In all the fuss about the Skyward Sword, some fans have managed to overlook another exciting matter- the upcoming remake of the classic Ocarina of Time. The game is hailed among many fans as the greatest in the series; it brought the Zelda universe into the 3D realm, and it also implemented a lot of  gameplay mechanics (especially in its item usage) that other adventure titles continue to emulate to this day.

But aside from the graphical improvements that have already been confirmed, the gaming public is still largely in the dark in terms of changes in gameplay.

GameTrailers.com has compiled a wishlist for the remix of the classic game which includes a lot of things players would love to see. Some look much more likely than others – new implementation of item selection, at least for the Iron Boots, is almost a sure thing – but they all hold merit in themselves.

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Our friends at ChrisCrossMedia are back with a new mailbag! They’re doing Stars Wars month over at their channel right now, so be sure to subscribe to it if you find them entertaining.

The mailbag will be back again soon, so remember to send in your (Zelda-related) questions.

The fifth and final installment in TheMaverickk’s visual comparison series has arrived! He takes a slightly different approach this time around, comparing Skyward Sword‘s graphics not to the visuals of previous Zelda games, but to the world around us.

This comparative study also includes a brief examination of Skyward Sword‘s visuals as a whole, comparing its graphics to the type of Impressionist painting that inspired the game’s art style.

Hit the jump to view the entire comparative study, along with commentary from TheMaverickk himself.

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As of the most recent edition of ZUCast, all episodes of ZU’s official podcast will be uploaded to our YouTube channel, ZUTV, in addition to being available for streaming and download right here on our site, as well as on iTunes.

Scared? Confused? Fear not – our trusty and beloved media editor, Jordan (known to many as Aniday), is here to fill you in on the details.

Now that you’ve been thoroughly informed, check out ZUCast: Anti-Profanity and Tingle Edition on YouTube!

At Zelda Universe we’re no strangers to Zelda marathons – we’ve been reporting on lots of them this summer. But even we are pleasantly surprised at the new Legend of Zelda Versus Marathon. The traditional aspects of Zelda marathons are present. This will be a live stream of gamers playing Zelda games for days on end, and the main goal here, as usual, is to accumulate funds for the admirable purpose of donating to a charity. The charity in this particular case is Child’s Play Charity, which collects and donates toys, books, money, and of course, video games, to sick children all over the world.

What sets this marathon apart from the others is the competitive aspect involved. The way this is being organized is surprisingly pretty simple: there will be predetermined goals set to achieve throughout the games, each worth a different amount of points, and whichever team accrues the most points when the marathon is complete will be designated the winner.

For more info, as always, follow the jump.

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Finding Zordiana in a forest.

Beloved SNES masterpiece A Link to the Past won top honors in VGChartz‘s Top Ten Super Nintendo Games.

The chart was compiled via voting on their forums, with members listing their top five SNES games in order with numerical values applied to the rankings.

A Link to the Past is in great company, with amazing games like Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV, and Super Mario World. Yet clearly the fans agree – A Link to the Past is the best of the best.

It is also the game that invented the current Zelda structure. Many features that would later reappear again and again in the Zelda franchise found their beginnings in this little epic game. Everything from the Master Sword to Kakariko Village, from Hyrule Castle to the Sages, from “Ganondorf” to the Spin Attack: their origins can all be traced back to A Link to the Past. 

Take a look at VGChartz site for the full top ten list.

Source: VGChartz

Awakening from the dream.

For those following development with either of two very different 3d fan remakes of Link’s Awakening in, you will be sad to learn that both have been cancelled.

This is unsurprising if you take into consideration that the percentage of fan remakes that actually make it to completion is next to nil.

Still, it’s sad to see them both cancelled. It would seem both developers awoke from their own dreams and realized the sheer amount of time and skill that such a project would require, and so balked at completing them.

More on these projects after the jump.

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Most people don’t usually rely on release dates given by stores, but Gamestop has listed April 1st as the release date for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. We often see the 1st, 15th, or 30th as placeholder dates at Gamestop, which is why this Gamestop release date may only be tentative.

It’s not a bad guess overall, considering that Nintendo has said that they are aiming for an early 2011 release date. However, April 1st ends up being a Friday, which is not a common day that Nintendo would  use to release a game in the states. Lately, Nintendo’s favorite day to release Zelda titles in the United States appears to be Monday, as Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass, The Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, The Wind Waker, Four Swords, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were all released on the first day of the work week.

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While it may not be necessarily related to the Legend of Zelda series, we know that many fans of the franchise have also been eagerly awaiting the release of the next Golden Sun installment – and for good reason.

Although Golden Sun is an RPG series held highly by fans and critics alike, its developers have not released a game under the Golden Sun name in quite a long time. The new Golden Sun title, headed for the DS  on November 29, will be the first in seven years. Hopefully it will be well worth the wait!

Source: Joystiq

UPDATE: It has come to our attention that one of our sources was incorrect in their description of Zelda World, and that we too were mistaken in calling the project an MMO. According to an official Zelda World news update, the game is “not an MMO” and is also “a stand alone game, not a mod of another game”.

The official summary of the Zelda World project is, as found here:

“Zelda World gives you the content from both OOT and MM and gives you the ability to create/recreate any Zelda Storys/Quests you like for everyone to enjoy. Imagine being able to play OOT or MM and invite your friends to come play with you and help you on your quest, or even take the old N64 Zelda’s worlds and add your own quests into it.”

Based on this summary, the project could be described as a multiplayer sandbox experience – though not massively multiplayer.

We apologize for any confusion that our mistake may have caused. We have changed the title of this post to better reflect the nature of the game, and will continue to bring you updates on this intriguing project!

Feel free to read our original post after the jump, but remember: Zelda World is not an MMO.

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Coming September 12th, Nintendo will slash the prices of the DSi and DSi XL in North America by $20 a piece making them cost $149.99 and $169.99, respectively. This price drop comes following a price drop in June for the UK and Japanese markets. The DS Lite model still remains at $129.99.

This also comes in advance of the announcement from Nintendo of the official release date and price of the newest member of the DS family, the 3DS, coming September 29th.

Source: engadget

Gorgeous grass.

AaronLite, a member at EmuTalk, has started a hi-res texture pack for the GameCube version of Twilight Princess.

While we certainly do not encourage emulation here at Zelda Universe, it is still nice to see an already gorgeous game made even more so by such a talented fan.

So far, there are only two sets of before and after comparison. And even still, it can be difficult to tell what exactly has been changed, but once you recognize the differences, it shows just how much better the already impressive Twilight Princess could have looked.

This is new ground. GameCube emulation and graphics hacks for said emulation are currently in beta only, and the Dolphin emulator remains full of bugs. We shouldn’t expect to see anything finished on this texture pack upgrade for quite some time, but we, for one, will be keeping tabs on this amazing project and will bring you more comparison shots as they become available.

More comparisons after the jump.

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It’s the end of the month and we’re back with another pod to cast! We’ve got interesting chit-chat, regular ZUCast personalities, as well as a very special guest gracing the dysfunctional ZUCast studio. This month’s lineup:

Feel free to leave us your thoughts at zubc [at] zeldauniverse.net.

‘Till next time, guys – enjoy the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Memories...

There are a lot of little inside gags among Zelda fans, and there’s nothing wrong with poking a little fun now and then. But when people aren’t laughing at/running from invincible crazed chickens (and pigs) , sometimes their jokes stray towards another favorite subject: Navi. Despite all the stigma surrounding the fairy, Escapist Magazine has written an article in her honor.

It’s no secret that Navi has a lot to say. From the very beginning of the first N64 Zelda title, Ocarina of Time, players may often find themselves tapping “A” to continue Navi’s speech while hardly skimming her long-winded exposition. Sometimes you may even come upon a door out there in the virtual world, but don’t fret – Navi has you covered there as well.

“Press A to open doors.”

Awesome. I don’t even want to imagine how long I would have sat there guessing buttons in front of this door. You’re a life saver, Navi.

Constant nagging and instruction such as this may tend to irk some players… but hey, listen, you can’t deny Navi’s helpful spirit. Without her, we may have found ourselves feeling very lonely on our adventures, and indeed very helpless at times. I think we all need to take a minute to read the article and learn to appreciate just how great Navi really was.

Source: Escapist Magazine

We’ve all been there: embarassing status updates on Facebook, embarrasing comments on Facebook, embarassing pics on Facebook. For all its usefulness, Facebook also offers us every oportunity to make fools of ourselves.

Link is no different.

The guys over at Dorkly captured some priceless moments in the lives of our favorite Hylian citizens via their Facebook comments, and we have the chance to peek in and giggle along.

Have a look after the jump!

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Everybody cosplays these days.

As the days and the weeks and the months pass, we indeed find ourselves moving closer and closer to the release of Skyward Sword. It creates an air of anticipation that is almost overwhelming, does it not?

While waiting for the newest installment in the Legend of Zelda series, what better way to learn to appreciate and respect the art that is The Legend of Zelda than to take a retrospective look at the history of the franchise?

In this new article, IGN does just that. Taking an in depth look at the origins of the series, the article starts with what is perhaps the single most famous gaming prelude of all gaming preludes: The Legend of Zelda for NES. The article discusses how the elements of the original Zelda game combined to set it apart as a unique entity – and one to be respected.

The article is a very in depth look at the history of our  beloved games, and I wouldn’t recommend any of you go without reading through it. Compelling, informative… and best of all, it helps you to establish a better understanding and respect for the amazing action-adventure games.

Check the source for the full 9 page article: History of Zelda.

Source: IGN

New Content for Ocarina of Time

A Guest Article by Joshua Lindquist

Last time, I wrote about how Ocarina of Time could be streamlined to work better on the Nintendo 3DS. All of those changes were based on more recent Zelda titles. However, remaking Ocarina of Time also gives the developers an opportunity to add completely new content to the game.

New content doesn’t need to change the original game. Instead, it should be optional content that aims to make the game better without changing the original experience. Because of this, I think the best idea is for all of this content to become available to players only after completing the original game.

One of the best ways to add new content that players actually want to finish would be to add dungeons to accompany them. These should be complete dungeons with enemies, puzzles, a boss, and possibly even new items.

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Gee, it sure is boring around here!

Everyone loves a good laugh, right? A few days ago the team of GoNintendo and Shamoozal released Read Only Memory: Vol 1, an animated short film made to (lovingly) parody some beloved Nintendo franchises. The video showcases some high quality animation, especially for Youtube. Filled with some pretty quirky humor, there are four short scenes:

1. Turnips in Love
2. Pizza Links
3. The Return of Captain N
4. Simon’s Supper

One of the best parts of the video is the transitions from section to section – the artist put some very creative thinking into practice moving from scene to scene. For example, moving from a scene about affectionate turnips to a scene about four versions of The Legend of Zelda‘s Link eating pizza. Also, I don’t want to give too much away, but for all you dreamers out there who have always wanted to see Link kissing somebody, this video is definitely for you.

Without further ado, I present to you, Read Only Memory: Volume 1.

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You don't want to know what he's looking at

There’s a certain charm that comes with a series which places its story origins in auto-erotic asphyxiation.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Legend of Neil is a live action web series which parodies many video games, but specifically hits the Zelda soft spot more often than any other. While remaining thoroughly tasteless and obscene, the series still manages to get some good laughs; the jokes and situations are anything but subtle, but they still manage to be funny and entertaining. The series boasts fantastic acting for a web series and the story, while making about as much sense as one might expect, actually does flow more or less coherently.

New from the shamelessly vulgar series is the 3rd episode of Season 3.  In this episode, Neil will be battling giants, rearing children from the Great Fairy, and resisting gay advances from another fairy (pun intended) with a tribal arm band tattoo.

Hit the jump to watch the episode!

Disclaimer: Legend of Neil focuses on many mature themes that some may not find suitable for younger viewers.

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Whoa, has it been nearly two weeks already? Looks like it has! This is just to remind all you folks who have not yet entered our Great Skyward Sword Giveaway that you only have until midnight tomorrow, EST, to submit your entry! If you’re still unsure what to submit, keep thinking – and the submission form will automatically close at midnight tomorrow.

For contest details, including what to and how to enter, you can view the original contest post here. Good luck to all entrants, and we’ll have the results for you sometime around a week after tomorrow!

The mailbag questions have been pouring in so fast that I’ve had to step up production! Thanks to NintendoCapriSun for his recording!

The mailbag will be back again soon, so remember to send in your (Zelda-related) questions.

Run, you coward!

No, these are not your workplace managers sent to space (wouldn’t that be nice?). Instead, these are two videos of the boss battles from the Skyward Sword demo, courtesy of GameTrailers at GamesCom.

While they do not show us anything we haven’t really seen before, it’s still nice to get another perspective on these battles, if for nothing more than to giggle at how absolutely terrible the player is. We’ve seen others take on these bosses, and they seem to grasp the basic concept of slicing vertically when the claws are open horizontally. . . but I suppose not everyone can be so observant.

Regardless, have a view of these videos after the jump!

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Note: Readers may have noticed my mistake yesterday of referencing a female figure in the trailer, where I meant to reference the one in the concept art – I sincerely apologize for the mistake, and it has been fixed.

Posted earlier today on the website of none other than Official Nintendo Magazine, is a new interview with Eiji Aonuma. These interviews are met with great joy from some and absolute terror from others. Regardless of their personal reaction, the gaming community is all ears. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much new insight into the game from this particular interview, but there are certainly a few highlights.

Firstly, it has been definitively confirmed that the feminine figure in the concept art  is not going to be Zelda. Aonuma was keen on not revealing the identity, but he did confirm this singular fact.

Second, in a move that may upset many longtime fans of the series, but may excite others, Aonuma has said that the development team is “reimagining some of the traditional gameplay elements. ” To elaborate, this basically means that the game will still have the traditional over-world and dungeon themes we are all intimately familiar with, but some integral things (and he never makes it quite clear what these things specifically will be) are to be altered. Oh, and for all you timeline fanatics out there:  it has been confirmed that Skyward Sword’s position in the timeline is before Ocarina of Time – though there was no elaboration on this point in the interview.

For more information on Aonuma’s plans for the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time, and also some personal information about the man behind the curtain, be sure to check the source.

Source: Official Nintendo Magazine

Stalking Link

Some of you might remember us reporting on a collection of Zelda parody vignettes done in construction paper a couple months ago. Well, ericpowerup is at it again!

Back with another set of Zelda parodies done in construction paper, Eric pokes fun at everything from lazy Link in A Link to the Past to creepy Ruto’s crush in Ocarina of Time. There’s even an adorable cameo by everyone’s favorite “neighbor.”

All in all, it’s over three minutes of pure construction papery Zelda goodness. And we certainly hope ericpowerup brings us a third “Zelda on Paper” soon!

View the video after the jump!

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"Drink up for health..."

Ever wanted your own bottle of Lon Lon Milk? Well, you are in luck! Etsy artist Careless Sympathy currently is offering miniature bottles for our enjoyment in the form of a necklace pendant.

Each bottle pendant is 12×24 mm, contains a milk-like substance (water mixed with acrylic paint), and has a secure cork top. The label is also securely attached with super glue and the pendant comes on a high quality, 16 inch long silver plated snake chain with lobster clasps.These are all handmade and no two bottles are alike! They cost $9.99 USD plus shipping, and the artist can also ship internationally.

A recent addition to Etsy, Careless Sympathy is starting her venture into geek jewelry among her other other works. She is pretty open to try new things and guarantees her products as she states in her shop policies. Check out what she currently has in her shop and check back later for more additions. I hope to see more Legend of Zelda geekery from this promising artist!