Nintendo has sent out a press release announcing the final US release date for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Nestled in all the PR-speak is a nice little surprise for Zelda fans: the abduction-prone princess will be fighting right alongside Link in this adventure.

It's been another week, and it seems like life in the Nintendo blogs has picked up a little. Leading this week's charge is the Wii's share of the Resident Evil fever - The Darkside Chronicles, plus rumors of Code Veronica getting a Wii-make. The Conduit, that despite having no MotionPlus support is still holding up pretty well. Check out the details in this week's Nintendo Weekend Warrior.

Fancy a nice RPG for your DS? Developer MEZ brings us his version of The Legend of Hyrule, based on the popular series by Nintendo. It's on Alpha 1, so don't be surprised if a few bugs come along here and there. But so far, the game's looking solid as it is. Try it out.


Download: The Legend of Hyrule Alpha 1

Nintendo fans out there will probably be disappointed that Camp Hyrule has been cancelled this summer. In lieu of this, they have decided to hold a sweepstakes where the winner walks off with a life-sized statue of none other than Link himself.

Camp Hyrule started back in 1995, and is essentially an online camp normally held in August. In the event, players could chat, play online games, and win prizes under the supervision of Nintendo employees and Nintendo Power columnists.

This online simulation has everything you'd expect from a summer camp: campfires, water sports, and archery. Participants are assigned to cabins, where they work with other participants to earn points through various games, a Photoshop contest, and other events.

So is this the end of Camp Hyrule? Well, there was no specific mention about it closing for good, so there's still hope for next year. If you're interested in joining the sweepstakes, head on over to the Camp Hyrule site through our read link to get some details.

Any self-respecting Zelda fan would have been keeping tabs on upcoming Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass. Innovative use of the touch screen, classic Zelda look, smart level design, one massive adventure - the world has been waiting for that big package. Game finally hit Japan, and a poster over at the VG Chartz forum reported that around 350,000 people grabbed it in mere two days.

Looks like Ocarina of Time's success is finally going to be regained by Link's new adventure on the DS. Twilight Princess is still selling like hotcakes, but our fellow gamers over at the land of the rising sun didn't embrace it as much as the west did. Proves that Japan loves their games anime-style, puzzle filled, old-school, and portable.

Question is, will Nintendo be able to dish out enough copies to supply the hungry Hyrule-citizen wannabes? Let's hope they do, because you know you want one.

HOOOOOYYY! At this point in time, everyone and their trusty Navi-Tatl-Tael fairy has probably charted expeditions online to watch some videos of the full (Japanese) version of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Just like there was a boom of Halo 3 videos when the beta finally wired into the public, Phantom Hourglass videos are sprouting up everywhere like blue on the Great Sea.

Today, we have another video, this time showing the actual intro sequence from the game. And not only that, but a fan's translation of the text! Although it was uploaded to YouTube the other day, we wanted to save this for the weekend for some leisurely content. Uploader jokkir found the translation in some site (which we can't quite locate), as posted by someone named Kudaku.

Now, now. We warn you as always: what you are bound to see below CONTAINS SPOILERS. Especially if you haven't played Wind Waker. (As an aside, I'm currently re-playing the previous title - on the Wii, no less - for a refresher course before I embark on my Phantom Hourglass journey; some of you might want to follow suit if you haven't yet) The first part of the intro recaps the previous installment, while the second part of the video seems to pick up immediately after the events of Wind Waker.

Get your compasses, telescopes, and sea charts out! Make yourself comfy aaand... curtain up!

Pic 1 - A Story from a little while ago...

• One Day, there were pirates, whom the leader was a little girl
• Her name was Tetra, and she was [...]

Head for the Full Article below for the rest of the translation!

Just when you thought saving the world could be easier, controlling Link to defeat the evil Ganon just got more convenient in Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS.

A couple of Japanese trailers we found showcase some of the few tricks you'll be using in your journey around Hyrule. Instead of using buttons, Link can now move around and strike with his sword just by using the stylus. Touch the enemy on screen to attack it, or draw a circle around to do a spinning blow.

Gone are the days of frustration trying to aim that boomerang. In Phantom Hourglass, you can command your boomerang to move the way you want it. Obstacles won't stand in the way, just lead with your stylus to hit that objective.

See the action yourself on the video below. Other one comes right after the jump!

If you've been keeping tabs on the highly-anticipated title for the Dual Screen, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, then here's a scoop for you: two new scans full of Zelda-flavored goodness courtesy of Famitsu.

While we can't tell you what those information-rich blocks of Japanese characters say about the game,we CAN tell you that there's going to be a lot of things you can do when it comes to the aquatic voyage part of the game (a feature largely decried as a boring section in the GameCube title The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker).

Some of these diversions, or sidequests, appear to be fishing and deep-sea treasure-hunting, as well as an in-depth ship customization feature. And that's not counting the naval battles you'll be undertaking with your vessel's cannon!

Besides the sea-based hijinks you'll be busy with, the scans also show some of the more colorful characters you'll be meeting (or even fighting) in your handheld journey around the world of Hyrule. There's the black armored knight that looks quite dangerous, the lightly-dressed natives - and is that a Gerudo female on the upper right corner of the second scan? Well, regardless, it's a safe bet that you'll be rubbing elbows with an interesting lot.

A clean, charming visual style, a variety of supporting characters, a whole lot of things to do BEYOND the main game of hacking and slashing - Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is shaping up to be a solid title for the Nintendo DS indeed. Keep it locked right here for any and all developments concerning the next title in the Zelda series!

Another loss to the gaming community has occurred once again, as Ocarina Of Time 2D forum admin brings sad tidings. According to Revenant, Richard Denton (better known as Dampe among the forum members) has passed away, after having been involved in a vehicular accident. At the moment, no details are being given about the said accident, as Denton's friends and family are still coping with the loss. As explained by Revenant,

I'm not feeling up to explaining detail of the accident, and how it happened, I'm just here to notify everyone since his family would be devastated, and his brother probably wouldn't want to explain the loss to a bunch of guys on the net.

In the meantime, the future of the community which was built around Denton's work remains uncertain. As of this writing, we have noted that the official website of Ocarina of Time 2D has been taken down upon Denton's family's request

Richard Denton was the creator of the much-awaited fan-made title, Ocarina of Time 2D. As the name of the video game suggests, the aim of the project was to reproduce one of video game history's most successful games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in 2D instead of 3D. This move has made the game look like the original Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, thus managing to merge two of the most-loved Zelda games into one.

Dampe will be missed. May he find his Hyrule.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Dampe's work, here's a video to show you what it was all about, and why so many people will miss him badly.

After all this time since the DS came out, Zelda fans are yet to wait for a Hyrule (or in this case, the Great Sea) adventure on their handhelds. Well, can't the 3rd Quarter of this year get any nearer, please? This trailer's got this writer tearing up and fogging his computer monitor. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was set back for months now and here we see what we can't have (as of yet).

Well, whether you're going to be crying in agony or tears of joy, all that delay wasn't used for nothing. They're really beefing up the game with what seems to be full support on the touch screen aspect.

Link's got a fairy on his side (kinda like Navi from Ocarina of Time) that serves both as his familiar and your very own touch screen cursor. Use the touch screen to guide a boomerang around the room, rub around to pry Link from the clutches of an evil crab-boss, draw a path for your ship to take on the map.... The GDC trailer is a little less than two minutes long, but it definitely goes far in showing you what the game is like in action.