The Hyrule Report: 2009

Saturday, December 19, 2009

New Spirit Tracks Interview from Eiji Aonuma

The Spirit Tracks related news may have slowed, but it hasn't stopped! Eiji Aonuma has done a new interview about his thoughts on the game. Here are a few tidbits:

"I thought the idea of working together with the Phantom Guardians in your adventure was pretty fun...But they're enemies, after all, so we had to think up some kind of motive for them to be your friends. At the same time, though, I liked how the Phantoms were a sort of 'unbeatable enemy' in the last game and I didn't want to change that. That's how we began to think about some way to use Princess Zelda."

"People on the staff have wanted to have Zelda in the game for ages, but if we did that, then her skirt becomes an issue...Having girls in dresses in an action game is kind of hard to deal with. That's how we got the idea of having her body stolen and her soul going inside Phantom Guardians."

To read the full interview, go here.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Zelda Movie Hero of Time Released Online

Now that Spirit Tracks has launched, Zelda news has been a little slow, but fear not! The live action Zelda movie has finally been released online. You can watch the movie streaming here. The film is pretty impressive for a fan movie, and it's a great little Christmas present for any fan of the Zelda series. Enjoy!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

New Japanese Spirit Tracks Commercials

Since Spirit Tracks was released in North America before it was released in Japan, there are now new Japanese Spirit Tracks commercials to enjoy.

Spirit Tracks is available in stores now.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Hilarious Zelda Flipnote Animation

If you're not too busy enjoying Spirit Tracks, take the time to enjoy this hilarious Zelda Flipnote animation. It'd make a great commercial for Spirit Tracks!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Spirit Tracks is Out Today!

At long last, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is out! I got my copy today and have been loving it so far. I'll try to get a review up later this week. Does anyone else have a copy? What do you think? Post your thoughts here.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

GameTrailers' review of Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Video Games | Zelda: Spirit Tracks | Review

GameTrailers has posted their video of review for the upcoming game Spirit Tracks. The review shows plenty of great gameplay footage, and is extremely positive, giving the game a 9 out of 10. Spirit Tracks comes out in just a few days- December 7, to be exact.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Opening Cinematic

The opening cinematic for Spirit Tracks is now available to watch above, courtesy of Gametrailers.com. It's the actual opening, so be sure not to watch it if you want to stay spoiler free! Spirit Tracks comes out next week.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Clips From the Japanese Version of Spirit Tracks

Can't wait to see more of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks? Check out these videos from the Japanese version. Obviously, these videos aren't in English, but they can still contain spoilers for the game, so view them at your own risk.

You can view the rest of the videos and more here. Spirit Tracks comes out in North America on December 7, 2009.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

More Interviews with Eiji Aonuma

The Legend of Zelda director Eiji Aonuma continues to do interviews. Since the last interview posted here, he's talked Zelda with Eurogamer and guardian.co.uk. Here are a few highlights:

"The Water Temple in the Ocarina of Time was notorious for being very tough to conquer," he says. "I am most sorry that it was not easy for you to put on and take off the heavy boots; that all the time you had to visit the inventory.
"I am," he continues, genuine regret evident in his tone, "very sorry about that. I should have made it much easier to switch to the heavy boots."

On handheld devices like DS, for the grand universe of Zelda to be correctly depicted, cel-shading or toon-shading style is the most appropriate. For example, for the touch operation we're using on DS, top-view angle is necessary. If we're going to apply photorealistic proportions between human characters and objects, the player character would have to be really small. But with more anime/Manga-style art, deformation is allowed and taken as a natural. By that I mean that building and some other objects around you can be very small compared with real life, but yet it's not strange in the anime style. That kind of deformation is readily available with cel-shading technology and thanks to that kind of graphical style we are now able to put Zelda in an adventure where people can identify the most important items without difficulty in understanding proper distance or proportion between character and object.

"I have an eight-year-old son myself at home, and quite recently he started playing The Phantom Hourglass for DS, because when the software first hit the market he was too young. When he started playing with the boat, I told him: 'In the next Zelda, you are going to be able to ride on the train.' He answered: 'OK, Dad, first boat, and then train? Surely next time, Link is going to fly in the sky ... '"

You can read the full interviews at Eurogamer and guardian.co.uk.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Two UK Commercials for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Two UK Commercials for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks have surfaced online. You can view the first one above, and the second one below. These commercials show some gameplay footage along with a description of some of the exciting stuff we can expect in the game.

Spirit Tracks comes out in Europe on December 11, 2009. It comes out in North America on December 7, 2009.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Eiji Aonuma Talks Zelda in New Interview

In a new interview, Eiji Aonuma talks about Zelda Wii as well as the past Zelda games he's worked on. He discussed how Spirit Tracks has had an influence on Zelda Wii already.

"The Difference between the two platforms (Wii and DS) is big. The experience with Spirit Tracks, trying to enhance an already ‘near-perfect control’, is what pushed us on learning how to rack our brains. With Wii it is the same, we want to make the most of its controls. We want the player to control the game in the best possible way. On Wii, the camera is more realistic. Graphics are more realistic, too, and controls have to be, therefore, much more realistic".

Aonuma also discussed how the classic game Ocarina of Time has shaped Zelda games since.

"There were a lot of things we couldn’t do [back with OoT] due to technical limitations. But I think we’ve been solving those issues with every Zelda since then. With each entry, I’ve tried to add things I couldn’t do before. Actually, it’s like I’ve been remaking it during these years. So if you ask me if there’s going to be a Zelda remake… I thought I was making it all this time! So it maybe I haven't done well enough, I haven’t been up to the expected level.”

"It’s complicated. Past things belong to our memories, and they grow bigger in there. If you play Ocarina of Time nowadays, you notice that it’s not that good. Sometimes it doesn’t move as fast as it should, graphics aren’t as beautiful as they should be; there are some confusing parts… Any present Zelda is technically superior. Everything goes faster, more fluid… but to best Ocarina of Time, a great change –comparable to what happened back then- must be introduced. And that’ll be rather complicated".

He finished off the interview by answering a question about the infamous arguments between him and Shigeru Miyamoto.

“I didn’t know our discussions were so well known! I believe we have different visions because Mr. Miyamoto is just a genius; he’s got an innate talent, and everything I do, I had to learn step by step. And it took a lot for me, I have no natural talent. I’ve spent many years with Mr. Miyamoto and, since the beginning, the moment I have to bring my work and show it to him for his opinion is a very special moment, and I enjoy with it. (…) He notices things I’d never see. After this time, our visions are starting to match up more and more. However, I have a lot more left to try to reach his level”.

Source.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

New Spirit Tracks Official Artwork

New Spirit Tracks official artwork has surfaced. The batch of artwork seems to reveal a lot about the game, from different weapons for Link to new characters. You can take a look at some of the pieces below:

Spirit Tracks will come out on December 7, 2009.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Two Minutes of New Spirit Tracks Footage

Two minutes of new footage from the upcoming DS game Spirit Tracks are available for viewing above.The footage gives us a look at the train routes and also show a bit of some of the game's dungeons. Check back here for more Spirit Tracks news!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

First US Commercial for Spirit Tracks

The first US commercial for Spirit Tracks has been released and can be viewed above. Though brief, it did a good job of psyching me up to play the game. I only wish it showed a little more gameplay footage. Hopefully we'll see a bit more of that before Spirit Tracks comes out on December 7.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Zelda Movie The Hero of Time to be Released Online

The independant Zelda Movie The Hero of Time will soon be released online. Fans of the Zelda series will be able to watch the movie through video sharing site Dailymotion as of December 14, 2009. You can check out a trailer for The Hero of Time above.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Spirit Tracks Intro Trailer

A new trailer for Spirit Tracks has appeared online, available for viewing above. This trailer is an introduction to the back story of the upcoming DS game. Spirit Tracks comes out next month.

As for those of you who are getting a bit sick of all the Spirit Tracks news, here's something a little different:

The Etsy shop orgXIII is selling Zelda hats like the one pictured above, as well as a few other styles. The hats are $25 each and would make a pretty neat Christmas gift. If you see any other great Zelda-related gifts, let us know and we'll feature them here.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Three Minutes of Footage From Spirit Tracks

The wealth of new information about Spirit Tracks continues. The official Japanese site for the game has posted three minutes of footage from the game, which you can view above. The footage lets you see things like characters and gameplay from the upcoming Zelda title. There's not much longer to wait on Spirit Tracks- it comes out on December 7.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

New Instrument For Link in Spirit Tracks

More exciting new information about Spirit Tracks has been trickling out. Official Nintendo Magazine revealed here that Link will have a new instrument to play in the game, with songs you can learn to unlock different things in the game. The instrument will be played using the stylus and the DS microphone. The official art of Link playing the instrument, called the Spirit Pipes, is pictured above. A few in-game screenshots of the instrument are pictured below:

For those of you who don't already know, Spirit Tracks comes out on December 7, 2009.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

New Spirit Tracks Trailer

More and more information about Spirit Tracks is leaking out as its release date gets closer and closer. There's now a new trailer for the game, which you can watch above. If you want to know even more about Spirit Tracks, IGN did video in which they completely break down the Spirit Tracks trailer that you can check out here. Spirit Tracks' North American release date is December 7, 2009.

Friday, November 6, 2009

New Official Spirit Tracks Art

5 new pieces of official art for the upcoming DS game The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks have been released. One is pictured above, and here are the four additional pictures below:

Spirit Tracks comes out on December 7, 2009.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

More Miyamato Comments on Zelda Wii

Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has let a few more tidbits about Zelda Wii drop. In a recent interview, he said the following on motion plus:

“We’re implementing it so that players can feel like they themselves are holding the sword. In the previous Zelda (Twilight Princess Wii) the targeting was based on the IR pointer. This time however, we’ll be using MotionPlus for a variety of more convenient targeting systems that will allow for more pleasant gameplay.”

He also had more to say about Zelda Wii when asked about the upcoming DS title Spirit Tracks, saying that:

“[Spirit Tracks] will be really fun. It’s turning out to be rather challenging. Many of our Japanese customers were introduced to the Zelda series with Phantom Hourglass, and ST could prove to be kind of hard for them, but I thought we’d show them what Zelda is really made of this time around. So it’s turning into quite a unique title. I’ve managed to gather quite a few creative team members for Zelda ST, so I’d like Zelda Wii to also enjoy creative development as much as possible.”

Keep reading here for the latest news on Zelda Wii!

Source.

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Screenshots

With The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks' release date looming ever closer, I thought I'd share a few screenshots with everyone to help tide you over until the game arrives.

Spirit Tracks comes out on December 7, 2009 in North America.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Amazing Sheik Artwork

I happened to stumble upon this amazing piece of Sheik artwork this morning and wanted to share it with my fellow Zelda fans. I wouldn't change a thing about Ocarina of Time, but it's pretty cool to imagine it looking like this. I found this picture on a Japanese art site where it was uncredited. If anyone knows the artist, please let me know so that I can credit them in this post. If you'd like to see the full size version, click here.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

European Spirit Tracks Box Art

An image of the European Spirit Tracks Box Art has been released. You can check it out above. Spirit Tracks is a sequel to the hit DS title The Phantom Hourglass. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks comes out in North America on December 7, 2009 and in Europe on December 11th, 2009.

Monday, October 26, 2009

10 Awesome Zelda Wallpapers

Looking for some Zelda wallpaper for your desktop? These wallpapers are perfect for any Zelda fan.

1024 × 768

1280 × 1024

1024 × 768

1400 × 1050

1400 × 1130

1024 × 768

1000 × 518

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Excuuuuuse Me, Princess!

Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics has written a great post about Link's famous "excuuuuse me, princess!" line from The Legend of Zelda cartoon.

He's charted how many google hits the phrase gets based on the amount of u's used.

To see the full post, click here.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Shigeru Miyamoto Interview Mentions New Wii Zelda

Shigeru Miyamoto was recently interviewed by MTV Multiplayer. The interview mostly is about the upcoming DS game Spirit Tracks, but he gave a little tidbit for those looking forward to the next Zelda on the Wii. Miyamoto siad that it will be "really fun to move your body around." when asked about a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

You can see the full interview here.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks Limited Tin Edition

If you're planning on purchasing The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks when it comes out on December 7, you might want to check out this special limited edition version that retailer Gamestation is offering. The game comes in a stylish tin case, and also contains two Zelda figures, pictured below:

Gamestation is a UK retailer, so there's a chance you may be able to pick up this limited edition at Gamestop or another store in the US.

Source.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

12 More Awesome Zelda Icons

Since people loved the last batch of Legend of Zelda themed icons, here are 12 more 100x100 icons. If you'd like to see Zelda icons in another size, please let me know.