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Zelda in English and Complete

August 7, 2000

Nintendo wheeled out a very playable version of The Legend of Zelda: Majora�s Mask in English at its Seattle press event earlier today. The title, which the company�s Ken Lobb describes as "complete," plays exactly like its already-released Japanese predecessor, except that all of the in-game text is now in English. The good news is that it doesn�t look like much has been lost in the translation. Majora�s Mask retains the sometimes cryptic, sometimes amusing, always off the wall text delivery that made the Japanese incarnation of the game such a joy to play.
Several members of the press who were unable to play the Japanese version of Majora�s Mask because they couldn�t read the text actually skipped out on a lunch break altogether in order to hold as much time with the English version as possible. And more than a few, now able to read and understand the storyline, seemed relieved that the 72 hours time system of Majora�s Mask was not nearly as frustrating or difficult as they had previously thought.



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Majora's Mask Gold Cart Revealed

August 7, 2000

Earlier today at Nintendo�s Seattle based press event, the company unveiled its limited edition gold The Legend of Zelda: Majora�s Mask cartridge with lenticular front label, which will be handed out to those who preorder a copy of the game early. The firm�s Ken Lobb, holding Zelda cartridge in hand, explained that unlike Ocarina of Time, the gold cartridge itself will not be limited edition � everyone will have a chance to pick it up. However, only those wise enough to preorder the game will qualify for the gold cart with lenticular front label.



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Nintendo's Dolphin - A Little Later
August 9, 2000 7:48 AM PT

TOKYO -- Leading Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would unveil long-awaited details on Aug. 24 of two key next-generation game machines due for launch late this year and early next year.
The Kyoto-based company plans to launch the 128-bit video game machine, code-named Dolphin, in 2001, a delay from its original target of late this year.
Investors and analysts are eager for specifics on Dolphin following the recent launch of rival next-generation consoles in Japan: Sony Corp.'s PlayStation2 was released March 4 and Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast hit Japanese stores in late 1999.
Nintendo will also unveil the Game Boy Advance, a new version of the world's top-selling handheld game player, which will feature a 32-bit processing unit and telecommunications functions.
Dolphin delayed The originally scheduled summer launch of the machine was delayed until late this year due to tight supplies of components.
Details of Mobile System GB, a device connecting Game Boys to mobile phones, will be also disclosed at the news conference, scheduled ahead of the Nintendo Spaceworld 2000 exhibition for fans, a Nintendo spokesman said.
The new Nintendo products are expected to mark the start of a full-blown battle in the highly competitive game industry, with U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. scheduled to join the fray later in 2001 with its Xbox console
Nintendo's shares have held steady within a 15,000 to 20,000 yen range for most of the year, excluding a short-lived spike upward in February in line with other technology-related shares. Nintendo on Wednesday ended at 18,350 yen, down 0.81 percent or 150 yen from the previous session.


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Majora's Gold
US N64 owners get what Japan didn't -- a limited edition gold Majora's Mask cartridge.

July 26, 2000

Looking for a little extra incentive to pick up The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask this coming October? Nintendo may have just what you're looking for. Sister site FGN Online reports that the Big N will be offering a special limited edition gold cartridge for Nintendo 64 owners who take initiative and pick the game up through preorder or when it first debuts.
The limited edition cartridge will sparkle golden just as it did for Nintendo's initial release of Ocarina of Time, but it will also feature a lenticular front label, which changes images depending on the angle it is viewed from. Are you giddy yet?
Nintendo tells us that Zelda fanatics won't necessarily have to reserve the game early to get the limited edition gold copy, but -- as it is in short supply -- it'll go out on a first-come first-serve basis. Bearing that in mind, it is recommended that you reserve as soon as possible, and we're told that electronics retailers will begin taking preorders late August/early September.



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Trilogy of Zelda games looses one of them
Three of the most anticipated titles for the Gameboy Color, the oncoming Legend of Zelda trilogy, has unfortunately lost one of it's three titles.
Which game? We're not too sure, but the reason was due to some problems with programming, and spanning the story over three games. But the other two titles will still be here for Christmas, so Zelda fans sit tight.



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Majora's Mask Soundtrack Released
Koji Kondo's classic melodies from Majora's Mask are now available on CD in Japan.
June 30, 2000

Nintendo announced on its Japanese website that it has released the soundtrack to Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask in Japan. Available everywhere in Japan (and in select import stores everywhere else), the two-CD set features a whopping 112 pieces of music composed by Nintendo veteran Koji Kondo and Toru Minegishi.
In addition to the dramatic scores taken directly from the best-selling title, the CD also comes with a booklet that shows you how to play some of the songs on Link's ocarina in the game.
The CD is available from Pioneer LDC for Yen 3,675. Ask your local import store for availability.



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Another Zelda in 2001
Nintendo's supreme game creator says the wait shouldn't be long for a new adventure.

June 26, 2000

In an interview with Japanese gaming site, Famitsu.com, NCL boardmember and game designer Shigeru Miyamoto says it should only be "a little over a year" before we see the next Legend of Zelda videogame. Predictably Miyamoto was not specific about which system a new Zelda game would land on, but he was confident in his company's ability to cut down on a game's production time.
A Zelda game at launch, or at least early in the life of Project Dolphin, would fit within the timeframe Miyamoto mentions in the interview. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was only recently released in Japan and still hasn't made its way to US shores. Two N64 Zelda games within a year is highly unlikely.
The jump from 2D to 3D was one of the biggest hurdles in bringing Zelda from the SNES to the N64. Now that 3D gaming is the standard, Miyamoto claims it's only a matter of refining the game production techniques Nintendo has learned throughout the years.



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Dolphin Zelda in 2 Years?
I doubt it. But Nintendo claims they can. I still have trouble believing it, and personally dont expect a Dolphin Zelda until at least 2003, if not late 2002.
Nintendo has never had a good history at getting games like this out on time. OOT was scheduled for release in early 1997, if I recall correctly. End of 1998, with a lot of quality clearly cut out (still a great game, though) we get the game. I just dont think they can do it.
However, Gamers.com posted an interview between Famitsu Magazine in Japan, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Zelda.
Miyamoto: Oh, [I have something to say] about Majora�s Mask [Legend of Zelda: Majora�s Mask, recently released in Japan]. People, including Mario Club members [a Japanese N64 fan club], are saying the game is fun.
Famitsu.com: Huh? Yeah, it�s definitely fun.
Miyamoto: Uh huh. But then, we ask them, �Compared to Ocarina [Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the first N64 Zelda title], which is better?� Then, everyone says, Ocarina. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: Is that so? (laughs)
Miyamoto: Yeah, it�s a little difficult to compare the two, but the impression I get is that Ocarina has an appeal, like a classic TV drama, whereas Majora is fun because it�s a new type of game.
Famitsu.com: Yes, I agree. Ocarina may have more of a simple, straightforward enjoyableness [when] compared to Majora � considering the difficulty level of Majora, that is.
Miyamoto: Ahh. Then, maybe, it will be better if we adjust the difficulty level for the international version of Majora that�s coming up. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (laughs)
Miyamoto: I think, if people get stuck in this game, you should look at a strategy guide. Recently, I started to believe that when games are at this level, there�s nothing wrong with consulting a strategy guide. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: Really. In the past, maybe with the international version of Zelda� [the Legend of Zelda on the NES] I remember Nintendo included a sealed hint guide with the game, didn�t you?
Miyamoto: Oh yeah, [the guide] with the seal. Back in those days, the game got to be really dumb if you [knew] exactly what to do. These days, games have so much in it that it�s still enjoyable even if you know what to do.
Famitsu.com: Ah. But, I still think Zelda is one of those games you must figure out on your own.
Miyamoto: With the graphics of the past, you just couldn�t get that excited when Link picks up an item and that Pa-Pa-Pa-Paaaa! sound comes up. (laughs) But, the fact that you went through all this trouble to get it made the Pa-Pa-Pa-Paaaa! moment exciting, back in those days. However, with the graphic capabilities we possess now, we made it so that the game is exciting just watching the demos. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (laughs)
Miyamoto: I want Majora to sell for a long time, but I wonder how it will do.
Famitsu.com: I wonder.
Miyamoto: I want it to keep selling until Christmas.
Famitsu.com: (laughs)
Miyamoto: �Cause there won�t be another one.
Famitsu.com: Whoa, I didn�t want to hear that.
Miyamoto: (laughs)
Famitsu.com: Please, don�t let it be seven years again [the span of time between the Super NES version of Zelda and N64 version of Zelda]. I talked to this one guy that said, �I don�t want to be forty when the next Zelda comes out.� (laughs)
Miyamoto: Oh, don�t worry; the wait is only one year and a little bit.
Famitsu.com: Oh? A year and a bit only?
Miyamoto: Probably, it�ll make it way before the guy is forty. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (sighs) That�s a relief! But isn�t a year and a bit too rushed? (laughs)
Miyamoto: Recently we came up with a technique to make the game in a year.
Famitsu.com: What! That is superb news for game fans! (laughs)
Miyamoto: Whoops, I was wrong, I mean we came up with a technique to make the game in two years. Doing it myself, I realized why it takes three years to make a game.
Famitsu.com: Oh, really?
Miyamoto: We waited until too late in the game to get serious about it. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (uproar of laughter)
Miyamoto: It happens no matter what.
Famitsu.com: But, can you fix that?
Miyamoto: Yeah, you just have to reform them. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (laughs)
Miyamoto: Who knows what will really happen this time, but the hurile from 2D to 3D was really high. That�s why the hurdle from Super NES to Nintendo 64 was really high, but the next evolution�s hurdle won�t be as high.
Famitsu.com: I see.
Miyamoto: So now, it�s a matter of how much quality we are striving for. The drive to pursue quality gameplay is a consensus throughout the company, which gives me comfort. That�s why, as long as the gameplay level is high, I think we can have models without textures pasted on them.
Famitsu.com: Yes, I think so, too. (laughs)
Miyamoto: When I�m in the middle stages of game development, I wish users would tell me not to worry about little flaws with the graphics. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: Games in the middle of development become more and more flawed. (laughs)
Miyamoto: But, I�m sure people will have a problem if we tried to push them the early developmental stage [game versions]. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: (laughs)
Miyamoto: But, six months later, we�ll release the completed version. (laughs)
Famitsu.com: As a technique to trick the developers, doing it like this [how many PC game developers release a flawed game and patch it later] works quite well. (laughs)
Well, I think this answers a lot of questions, and raises many more. Apparently, Nintendo has plans to release this game fast. However, it appears (to me, anyway) that they are sacraficing graphics in order to get it out on time. However, I am glad to hear they are worrying about gameplay. This game in two years thing almost definately rules out the 500 hour gameplay rumor.
We'll just have to wait and see.



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Majora's Mask Masks
WATCH OUT! - This could be a spoiler if you didn't play the game yet! It gives you the locations and the ways to get the masks. You have been warned :)
The Ocarina of Time had Ocarina Songs and Majora's Mask has Masks. Here are all of the Masks avaliable in the game. In their order in the Selection Screen from left to right.
Post Hat - Go through the events mentioned in chapter 21 in our Japanase walkthrough to get it.
Staying Up Late Face (Yofukashi Otsura) - Stop the burgler at 0:00 on day 1, then buy it for 500 rupees on day 3 from the Mani shop.
Explosion Face (Bakuretsu Otsura) - Stop the burgler at 0:00 on day 1 by slashing him with your sword. You can blow yourself up with it.
Rock Monster Face (Ishi Coro Otsura) - Use the Lens of Truth by the Ikana graveyad and give some medicine to the injured soldier you see.
Big Fairy Mask (Daiyousei no Kamen) - Return the lone fairy found in Clock Town at night to the spring in Clock Town. This will cause faries in dungeons to fly towards Link.
Deku Nuts' Mask (Deku Nuts no Kamen) - You automatically get it when you return to the mask collector on day 1 for the second time. Changes Link into Deku Link, one of the 3 transformation masks.
Keaton's Face (Kiiton no Otsura) - Go through the events in chapter 21 to get it. You can use the Keaton's Face to talk to the grass that runs away from you in Clock Town and Milk Road.
Buruu Face (Buruu Tsura) - Talk to the old man with the music box in Clock Town at night. He is found by the stream.
Usagi Zukin (Bunny Hood) - Round up the chicks on day 3 in the shed in the back of the Romani Ranch using the Buruu Face.
Ribbit's Face (Gero no Otsura) - Give the meat found in the Goron Village to the Goron with the frog on it's head. It will let you talk to frogs.
Mister Pig's Face (Buusan no Otsura) - Chase the Deku Prime Minister through the mini mase on the side of the Deku Nuts Kingdom after rescuing the Deku princess. Will allow you to find mushrooms.
Goron's Mask (Goron no Kamen) - Use the Lens of Truth outside the cave where you got it and follow the ghostly Goron. Climb up the wall when you get to it using the Lens still, then talk to him in the cave and play the Song of Healing. It will allow you to transform into Goron Link.
Romani's Face (Romanii no Otsura) - Complete the poe sidequests on the Romani Ranch on day 1 and 2. It can be used to get into the Milk Bar.
Chairman Face (Zachou Otsura) - Play the songs under the light in the Milk Bar for the man who is shaped like an egg.
Cafe Face (Cafe Otsura) - Given to you by the fat lady in one of the buildings on the east side of town. Loving Face (Meoto no Tsura) - Go through the events in chapter 21 to get it.
Truth Face (Makoto no Otsura) - Find and destroy the first 30 golden spiders. It will allow you to talk to animals and gossip stones.
Zora's Mask (Zora no Kamen) - Push the beached Zora over to land, then talk to him and play the Song of Healing for him. It will allow you to transform into Zora Link.
Kamaro's Mask (Kamaro no Otsura) - Play the Song of healing for the guy doing the snake dance on the mushroom structures by Clock Town.
Mummy's Face (Gibudo no Otsura) - Play Song of Healing for the mummy in the closet of the musical house.
Garo's Face (Garo no Otsura) - Defeat the milk-selling guy in a horse race by riding into his ranch on Milk Road with Epona.
Captain's Hat (Taichou no Boushi) - Defeat the big skeleton in the graveyard and open the chest on the roof. Will let you communicate with skeletons.
Giant's Mask (Kyojin no Kamen) - Find it in the room before the boss of dungeon 4. Use it to fight the bosses (Twin Mold).
Adult Link Mask - Complete all the mini dungeons before the final battle. You will need all 20 of the other regular masks (not including the Deku Nuts Mask, Goron Mask, and Zora Mask). This lets you transform into Adult Link.


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Miyamoto & Aonuma Interviewed
Nintendo's main designers talk with IGN64 about Majora's Mask, N64, Dolphin and flying machines.
At last month's E3 show in Los Angeles IGN64 sat down with Nintendo's legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto and the lead director for Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Eiji Aonuma, for a few words. The two Nintendo figures spoke on the difficult development process for Majora's Mask, and many other topics including future N64 software, the Game Boy Advance, the Dolphin system, what to expect from Space World and flying machines. Following is the full transcript of our interview.
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Shaping Nintendo
IGN64: What time do you wake up in the morning?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, it's about the time that the company opens, or shortly before then.
IGN64: Take us through your work day.
Miyamoto: Probably I come into the office and say, "I'm sorry I'm late." [laughs] Then I check the e-mails and take a look through all of the sample cartridges piled on my desk. If I find any problems I immediately contact the respective teams.
Eiji Aonuma: First thing in the morning I have to finish up the game specifications that I failed to complete the night before. Then I bring the new specifications to the programmers and, at the same time, check on how they have made everything based on the specifications I gave them the previous day, and I repeat this procedure until noon.
Miyamoto: I of course have the same experiences. At Nintendo it is often custom that we never make the whole game specifications at the beginning. But rather, we are making something, and depending on that we are making some other things. If you change one element, you have to change many others. Many directors work overtime and rewrite the design specifications at night. Even if you cant' work the next day, you still have to finish the specs and place a memo with the chances on the programmers desks.
IGN64: Do you get a lot of fan e-mail?
Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, we have the firewall system so that we're shut out from the rest of the world, but as a matter of fact sometimes we get some truly frightening e-mails.
IGN64: When making Majora's Mask, what were some of the problems you ran into? What was most difficult?
Aonuma: Originally we were going to make Majora's Mask Game Time last one week. Later we decided to make it shorter so that players could enjoy only three days, but could repeat the same day again and again. We had to come up with all kinds of ideas to make this scenario work. Losing certain items when you travel through time may seem unreasonable at first. But limitations like these are actually the result of many delicate modifications. In the end, that's what makes the game work. So, even though it may seem like a mean limitation, it's actually the outcome of many long and heated discussions.
IGN64: What kind of boss is Miyamoto? Is he a strict boss or lenient?
Aonuma: He knows of everything about gameplay and game-making so he's a person that we can never cheat. If we are going to make any mistake and try to hide it, he becomes very persistent.
[Aonuma and Miyamoto laugh]
Miyamoto [to Aonuma]: How come you didn't tell them whether I'm strict or generous?
Aonuma [still laughing]: He's a generous person.
IGN64: For majora's Mask you have reused a modified version of the Ocarina of Time game engine. Is this a philosophy that Nintendo wants to continue with in the future?
Miyamoto: Gamers like the fact that we use a familiar engine, don't you think? I believe that the gamers won't feel as if they are playing on the old engine. As a matter of fact, when it comes to game design, we have come up with many new ideas. And in the future too, once we have established a 3D action game engine, we may use it again. It is possible that even for Dolphin we may use a similar type game engine from now.
IGN64: Is Majora's Mask Mr. Aonuma's last N64 game? Are you moving on to a new platform?
Miyamoto: For Aonuma it is the last game for Nintendo 64, but there are other teams still working on the console.
IGN64: How did you contribute to Excitebike 64?
Miyamoto: I was involved on the outline and final design. I was just giving them some comments during the final phase of development. If it were NCL's in-house game, I would have the final say about the product. But this time it's the United States' game so I gave some advice, but did not follow-up on the final results.
IGN64: What else do you have planned for Nintendo 64?
Miyamoto: I'm hopeful that our team can introduce a couple of new games for Nintendo 64 by the end of the year. These are not standard action-type games. We are calling them "communication games." I haven't told the details to the mass media in Japan just yet, so I'm not in the position to elaborate.
IGN64: NCL displayed a running demo of a game called Catroots on the E3 show floor. What is Catroots?
Miyamoto: It was originally made under the Marigul management. Now Nintendo is taking responsibility for producing the title. It's a rather unique concept. I just don't know kind of product it will finally be, but please look forward to the outcome.
IGN64: What do you think of Rare's lineup at the show? How about Dinosaur Planet?
Miyamoto: It looks really nice, doesn't it? I wish they would Star Fox characters so that they could use the title Star Fox Adventures. Maybe I should call the team and talk about it [laughs].
IGN64: Are you as involved with the Game Boy development as much as you are involved with the N64 development?
Miyamoto: Are you talking hardware?
IGN64: Software.
Miyamoto: Oh, software. In the case of the Nintendo 64, we were pretty much involved with the hardware design when developing the software. In the case of the Game Boy Color, no, we weren't involved in that design. But when it comes to games, yes. We are always in the process of having at least one title for the launch of a system, and that includes the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. In the case of the Game Boy Color, we were involved with the color version of The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Deluxe.
IGN64: How long have you been working on the Game Boy Advance hardware?
Miyamoto: The Game Boy Advance isn't an exception towards our team's involvement in any new hardware product. I, for one, have been involved in the kind of circumstantial layout of some key games, like working with the team responsible for Pokémon Gold and Silver&ldots; for example, we made it more colorful and interesting not only for the Color display but also for the monochrome. Of course, we are working on several ideas and titles right now. I am right now in the process of deciding what titles and ideas are appropriate for the Game Boy Advance hardware.
IGN64: What is your opinion on the Legend of Zelda trilogy in the works for Game Boy Color?
Miyamoto: Mr. Okamoto from Capcom is the producer on the games for the Game Boy Color, and he has been giving me the materials for the games. And what we have now is the games are becoming late, especially because of the "link system". With the link system, we're thinking about letting the gamer play whatever game first, and what happens in one game affects another game. And with that, the variable scenario is just increasing the work, and that's why we are late in schedule. But we can release the games later this year.
IGN64: How does the link system interface work?
Miyamoto: Well, for example, there are similar events in all cartridges. So if you've already finished one event on one cartridge, it makes the quest in another cartridge a little easier. Another example is if you find a specific item in one cartridge, then something special will happen on another cartridge.
IGN64: But how does that information get from one cartridge to the other?
Miyamoto: Password system.
IGN64: What are you most excited about on the Game Boy Advance hardware?
Miyamoto: Some day in Japan we are going to have a conference for third party developers, so until then I cannot explain to you in detail. But here's an example&ldots;when they were working on the Game Boy Color, I was thinking, what's so good about making the Game Boy into color? But after playing it, I realized, it's good! For no specific reason I said, yes, it's good to have the color display. And then when they were working on the Advance, I thought, yeah, it's a larger LCD screen, better graphics and such and such, and then when I played it, I thought, oh, yeah, it's good! I thought that it's good for no specific reason. Also, it's going to be 32-bit, and you can program in C language, so it'll be easier to make games for it.
IGN64: Space World is this August. What can we expect to see there this time?
Miyamoto: I'm sorry I cannot tell you the specifics just yet, but we will have titles for the Dolphin, Game Boy Advance, the cell-phone application, and several other things that we have never announced at all.
IGN64: How far along is Dolphin game development at NCL? In the US, no companies have working hardware development kits yet and are still in prototyping stages. What is NCL's situation in this respect?
Miyamoto: There are several different stages of the development tools and until the final one is ready we just cannot mass produce them. Even at NCL we're still dealing with simulation and emulation, but very soon we're going to have the final development kit ready. In the interim, we're working with incomplete setups. But soon the final kits will go out.
IGN64: So any chance of Mario or Zelda Dolphin titles at Space World?
Miyamoto: [laughs] I cannot tell. I was told to show them, but I just don't know.
IGN64: Do you know the real name of the Dolphin system?
Miyamoto: I'm not in the position to tell. [Turns to his translator and adds]: And you cannot tell either.
IGN64: A question for both of you: if you had all of the funding and time in the world, would kind of game would you like to make?
Miyamoto: [ponders] That's a tough question. [To Aonuma:] What do you think?
Aonuma: It's never really come up for me. [laughs]
Miyamoto: It's hard to figure out what you would spend your money on if you don't have it.
[Both laugh]
Aonuma: I would definitely want to make a kind of Zelda-game.
Miyamoto: I would like to make some system that would enable me to float in the air as if there was no gravity.
IGN64: In real life -- not in a game?
Miyamoto: Yes. A game machine -- a huge game machine. It could have plugs that attach to your head.
IGN64: Like the Virtual Boy?
[laughter]
Miyamoto: Yeah -- a real Virtual Boy. [Pauses] Brain Boy.
IGN64: What concerns you most about the Dolphin system?
Miyamoto: If it becomes too popular, we just cannot produce enough consoles. [laughs]
IGN64 would to thank Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma for chatting with us
Interview by Matt Casamassina, Peer Schneider, Aaron Boulding and Craig Harris


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First details on the Next Generation Zelda
Development of a Zelda game for Nintendo´s next generation console (codenamed Dolphin) has finally been confirmed.
Nintendo´s master designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, with the selected staff that created Ocarina of Time and Majora´s Mask, are now starting works on this future Zelda for the next 128 bit gaming console.
Nintendo is keeping things in secret, but Hyrule: The Land of Zelda knew by first-hand sources that this is no longer a rumor but a true fact.
That is one of the main reasons why Shigeru Miyamoto hasn´t been fully involved in the development of the latest Nintendo games, including the last N64´s Zelda: Majora´s Mask, and the next Zelda trilogy for the Gameboy (mainly developed by Capcom programmers).
Now we know that there will be a new zelda game on the Dolphin... but what will it be about? Well, it is in pre-production now, so, that means, maybe we will see it in 2 years. It is going to be a true sequel to all the Zelda games, not a prequel like Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
This one takes place after the last game in the series. That is all the story that we know, but here are some other interesting things about the game. For the first time in the series, characters will have real voices, (featuring different languages, like spanish, japanese, english and maybe more- remember what Sega did with Sonic Adventure?) and will be more defined in the way they express feelings and behaviour. We were told that Nintendo is planning to experiment with new ways of interaction with characters, but since this is an early stage of development this feature is still unclear.
Talking about interaction: Nintendo is planning to improve On-line gaming to a level still unknown at this time. Since this will be one of the future Zelda´s best features, Nintendo is not going to unveil too many details until the game is almost complete. Nevertheless, our sources mentioned that characters will now gain experience points, but not as in Final Fantasy. The experience points will help to enhance the power and visual effects of the magic spells. Thanks to the On-line file transfer advantages, players will be able to exchange magic spells and enhanced weapons, taking the game to a higher level in character-development. We were told that records will be stored in the machine´s memory, and you will be able to compare your scores with other gamers around the world. The classic mini-games could also be used to play in an On-line multiplayer mode, but as mentioned before, this is supposed to be kept in secret so our sources couldn´t retrieve more info on this. In our opinion this is just a small sample of the On-line features this game will support.
In this next generation Zelda, objects and backgrounds will be fully interactive. Everything will be touchable, useable, and breakable.
Another amazing revelation is that Link will not be the only playable character, but unfortunatelly we still don´t know what other characters this game will have. Zelda maybe? We hope so, but let´s wait to see what Nintendo is up to. Thanks to the processing power of the next generation system, it is planned to include a team of characters instead of just Link at your command. Apparently you will get clues, or access certain areas only with specific characters. The only other thing we know about it is that the game will be huge enough to keep players interested for a long time.
But please keep in mind that these things are subject to change as the game has just started production, and as you may already know, Nintendo changes so many things and adds so many others that the final result can be unpredictable. One thing is completely sure: the game will look, feel and play wonderfully.
If we can get more info on the development of this next generation Zelda game, you can be sure we are going to post it.


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Zelda to hit dolphin
IGN64 recently interviewed Nintendo's legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind such hit franchises as Mario and Zelda, about the company's 64-bit console, the Dolphin system and so much more. Seated in a small room with his English translator Minigawa-san, Miyamoto was very tight-lipped about his plans for the Dolphin, but did offer a hint or two for those willing to read between the lines.
When asked if we'd see either a Mario or Zelda game for Dolphin at the Space World show in Japan this August, Miyamoto laughed and then admitted, "I cannot tell. I was told to show them [by NCL presumably], but I just don't know." His comments are particularly interesting because they not only seem to suggest that parent company NCL wants to show off Miyamoto's Dolphin efforts, but that there could very well be both Mario and Zelda games underway.
Meanwhile, on the subject of Dolphin's real name, Miyamoto said "I'm not in the position to tell you," and then turned to his translator Minigawa-san laughing and added, "And you're not allowed to tell them either."
It's amazing how much information is to be had from what Mr. Miyamoto can't comment on. Just wait until he can finally spill the beans at Space World.