As of today, Phantom Hourglass is available in Europe, which means it is now available in all three main gaming regions.  Reviews are extremely positive, as always, so be sure to get your hands on it!

I did just that. Got my hands on it. I picked up a copy in a store. But I don’t have the money or time, so I scanned the box, then, sadly, put it back down again. But don’t worry, as Nex and Evil Sponge will be concentrating on adding PH content to the site, and I’ll still write the news in my own sarcastic way!

Cartoon Series - About the Voice Actors

DarkKnight_DS has sent us some additional information about the woman who played Zelda in the 1980’s cartoon series. It turns out the reason we couldn’t find much information about Cyndy Preston is that her real name is Cynthia. She’s appeared in high-profile dramas and comedies such as X-Files and Two and a Half Men. We’ve also found a profile picture of her, and as DarkKnight rightly points out, she looks not unlike a real-life version of the princess herself.

Nintendo released a trailer for Link’s Crossbow Training today, demonstrating a few of the game’s modes. Unfortunately, like every other Wii advert, it includes a variety of overenthusiastic families playing the game, so you’ll have to grin and bear it.

One cool feature which I didn’t know about is that in some levels, you can control Link’s movement with the anologue stick while aiming with the Zapper. I expected the whole game to be an on-rails experience. There are, however, some stationary and on-rails levels shown, such as target practise levels, and a level where Link is riding a familiar-looking canyon in a canoe. Check out the trailer, and let us know what you think!

Link’s Crossbow Training - GameTrailers

Today, Nintendo unveiled a batch of screenshots for their pack-in game for the Wii Zapper, Link’s Crossbow Training. Rumours previously hinted that the game will star Link (of Zelda fame) performing some sort of Crossbow-related Training, and today they were confirmed!
 
As the game is set in the Twilight Princess world, the screenshots show many familiar locations for anyone who has played Link’s latest medium-to-big-screen adventure. The first thing that struck me about the screenshots is that Link is on foot. I always expected Link to be on horseback in this game, but it’s no bad thing that either way.
 
The game will be packaged with the Wii Zapper, and released on November 19th in America. The screenshots can probably be viewed pretty much everywhere, but for your convenience, here is the Kotaku link.

Europeans, start saving, and make no plans for next Friday. One week today, on the 19th of October, Phantom Hourglass is released. The image above is the European boxart, and it uses the graphic from the Japanese boxart as opposed to the American equivalent.

When you buy the game (or if you already own the American or Japanese version), if you want to make the most of the game and it’s online features, be sure to join our forums! There, you where you can discuss the game and trade Friend Codes!

A slightly misleading title, but awesome all the same. IGN Wii have posted hands-on impressions of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and confirmed that one of Link’s alternative costumes is Dark Link from Twilight Princess. We can only summise (and pray) that the other two are the Zora and Magical Armours.

Thankfully, the game sounds spectacular, though Meta Knight seems a little overpowered. It has been delayed, in true Nintendo style, until February next year in America, but that’s the price we pay for perfection, right? It will give us all time to soak in the perfection that is Phantom Hourglass and Super Mario Galaxy, after all.

Did you buy Phantom Hourglass? If so, do you want free swag for minimal effort?

For a limited time, Nintendo wants to hear your opinions about the latest addition to the Zelda series. They’re giving away a free customized stylus in exchange for replying to their short survey and registering the game. It’s pretty simple, all you have to do is:

1. Sign up for MyNintendo
2. Register your copy of Zelda
3. Take a quick survey
4. Confirm your address

I mean, sure it isn’t a life-sized triforce or anything really cool, but free stuff is inherently awesome by the very virture of being free. Click here to fill out the survey.

Alright, time for our first Phantom Hourglass update.  I’ve got the first two bosses for you to absorb the strategy for, and some items.  The items are ones you can have by the time you clear the Temple of Wind, so more will be added later.  The page organization may also change, but that’s neither here nor there.  Enjoy, and stay tuned for more!

Phantom Hourglass: Items
Phantom Hourglass: Boss Guide

Just a quick introduction to everyone. My name’s Monique, and I’ve been been drafted into helping out here at Zelda Elements! Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll have some interesting features and editorials to bring to the site–maybe a few top ten lists as well, because everyone loves to hate top ten lists. Of course, that would entail me putting down Phantom Hourglass for more than two minutes, so don’t hold your breath or anything.

As a side note, I currently write for the weblog Girls Don’t Game as well. Feel free to check us out and say hi.

Excusing the time difference between the UK and America, today, Phantom Hourglass is finally released in the US! reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and while it’s sure to be overshadowed by Halo 3, it’s bound to leave an impression on the DS sales chart. There’s no excuse not to buy it! Europeans, we’ve got another 18 days to wait, but that’s not bad compared to other Nintendo releases (assuming there’s no game-crashing bug in this one). Aussies, you have a slightly shorter wait of nine days. However, regardless of location, be sure to discuss your Hourglass-related joys and woes in our funky forums!