Wii Details Tonight or Tomorrow?

I've decided to give you a little time chart to help you,you could also do your homework off of it too! ^_^


Tokyo Event: Thursday, September 14
Australia: 11am - 5pm, Thursday (EST)/9am - 3pm, Thursday (WST)
Japan: 10am - 4pm, Thursday (UTC+9)
Europe: 3am - 9am, Thursday (CEST)/2am - 8am, Thursday (BST)
USA: 9pm Wed. - 3am Thu. (EDT)/5pm Wed. - midnight Thu. (PDT)

New York City Event: Thursday, September 14
Australia: 11pm Thu. - 6am Fri. (EST)/9pm Thu. - 4am Fri. (WST)
Japan: 10pm Thu. - 5am Fri. (UTC+9)
Europe: 3pm - 10pm, Thursday (CEST)/2pm - 9pm, Thursday (BST)
USA: 9am - 4pm Thursday (EDT)/6am - 1pm, Thursday (PDT)

London Event: Friday, September 15
Australia: 9pm Fri. - 3am Sat. (EST)/7pm Fri. - 1am Sat. (WST)
Japan: 8pm Fri. - 2am Sat. (UTC+9)
Europe: 1pm - 7pm, Friday (CEST)/noon - 6pm, Friday (BST)
USA: 7am - 1pm Friday (EDT)/4am - 10am, Friday (PDT)

The Phoenix

When we consider Zelda, we consider Zelda, Link, swords, bows and arrows, bombs and Ganondorf. This is what is at the forefront of almost all Zelda games, and is what keeps the passion of Zelda alive, the continuity. However, there are many other areas in which we must delve a lot deeper in before we can uncover any form of truth or speculation. In this event, we must use our common knowledge, as many canon sources as possible and a level of experience that only comes with debating and playing Zelda.In this case, I’m going to be discussing the Phoenix in Zelda, well, what I believe represents a phoenix, and it always occurs near the Triforce. It is much like the symbol of the Triforce. There has been much fanon surrounding the Phoenix, and it has been believed that the Phoenix is protecting the Triforce. However, as I stated, this is simply fanon and it is something that really needs to be ignored. After all, there’s also a fourth Triforce piece there as well, does that mean that there is a fourth Triforce piece. Of course not. Too many powerful sources have made influential statements against this.In regards to the Phoenix, the first time that anything in regards to the Phoenix that comes to life is very early on in the series. It starts in A Link to the Past, and that is simply by the shield design. If we look at the image (inset left) we can see that there is a clear, something, underneath the Triforce on the shield design. This could be interpreted as a number of things. It could be read into as little as it’s merely a shield design and is nothing to take into serious consideration.This is usually the stance that I would take on this; it is simply, and purely, decoration. However, if it were purely decoration, it would not then occur again, and again throughout the Zelda series. We can see that this is a symbol that is clearly meant to be in direct comparison to Zelda as it occurs again, however, not as far into the future as say Ocarina of Time, but within the same game. The Japanese Player’s Guide for A Link to the Past has a level of artwork that is not often seen within the Western counterpart. Within the Japanese Player’s Guide, there are certain pictures of Princess Zelda, in royal regalia.When looking at the picture (inset right) we can see that the Triforce has a clear mark underneath it. This mark looks like it could be Japanese writing; it also looks like something rising up from far below. This furthers my belief that it could be the Phoenix.The next game, historically speaking, that has any real references to the Phoenix is Ocarina of Time, as Link’s Awakening has the same official art as A Link to the Past in the most part. Ocarina of Time has a fair few references to the Phoenix within the artwork, and as this was the first game where we could see any real detail on the characters themselves. As such the character design had a huge step up, after all, these designs were meant to be there, they are not some random act of any Zelda character designer. The first real reference that we see to a Phoenix is when we see Ganondorf riding through a flame filled area.However, this does not really mean that there are any real references to a Phoenix there, after all, fire does not equate directly to a Phoenix. Yet, once we move to see the Princess Zelda in Zelda’s Courtyard, we see her dress, and we see her directly for the first time. The imagery we see is a Phoenix (inset left). This creature is in no doubt now. It looks like a bird rising up. In mythology one of the most powerful birds is a Phoenix and it would make sense that the Royal Family and the Triforce would have connections to a Phoenix, as a Phoenix is eternal.This is not the lone symbol within Ocarina of Time of the Phoenix either. Adult Zelda has the same symbol on her regalia and the Hylian Shield has the same symbol (inset right). This can only be considered further evidence that there is some sort of strong connection with Hyrule and the Royal Family to the Phoenix.There is now one more image that I’m going to direct our attention too, just to further reiterate the point that the direct reference to the Phoenix is an act of mistake. There are many more references to this character design within The Wind Waker, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures and The Minish Cap. However, the next image I’m going to direct us too is obvious, it is the only game that we’ve not touched upon yet, which is Twilight Princess. If we consider the fact that Twilight Princess is going to be the most realistic Zelda game that we’ve seen to date, we can safely assume that the creators have poured a lot of time and effort into the game as a whole. If we look at the design on Zelda’s dress (inset left), we can see that there is a clear correlation between that character design and the Ocarina of Time design.This correlation is clearly not uncommon, after all, we’ve now seen this symbol, if not slightly evolved along the way, appear in at least eight Zelda games, which clearly shows that this is not a random act of odd character design, but it is a symbol that is meant to be within The Legend of Zelda, and there is little that doesn’t hold a deeper meaning to something else. Although, if we are to believe that the character design is a strong direction of what the Zelda mythology is, then we can clearly see that the fourth piece of the Triforce has fallen out of favour with the character design, and as such, we can believe that this is Nintendo’s way of destroying that beliefThis is unquestionable evidence to lead us to the conclusive proof that there is a definite trend with the Phoenix within The Legend of Zelda. However, why have I decided that it is the Phoenix, and why is it known as the Phoenix throughout a large part of the Zelda Community.Well, I’ve been in the community for many years now, which makes me feel very old, however, in my time, I’ve not come across an interview that has given the Phoenix a definitive name, or even if it is truly the Phoenix. The grounding behind my belief is not simply because it makes sense, but it looks like an interpretation of classic Phoenix design. If we look at the Phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary we can see that the design looks similar to the main design of the Phoenix within the egg. It has the classic open winged pose, and it is looking up towards, in this case the Sun, in the case of Zelda, usually the Triforce. There are many other Phoenix designs throughout history that are similar in stance and style, which is why I believe that it is a safe assumption to guess that the Phoenix in Zelda is actually a Phoenix.Yet, how can we really call it a Phoenix, when there is really very little relevance of the Phoenix within The Legend of Zelda. Well, the Phoenix has incredible power, according to the Harry Potter world; it can lift heavy loads and can heal someone with their tears. In most mythological senses, the Phoenix is a powerful symbol of immortality and rebirth. Which again can be linked to The Legend of Zelda, as there are many times when the land of Hyrule has been at near destruction and has been reborn by our Hero saving the land. However, this is not the only representation that the Phoenix has. Throughout recent religious history, the Phoenix has become a strong symbol to Christianity, and in many cases has become a sign of Jesus Christ and his rebirth and immortality.This would not be the first reference to Christianity within Zelda. The Legend of Zelda’s shield design is a simple cross, which has been linked to Christianity many times before, and been reputed before as well. However, within A Link to the Past, there is Official Art of Link looking up toward a person on a Cross, which can be clearly referred to as Jesus; however, this was more than likely to be a concept created by the artist rather than a piece of canon source evidence that we can clearly use as a link between Zelda and Christianity.Yet, the link between the Phoenix and Zelda remains strong. The very fact that it is always around the Triforce has led to more than one belief that there is a Phoenix guarding the Triforce; however, if that is the case, one must wonder why there has been little discussion of the Phoenix from Ganondorf within Ocarina of Time when he dived into the Sacred Realm to gain access to the Triforce.At the very least, we can make the clear correlation between the Phoenix and The Legend of Zelda, and we can also make the assumption that the Phoenix is used, not as a factual piece of evidence to state that there is a Phoenix guarding the Triforce, but to understand it’s use of symbolism. The Phoenix represents rebirth, immortality and purity, which can all be linked to The Legend of Zelda, the very fact that it appears that Link is reborn many times, Ganondorf appears to be immortal and the Triforce much be touched by someone pure otherwise the world falls into disrepute is a simple, and shallow use of symbolism. Yet, this shallowness does prove one thing, that there is obviously something much deeper waiting to be uncovered with the Phoenix within The Legend of Zelda, and that may be released to us in Twilight Princess.

One-Stop Shop for Wii Updates

After a fiasco earlier today involving people reporting on a “live feed” that was several months old, it looks as if things are settling down for the big push. I’d call this a liveblog, but I don’t know how “live” it’ll be. (3am is rather late, and I know work would be unhappy if I liveblogged from there.) So consider this post to be the place to read up on all the updates that I manage to glean off of everything I can find. Things may not be put on the ‘Blog in real-time, but everything I find out will be put up. The three goddesses willing, after all is said and done with, we will know release dates and prices for everyone who reads this ‘Blog.Check behind the cut for updates, and please be wary of refreshing the blog non-stop; as I said, I am not guaranteeing that I will be marking updates every five seconds, and bandwidth is a precious thing.(Note that all times are Eastern Daylight Time.)

Tokyo Conference

* Release Date: December 2
* Cost: 25,000¥
* Virtual Console Cost: 500¥ for NES, 800¥ for SNES, 1,000¥ for N64
* Virtual Console Titles: 30 Nintendo titles and 30 Genesis/TurboGrafx-16 titles by end of year, 10 titles of each each week
* Launch Titles: 16 from 10 different companies
* Twilight Princess: At launch for 6,800¥
* Game Prices: 4,800-6,800¥
* Comes with: Console + stand, Wiimote + strap, Nunchuck, AC adaptor, A/V cable, sensor bar + stand, two AA batteries

New York City Conference

* Release Date: November 19
* Cost: $249.99 (includes Wii Sports)
* Virtual Console Cost: US$5 for NES, $8 for SNES, $10 for N64; you will get 2,000 Wii points (US$20, CDN$24) free at purchase
* Controller Cost: $40 for a Wiimote, $20 additional for a Nunchuck
* Virtual Console Titles: Roughly 30 at launch; Opera must be purchased to browse the Internet
* Launch Titles: Confirmed 17 at launch; 52 confirmed by end of March
* Twilight Princess: Wii version At launch for $50; GCN version December 11
* Game Prices: $50 or less for first-party titles; third-party developers will choose their own pricing, but with hope they will be affordable
* Comes with: Console + stand, Wiimote + strap, Nunchuck, AC adaptor, A/V cable, sensor bar + stand, two AA batteries

LondonConference

Australia Details

* Release Date: December 7
* Price: AUD $400
* Includes: One controller + nunchuck, Wii Sports
* Launch Titles: 20 by end of year
* Zelda: At launch

Europe Details

* Release Date: Dcember 8
* Price: €249 / 179£
* VC Launch Titles: 15 at launch, 5-10 released per month subsequent
* Launch Titles: Around 15-20 third-party titles
* Includes: Wii Sports
* Game Pricing: €49-59 / 34-39£
* Zelda: At launch

Miscellaneous Details

* Mii Channel: Avatar creation
* Photo Channel: Showing pictures off of SD cart, picture manipulation, doodling, video playback
* Weather Channel: Free
* News Channel: Free
* Messageboard Channel: Talk on messageboards, send messages to PC and cell phone users, download updates
* Internet Channel: Opera must be purchased, but once you own it, you own it forever
* No DVD Playback
* Region-Free: Games from other companies will work on your Wii

GameFAQs Character Contest 5

It’s that time again! GameFAQs started a few days ago their fifth annual battle of videogame characters. Sixty-four characters will be thrown into the ring, but only one can be the best of them all. And as a community, we’ve always loved to see our Zelda characters come out on top. The competition will continue all the way through November 18, right up to the American launch of Wii.This year, as the past couple have been, is split up into two rounds. The first is a classic Battle of the Sexes which pits 32 lovely ladies against 32 gaming gents to see who will conquer the rest. Then, the winner and runner-up of that contest will be thrown into the second and final round: The Battle Royale. The winning male and female character will be thrown into the ring with the four previous winners of the character battles past—Link, Mario, Cloud, and Sephiroth—and each day the character with the least votes is ousted from the competition. It should be a wild ride.This year, we’ve got three Zelda characters in the mix with Zelda for the ladies and Ganondorf and Tingle for the gentlemen. You can vote for them on the following dates:

Zelda (1st seed, Triforce Division)
Round 1: September 20 vs. (8) Carmen Sandiego
Round 2: October 18 vs. (4) Terra Branford (projected)
Division Final: November 1 vs. (2) Aeris Gainsborough (projected)
Quarterfinals: November 8 vs. (1, Aeon Div.) Yuna (projected)
Semifinals: November 11 vs. either (1, Spazer Div.) Samus Aran or (1, Limit Div.) Tifa Lockhart (both projected)

Tingle (8th seed, Destiny Division)
Round 1: October 2 vs. (1) Sora
Round 2: October 24 vs. (4) Phoenix Wright (projected)
Division Final: November 4 vs. (2) Mega Man (projected)
Quarterfinals: November 9 vs. (1, Patriot Div.) Solid Snake (projected)
Semifinals: November 12 vs. either (1, Blast Div.) Sonic the Hedgehog or (1, Time Div.) Crono (both projected)

Ganondorf (4th seed, Blast Division)
Round 1: October 7 vs. (5) Vincent Valentine
Round 2: October 26 vs. (1) Sonic the Hedgehog (projected)
Division Final: November 5 vs. (2) Luigi (projected)
Quarterfinals: November 10 vs. (1, Time Div.) Crono (projected)
Semifinals: November 12 vs. either (1, Patriot Div.) Solid Snake or (1, Destiny Div.) Sora (both projected)

Finals: November 13
Battle Royale: November 14-18
(Click on the title to go to the real deal)
Whenever we go through a match, I will bump this topic to the top of the blog so you can see the next battle. Also, the countdown clock at the top of the main page will be proudly displaying the time before the next competition.

Deciphering the Mystery of the Sleeping Princess

Recently, the more popular Zelda fan site began once more providing articles on the subject that has made their corner of the internet so popular; articles that dealt with what is arguably the most debated subject in the known Zelda-verse: that of the games’ storyline. Being a fan of Zelda Legends’ past storyline articles, and a bit of a storyline junkie myself, I eagerly read what the new author, a young man named Arturo, had to offer. His first task, revisiting the tale of the Sleeping Princess, mentioned only in the second NES console game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. In the article, Arturo came to a rough timeline and placement within that timeline of just when the Sleeping Princess was initially cursed. That timeline being: ALttP > OoS/A = (The Sleeping Princess) = TMC > FS > FSA. To come to this conclusion he based his theory upon one very simple principle: that the dying King mentioned in the fable and the writer of the scroll outlining what must be done in order to achieve the Triforce of Courage are in fact one in the same.It’s a rather bold and not entirely unfounded conclusion. There is plenty of information to support such a statement. However, I ask the question: are the facts Arturo provides in his article enough or are there more beneath the veil not mentioned in his findings which contradict this line of thinking? With that in mind I will attempt to take on the task of not only providing an identity to the writer of the secret scroll but also create a logical, and sound, timeline to place the fable of the Sleeping Princess, that most mysterious of all Hyrule’s legends. I do this not to undermine any of the hard work Arturo over at Zelda Legends has done but in the hopes of providing a more complete picture regarding this particular issue so as to encourage healthy debate amongst all those who love the series Zelda.

Smash Bros. for PC? Intense!

One thing I’ve been doing more often on ZeldaBlog is pointing out various interesting projects made by members of the greater Zelda community (or at least people online who love Zelda enough to do something cool with it). Even though the Internet has made communication so much quicker, the Internet is a huge place, and it would take forever for one person to search every nook and cranny to find every last cool thing somehow related to Zelda. So when I find something that simply blows my mind, I feel the need to share it all with you, you know, just in case you haven’t heard about it yet.I found today’s cool thing thanks to the zelda_lovers LiveJournal community.Today’s cool thing: Super Smash Bros. on your PC.The game is Super Smash Flash, and you can find it over on NewGrounds or, even better, at the developer’s site McLeod Gaming. Wonder of wonders, if you have Adobe Flash 8 on your computer, get ready for a melee like you’ve never seen. (Or rather, you’ve already seen it, just on the N64 and the ‘Cube.)This fangame is not just some senseless port of either of the two versions. In fact, I would dare say that it’s the creator’s fantasy of what SSB:B would be (but won’t be, due to a few missing characters) or what SSB:M should have been (but wasn’t, for much the same reason). The classics are all there: Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Link, Zelda, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Samus, Fox McCloud, and Captain Falcon… but unlike the previous versions of Smash Brothers, this one dips heavily into other game series, other game consoles… and (don’t groan, please) animé series. Just to name a few, you’ve got Sonic from the Sonic series, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, and Inuyasha from his TV program.(All the characters. Batteries and some unlocking required.)Most of the familiar characters from SSB and SSB:M have their familiar moves. Link has his sword and boomerang, Mario has his fireballs and spin attack, and Zelda has her wonderful kick and her conversion to Sheik. But this is a Flash game, not a commercial product; the controls have had to be simplified (since there’s no analog stick on your keyboard with which you can smash attack). As such, you’ve got a jump button and an attack button, giving you five major attacks: Attack, Up+Attack, Down+Attack (aerial), Down+Attack (ground), and Left/Right+Attack. (Some lucky characters actually are able to attack just by jumping; unfortunately, none of our Hyruleans are in that group.) So just because you can kick butt with character X doesn’t mean it’s still possible. (I think Samus and Kirby personally got the short end of the stick in this.)As far as “single player” goes, you’ve got pretty much the standard options. They’ve ported the Classic, Adventure, and All-Star Modes from SSB:M, although there are heavy changes in the levels and the characters you battle. (Master Hand is still, as always, the final boss.) You can also do the Target Test and the Multi-Man Melees, and you’ll be spending time in both to unlock all 28 characters. “Multiplayer” mode allows you to go head to head with a second player (if you have a second player who is geeky enough to play SSF with you) and/or up to three computer players at various difficulty levels. (Or you can lock four computer players in a closet and see which one comes out alive. That’s just as entertaining, really.)The most surprising part of the game is that there is some semblance of AI in the game. (How you can code that in Flash completely boggles me; I wouldn’t have believed it possible!) The computer can be pretty easy to fool, so I’m sure you’ll easily find about a thousand cheap ways to send the computer players off the screen. (Hint: Anyone with projectile weapons is extremely deadly.) At the same time, the computer can also be insanely cheap at times as some characters have a virtual immunity to flying off the screen (*cough* Fox *cough* Kirby).The game probably won’t take eons of time to get past (I unlocked everything within four hours of gameplay), but it’s still incredibly fun to at least mess around with. It’s probably not the most elegant or finished fangame out there, but it is one of the very few that have drawn me into playing it beyond the first 15 minutes.So play, smash, and be merry! Enjoy!

The Power of Gold

I remember a while back hearing a quote about the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring from some member of its production staff. In it they referred to the party that marched to Mordor to really be ten in number rather than the otherwise obvious nine. He mentioned that they chose to personify the One Ring itself as a member in their party, a member with its own personality–its own way of being–such that its influence could be felt as if it were a real entity and not just some ordinary artifact.I’ve often wondered about whether the Triforce could be viewed in much the same way as this. The Triforce, however, unlike the One Ring, always has seemed to be much more a mysterious artifact, playing the role more often as a mere prize to be held by the winning party at the end of the day. In many ways it acts as a non-participant in the minor war games between Link and Ganon, good and evil. In short, an artifact and nothing more.At the same time, however, the Triforce’s true nature is still something of a mystery. In many of the games, it doesn’t get the chance to say its mind or demonstrate any sense of will. After all, it’s not like we actually get to see the Triforce 90 percent of the time, and when we do, we usually don’t get a moment to interview it because, well, Ganondorf is there. (Cheeky jerk. All I need is an interview with the Triforce and I’d be a professional reporter! No more silly ZeldaBlog for me!) But seriously, there have been times when it has shown some sense of spirit, some proof that it isn’t just a thing that silently does the willing of its owner, and the emphasis here is on the “silent” part. It has shown the ability to speak, and we have heard from it precisely twice over the past games. Without any other way to determine the true nature of the Triforce, this is all we have to go on.As such, let us dig into the first quote, which comes from the ending sequence to A Link to the Past:
Welcome, Link[.] I am the Essence Of The Triforce….The Triforce will grant the wishes in the heart and mind of the person who touches it. If a person with a good heart touches it, it will make his good wishes come true[.] If an evil-hearted person touches it, it grants his evil wishes. The stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce’s expression of that wish.Ganon’s wish was to conquer the world. That wish changed the Golden Land to the Dark World. Ganon was building up his power here so he could conquer the Light World and make his wish come completely true. But now, you have totally destroyed Ganon. His Dark World will vanish.The Triforce is waiting for a new owner. Its Golden Power is in your hands[.] Now, touch it with a wish in your heart…Hearing this for the nth time puts me into two minds as to why the Triforce speaks to Link. One side of me is chomping at the bit to say, “Look here, friends and neighbours! That’s proof of sentience! The Triforce is alive!” But things aren’t as simple as they seem, and that’s where the other side of my gut resides. If the Triforce indeed was created by the goddesses on their departure from Hyrule (which it was… (or was it? Dun dun dun!)), this could very well be the analogue of the answering machine left by the goddesses should someone ever happen upon the Triforce. I mean, with the exception of them saying Link’s name, it sounds almost identical to something like this: Thank you for saving the Triforce! Your wish is very important to us, so please stay on the line while we wait for the next available triangle to process your transfer of ownership…. Have you ever had a wish that you wanted granted? With the Triforce, you can do all that and more! Whether you’re wishing for serene peace or wanton power, the Triforce is ready to suit your needs at any time, day or night! With a few simple words, your heart’s content will be yours! …The average wait time from this point onward will be… seventeen… screens’ full of text…. How passionate are you to have your wish granted? You should know that Triforce Incorporated cares about you and your desires! The stronger your wish, the more we will do to make sure that you, the customer, is pleased. If you really are passionate, make sure to mention your interest in our Extreme Wish Combo Package…. Please continue to hold; our next available triangle will be with you shortly….Honestly now! It just drones on, reciting the laws that bind its otherwise supreme cosmic power, revealing how to care for it, feed it, and change its diaper. Now don’t mistake me; I’m not disparaging the quote or calling it silly; it really is a befitting end to what I personally believe to be the greatest Zelda title on the planet. But from the perspective of analysing the Triforce, the dialogue is drab, it shows no emotion or motivation. For all we know, it could very well be a lifeless, monotone object… or Ben Stein, your choice.The second quote comes to us from the opening sequence of Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Get ready for it; it’s a doozy:Accept our quest, hero!Did you catch that? Let me repeat that for you again, in case you missed it.Accept our quest, hero!Yup, that’s it. Four little words. You might think that this is a little off-kilter for what we expect of the Triforce (it is; I blame Capcom), but nevertheless it’s canon, and we’ve got to stomach it. This one little sentence is all we have to tell us everything and more about the Triforce’s persona, but believe it or not, these are probably the four most telling words in the Triforce’s entire repertoire. How so? Let me explain.We cannot say for certain what Link wished for on the Triforce when he obtained it (or indeed which of the Links the Oracles Link might be). However, we know that the Link in the Oracles games must be “pure of heart” because he is able to wield the Master Sword in the games (after a very convoluted exchange of complex passwords between the two cartridges). So Link’s wish is almost certainly something that would be quite beneficial for Hyrule and not something that is self-serving. In short, he wouldn’t be begging of the ol’ Triforce, “Please, I beg you! Make me have a life full of quests to solve because I have needs! I don’t care if I endanger Hyrule or anywhere else! I need quests! Now!” Thus, for the Triforce to elect for him to go on what could very well be the longest quest of all the Zelda titles (since Ages and Seasons together tell one story) is a very odd interpretation of whatever in the world Link wished upon the Triforce, especially when you consider, as we saw in A Link to the Past, that the Triforce can pull an I Dream of Jeannie and just poof things back to Happyland with the nod of its head… er… upper triangle.So what’s its game here? “Hero! Glad to see you, pal! Look, I wanted to tell you that there’s some bad things going down over on some islands way out there; some people you know are up to no good. And I know you wanted me to do this whole ‘peace’ thing and be all wonderful for everyone, but you messed up and said your wish was just for Hyrule. Too bad, so sad! Next time, read the fine print on the Wish Contract, mmkay? But look, I’m willing to make you an offer you cannot refuse! I’ll just poof you over there and start you out with no items, and then you can take it from there! What do you say? No? Well, I said you couldn’t refuse it, so off you go! Poof!” Sure, that sounds rather ridiculous when put into whimsical speech, but honestly, what else could it be? The Triforce is all-powerful, is it not? Can’t it just make things all happy again?Well, if it could, why wasn’t Ganon able to fulfil his wish? Did he not follow the Terms and Conditions Clause? It’s a hard sell since he’s gotten several Linkwhopin’s over the past few centuries. (At the same time, Ganondorf only was able to snag all three pieces of the Triforce once in his entire career–talk about leaving a bad legacy for his kids!–so theoretically, he might not have known? Shrug.) Either way, there’s an escape clause written into the Triforce which puts restrictions in place. Where there’s a villian, so there must be a hero… and vice versa. Ganon and Link have played this dance of temporary victories for all too many games now. Ganon always comes back at that opportune moment, cheating death many times. Link always has to go back and put the smackdown on Ganon to seal him away for another century or three. Wishes aren’t perfect.But the Triforce seems to know what Link is driving at, even though it’s only given “semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic powers.” And so it’s willing to help out in its limited way. It’s “I’ll get you what you want, but you have to do it yourself this time, bucko.” But this is just really more of the same, more of what the Triforce just does. It takes in the wish of its holder and expresses it in proportion to the weight of the need. In the Oracles, Link doesn’t know of a master scheme to resurrect the King of Evil; thus, no automatic Hulk Smash on Ganondorf. (Link so should have brought the Triforce along to Holodrum and Labrynna when he went on this quest. Imagine seeing what would happen when he found out Ganon was coming back. Ah well, his mistake. Whoops!)So for this reason, what little true sentience the Triforce seems to have can be explained away by a simple disembodied voice left behind by the goddesses to “be the ball Triforce” and a simple automaton following a set of rules that governs what the Triforce does for a living. With so little other evidence (read: none) that the Triforce could be a living, breathing entity, I am left to conclude that our Triforce, the Power of Gold, is just another treasure.At least until the next Zelda game comes out to challenge that

The One-Two Knockout Punch for Sony?

Sony has been having some horribly bad luck of late; not that I mind since I feel that their arrogance and their significant non-contribution to the gaming market would make them deserve last place in a heartbeat. (They won PS1 because of sheer quantity and PS2 because of the DVD player and backwards compatibility.) Recently, Sony has been in dire straights when it came to the PR department. However, my waking moments today were spent at Joystiq reading their most recent two-part guffaw… and this could very well stymie what little faith people had for the console… thus making this metagame console war Microsoft’s and Nintendo’s to win:Sony trims their initial release of consoles back from 2 million to 500 thousand. Apparently starting their production of PS3s in September (you might recognise that as this month) was a bad idea, and due to a severe lack of blue laser diodes (which makes Blu-Ray possible, of course), they’re not going to be able to make their forecast. The 500k units will be distributed by sending 400k to North America and 100k to Japan. For reference, Microsoft had 400k in the US during their launch, but the game isn’t the same now as it was last year. Last year, the 360 was the only available “next-gen” console; this year, should Nintendo still be on track for November Q4, there’ll be two competitors for Sony. And since Microsoft hasn’t fared well in Japan so far, Nintendo (again, if they launch) will have a very strong hand indeed with PS3s so rare.If you think that’s bad, you haven’t heard the half of it:Sony has delayed the launch of the PS3 in Europe until March 2007. Yup, you heard it: March 2007. First off, this is a huge blow to Sony’s marketability in Europe being that it launches after the Christmas sales rush, but that just gives Microsoft an even longer lead time before the PS3 launches… and it gives Nintendo a several month advantage itself (again, pending September 14, when we find out Nintendo’s global plans for the Wii). So much for the global release; so much for the end of delays. Europe is likely to be pretty upset over this.Nintendo, the ball is in your court. I hope you’ve got your game face on. There’s eight days until we know everything; knock this one out of the park.

Wii to Appear in Full Force This Holiday Season

We’ve just heard the horrible news for Sony that they’ve been having in getting PS3s manufactured for launch. We’ve laughed, we’ve mocked, and we’ve hurled well-deserved insults. But… what about Nintendo? What of their plans? Will Wii be released before the New Year?Answer: Nintendo is right where we (and Wii, for that matter) want to be.We(my friends and I) reporting major news that the IBM processor behind the Wii, codenamed the Broadway, has been being manufactured since July–giving Nintendo a full two-month head start over their competitor Sony–and that many of them are already in Nintendo’s hands.Translation: Nintendo probably has a few hundred thousand consoles already in stock, just waiting to be sold this holiday.Nintendo has stated that by the end of the fiscal year 2006 (up until the end of this coming March), they will be shipping six million Wiis worldwide. They have confirmed that they are on track to meet this number. For comparison, this is precisely the number of PS3s that Sony was aiming for starting on its Japan launch on November 11 through the end of FY06 (that will no longer be met due to production shortages).Note that this says NOTHING about Wii’s release date; it merely reconfirms what we already know, that Wii should be be launching in Q4, or more precisely prior to (American) Thanksgiving (November 23). The details will likely be released at the upcoming Nintendo press conferences held worldwide next week. But at least for now, we can breathe a sigh of relief that Nintendo’s silence isn’t just simply a bluff.

The real Great Deku Tree has been found

Scores of people are flocking to a village in northern Malaysia to see a betel nut tree which has sprouted a human-like face.Newspapers carried pictures of the green face on a frond of a seven-meter (23-foot)tall tree. The unexplained phenomenon has led villagers in Kampung Paya to dub it the “ghost tree,” the News Straits Times said.All joking aside, it actually does kind of look like the Great Deku Tree. Creepy!