Twilight Princess - Packaging
Phantom Hourglass - Packaging

There is, I now see, something seriously wrong with me. I spend an inordinate amount of time scanning, cropping, rotating, fixing, healing, filtering and levelling images of packaging used to sell games to the otherwise unaware. You and I will buy the new Zelda game no matter what the cover looks like. Others are more shallow or ignorant (pick one!), so really, this artwork is for them, and I have no business being so obsessed with getting high quality copies so neatly placed across a page, clearly labelled for the hardcore to do whatever it is they want with them. But I continue cleaning and adjusting, even to our older images - I want to rescan them to get rid of that ghastly (and seriously out of date) watermark, the moire and the low resolution.

Dear Deidre, what the hell is wrong with me? Does anyone else share this obsession or am I on my own?

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!

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!

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

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!

Tomorrow, at the Nintendo World Store in New York, there will be a launch party for Phantom Hourglass! Running from 1-4PM, there will be copies of the game to try out, and a chance to pose with Link. There will also be many contests running, with a cosplay contest (for all those that think it’s possible to dress as Link without looking stupid), a Zelda Trivia contest (of which I would fail the “release date” section) and a multiplayer PH contest, all for copies of the game, and possibly other Zelda goodies. There will also be a “secret event” between 2PM and 4PM, which Nintendo are keeping tight-lipped about. Any New-Yorkers, be sure to report back to us about the event on the forums, as all our staff are too far away to check it out.

Phantom Hourglass is released the day after in America, on October 1st.

Nintendo World Store - Official Website

There is now only one week to go until the American release of Phantom Hourglass! Be sure to mark the first of October on your calendar, and try to resist the insanely huge hype of Halo 3 for five days! Europeans have a slightly longer 25-day wait, possibly a plan of NoE’s to avoid said hype, but we are dedicated to all regions (myself being a Scot and Nexus Zero being English) and will be sure to cover the European launch also.

Also. whether you are looking forward to Link’s sailing adventures, stuck and in need of a helping hand, or you’ve just finished the game and want to rant and/or rave about it, be sure to join our friendly forums, where there is bound to be plenty chatter about the latest Zelda instalment, and plenty other interesting conversations too! The forums can be found on the bar to the left, or, as I’m a nice person, by clicking this shiny text! Hope to see you there!

Unveiled today were two interesting pieces of keyring merchandise, which will be availible in Japan towards the end of the year.

Phantom Hourglass Sound Drops

Similar to the Mario sound drops released a few months back, when pressed, these keyrings make noises from Phantom Hourglass. Ideal for winding up your friends, or pretending you’re Link!

Wii Remote Projector

Not entirely a Zelda product, these Wii remote keyrings display an image of a Wii game character onto a darkened wall. They do not, unfortunately, summon Nintendo characters to your aid when shone into the sky. There are eight in all, and characters from Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn are included in the set, two from each game. The two Zelda-themed remotes include images of Link, and Midna atop Wolf Link.

These wacky keyrings are currently only availible to pre-order in full sets at specialist site National Console Support, but will probably be more widely availible, and availible separately, towards the end of the year, when the December release approaches.

While everyone knows about the First4Figures Zelda statuettes, there has been some Zelda merchandise released recently, mainly due to the release of Phantom Hourglass in Japan, which may have gone under the noses of everyone but the avid collector. As I so happen to be an avid collector, I have typed up a quick guide to the recently released merch for your enjoyment.

For those who don’t like Japanese jargon, Gashapon are small figures which can be bought from Japanese capsule toy machines, or in small “anonymous” boxes. These Twilight Princess themed figures by Yujin, which were released last month, look great. The set of four includes Link, Midna atop Wolf Link, Zelda and Zant. They require some simple assembly, but nothing more than snapping on the arms and legs. To buy them at the extremely cheap price of $2.99 each, try Play Asia, though you will have no choice over what figure you get. Or if you want the complete set, I’d recommend you try Ebay, but don’t blame me if you get swindled!

Twilight Princess Gashapon - Play Asia

Phantom Hourglass Link Plush

This little guy is sure to be a hit with the female fans, and possible male fans with a feminine side too! A plush of Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass Link by Sanei, he comes in two sizes, small (18cm) and medium (32cm). He’s set to be released to screams of “Kawaii!” everywhere sometime in September, and costs $12.90 and $19.90 respectively on Play Asia.

Phantom Hourglass DS Cases

These Phantom Hourglass themed DS Lite cases by Sanei come in two varieties, green and blue, both with a different graphic, and cost a mere $8.90 on Play Asia, so you can keep your DS safe with style.

Phantom Hourglass Pen Set

Want to be the envy of your entire school? Now you can, with this set of two Phantom Hourglass themed pens! Made by TakaraTomy, they are $8.99 on Play Asia.

Phantom Hourglass Pen Set - Play Asia

Of course, note that Play Asia isn’t the only place you can buy these items, but I’d recommend it due to their cheap prices and postage. Also, note that these items are Japanese imports, so you won’t find them in Toys R Us. You’d need to find a specialist shop if you want to buy them without the aid of the magical internet.