As you may already know, today marks the 26th anniversary of the Zelda series… In Japan, at least. 26 years ago today, The Legend of Zelda was released in Japan on the Famicom Disk System, launching what we know now as one of the longest and most successful running series of video games, etc etc, you know the drill, we’ve been here before. The last 26 years have been pretty good to us, delivering 14 games, not including spin-offs and remakes, and the coming years are looking rather promising as well. With Miyamoto not stepping down from his position as a Nintendo executive and Aonuma apparently brimming with new ideas for the series, we should be getting a lot of good stuff in the coming years. For now, however, it’s time to sit back and reflect on the last 26 years.

… Mmmhm…

… Oh yeah…

… Yep. That happened…

Okay, now that we’re done with that, let’s disperse and celebrate however we see fit! Or not celebrate at all, considering how we’re not Japanese and this isn’t our anniversary anyway.

I should mention, however, that the Four Swords Anniversary Edition is no longer available for download on the Nintendo DSi or 3DS. To those of you who missed snagging yourself a copy (myself included), my deepest condolences. Here’s hoping that it will again be released for download in the near future. Maybe when America’s 26th anniversary eventually rolls around.

And that’s it from me. Weegee, out.

One of our close affiliates, Nintendo Castle, is hosting a Mario Marathon right now in celebration of their one year anniversary. In it, they initially will be playing Super Paper Mario, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Super Mario Sunshine (in that order), with the high possibility of extra games such as Super Mario Galaxy 2. Plus, in-between games they’ll be playing Mario Kart Wii online, meaning you can join in on the fun too.

It’ll go until about Sunday, so come join us at the stream and support our friends over at Nintendo Castle!

(Alternatively, if you cannot find the stream there, it will be here or here.)

Update: The stream has been extended into Tuesday as well, so it’s not over yet!

Hello, Zelda Eternity readers. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a slow news day today, but nevertheless, we were still able to drag in some juicy Zelda-related features for your viewing enjoyment.

Today, Game Informer posted a discussion video on the most recent entry to the Zelda series, Skyward Sword. In the video, some of the staff at Game Informer discuss Skyward Sword in deep, spoileriffic detail, and needless to say, it’s a video best avoided if you’ve yet to complete the game. However, if you’ve finished the narrative and have no in-game secrets left under-wraps, then you’ve no better time than now to watch it! Check it out here!

And that’s it from me. Weegee, out.

Hey, everybody! It’s your favorite (No? Second favorite, then?) Zelda Eternity staff member coming BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE to deliver you only the best Zelda news in a timely fashion! I apologize for the dry spell our front page has seen in the passed days, but rest assured, you’ll be seeing our activity grow from now on!

Anyway, it’s Valentine’s Day today, and considering how Zelda is a series that’s spawned a lot of heart related sight-gag jokes, we’re getting truckloads in today! Well, not “we”, the staff of ZE, we’re lonely single folks here, but “we” as the Zelda community, you bet your Adventure Pouch we are! After picking through a good number of cards, greetings, and quasi-witty one-liners, we’ve found only the best of the best to report on to our fans. One of my favorites from today comes from the webcomic Brawl in the Family. Hit the “read more” button to see it.

And that’s it from me. Weegee, out.

This has been a common rumor throughout the last several months. Fans have been dying to get Retro Studios to develop a Legend of Zelda game. Even Miyamoto himself has acknowledged Retro Studios as a possibility of developing a new Zelda game sometime in the future. Well, it looks like Retro Studios is hiring artists and other people who have experience in creating 3D environments. Specifically, hand painted textures. Seems an awful Zelda-like, does it not? Hop inside for more details.

RETRO CONTRACT – Environmental Artist

Responsibilities:

• Modeling high quality 3D geometry for game environments
• Creating high quality hand painted 2D texture maps
• Using advanced material and shader setups
• Being versatile to different styles
• Collaborating closely with team members and other departments
• Complete assignments that require independent judgment and creative input while staying true to overall art direction and theme as defined by Art Director
• Taking daily direction from the Art Director and Environment Art Lead

Required:

• Working knowledge of modeling and texturing software – Maya, PhotoShop, Painter
• Environment artist with 1-3 years in the games industry
• Environment artist credit on at least one shipped title
• Good communicator, self-motivated, driven to create top quality visuals
• Portfolio (website link) of recent high-quality, divers environment art work
• Passionate about video games

Preferred:

• Working knowledge of high detailed modeling software – Mudbox, Zbrush
• Undergraduate degree in art related subject or completion of an intensive art training program or equivalent

Now wouldn’t you agree that Retro is possibly working on a new Zelda title for Wii U?  Hopefully we’ll hear more at this year’s E3.  And with GDC right around the corner, we’ll hopefully hear more about Zelda!  I’d also like to apologize for the lack of news posts throughout the week.  Zelda news has been very slow since the release of Skyward Sword, and we’re doing our best to bring you what we can.

Zelda Reorchestrated has put up their own YouTube channel, that you can check out here. Right now they’re working on finishing the Twilight Symphony, but you can check out their video below from the Zelda 25th Anniversary Concert in Dallas. Make sure to see if the symphony coming anywhere near you!

Am I the only one that has a DS game case, and think to myself “Man, I wish that thing could hold 3DS games” or simply don’t have anything to keep your 3DS games in?

Well, if you’re in North America and have 250 points at Club Nintendo, this special 3DS Zelda case could be yours. Hit the jump to see more images!

Source

A fan-made Zelda trailer was recently put up on YouTube by joelfurtado, it features a Toon Link and mostly monsters from Twilight Princess in an epic video. It’s titled “Zelda: The Lost Oracle” and made for the Wii U. It’s pretty well put together, so you should check it out and let us know what you think! Seen any better fan-trailers than this one?

During a short interview from Side Mission with the Producer of the Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Jeron Moore, he was asked about Eiji Aonuma’s disappointment during the concert that took place last October in Los Angeles. Apparently, he was disappointed with the US Zelda fanbase. Read more to find out his thoughts on the matter.

SM: What are your thoughts on the audience reactions during the performance in Los Angeles? Apparently Aonuma was disappointed by the US audience?

JM: I’d rather not speak for Aonuma-san. I do believe he was disappointed that the US audience had posted YouTube videos from the Los Angeles performance, spoiling it for those in London that would experience it shortly thereafter. Aside from that, there’s the ever-present and polarizing argument from fans on how to behave during a symphonic performance (to yell or not to yell during a piece), but you can’t fault the audience for being excited. The concept of a Zelda concert is going to appeal to a lot of people, some of which have never been to an orchestral concert before. I was excited to see our audience in Dallas reserve their enthusiasm for between the pieces… it really allowed the audience to hear every nuance of the arrangements. Though when the 4th movement began, devoted to A Link to the Past, it admittedly got a little rowdy. I may have even screamed a bit (oops).

What do you guys think? Does Aonuma have a right to be disappointed, or is this perfectly normal? Even if it is normal, should it be this way? Leave us a comment if you have any thoughts on the matter!

Source

Since Mario Kart 7′s release and it’s introduction of online communities, Nintendo has been obligated to maintain their new servers and are building on them in hopes of creating a solid online experience for all of their online games, one  that should meet the industries standards. We know a little bit about the Nintendo Network, they told us it supports the online communities of 3DS games. Physical media such as packaged games will be available at some point and downloadable content can be bought through the upcoming service. The possibility for DLC in a Zelda game has never been more tangible. We’re talking best case scenario, map packs, missions, new characters, events, extra dungeons, ya know? Two Things though, How likely is it this could happen, and what type of add-on content would they sell, if any?

Multiplayer is not out of the question, Four Swords on Dsi and 3DS, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, they are all good examples of competitive/co-op gameplay. The most recently released (Four Swords) had added maps that changed the game by swapping the graphics out for another game in the series’ graphics. Making map packs a viable thing to sell, if the next 3DS or Wii U game follows in that style then sure, why not.

Optional Quests or missions are a must have. If they got it right from the start and were able to put out a steady trickle of side quests then, I think I’d pay them anywhere from $1-5 depending on the amount of content in a quest line. If they could combine the results of a lengthy side quest to add or change something semi important in the game world, like a town or village, I might even pay $6, tops.

Here’s an interesting thought, can anyone not like new characters? I find them fascinating, until I figure them out, after that I either like them or I don’t. A group of fresh faces could make the game feel much more organic if new NPC’s could travel into Hyrule from far off places. These characters should get a more than average amount of dialogue to justify their purchase. Remember, they could become the next Kafei & Anju, providing side quests and cut-scene events. So long as they are interesting characters with some back story like the Circus Leader Gorman, or the Sakon the Thief.

Fans have been talking about these thing for years. Majora’s Mask only had 4 or 5 dungeons, and there were many discussions about whether we should have gotten more than that, or if Nintendo would be making a master quest (lost chapters) version in the future. with bonus content like another dungeon, and more side quests. That hasn’t happened yet, but there is a chance we could get a re-release of Majora’s Mask on 3DS which might become a digital download for sale one day through this Nintendo Network. Sad to say but I would pay full price for Majora’s Mask 3D plus another $15 to the Nintendo Network to download and unlock a second quest.

Whatever this original Zelda game for 3DS will be, there’s no limit to what they could add to it after it’s release, they could leave loose ends in the plot or leave areas of the map unfilled only to flesh those things out later for even more cash. Empty shops suddenly have stock, a new mini game shows up. Heck at this point I’d buy a cave of trials for bragging rights.

Some people might want this stuff included with the actual game cartridge, that could cause it to cost more though, better to keep initial costs low, $40 low like every other game. The creators have even mentioned that they make too much content sometimes, which is back-logged or carried over into the next game in some form. What if they already filled the 4GB 3DS cart and had left over content? Put it on the Nintendo Network, Zelda fans are loyal customers, I’m sure that could be quite profitable for them? Speaking of, would you pay real world money for rupees? Hey it wouldn’t cost them anything.

Would you pay for those kinds of DLC? What kind, and how much should Nintendo charge? Fire Emblem will be the first 3DS game to introduce this new way of buying add-on content and comes out on April 19th of this year. After that more and more games will be accompanied by future DLC, Zelda should and can be one of those games while still staying true to itself.