole wad pretty early on. It’s too bad. ** Bill, The Melvins are eternal. Thanks for ‘Detweiler Boy’. Wow, its on archive.org. Cool. What a fine site that is. I’ll confab with you about the Kelly Link once I’ve gotten to it. ** Travis (fka Cal), Hey, there! How’s it going, sir? Happy to sneak into your painting pile. Honored. I’d like to see Xylouris White live. Nice. GY!BE did a concert in the desert about 10 minutes away from our shooting location the night before we started the shoot. Take care! ** Steve Erickson, Tricky still does some pretty interesting things when I manage to come across them. The whole Nondi_ album is very good. Our film has no music in it apart from one song that’s sung/performed within the film by one of the main characters. Otherwise the only non-real sound is the sounds/noises of the haunted house. Envy on The Prismatic Ground festival. Is it new? I’ve never heard of it before. Everyone, if you’re in/around NYC, you might well want to check out the Prismatic Ground Film Festival, as discovered by Mr. E. It looks very promising. Info here. The only thing I miss about typewriters is their utter loyalty to the writer. ** T, Hey! I’ll hunt down the Fuji-Yuki, thanks. Sounds most curious. Wow, I’m so severely sorry I missed those Blvd. Madeleine fires. That sounds incredible. Madeleine is slowly becoming a ghost town. Now the IKEA is closing. It’s kind of exciting. You quit your jobs! Big up! Well, with the caveat of the two months notice. Yeah, Saturday would work. We could do that. Let’s plan something for then. Cool. Drop me an email, yeah, and we’ll lock it down. ** Dom Lyne, Hi, Dom. I’m post-jet lag and since I’m just in a short respite between shooting the film and editing it, I’m not really out of the film headspace. Nor do I want to be actually. Vast congrats on finishing the PTSD therapy. Ongoing journey, yeah. Speaking as someone who uses my writing to explore and progress through my stuff. It’s hard to accept that there are people with whom you’ll never resolve things, but, yeah, it seems life is continually compiled with people like that. Sorry. Enjoy refreshed London! And/or refreshed you! Love, me. ** Darbs, Ah, so you are Darby. Darby Crash tried to pick a fight with me once. He was really zonked out at the time. But his friends held him thankfully. One or two actual close friends isn’t bad really. Closeness is a rare thing, I think? Your friends (and you) sound cool, obviously. I like Alec Empire, yeah. I used to be obsessed with Atari Teenage Riot. And his post-ATR stuff is really good too. So, yeah, highest five. I’m happy there’s a bright side to the program thing you’re doing, and them accepting the transgender stuff is bright, for sure. So weird that you saying you want to be an artist is considered crazy. Well, my parents were like about me wanting to be a writer until I was so obviously a writer that they had to bite the bullet. Don’t let their total lack of imagination affect you, right? I still don’t know if I know those two artists, but I’ll check today. Love, me. ** politekid, It’s true about him + me. I looked up his show online, and, yeah, I felt achey and deprived. It’s already almost over? After all that work to make it? Fuckin’ hell. Your situation with your sister does sound good. Uh, I’m fairly close with my nephew. He’s a very good writer although he’s concentrating on running a high end catering venture at the moment. Other than him, I don’t have anything in common with my family members. I’m good with my sister, basically. Not with my two brothers. What did you do today? ** Guy, A day behind is nothing around these parts. I’m way not a picnic person, so I don’t know why picnic baskets give my imagination a boner. Well, your question is a big one. Let me see what I can say quickly. Obviously anarchism is a philosophy that asks every anarchist to invent their own version based its basic principles that suits them and their lives, so it can’t talked about in a general way. For me, using the ‘power corrupts’ central principle as a starting point, anarchism allows me to understand that it’s power-creating structures that are the problem and not the people who are trapped in or even facilitating those structures. Everyone within those systems is fluid, and, accepting that those structures exist and are, for all intents and purposes, immovable, and that people are what’s important, there are nothing but possibilities within those strictures. They’re just the boundaries, and if you don’t want power or the things that power rewards you with, they have no power over you except in a practical sense — how do I earn money to live, how do I achieve this thing I want to do given the structure I have to work around or within to get it? So I think about what’s going on in my life in a practical and logical way as much as possible, and I almost always end up seeing ways forward for me and for everyone. That may not be very clear, sorry. Being that my form of anarchism is mine and mine only, it’s a thing that’s hard to describe really. Thanks for asking though. xo. ** Okay. I think I must be pretty excited for the new Zelda game that comes out next week because I decided to restore this old post about Zelda’s history. Anybody else out there fiddling anxiously with their controllers? See you tomorrow.
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