With 2011 coming to an end, the Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary still has a few surprises left to give to the fans of the series.
 

    As many of you know, it has been a pretty great year for The Legend of Zelda fans as February 21, 2011 marked the 25th Anniversary of this epic series since it was released in Japan. Much like the 25th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros., people eagerly awaited news of any kind about what good ol' Nintendo had in mind for everyone for the celebration. On June 7th, Nintendo released two different things for the Zelda fans. The Big N re-released the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for the 3DS as well as showed off a HD version of Zelda to show the power behind their 2012 home console, the Wii U at the E3 conference.

                             
                                         Looks good, but don't forget the Wind Waker switch.

   If you're one that never played Link's Awakening DX, now is your chance if you have a 3DS. You can grab this title off the eShop for $5.99. Link's Awakening is a remake of the Game Boy title Link's Awakening that received a splash of color and re-released on the Game Boy Color back in October of 1998 along side the other two Zelda titles on the GBC. After the defeat of Ganon and restoring peace to the land of Hyrule, Link became restless and decided that it was time to move on and train in foreign lands.

                                         Link against a Stalfos on the Game Boy Color

   Once his training was complete, he then made his way back to Hyrule in a small sail boat. During his travels, however, he met head-on with a ominous storm that beat on his ship, causing him to black out and awaken on the shores of Koholint Island where a girl named Marin finds him. It is said that the people of Koholint Island can never leave unless the Wind Fish is raised from his slumber. In order to do this, Link must travel all across the island in search of eight magical instruments that he must play in front of the giant egg on the highest mountain of Koholint Island. Only then will the Wind Fish awaken and Link be set free to return to Hyrule.

   Then on June 17th, 2011, early owners of the Nintendo 3DS jumped hungrily at the release of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, which was a remake that fans like to see. A ground up remake in graphics and some modifications to fit the handheld, but essentially un-touched as far as the game as a whole goes. Nintendo went on to include a Master Quest version of the title, which could only be found on the special Nintendo Gamecube disc available to those who pre-ordered the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and then again as a special Collector's Edition Gamecube disc that was released in May of 2009. The 3DS remake also came with a Boss Rush mode in which you could go back after defeating a boss in the story mode and try your hands at beating them again in a faster time. Times were available world wide for others to see and beat if they desired. The other update to the game was the new Hint Mode in which you as Link, could talk to the Sheikah Stones (also known as Gossip Stones) and they would offer hints visually on how to solve puzzles or where to go next. If you are unfamiliar with Ocarina of Time, then you need walk away from the computer RIGHT NOW and boot up either your Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii or 3DS and play this amazing game already.

                               The two collector's discs that Ocarina of Time appears on for the Gamecube.

   On August 8th, Nintendo began the Flip Note contest, which was a month long contest, where fans of the series could use the Flip Note program on their 3DS or DSi systems. Here, they would create a short story using at least 240, but no more than 300 frames to create their favorite moments, what Zelda means to them or anything else that really came to their mind as long as it fit the rules. You can also see more entries HERE (http://zelda.nintendo.com/flipnote/)

                              
                                                       One video of the Flip-Note winners.

   Then on September 1st, 2011, early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS were given Ambassador status for paying the full price for the system when it was first released (the $250 price tag). Once Nintendo saw that their new handheld was doing poorly in sales, they cut the price of the system as well as their salaries in order to make this new system work and work it did. Sales began to rise as the new price tag striked a fancy to those who were on the fence to buying this new wonderful system. But what about those (and ME!) that bought the system when it first came out so we could have it ready in time for Ocarina of Time 3DS? Well, that is where the Ambassador Program came into play. Those that registered their system before a specific date were allowed 20 free downloads of past games. The first ten games were NES titles and two of which were the Legend of Zelda and The Legend of Zelda II: Link's Adventure. Time to save Hyrule and feel nostalgic at the same time.

                    The Legend of Zelda and The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link on the NES

   September 19th saw the unofficial use of Link's likeness on the iPhone with the "Ultimate iZelda Climb". Audio Attack, the developer of the game is known for ripping the likenesses off of various Nintendo characters and creating Game Apps on apple devices. Ultimate iZelda Climb is the combination of The Legend of Zelda and Doodle Jump. The game had cost $0.99, but the game is no longer available for purchase. Even other people were cashing in on the Zelda anniversary. To get get things back on track with the Nintendo licensed products, the Big N released The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. This title was a remake multiplayer port. To know more about it, see my CLICK HERE to check out my earlier post on it.

                                                           Ultimate iZelda Climb

   Almost a month later, On October 21st, Nintendo held a concert in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre where a symphony would play the many tunes from the The Legend of Zelda series. All the songs heard during the concert were hand picked by Koji Kondo, the creator of the music, although some game tunes were missing though (Majora's Mask), but over all, it was a great show for the Zelda fans. Walking into the theatre all done up in Zelda decorations, you were able to purchase souvenirs at the stands made available in the lobby and then head on in to the main hall where you were graced with the melodies you've come to love for years. Another special surprise to those that attended this show was the appearance of Eiji Aonuma and spoke to the audience, giving thanks for their support throughout the years. If you weren't able to make it to Los Angeles to see the concert, it has been stated that the concert will be making a US tour kick-starting in January in Dallas, TX. The concert will be called The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. Be sure you're on the lookout for the show to come to your city.

   The Legend of Zelda was also making its way into other games, such as Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS that was released on November 13th. It would be world 5-2 that paid a direct homage to the Legend of Zelda series. This was the first time that Mario has had anything involving Zelda in its titles, though the same could not be said for Zelda. One of many examples of that would be the Chomp-Chomp dog like creature from Mario that is found in Link's Awaking DX mentioned above. What else could come for Zelda fans across the world? Keep reading.

                                                        Super Mario 3D Land World 5-2

   On November 20th, 2011, many Wii owners would dust off their systems in anticipation for the latest Zelda game released and that was none other than The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This game received perfect scores with multiple game sites and magazines and is considered to be as great, if not greater, than the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and that is the game that most all games (Nintendo or not) are compared to. Skyward Sword was the game that pushed the Wii and made use of the Motion Plus controls in the way that it was meant to be used. This game took the adult look of the Gamecube and Wii's Twilight Princess and combined it with the beautiful cel-shaded style of the Gamecube's Wind Waker to make this painting-like game come alive. It was stated that Skyward Sword would be the first game in the Legend of Zelda timeline which, if you're a Zelda fan, has been a conversation topic for years. Skyward Sword also took some ideas from the black sheep of the Zelda family, Zelda II, such as the RPG element of upgrading your gear. There were many references as well, such as the Goddess Harp that is your musical instrument for the game is the one that Sheik uses in Ocarina of Time. Another fun fact for you all is that the red bird emblem on the Hylian Shield is an homage of Crimson Loftwing that the hero Link has in Skyward Sword. For more on Skyward Sword, you can check it out HERE.

                                                   Link on his Crimson Loftwing and the Hylian Shield

   Five days later, on November 25th, Nintendo released (about time!) a Zelda Collector's Edition of the Nintendo 3DS which came bundled with a copy of Ocarina of Time. This helped shoot the sales for the 3DS through the roof, allowing the new system to beat sales of the original DS when that was first released. This beautiful system was a Cosmo black with gold trimming. The Triforce is on the front and the instruments from Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword (Ocarina and Harp) are on the top of the system as well. When opened, the markings of the buttons have gold on them as well. If you're looking for for a gift for yourself or for that special Zelda fan in your heart, you can find the limited system here.

                                                                   Collector's Edition Zelda 3DS

   Then we come up to TODAY, December 16th, 2011. One more Zelda game that was released on the Game Boy Advance is being re-released for those with a 3DS and the Ambassador's Program certificate: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The Minish Cap at the time of the release, was considered to be the first Zelda game in the Zelda time-line. In The Minish Cap, you control Link and are able to fully roam the land of Hyrule, but this time you'll be able to see the land from two sets of eyes. That of the human (Hylian) eyes and that of the tiny race called the Picori which Link has the ability to shrink to the size of. The Minish Cap is actually apart of The Four Swords story, though you retain the single player dungeon exploring aspects of most Zelda titles. Vaati is once again the villain who is out to nab up Zelda in order to revive his Master. At this time it is said that the release is for Japan only (for now) but is apart of the Ambassador Program and should be available to the US in the next couple of days if not the today.

                                                            The Minish Cap from the Game Boy Advance

                                                                             
   Just when you thought that you were done, the folks over in Japan (and hopefully us here in the US) are being rewarded with a tome of information and previously unreleased artwork for the entire Legend of Zelda series in a 25th Anniversary Encyclopedia called "Hyrule Historia". This book is 274 pages of greatness that you can get lost in for quite some time. It features the various concept art for Link's wolf forms of Twilight Princess, his Loftwing for Skyward Sword, the promo posters for each game as well as the character concepts throughout each game. There will even be some manga pages that were for the various games as well as a history of Hyrule and the hardships and peace that the land went through. It is even said that there might be a correct timeline for the Zelda series that would put to rest all the fanboy arguments that have sparked all over the world. This treasure of a book is set to be released in Japan on December 21st and will be priced at ¥3255 (USD$41).

                                                   Hyrule Historia cover and interior page

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