E3 10: Nintendo Reveals Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Nintendo, the second of the Big 3, has just kicked off their E3 press conference, starting with one of their most anticipated upcoming titles, new Legend of Zelda.

Titled Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the title will require Wii Motion Plus, and use 'intuitive' motions to control all the tools and abilities, including the sword and shield, which will work with 1:1 motion on the wiimote and nunchuck, respectively.

Unfortunately, not much was revealed about the story, and Miyamoto, citing some development hold ups, said the game will not hit its target release this year.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available for Nintendo Wii sometime next year.

Old News: New Legend of Zelda Coming This Year

Nintendo may not be known as an RPG publishing powerhouse, but the RPGs they do have under their belt tend to be quite good. Above even those, the Legend of Zelda action-adventure-RPG series is known and loved by gamers who can't even spell RPG. It should be no surprise, then, that many have been waiting intently for the next main console entry of the series since Twilight Princess back in 2006.

In an interview with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been quoted as saying the long anticipated newest entry in the Legend of Zelda series is nearing completion, and is planned for an end of the year release.

With 2010 already off to a very encouraging start, seeing a brand new console Zelda title would definitely be a nice addition to the year.

However, before your hopes get too high, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has warned fans on the Nintendo Week monthly report that the new title will be released "when it's perfect." In other words, if it's not perfect in 2010, we will still be waiting until it is.

I'll cross my fingers for early perfection if you will.

[Asahi Shimbun]
[Nintendo Week (YouTube)]

Nintendo Announces Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

During his keynote speech at GDC today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced the next iteration of the popular Legend of Zelda series, tentatively subtitled Spirit Tracks.

The DS title will feature a similar graphical style to Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, though it has yet to be confirmed if it will take place in the same world. The game's selling point is apparently the ability to control a train, though it is still unclear how much interaction players will have with the train, and how much it has to do with the game's story.

The game is currently slated for release this year in North America (and presumably Japan), though no solid dates have been established at this time.

Personally, I thought Phantom Hourglass was incredibly mediocre, and I think trains are a symbol of boring-ness, so I can't say that I'm exactly jumping for joy over this announcement. But, hey, more Zelda is more Zelda, I guess.

UPDATE: Here is a nice live feed trailer showing the title in motion. Looks pretty much like Phantom Hourglass with a train instead of a boat.



....And that conductor's suit looks 100 levels of ridiculous.