SOME NEWS ABOUT GAMECUBE ZELDA

There really hasn't been a whole lot of brand new information about the new Zelda currently under development by Nintendo, however there have been a few things. A "rumor" is going around on the internet claiming that the game is going to be called, "The Legend of Zelda: The Bridle of Melancholy" translated from the Japanese, "Yuushuu No Tadzuna" I don't know what to say other than it's a rumor. At one point in time people thought that Zelda: Majora's Mask was called the Mask of Majula, and before that it was Zelda Gaiden, so by the time it arrives in the United States the name could change at least one time. If by chance this information is true then the name insinuates that it will be perhaps a more dark and possibly sorrowful Zelda, however I can't imagine a Bridle as being anything that is capable of evoking that emotion, but whatever. It's just a rumor folks, nothing more. If I see it confirmed from some reputable sources, I'll let you know. Nintendo has indicated that it will be making a major debut of the game at the next E3. My prediction is that GameCube Zelda, whatever its called will be released before Christmas of 2005 to give the GameCube some last minute extended life before the next generation consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and eventually Nintendo are released.

There are a couple new screenshots floating around, or perhaps grabs from the original FMV at E3. By the way, that FMV was specifically running off of the game engine, according to Nintendo. Miyamoto will not be directing the game. (I hate to say this, but this might be a good thing. Same reason to boot Lucas from Episode 3)

As you can see, this image is kind of blurry, but this is apparently Hyrule Field, or something similar there of. In the far distance you can make out that wonderful castle that we've seen glimpses of in the teaser big N released back at E3. There is something about this game that reminds me of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. I've always said it, but for the NES that was one of the most memorable games I played. Some don't like it, some consider the original Legend of Zelda to be better. I liked Zelda II's expansive (at that time) world, and the storyline based on the instruction manual was pretty cool. The game had rudimentary RPG qualities at a time when there were no other games like it, and gave link spells and different abilities he could perform with his sword, like the down slash and upslash. Here's an interesting bit of trivia, and I know I mentioned this back when it debut, but in Soul Calibur II for the GameCube Link can perform those exact moves from Zelda II. The reason why this castle reminds me of that game, was that basically that was the starting place in the game, North Castle, it was surrounded by a lake and connected to a road that led toward a fork that split off northwest, and south, to Ruto and Rauru respectively.

This is quite a decent shot of Link on horseback. You gotta love this 3-D version of Zelda, the more detail the better I say.

One detail I notice is that Link has various packs strapped to his belt. I wonder what he might put in those? Ironically, in the Zelda Cartoon series that aired on Friday's within the Super Mario Brothers Super Show, Link would carry his weapons and stuff in such a pack, and they were very tiny, but would enlarge to full size in his hand. Zelda could do this too. I would laugh out loud if I saw it in this new game.

THE ODYSSEY OF HYRULE