Shortly after our recent news post about Aonuma hinting at the possibility of a Zelda game starring the Princess herself, the story quickly circulated and the internet has gone wild with discussion, debates and excitement. The Zelda producer said that if there were enough people interested, then he may consider giving Princess Zelda a leading role as a playable character. Though just a passing comment, there has been an incredible response to the concept here at ZU and elsewhere. Our friends over at Zelda Informer went even further, and wrote a letter to Aonuma that will be sent out this week.

Before it is sent though, they want your support! An excited frenzy of fans has already overwhelmed the comment section, but they could always use a little more, right? Since so many of you here have had very insightful and positive feedback to share on the topic, you can put those words to even greater use by potentially having your voice heard by Aonuma.

James Rolfe, otherwise known by his immensely popular alter ego “the Angry Video Game Nerd”, has uploaded a new video to his Cinemassacre YouTube channel. Along with Mike Matei, the duo take a look at a couple homebrew NES cartridges they received in the post. One of these fan-made carts is “The Legend of Zelda: Curse From the Outskirts – Redux”.

It turns out the game is a re-skinned Mario game with Link replacing the bouncy plumber. Interestingly, classic Zelda enemies also make an appearance, and the Triforce is a power-up. While this isn’t a typical AVGN episode, be aware that this video contains some strong language. If you’re cool with that, hit the jump and enjoy the video!

During the announcement of Wind Waker HD in the January Nintendo Direct, we witnessed only a select few screenshots of the game. At E3 last week we finally got our first glimpse of gameplay for this beautiful new remake, with Nintendo upgrading the game with better lighting, improved textures, etc. Although, even with these upgrades, many people have argued whether or not the game really looks that much better than the original.

YouTube user ninten2tv has put together a comparison video between Wind Waker HD, and the original for the GameCube. When placed side-by-side, the difference between the two games is quite obvious. While not quite as cel-shaded as the original, the new HD graphics definitely do the game justice.

While playing Skyward Sword and Super Mario Galaxy, you probably realized that Gratitude Crystals and Star Bits shared an uncanny resemblance. Did You Know Gaming has now made it clear where these similarities began. These objects weren’t inspired by shooting stars or a science fiction form of solid gratitude but rather a delicious candy.

Known as konpeitō, this type of rock candy has a course sugar core that is coated in a colorful sugar syrup. The sweat treat originated in Portugal but was brought to Japan in the 16th century and is still popular today. In fact, it is possible to purchase these delights from a local Asian market or from online retailers.

Source: Did You Know Gaming (via GoNintendo)

In another interesting tidbit from the recent Nintendo Life interview, Aonuma provided a very interesting response when asked whether he would ever consider making Princess Zelda the protagonist in her own game.

“NL: The Zelda series tells the story of a male hero rescuing a female princess. Would you ever consider giving Zelda her own game?

Aonuma: This is the second time I’ve received this question during this E3! I guess if people have strong feelings about it then it’s something to consider. I’ll keep that in mind! [laughs]“

This could be a great idea. Zelda already has a strong sense of will and wisdom, and is skilled in magic and archery. Seeing a story unfold from her perspective could make for a very entertaining twist.

In an interview with Nintendo Life, Eija Aonuma has stated that the visual style of the  next Zelda instalment on Wii U will be neither realistic nor cartoony. He says that the game’s graphics will be “something new”, possibly suggesting an art style that we haven’t seen before in a Zelda game.

“The thing about Zelda is we want everything to be unique, whether it’s the graphical presentation or the gameplay,” he said. “It has to be something you can’t see anywhere else. We wouldn’t want it to be ultra-realistic because you can see that elsewhere. But I can’t say that it’s going to be cartoony-realistic, the fantastic presentation that we’ve already done in the past [with Wind Waker].

“It will be something new.”

Source: Nintendo Life

On the first day of E3 2013, a succinct and surprising email from one of our Nintendo contacts arrived in our inbox while we were eating dinner across from the Los Angeles Convention Center. The man didn’t waste any time. “Do you want to interview Eiji Aonuma?” was practically all that the message said.

Naturally, we responded yes.

The next night, we stopped by the Symphony of the Goddesses concert to enjoy the new Second Quest arrangements, and to interview the Symphony’s conductor, Eimear Noone. We told everyone that we’d be sitting down with Aonuma the next day. To our surprise, we found out that he had actually been at the concert, but left early.

“Do you want to interview Eiji Aonuma?”

Eimear told us that we would love sitting down with Mr. Aonuma. So we decided to give Mr. Aonuma the interview he deserved. We spent hours ensuring that each question we wanted to ask would be something Mr. Aonuma wasn’t expecting. No prying for information we knew we wouldn’t get. Just a great half-hour with some great questions.

The thirty minutes we spent with Mr. Aonuma paint the picture of a man just as self-conscious about his work as anyone; a genuine creator with an intense desire to balance freedom with making people happy. In the interview below, Mr. Aonuma touches on what he’s proud of most while acknowledging what makes him most vulnerable, providing a deep look inside the brain of the man who creates one of gaming’s largest franchises.

In an exclusive interview with Nintendo Life, Eiji Aonuma has discussed the idea of making downloadable content available for future instalments in the Zelda series. He says that it’s definitely a possibly Nintendo is considering, but they would have to ensure that such content would be “worth it for the user”.

“We’re certainly looking at different ways to add on content that would enhance the experience for the user – maybe more places to explore or just to enrich the experience beyond what is on the disc. But we also have to take into consideration that if we charge for this content then it needs to be worth it for the user. So it’s certainly a balancing an act, but I can’t say that it is something we’re not considering.”

Title image courtesy of ChetRippo of DeviantArt

E3 2013 was certainly a unique one as far as Nintendo went. For the first time in as far back as I can remember, Nintendo bowed out of the age-old tradition of having a pre-E3 press conference to announce their new titles and strategies. Instead they threw away the pomp and circumstances to simply present a prerecorded video message directly to the fans. While there’s some je ne sais quoi about having a formal press conference with all the trimmings, having a Nintendo Direct outlining all of the major releases and goals wasn’t a bad strategy. It presented all of the same announcements, checked all the same boxes, and more or less revealed everything that we had been wanting to know.

And, like many of you, I didn’t go home disappointed.

Want to own a piece of Zelda memorabilia that was only obtainable at this year’s E3, but you weren’t able to attend? No worries thanks to eBay. This solid black garment showcases The Wind Waker HD’s glorious logo in full HD* on the front and a display of the game’s characters awkwardly posing with their arms out as if they are about to run around and act like airplanes on the back.

The shirt is not on auction but rather as a “Buy Now” item for a hefty $99.99 USD plus shipping. If you’re a dedicated fan of the series and wish to own this clothing item, you better hurry as this is the literally the only one available on eBay. However, more may become available in the future.

The shirt only comes in medium and you can purchase it here.

*Not actually printed in HD

Source: eBay

During E3, the Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, was on hand at The Wind Waker HD booth where attendees were allowed to ask him one question. Daniel Vuckovic of Vooks, an Australian Nintendo site, inquired about an aspect many Zelda fans are curious about. Aonuma was asked if The Wind Waker HD would implement a hard mode that would be more challenging to players already familiar with the game or if any other changes had been made including the addition of cut content.

Sadly, Aonuma responded by saying that there won’t be a hard mode nor will any cut dungeons or content be restored. However, as mentioned in a previous posts, the Triforce collecting quest at the end of the game will be tweaked that will allow for smoother game play, the Tingle Bottle feature will replace the Tingle Tuner, and you will now have the power to increase the boat’s speed.

Update:

Aonuma has explained further why these dungeons will not be making an appearance. Hit the jump to find out why!

During an analyst presentation, Nintendo announced that the upcoming 3DS Zelda game, A Link Between Worlds, will release in the month of November 2013 in North America. There has been no discussion on the game’s release in other territories yet, with the European release  still vaguely regarded as “towards the end of the year”.

Looks like there’ll be two Zelda games this winter, following the other announcement that Wind Waker HD will release worldwide in October.

Source: IGN

In yesterday’s announcement regarding The Wind Waker HD, we touched on a new feature called the “Tingle Bottle”. We explained that the Tingle Bottle is used for exchanging messages to Miiverse, by putting the message in a bottle and throwing it in the ocean. As it turns out, this feature will be replacing the old Tingle Tuner.

As fans of the original game will recall, players used the Tingle Tuner by linking a Game Boy Advance to the GameCube, controlling Tingle in order to assist Link in his adventure and gaining information about the area currently being explored. Many have speculated that the 3DS would be adopted for use in this feature in The Wind Waker HD, replacing the GBA—but this is not the case.

As shown during the E3 Nintendo Direct, the new Super Smash Bros. will be releasing for both the Wii U and 3DS in 2014 and will feature the addition of new characters. Three of which have already been revealed. As you may have heard, Mega Man, Villager from Animal Crossing, and the Wii Fit Trainer will join the Super Smash Bros. roster. Recently Masahiro Sakurai sat down during a Nintendo Developer Direct to talk about these two new games that will be launching simultaneously.

Take the jump to learn exciting details on the new Super Smash Bros. and to watch the broadcast!

After the recent interview with Game Informer, Miyamoto was asked some questions by Gamesindustry in regards to Zelda Wii U. The man behind the series further explains why the much anticipated title was not shown at E3 in addition to discussing when we might see it in the future. Read on to get to the interview!