SB Plays The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

When the newest entry in the beloved Zelda series was announced earlier this year, people were both excited and skeptical. How well would a train in the Zeldaverse go over with fans? Would the gameplay be a replay of Phantom Hourglass, with its infamously numerous trips through the Temple of the Ocean King?

Now that the game has arrived stateside, I can safely assure you that Team Zelda took a gamble or two, and the results are refreshingly fabulous!

But before we depart aboard the Zelda Express, let me warn you that there are going to be spoilers in here, so if you want to be surprised, click away now. … Continue Reading

The Next Zelda: New Wii Clues

After peeling myself away from a walkthrough of Tales of Symphonia 2, I saw that earthbounding had a new video…

New Wii Clues

What we learn:

–New Zelda Wii will be shown next year at E3 (confirmed by Aonuma-san)
–He also revealed some new info about the game and talked about an idea that could change the series entirely. The idea? It is not known just what it is at this time, but we will know when E3 2010 comes
–When asked how different New Zelda Wii will be from past games, Aonuma-san said that if we followed the same structure again and again, long time fans will not be surprised. This contradicts what Miyamoto has said before.
–Is it possible that Aonuma and Miyamoto have a little rivalry? (i.e. Aonuma wanting a very different Zelda, and Miyamoto saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”
–Aonuma also mentioned that Team Zelda is working on shaking up the “explore field, beat dungeon, rinse, lather, repeat” pacing. Twilight Princess DID do this to a degree by bringing some action onto the field (eg. the fight at Eldin Bridge, missions in the Hidden Village, and the river and snowboarding sequences) New Zelda Wii could have more sequences like this
–Aonuma-san has looked at fan speculation, and was surprised that they were right on several things, including the Master Sword being. This means the girl being in the picture is, in fact, the Master Sword.
–On the Wii Motion Plus front, Aonuma-san has confirmed one on one swordfighting, but whether or not it is first person is unknown at this time.
–Switching perspectives for every fight would be annoying, but according to earthbounding, a first person Zelda is very possible given what is outlined above. How it would work is another question entirely.
–In the latest Nintendo financial briefing, Miyamoto mentioned that Team Zelda is working on great graphics for New Zelda Wii–Miyamoto wants the game to be realistic in every respect.
–According to Mario’s VA, Link will not speak in New Zelda Wii, and likely will never speak in any Zelda game.
–The fact that New Zelda Wii will be at E3 next year also confirms a 2011 release (since Mario and Metroid were shown this year and will be released next year)
–Although some analysts predict that New Zelda Wii will come next year, all this new info renders that impossible, if not very unlikely.
–As for the “new idea”, you may be able to figure it out from what Aonuma has said about it: The structure will be shaken up, you will see it at E3 2010.

So what do you think it is? I can hardly wait myself!

Stay tuned for more info as I find it.

Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue

Video: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Multiplayer

Given all the hype over Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it may be of worth to notice developer Treyarch’s efforts who are vigorously porting the first Modern Warfare to the Nintendo Wii under the subtitle Reflex. Surprisingly, the online multiplayer component runs fine and they seem to have done a good port job transitioning to Wii controls.

Audio Minisode: USA Zelda theme+Japanese Zelda theme=awesome

Ever wondered what the NES and Famicom versions of the Zelda theme would sound like together?

This Audio Minisode has the answer:

USA and Japan Zelda themes together

Enjoy!

SparklingBlue

Breaking News: Breaking Down a New Trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

While on my online travels this morning, I saw that earthbounding had found a new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks….

If we break the trailer down, this is what we find:

–It appears that the villian of the story (possibly Vaati?) takes Zelda’s body, but her spirit finds Link and travels with him. Zelda is also able to charm Phantoms and make them fight for you.
–The quest, meanwhile, appears to be something to the effect of reuniting Zelda’s spirit with her body.

Stay tuned for more information as I find it.

Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for Nintendo DS in 2010

Atlus has announced Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, a first person science fiction RPG coming to the Nintendo DS on March 10, 2010. Strange Journey expands the franchise by adding a new space dimension. Already released in Japan, Famitsu scored the game 10/9/9/8 which adds up to a 36/40 – the highest score obtained of a Shin Megami Tensei title thus far.

Players will investigate a mysterious dark void phenomenon at the South Pole as a team of explorers. Found at the heart of this adventure are over 300 demons to try to influence and join forces with you. The game promises a return to the “all-time dungeon-crawling classic SMT: Nocturne.”

For more information check out the game’s website at: atlus.com/strangejourney