The mailbag for October 21, 2009 is contained within

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The generous folks at STLOcarina have decided to sponsor a Bank of Hyrule contest, and that means we get to have the fun of telling you that we’re holding another Bank of Hyrule contest! So, what are we giving away this time? You probably could have guessed it – a bunch of Zelda ocarinas.

If you haven’t already, check out our review of STLOcarina’s Zelda lineup (posted below), then hit up the read more link on this post to see how you can get your hands on a few of these ocarinas all free-like.

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For a while now, STLOcarina has been touting one of the only Ocarina of Time replicas on the market – that is, until Songbird Ocarinas came out with their OoT Ocarina.  But recently, STLOcarina has moved toward a new path in Zelda ocarina innovation, creating two of what I believe to be the most interesting and worthwhile ocarinas around. And they look just like rupees.

Fortunately, STLOcarina was nice enough to send me their full Zelda ocarina lineup. Let’s see if I’m nice enough to give them the thumbs up.

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A flurry of quotes have been circulated from Miyamoto’s recent roundtable in New York City, where’s he’s discussed everything from Wii Fit to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Miyamoto also managed to find the time to sneak in a passage about upcoming Zelda titles when talking about New Super Mario Bros. Wii’s Super Guide feature (bolding is ours):

Miyamoto feels this is an inspirational tool of sorts for players. “I feel guilty when the Super Guide block appears,” he said. “I feel inspired to finish the level on my own.” New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the first game to include Super Guide, but it’s possible that future Wii titles could include it too. Each title will be evaluated individually, but something like this in a new Zelda could “open Pandora’s box,” he said, because it’s hard to decide how much of a puzzle solution should be revealed.

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Is there a need for a bigger sense of threat in Zelda? This article by Dathen Boccabella from ZeldaInformer explores the subject of threatening (or in this case, non-threatening) villains in our beloved Zelda franchise.

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GameSpot recently held a poll battle between Link and Gordon Freeman, as part of its “All Time Greatest Video Game Hero” tournament. The battle was extremely close, and the two remained within 0.5% of each other the entire match.

That is, until the creators of Gordon Freeman, Valve Corporation, stepped in on the last day, alerting their entire fan-base about the contest and telling them to vote for Gordon. This flooded the polls with 40000+ sudden votes and demolished Link’s chances for good.

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The Four Swords Part II manga by Akira Himekawa was released yesterday, October 6th, in bookstores across America. Like the other mangas in the series, the story will be based on the game itself. Look for it in your local bookstore or order online for a cover price of $7.99.

Continuing the series, look for The Minish Cap to be released December 1 and A Link to the Past on February 2.

Already released are Ocarina of Time Part I, Ocarina of Time Part II, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Four Swords Part I.

Gamespot is currently running a competition in which gamers vote to decide the greatest video game hero of all time, and, of course, Link has made it to the final four.

He is currently locked in a neck-and-neck battle with Gordon Freeman of Half-Life fame, and is just barely losing by 0.4%. You can check out the competition here.

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Interested in getting a Zelda-themed ocarina so that you can be like Link in Ocarina of Time? Blast Magazine recently interviewed ocarina-makers STL Ocarina about their Zelda-themed products and plans for the future. You can read the interview here.

Alongside replicas of the Ocarina of Time itself, the site also has other Zelda-themed products, such as a fully functional ocarina in the shape of a rupee, and songbooks of music from the Zelda series.

“All of the classic Zelda elements are there – Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, the Triforce, Hyrule – yet the story is a new Zelda tale in its own right.”

The Hero of Time is a full-length independent Zelda film which is loosely based on the events of Ocarina of Time. Lysia of the Sacred Realm has given it a thorough review, while making sure to avoid any spoilers. You can have a look at it here.

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The Four Swords Part II manga by Akira Himekawa will be released October 6th in bookstores across America. Like the other mangas in the series, the story will be based on the game itself. Look for it in your local bookstore or order online for a cover price of $7.99.

Continuing the series, look for The Minish Cap to be released December 1.

Already released are Ocarina of Time Part I, Ocarina of Time Part II, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Four Swords Part I.

Do you have way too much spare time and not enough friends? Then Papercraft Museum has a solution for you. Why don’t you make a life-sized paper statue of Link?

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Hey guys, remember this trailer?

For those that don’t, this is a fan-made movie about a story loosely based of Ocarina of Time. The movie has been completed for over three months and ZU staff has been completely unaware of it. Do we suck, or what?

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One of the most mysterious characters from Twilight Princess was the Hero’s Shade, the spirit of a former hero who knew many powerful techniques and taught them to Link. Not much is known about his past self, though it is widely believed from various clues that he was the original Hero of Time.

Dathen of ZeldaInformer has taken a deeper look into the past and true nature of the Hero’s Shade in his newest article, Spirit of the Hero, so if you played Twilight Princess and want to learn more about the character, you should take a look.

According to Amazon.co.uk, Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks is set for European release on December 4, 2009. Amazon is known to have a pretty good track record when it comes to correct dates so it is safe to assume this is the correct time frame. The release date for the US is rumored to be December 1, 2009 but has not been posted or made official.

Start saving your spending money because it looks like we have a holiday season release!