The Adventure of Hyrule - Update page where the updates for stuff goes

HAPPY 20TH! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
FAMICOM DISK SYSTEM (JAPAN) FEB 21, 1986

The Adventure of Hyrule

So here I am wondering what I should do with this Zelda fansite that I've been neglecting to work on lately. Instead of leaving up an index page and site with a noticeable lack of updates since the last date posted, I've decided to put up this page to acknowledge that I think its time I put The Adventure of Hyrule on hold for now. Being busy in my life, and my main interest concerning video games in general, it would make me feel better not to have to think about needing to work on this site right now. The only change to the site is this page, the rest of the site can still be accessed by the links here. Maybe I will work on The Adventure of Hyrule in my free time and make it a better site to return, or maybe I will contribute to other Zelda fansites? Lot's of new Zelda games coming out in the near future, and the series looks as good as ever.

"Then, with a magical sword in his left hand and a magical shield in his right, he set off alone on his long travels."

Mak - June 1, 2004

The files on the site ~~were lost~~ were erased on the server and I'd have to reupload everything, so what was remaining of this site is no longer up. I've put this index page back up for explaination sake. I'm looking more forward to The Minish Cap and its Jan 2005 release as more information is released. Fans of the most underappreciated Zelda game will be happy to hear a sweet melody. Nintendo makes a good wallpaper for once

Mak - Oct 18th, 2004

"Even after 18 years, the legend of Zelda never stops changing. We are now taking you to a world where Link has grown up, a world where he will act different and look different. In order to grow, Link must not stand still, and neither can I."
- Shigeru Miyamoto

3-26-2004
With the March 18th release of Four Swords + in Japan, and E3 that will unveil The Wind Waker 2 nearing, there's lots of Zelda news going on.

For North American release, Four Swords + has been renamed to "Four Swords Adventures". This title is somewhat appropriate as Navi Trackers has been dropped from the NA release, most likely due to the amount of localization and voice sampling required that would delay the other two parts of FS+ from being released. NOA has announced a release date of June 7th for FSA.

Can't wait until June 7th for Zelda multiplayer goodness and want to try out Navi Trackers? Four Swords + can be imported from these stores: eStarland, VGD, liksang, and Play-Asia. You can also find the GBA Famicom Mini version of The Legend of Zelda at most of those stores.

At this year's Game Developer Conference, Eiji Aonuma gave a speech on the evolution of Zelda. He talked about his involvement with the series, how it's changed, what exactly the "Miyamoto test" was, and how it stresses "reality over realism". Planet Gamecube has a full audio mp3 transcript of the speech, as translated by Bill Trinen. 1up.com has a summary of the speech, while IGN Cube has posted a full transcript. As I mentioned in my blog entry, I was about halfway done with my own transcript from PGC's audio when IGN beat me to it:) I'll finish it anways and post it within a week. Aonuma's speech was very insightful to the way Zelda is made, and just how much thought they put into making the games with something so simple as the way a bomb shop owner greets a child or the timing a sound effect to alert the player to finding a secret. A definite read for anyone who is a Zelda fan.

Acompaning Aonuma's speech was the news that he is new the producer of everything Zelda, while Miyamoto will still have the role of "ultimate" producer and have the final say in things. The Wind Waker 2 is expected to be shown off at this year's E3.

Ending this Zelda news update, I'd like to mention that I've set up a blog for my so-called "Gamer's Adventure" game site, where I talk about my interests in gaming.

I mentioned in a previous update about the NESkimos appearing on MTV's Ultimate Video Game Countdown to talk about Zelda. I've finally taken the time, along with my new download speed, to listen to their music, and it is quite good. Although during some parts they get a little crazy, they do the Zelda themes, and other game themes, very well. I especially liked the 'get the Triforce' theme at the end of their dungeon theme performance :) All of their music can be downloaded from SoundClick, although you do need to register a free account.

While browsing the NESkimos' forum, I came across a post about a band called Select Start, which I would describe as a band that plays game music in a more traditional manner. (I'm not too good with knowledge on music terms heh). I think most bands that play game music are usually rock/metal, so its different to see a band use instruments like violins, flutes, and pianos to play game music. If you look through their site, you can find an excellent rendition of The Wind Waker's title theme, and the site FanPlay hosts a Legend of Zelda title theme.

Interviews-update-time! Some new interviews have been added to the long list. All of the new interviews I've added to the list are distinguishable from the rest. Among them are quotes from the Icons' special, Gameheadz, a Zelda excerpt from Miyamoto's Game Dev Conference speech, and a link to a recent translation of the N.O.M. Four Swords + interview by N-Sider.com.

Indie Zelda posted a new short comic titled "Only Half". Kinda a dark take on Zelda's characters, I swear Zelda is being evil!

Following up on beating A Link to the Past without any sword upgrades on the GBA, and discovering Ganon has to be hit with the Whirling Blade Technique, I wasn't sure if this was also in the original SNES version. Well I've played the SNES version and it is. Now I'm playing through A Link to the Past on my GB Player again just for the heck of it. Playing the SNES version again and comparing it to the GBA one, I'm reminded of a few things: the slowdown the original had when lots of sprites and large bosses were around; the slower map transitions; better sound quality in the SNES version; Link not having a voice and only making a sound when jumping from high ground, making me think a Wallmaster or some enemy is coming down; the good 'ole ice dungeon puzzle; and the original translation of the script, although good for its time, seems a little thin now. The darn Helmasaur King gives me trouble every time though, I'll so totally destroy him one day...

I came across a couple of Zelda music videos a few of days ago. One is an Ocarina of Time music video by Six Sided Video with clips changing to the music of Escaflowne. The second is a Wind Waker music video by 8bm Studios with the song "Wonder Boy" by Tenacious D, which makes it all the more humorous given who wonder boy is in the video. SSV's Smash Bros. video is also worth checking out.

NCL's Four Sword + website has gone up, and with it a great trailer for the game. The latest issue of N.O.M. covers FS+ and has an interview with the staff. From what I could make out with Babelfish, it appears that FS+ is being made by members of the staff that made A Link to the Past for the SNES, which goes along with using A Link to the Past graphics as a base for FS+. Anyone out there intersted in translating interviews? :)

In a recent interview with Denis Dyack of Silicon Knights (Eternal Darkness, Metal Gear Solid: TTS), when asked about a dream remake, he replied "I'd love to do a realistic, mature take on Zelda... Ahh, I shouldn't talk about this."

Finally, to add to this site, I've uploaded a video of the final battle with Ganon using no Master Sword or defense upgrades in the GBA version. I had never gone through A Link to the Past like this before, and I was surprised to find that you cannot strike Ganon unless you use the Spin Attack if the Master Sword isn't upgraded. Was it always like this on the SNES?

2-18-2004
I'd like to try to keep this site updated about every 2 weeks or so... at least monthly anyways.

I'm debating about the rest of the Wind Waker screens, and whether or not I should play the end all over again to get new screens. The problem I have is that the screens I took are kinda too dark, and I know I can get better ones now that I've played with the settings on Dscaler since I took those screens.

I haven't gotten much done on this site since the last update, so I'll offer a few humorous Link's Awakening movies. (Windows Media Player 9 required)

2-3-2004
Bunch of screenshots update.
The first batch of many Wind Waker screens for the final battles are up, starting with the cinema scene that leads to the Puppet Ganon battle.
Added about 30 screens of the path leading from Hyrule Castle to Ganon's Tower, basically "Hyrule".
And for Ocarina of Time, several screens of Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia.
Putting up these screens is a bit of a laborous process. After actually taking the screens and gathering them into one place, I see that they don't quite look as bright and vibrant as I'd like them to be. So I end up trying to make the screens look better by adjusting the Gamma and Contrast so they at least look brighter, and I can see more stuff in the picture on my monitor. Just hope it doesn't have the reverse effect and look too bright on someone else's monitor. After the adjustments, I then crop the screen to cut out the black bars from the screen grab. Finally, I save 3 versions of the screen: a bitmap to keep an original, a jpeg at about 75-80% quality for the web, and a small thumbnail. Then of course there's the matter of setting up the thumbs and links on and oldfashioned html page.

I suppose a warning might be in order for some of the Wind Waker screens, but then again, it's been out for almost a year in the U.S., so if you haven't, why haven't you beaten The Wind Waker yet? ;)

I spent some time taking several screens from the episode of Captain N, Having a Ball. This one is about Princess Lana throwing a ball at the palace, and Link and Zelda are invited. Meanwhile King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard steal the Triforce, which causes a negative effect on Zelda because of her bond with the Triforce, and Hyrule starts to fall apart.There's also a small video clip from the episode on the last page. Wouldn't it be great if the entire series of Captain N were released on DVD, instead of an episode here, and an episode there as with the Zelda cartoon DVDs? ... Wouldn't it be great if Captain N actually got a DVD release? Wouldn't it be great if I could find one of those Zelda cartoon DVDs in a store? If you want Captain N, the only solution is eBay I guess.

1-15-2004

I've added a few Marin trophy pics to the Smash Bros. section. I think I'll work on getting some more Smash Bros. character screens. If anyone is looking for something in particular let me know.

More avatars have been added over the last month or so. You can never have enough Zelda forum avatars!!

In recent news, The Legend of Zelda, among other games like my fav Super Mario Bros., will be rereleased on a GBA cartridge in a new line of Famicom GBA rereleases.

1-2-2004
It's about time to check in to this site with the new year now here, long enough to pry me away from my new PS2 and FFX.