“We haven’t committed to Zelda in 2010″

I must admit, I watched the same video earlier today, however I lost focus around the part where Reggie said that the New Super Mario Bros. would “absolutely” outsell Modern Warfare 2. At that point, I thought my time would be better served doing something more productive like holding my breath and counting to one thousand. This proved to be only marginally true.

As for thinking a new Zelda title would be released in 2010, I’m with Luke in saying that’s just “stupid”. You can’t realistically expect to see a title released next year when it hasn’t even been shown off formally yet. We need time to do things like pace back and forth. Sheesh!

Destructoid reports that via a holiday release list, Nintendo have announced the release date for the upcoming DS title The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be December 7 in the US. There is no official word on the EU/Australian release dates yet, but rest assured that it will probably come out there at some point, maybe.

The is good news for Zelda fans globally of course, because of the lack of region protection on the DS. If you fancy playing Spirit Tracks and you live in the EU, simply import an American copy. It’s not like you won’t be able to understand the story, unless it relies heavily on the use of the words “faucet” and “diaper”.

Nintendo have thrown us PAL customers a bone today, releasing The Ledgend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the Virtual Console Wii service. with a price of 1000 Wii Points, about €10. It’s a good price for what is widely considered as the hidden gem of the Zelda series. It’s one of the few Zelda games that doesn’t follow the “Princess is taken away, Link saves the Princess” storyline; instead, a dark tale involving the most terrifying character of all time, Tingle. Remember, you’ll need a GameCube or Classic Controller to play this, as it’s an N64 game.

When I first read the headline that said Zelda: Ocarina of Time was coming to the Nintendo Wii, my first thought was “I thought it was already on virtual console.”

It is already on virtual console and I’m just an idiot.

The article wasn’t talking about the VC at all, but the possibility of one of the best Zelda games of all time being remade for the Wii.

Keep in mind that this is just a rumor for now, as nothing official has been said. However, the rumor also states that an announcement will be made around April 5th. If such an announcement does occur, you can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll let you know.

Shigeru Miyamoto teams up with a trio of video game characters he created in an impressive short illustrated and animated by Newgrounds user, Awkward-Squid.

The concept behind the flash animation, titled “Legend of Miyamoto”, involves Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong helping their video game father make his way through their world. Squid says that the work was rushed a bit due to the fact it was being done as a university assignment, but I think it turned out great.

Check it out after the jump.

Make sure to head on over to Awkward-Squid’s user page and show him some love for this awesome piece of work.

Source: GoNintendo.com

Available as a 288 page paperback, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy Book has got to be the missing link to every Zelda lover’s quest for inner peace. Not to mention that it will make a damn fine addition to your NES coffee table.

What type of information can you expect to find in the book? Hit the jump to find out.

Amazon.com summary of the book:

With both young and adult gamers as loyal fans, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series ever created. The contributors to this volume consider the following questions and more: What is the nature of the gamer’s connection to Link? Does Link have a will, or do gamers project their wills onto him? How does the gamer experience the game? Do the rules of logic apply in the game world? How is space created and distributed in Hyrule (the fictional land in which the game takes place)? How does time function? Is Zelda art? Can Hyrule be seen as an ideal society? Can the game be enjoyable without winning? The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy not only appeals to Zelda fans and philosophers but also puts video games on the philosophical map as a serious area of study.

Book summary via the publishers listing:

This is the first book in existence devoted to philosophy and a specific video game. It is also the first book that deals with the more general topic of philosophy and video games. The book asks such questions as: What is the nature of the gamer’s connection to Link? Does Link have a will, or do we project ours onto him? How does the gamer experience the game? Do the rules of logic apply in the gameworld? How is space created and distributed in Hyrule (the fictional land in which the game takes place)? How does time function? Is Zelda art? Can Hyrule be seen as an ideal society? What about the Triforce (one of the goals of the game is to reunite pieces of a relic called “The Triforce”)? Is there anything symbolic about courage, wisdom, and power? Why do we want to win and defeat Ganon (the evil tyrant in command of Hyrule in many of the games of the franchise)? Can the game be enjoyable without winning? Why do fans create timeline theories in such detail? Can these theories adhere to scientific standards? How is death treated in Hyrule? How do repetitive tasks done in the game differ from repetitive tasks done in everyday life?

The book releases on November 28th and can be yours for less than $20 bucks. You can pre-order it right now over at amazon.com.

Source: Gonintendo.com

In a recent interview with the UK based Telegraph, Miyamoto stated that there are teams working on new Mario, Zelda, and Pikmin projects.

“They are all working on more Mario, Zelda and Pikmin projects … And they all work in close proximity to me, so I can keep a good eye on them.”

Not exactly sure who “all” is, because surely the entire company is not working on a new Mario title — who would be left to fine tune Wii Music? Ok, ok, I will let it go.

Miyamoto adds that traditional games are his area of expertise and offers insight as to how the company rotates staff internally to ensure that the “traditional” titles always have people working on them.

“Making these ‘traditional’ games is what I am best at. Because games of that nature take upwards of two or three years to make, we always have to keep the teams working on those projects going. At any given time, the team could be five to ten people, or it could be 50-plus. People are always switching in and out of those teams.”

I can’t help but feel like this is all damage control 101, but even if it is, it shows that the company does care to some extent about its hardcore gamer base. It would seem that they realize their E3 presentation didn’t have the impact they had hoped for.

All we can ask now is that they learn from their mistake, and keep the traditional teams closer to 50-plus, with five people working on the next Wii Music.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

When it comes to bling bling, Hollywood has long relied on the services of big names such as Jacob the Jeweler. Soon, the gaming world may call on a jeweler of their own.

Third Project Juno has hand-crafted a slew of gaming related jewelry pretty enough to make Jay-Z holla-at-ya-gameboy! See what I did there?

While the Triforce pendant (14 karat yellow gold) is currently listed as one of a kind, TPJ states that anyone interested in having one made would be looking at around $2,000 in labor and materials. The Metriod pendant (sterling silver) is also one-of-a-kind.

If you like what you see (we did), start saving up your paperboy money and give this geeked-out jewler a reason to make more.

Check out more of TPJ’s amazing gaming jewelry at thirdproject.net.

Have something you think we should show on Geeked-Out? Email it to us.

Check it out:

Famitsu seems to know what’s what when it comes to good gaming. The other six games that earned themselves perfect ratings are – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soulcaliber, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Nintendogs, and Final Fantasy XII. All great games, very deserving of – wait, what?

Nintendogs? What the hell? Are you kidding me? I mean, yeah, I enjoyed Nintendogs and I still dream about Doctor Scratches, but a perfect score?

Well, at least the rest of the list is solid, so I guess I’ll let it slide. As if I wasn’t already too hyped over Brawl. And now we have to wait until March.

Criminy.

Seriously, Nintendogs?

Via N4G, Vooks

Fans have been anticipating this one for a while. Today’s edition of Smash Bros. Dojo confirmed that the character of Sheik will indeed be returning.

Just like in Super Smash Bros. Melee, players using Zelda can turn into Sheik, her alter ego from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This transformation is Zelda’s down special move.

Sheik’s special moves are as follows:

Standard special move – Needle Storm
Side special move – Chain
Up special move – Vanish
Down special move – Transform
Final smash – Light Arrow

Here’s an interesting tidbit: even though Sheik wasn’t in Twilight Princess, her appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is based off of concept designs that were drawn up for that game.

Are you looking to aesthetically mod your Wii? Well don’t look here, because these designs are so good that they’ll surely discourage you from doing anything of the sort.

Tech Blog has posted five nifty Nintendo Wii custom cases. I’ve never even given any thought to modding the cases of any of my systems, but after taking a gander at these beauties, I’m giving it some serious thought. But I’m lazy, so it’s never going to happen.

I present to you – in some sort of loose order based on my prefences – the five cases.

Rockstar Wii

While this is my least favorite of the designs, it’s very impressive none the less. With all those sparkly lights, the Rockstar logo has never looked prettier.

Chrome Wii

While it doesn’t score very high in the originality department, this chrome Wii looks like the T-1000 just waiting for you to drop your guard and play some games, so that he can sneak in for the kill.

Samus Wii

You thought the morph ball transformation was impressive, wait until you get a load of Samus morphing into Nintendo’s latest console. Like the Rockstar case, this puppy sports a beautiful light up logo. Bonus points for the custom Wii Remote.

Zelda Wii

It may just be the rabid Zelda fanboy inside of me talking, but this is one of the best things that I’ve ever seen. The sword and shield look fantastic and that little triforce on the bottom of the front makes me squeal like a little girl.

Nes Wii

I’m stumped. I honestly can’t decide if I like this design or the Zelda design better. While it doesn’t have all the fancy attachments of the other ones, the creativity here is fantastic and the nostalgia factor is off the charts. I’m not sure why they put Revolution instead of Wii, but that’s a minor gripe that’s easily lost in all of the praise.