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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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Watch the Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Trailer

Want to see a trailer for the new Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks? You're in luck! You can see video of the next game in the Zelda franchise right here. If the game looks too awesome to wait for, worry not! It comes out on December 7, 2009.

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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Release Date for Europe

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks release date for Europe has been set. The DS game will hit shelves in Europe on December 11th. There is no word yet on whether or not the game will reach Australian shores on the same day, but it looks likely.

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Spirit Tracks Comes Out on December 7

Nintendo has announced that their upcoming Zelda game for the DS, Spirit Tracks, will come out on December 7. Spirit Tracks is the official sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and will feature the same touch-screen controls and 3D presentation as its predecessor.

Source

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