Hello. My name is Nexus Zero and I am a procrastoholic. Even by writing the following post about the future of the website I am procrastinating, sitting here at my desk with other people’s websites to finish and instead bunking off to write for my own.

So what’s going on? Well, not a lot, by virtue of my laziness. But, as is tradition here at Zelda Elements, we’re currently in one of those “upswing downswing” cycles where the motivation to do anything productive eeks in and out over the course of months (this is actually demonstratable: look at the numbers on this page). I have the feeling that we’re about to hit an upswing.

As you may have read, we’re the fourth site to have been announced as part of the Zelda Dungeon Alliance. This will come as a shock to long-time readers; we generally don’t sign up to this sort of thing partially because they serve no useful purpose and partially because they don’t appeal directly to my ego or my delusions of a Zelda fan site empire headed by, of course, me. Well, this alliance is different.

Members of the ZDA have been hand-picked by Mases, who has specifically chosen a diverse set of sites who each bring something different to the group. For instance, sites announced so far include fan-game HQ Zelda Classic, companion PureZC, and fan work legends North Castle. “But Nexus,” you cry, “Zelda Elements is the most generic of all these fan sites! It is the pinnacle of a standard, game-based, news-driven fan site!” Well yes, you’re right, we are quite generic, but you have my thanks in referring to us as the “pinnacle.” I mean, that’s very generous of you but really, you’re being too kind.

Haw haw.

So joking aside, how do we fit in? Well, we’re going to go to extra lengths to make sure that we are the site for Zelda news. Espy, linkthewarrior and myself will carry on doing our thang like a chicken wang (oh lord), becoming the GoNintendo of Zelda sites. There will be a renewed effort to bring you the best Editorials and Features that will deviate from our usual “Zelda-only” template, discussing anything we think a Zelda fan will find interesting, hopefully encouraging a Nintendo-loyal readership to sail to shores unknown. Evil Sponge will continue to provide high-quality game help for the latest Zelda games.

In the longer term, I have plans in place for a site revamp that takes its cue from a herbally-induced vision I had a month ago for a radical new site design, something never seen before, at least not in any kind of fansite community. All I need first are my props…

However, this all raises some interesting questions about the future of the site, and this is where you come in (presuming you’ve made it this far). In the interests of cutting the wheat from the chaff, something I’ve always been a huge proponent of, should we remove our Fan Works and leave that to North Castle? And what are your thoughts on our direction? This site wouldn’t exist without readers, so it’s important you make yourselves heard! Equally, any of this sounds interesting or exciting to you, and you’re a good writer who wants ‘in’, please contact us.

Since its 2006 announcement, Phantom Hourglass has been a dark horse. The hype of Twilight Princess steamrolled over any early enthusiasm of a game that looked, in comparison, fairly bland. Now we’re all finished with the TP love-in, eager for more Zelda, the question on everyone’s lips is whether or not Phantom Hourglass provides a worthy follow-up experience.

The answer is a resounding yes.

I was sceptical. Early reports about the touch-screen controls were mixed at best, while no-one I know used it in Animal Crossing. In that game, it was clumsy and imprecise, while in this game it represents a paradigm shift in the way we play handheld adventure titles. Initially, it feels like you have less control over Link; after all, you’re actually controlling a fairy whom Link follows. The clumsy rolling system compounds this feeling - the idea is to draw tiny circles at the edge of the screen, but results are varied to be kind. However, when you pick up your sword and experience the fluidity of the new system, enabling a more precise 360 experience than even an analogue stick, your opinion grows, and does so with every revelation, every new item for you to play with, each entwining the game to its control system, until the final ‘eureka’ moment when you realise, this game would have been impossible without either the touchscreen or the dual screen setup.

With each Zelda game, the fun to be had from obtaining items has diminished. In Twilight Princess, the Gale Boomerang was a nice twist on an old favourite, and the Wii controls helped freshen up the Bow, but ultimately, you knew what you were getting and what to expect from them. The ‘tutorial’ puzzles than inevitably follow the acquisition of a new item are fast becoming stale and predictable. That’s where Phantom Hourglass comes in. Although I have yet to see a single original item, the majority feel completely new. Bombs are a predictable upgrade, but throwing them has never been so accurate. The controls really start to shine when you get the Bow and Boomerang. The Bow is, again, more accurate, but the feeling of tapping away at close enemies with your sword, interspersed with quick jabs of the L button to tap enemies further away quickly becomes routine. So too the Boomerang, though instead of tapping where you want it to go (though possible), you draw a path for it to follow, and clearing rooms of pots has never been so satisfying. I’ve only just realised the full implications of this new technique, making it possible to erect a barrier in front of Link with a bunch of parallel scribbles, and then switching to the Bow to dispatch the sea of stunned enemies. Link is a monster and you’ll never go back. The three items mentioned are the earliest ones, and I won’t spoil the surprise of later items. You’ve seen them before, but each one offers exponentially exciting possibilities.

With regards to the controversial Great Sea, which was a sticking point in our Wind Waker review, you’ll be relieved to know that Phantom Hourglass succeeds everywhere its predecessor fails. The wind mechanic has been removed, and now Link can sail in any direction using his sidekick Lineback’s steam-powered boat. It is as simple as drawing lines on a map. In fact, sailing actively adds to the charm of the game, whereas in TWW it arguably detracted. TWW had the potential to throw colour all over a gorgeous, detailed overworld, yet it featured a few tiny islands in a sparse ocean. Phantom Hourglass didn’t have this same opportunity, as while the land is rendered in 3D, it is constructed very much like a 2D, tile-based game, necessary for the touch controls to work. The DS’s lack of filtering also means that it couldn’t wow gamers with a lush overworld in the same way the GameCube title could have. The sea, now more compact and less segregated, adds a sense of depth otherwise missing. Exploration is actually fun in this new game, as it is less a matter of identifying an unmarked square on your map, sailing there and finding a rock with a treasure chest containing yet more rupees, but of setting a course to untraversed territory and potentially finding a new landmark that offers more than just a small puzzle. The ability to upgrade your boat has also breathed more life into TWW’s broken treasure chart system. In that game, a spot would be marked on a map and you’d sail to it, stop, and press Y. The crane would either hit the floor or come back with a chest containing… you guessed it, more rupees! In this game, a spot is marked on a map and you’ll sail to it, stop, and tap the ‘treasure’ icon. The crane will submerge and you’ll be given indirect control of its hook, swinging it left and right and altering its speed to avoid Metal Octoroks and water currents. When you hit rock bottom, you’ll have either failed to find anything or caught a treasure chest which you then have to negotiate back to the surface. These invariably contain a new ship part, different combinations of which upgrade your ship in different ways, such as extra health or a faster speed setting. Upping the tension, your crane has five hit points that don’t recharge without going to see a ship repairman.

There is so much more to say about the game, but it will have to wait for our import review. For now, I will leave you with a few words about its import-friendliness for those who can’t wait until October. Without a small amount of Japanese knowledge, you will waste a lot of time with trial-and-error unless you consult a walkthrough. Some parts are simply impossible. However, I’ve completed six dungeons with no Japanese knowledge, and the number of times I’ve looked at a walkthrough is still in the single digits. Part of the fun of playing the Japanese version is playing around with new weapons without any kind of tutorial, but of course I’m missing out on some of the story. My recommendation is to buy this if you a) don’t mind missing out on the story or have the intention to buy the English version too, and b) don’t mind looking at walkthroughs or have a workable knowledge of Japanese. Either way, as a Zelda fan, you must own this game come the western release. Some are stubbornly clinging to the idea that this should have used the D-Pad, or included the option, but this is fanboy ignorance at its worst. A game has finally come out that makes A Link to the Past feel like the original Zelda; clunky, clumsy and outdated. How can you not want to play that?

Japanese Phantom Hourglass Site

The official site for Japan is now up. Phantom Hourglass comes out in Japan the 23rd of this month. The site has a lot of cool in game videos that show you the mechanics of how the game works. I’d recommend checking those out because they are pretty awesome. Using the stylus to control attacks looks really fun! Also the graphics look amazing from the videos and all of the other screen shots we have seen thus far. I love how they mixed Wind Waker style graphics along with the top down 2D-ish style camera view that Legend of Zelda use to be in.

But enjoy the site because unless you live in Japan or can read Japanese, you won’t be playing this game for several months.

Twilight Princess - Review

For the unwashed masses, that means Yet Another Twilight Princess Review. However! This one is slightly different in that it is possibly the world’s most negative Twilight Princess review and yet also the most positive. That’s right, it’s a fanboy’s review, where we nitpick the living soul out of the game and then at the end say it’s all okay because it’s Zelda and it’s great. But it is Zelda, and it is great, so everything’s okay. Enjoy!

Sound the sirens! A Link to the Past has been added to the American Virtual Console! It costs just 800 points, 100 less than in Japan, which is nice in the way clouds are nice. Us Europeans will have to wait until Friday before sticking our Master Swords into Ganon. Well, except me. I have to wait until some undetermined time in the future while the goons at Nintendo UK poke sticks at my Wii, trying to get it to work. Guys, I can save you some time; it’s broken. Trust me, I’ve tried sticks, a microwave and the tried-and-true method of hitting it. This problem evidently runs a little deeper, so just send me a new one! How kind of you.

How kind!

A couple of months ago we reported on the release of Power Up! Mutations and Mutilations of 8-Bit Hits, a compilation of covers from various bands who offer their own perspectives on themes from classic games such as Tetris and Contra. Bookending the tracklist are covers of the Zelda Overworld theme and Main themes, making it of particular interest to you guys. Well, thanks to the kind guys at Dwell Records, we’ve got a copy and have spent the past few days sucking the blood from its musical veins, and it’s a fruity, if occasionally flat brew.

The marketing hyperbole on Dwell’s online store promises “an elite team of fearless musicians… taking you to a world where few have dared to tread,” when the reality, as Rerun’s peaceful Mega Man 2 tribute will reveal, is a lot tamer then they want you to believe. Buy expecting a hardcore, all guns blazing assault on your childhood, and you’ll be disappointed. The line-up are talented unknowns, hardly elite but evidently proficient, offering melodic, sometimes quite beautiful (Doug McDiarmid’s Marble Madness tribute) adaptations that will politely compliment your memories. That’s not to say that every cover is docile; Upsilon Acrux’s interpretation of Rush’n Attack is an epic journey, weaving threads of fast, plunky guitar riffs with more roaring undertones as a mighty drumming powers it along. Kindergarten Hazing Ritual’s River City Ransom tribute would be earth-crumbling if it wasn’t for its oddly-baseless dub; a real shame. Those looking for true old-school tunes can take solace in the Metal Man and Tetris 3 tracks, MIDI dreams, though unfortunately indistinguishable from the better Overclocked Remixes. The only truly bad track is Flossin’s Castlevania noise. Ouch.

Before you ask, yes, the Zelda tracks are rather good. The Fucking Champs lead in with a triumphant Overworld Theme, a confident wailing implicates the story of an exhausted yet successful hero. Closing shop is the Twelve-Handed Men of Mars who provide a rendition of the Main Theme that haunts and builds over four and a half minutes without reaching the climax it should, winding down appropriately but not sending off in the appropriate blaze of glory. Solid but unremarkable.

If you were a big gamer back in the NES days, or are discovering some of these lost classics on Wii Virtual Console, you’ll appreciate this unique compilation, despite the odd miss. As a more general gaming fan, its nostalgic magic won’t translate perfectly and its flaws will be less forgiveable, but most tracks are genuinely enjoyable on their own merits. You can pick up a copy of Power Up! from Dwell’s webstore (international shipping available) for $14.98, a price that erects a barrier to those buying purely for the two Zelda cuts. 

Twilight Princess - Ending

Regulars will know that we do a comic book-style “Ending” page for each Zelda game; Twilight Princess is now no different. You must understand, your virgin eyes must have already been tainted by the real version - your sweaty hands quivering as they put down your sword and shield - until you can handle even static images of the epic final battle and its emotional aftermath. Or, maybe you just don’t care about hardcore spoilers. In either case, I hope you proceed and enjoy.

When I changed the bottom graphic to read “2007″ instead of “2006″, I got a feeling different from every other year. Its nature was the same (”have I been doing this for so long?”), but its ferocity was greater, and I predict greater still in years to come. Entering our sixth year of cataloguing every nuance of the Zelda universe, I at last feel qualified to share with you some things I’ve noticed. The first is something I realised just the other day. It was striking because of its simplicity. We, at Zelda Elements, have only tried once to create an encyclopaedia. It was in conjunction with The Master Sword and boiled down to an A-Z of the Zelda universe. Kieron and myself wanted one purely because all the “big boys” were doing it, but now I know that if your site is complete enough, you are already sitting on a catalogue of knowledge that exceeds the possible depth of an online encyclopaedia. I’ve been debating with myself whether to join the Zelda Wiki; in some areas it benefits from its unique organisation, and in others it suffers. Ultimately, if it does something better than our site, and in some cases it does, then it’s an indication that I’ve done something wrong, or not well enough.

Currently, I’m rewriting the Zelda Timeline section to include a new Twilight Princess chapter. On further reflection, I also decided to swap Link III with Link IV, because the Hyrule of LoZ and AoL looks much more like a land that has been recently drained, rather than the lush diversity of the world depicted in ALttP. If you’re a Zelda fan who enjoys debating points like these, you’ve probably heard comments from the naysayers who just don’t get it; “they’re all independent of each other,” or, “they’re retellings of the same legend,” or, my favourite, “why do you bother? It’s just a bloody game.” Well, yeah, but what a bloody game. And more than that, what a series. The reason we Zelda fans love debating the timeline so much is because we like to think, however secretly, that Hyrule exists. It sounds childish in the way children like to think that Santa or the Tooth Fairy exist, but what a wonderful life children lead. To give it a coherent timeline and an intricate legend is to bring it to life that little bit more. Almost within our grasp. We also like to think that our actions have made a difference to that world. If we didn’t, we’d be just as happy playing the role of the shop-keeper, or that annoying beggar. It’s why we love the mysteries; what happened to the Kokiri? How does Link really feel towards Ilia/Malon/Zelda/Midna? And how does that postman always know where you are? It’s why some people have been disappointed with The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess; we want Aonuma to just grab the legend by the horns and make Hyrule that little bit more aware of its own existence.

The depth and knowledge required to pay true homage to the series and create a poetic, encyclopaedic resource for Zelda fans means that we must always stay pure Zelda. Recently, The Hylia announced plans for expansion into the world of Nintendo, and as a fan of that site I think that’s great, if you want to create the next GoNintendo. Here, we’ve always been clear on our mission statement. We’ve been accused in the past of not being innovative of original enough. I’ve always seen this site as becoming the biggest and the best. Quality and quantity. We do what they do but better. That’s always been our mission statement. However, originality is a big part of that achieving that goal, a necessary part, which is why I want to kick the new year off with the latest instalment of a feature that we do best, and we do differently, and we do originally.

I hope it will set the tone for the coming months.

Unless you don’t celebrate Christmas…in which case just go with the overall happy feeling this season is supposed to incite. In any case:

Ladies and gentlemen, we have content! Just finished uploading the first batch of Twilight Princess coverage. The only item images I have right now are from the manual, so those will have to be added in later, and I had to make up some mini-boss names. Much more to arrive over the next few weeks! You’ll have to be patient, as this game is rather ginormous.

Plans for the next update: Heart Piece guide for as many as I’ve been able to find, more in-depth collectibles guides, and perhaps the start of a bestiary.

I have in my possession, after three long years of waiting, a copy of Twilight Princess. I also have in my possession, after two long years of waiting, a Wii Remote and Nunchuck. If this was a recipe for pancakes, I’d have the milk and eggs, but no flour; despite Gameplay’s promise that I would, this very day, be rolling around in my bed like a pig in his own “making”, creating caricatures of myself and making children duck under the swipe of my sword, I am Wiiless. In my endless desperation, I’ve resorted to replaying video reviews and mimicking the on-screen action with my surrogate controller.* Informed that my Wii won’t arrive for another week, I’ve passed on these woeful tidings to you, the readers, by way of explaining the aura of bitter seething that might emanate from my words over the next  content-less week. Until then, enjoy Twilight Princess, you bizarre and comical heathens.

* This is a lie.

So, my buddy got a Wii and Twilight Princess.  And, after a few hours of Wii Sports last night, I got to play the newest Zelda installment for a few minutes.  So, thought I’d lay down a quick impression here.  I could go more indepth with this, but I’m posting on a news page

First off, this thing is gorgeous.  But you all know that, so I won’t go into much graphical detail here.  The Wii controls are, so far, not too shabby.  I didn’t personally get to fish so I can’t speak of that first hand.  It took some getting used to, but my buddy figured it out in due time.  Really the only complaint I have is that the only camera controls are the trigger button thing on the nunchuck.  Pressing it centers the camera behind you.  You can hit the C button and look around in first person…but what this game really needs is the ability to actually move the camera around.  Here’s hoping the GameCube version uses the C stick to its fullest potential.

Beyond that…hey, it’s a Zelda game.  The side quest thing starts up pretty dern quickly, though.  In order to get the Slingshot, we had to find a cradle so we could catch a fish so we could get the cat.  A little convoluted, but it actually is a good way to get you aquainted with the village and general contol scheme.

All-in-all I’m even more excited for this game than I was even a few days ago.  The Sponge wants the Cube version now.

On a fun side note: throwing hawks at things is really fun.