When I was younger, I loved reading tales of knights and fantasy heroes, but none captured my attention quite the same way that King Arthur did. For a few years, I spent hours with my nose in such tomes as The Once and Future King and Le Morte d’Arthur. The lessons of chivalry and responsibility…
As a child, the vast majority of my game time was a performance, as my two younger siblings often watched me play, trying to cadge some time with the controller. Even when they couldn’t convince me to relinquish the game pad, though, playing time often resembled a group effort. We were a highly theatrical family,…
Gibdos are humanoid, mummified creatures that are often found in dungeons and other dark, hazardous, low-light locations. They seem to exist for the sole purpose of patrolling whatever crypt they wander through, attacking and throttling any and all victims they find. The first appearance of the Gibdo was in The Legend of Zelda for the…
Although I’ve played video games on a regular basis for literal decades now, my earliest days with the medium were quite casual, as I was restricted to playing whatever was available at friends’ houses or what I could find in the arcades. I knew Mario and Sonic and the Mortal Kombat crew, along with staples…
I remember the first time I found Mario’s face plastered on a wall inside a house in A Link to the Past’s Kakariko Village. This discovery alone was enough to excite me, being such a diehard Nintendo fan even as a young lad. Things only got better when, for whatever reason, I decided to make…
The Mario and Zelda series are two of the most influential and iconic franchises in video game history. Although to this day I cannot conquer World 8-4 nor defeat Ganon on my first try, my childhood was filled with bliss as I explored the vast and dangerous world of Hyrule and conquered enemies of the…
Many gameplay and story elements introduced in A Link to the Past have returned in various games throughout the years. One such element is the use of a musical and magical instrument to quickly travel across Hyrule. In A Link to the Past, this ability was made possible by the flute. The flute’s usefulness is…
Growing up in front of an old cathode-ray TV, sitting a controller cord away from the warm glow of the monitor, I was rarely alone in my video game playing time. As the oldest of three siblings, and in a house with a limited number of televisions to go around, I often had an audience…
Good news! Nintendo of Europe is offering three exclusive Super Nintendo posters as redeemable rewards through My Nintendo. The three posters come as a single set, featuring promotional artwork for Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, and Super Mario Kart. The poster set can be redeemed for 300 Platinum Points plus shipping and handling…
Reggie Fils-Aime is one of the most well-known and well-loved figures in the video game industry, and his departure from Nintendo rocked the world of fans everywhere. Fortunately, his retirement from the company where he spent 16 years as president was not the end of Reggie sharing his love for Nintendo. Now a Leader in…
When I was younger, I was a part of my school’s band. I played the clarinet and I played it proud. I started back in fifth grade and I stuck with it all the way until I graduated high school. For a very long time, I listened exclusively to video game soundtracks or rock music,…
I distinctly remember being very young when I played on an NES for the first time. For so long it had been Pac-Man on a single arcade machine at a local restaurant, but after playing a game at a friend’s house, my dad decided to buy one for us. We played the original Super Mario…
Lynels have not appeared in many Zelda games, but each encounter is hard to forget. These beasts are powerful and resilient, and they have earned their reputation as one of Link’s deadliest foes. Lynels first appeared in the original Legend of Zelda as common enemies that dwelled near Death Mountain. The beasts came in two…
In a recent interview with Game Informer, A Link to the Past director Takashi Tezuka discussed one of the more bizarre moments in the classic SNES title. Game Informer asked Tezuka why Link turns into a rabbit when he enters the Dark World. “I really wanted to create a striking distinction between what Link normally looks like, so…
Cadence of Hyrule: The Crypt of the Necrodancer was a surprise on just about every level when it was announced back in March. Nintendo, who is historically VERY protective of its IP, let an indie developer have access to one of its most precious franchises. Recently, the developers at Brace Yourself Games discussed their upcoming…
