An unnamed source claims the upcoming Wii U Zelda will be the most expensive game Nintendo has ever made.

It’s not hard to accurately predict that Nintendo is working on a new Legend of Zelda for the Wii U. It’s like guessing that the sun is going to rise; after you’ve watched it happen so many times you can eventually set your clock around it. What’s much less certain are the details, such as where the story will be set in the enormous Zelda timeline, or what particular art style the game will use. While we continue to wait for confirmation on what Nintendo has planned, an unnamed source for Wii U Daily claims to have seen the game in action. According to the report, the new Zelda title will make full use of the Wii U’s increased graphical capabilities, and features huge virtual worlds that rival Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto games.

“It’s a 4-year development cycle with a new console, new technology, new engine,” the source explained. “It’ll end up being the most expensive game they’ve made to date. It’s a huge investment for [Nintendo] in money and manpower, this is Rockstar/GTA territory.”

The report lists several ways in which the new Zelda title differs from previous entries, but the actual scale of the game world being the most prominent. According to the source, all content presented during 2011′s E3 has been scrapped to build an enormous adventure experience from scratch. “The first test dungeon they made was a giant forest running on early and buggy Wii U hardware,” Wii U Daily’s source said. “The dungeon was bigger than the Hyrule field in Ocarina, and the whole thing is one dungeon. You use the GamePad to navigate, avoid traps, follow clues etc. It’s dark, lush, with a ton of trees, foliage, some which you have to cut your way through. Its scope and details are unlike anything you’ve seen in a Zelda game.”

Of course, the main feature that sets the Wii U apart from its peers is the GamePad tablet controller, which while unique, still needs to prove itself as a worthwhile gaming accessory. According to the source, Zelda fans have nothing to worry about because the GamePad was designed partly designed for this very game. “At least one of the hardware features added to the GamePad were solely implemented because the Zelda team figured out they could do something cool with it,” the source states. “Zelda designers started sketching out concepts as soon as Nintendo decided to include a screen with the new console … everything in the game is built around the controller and its unique abilities. Every single feature in the controller is used to its full potential.”

While the overall tone of the report can be summarized as an enthusiastic “Ermagerd, Zelda,” if even some of the reported information is true, it could make for a refreshing return-to-form for the series. While Skyward Sword was fun and well-designed, it simply didn’t provide a vast open-world for the player to explore like Ocarina of Time or even A Link to the Past did. Regardless, we’ll still have lots of time to speculate; thanks to all of the new features the source claims Nintendo is adding, The Legend of Zelda won’t see the light of day until 2014.

Thanks to Mr. Mattress finding the info.

Source: Wii U Daily

To even the most seasoned fan, the idea of an orchestral concert based on a video game series might sound silly. But think about your favorite video game as a child. Now, what about those memories has lodged itself into the forefront of your brain as you read these words? The music. Those catchy tunes that played ad infinitum as you leaped on top of turtle shells, launched laser beams from your sword or neatly fit puzzle pieces together.

Jeron Moore, producer and creative lead for The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, a comprehensive concert series spanning The Legend of Zelda mythos, remembers that feeling all too well. It’s what got him here in the first place.

“My older sister gave me her score to a film called ‘Out of Africa’ by a composer named John Barry, who wrote the James Bond theme. I was, like, six or seven years old, which is a really weird age for me to kind of latch on to music like that,” Moore admits, “but something about it really captured my imagination. And at that same time, I just got a Nintendo, and along with that, once it came out, the gold cartridge.”

As the gap between the complexity of music in games and in film grew smaller, Moore pursued a career in music and video production in the video game industry. He has worked on some of the most prominent releases in gaming, including The Elder Scrolls Morrowind and Oblivion, Prey, Duke Nukem Forever and more. But as music in games reached critical mass in terms of quality, Moore saw a golden opportunity.

Gallery: The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses

“Now we’re at the point where you can look back at the ancient stuff and do these crazy retro references. You can just have fun. You can really tap into nostalgia,” Moore points out, referring to the recent trend of video game-inspired orchestral concerts. “For me, that was kind of what doing the Zelda concert was about. Tapping into, well first and foremost, my nostalgia. I don’t mean that in a selfish way, because, for me, I’m a diehard Zelda fan. I figure, if I can get it right and be happy with it myself–because I’m very discerning and critical when it comes to that sort of thing–then I think it would be great if other people were happy with it.”

As it turns out, Symphony of the Goddesses has been received with acclaim, leading to the audiovisual event recently receiving 11 more tour dates and a free special event at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Plaza, New York on Sept. 14 in New York. In other words, the show has been a resounding success. But members of the team, even executive producer Jason Michael Paul, had their doubts when Moore presented his idea for Symphony of the Goddesses to his dream team.

“At first, [Jason] liked Zelda, don’t get me wrong, but Final Fantasy was always his game. He was like, ‘Are you sure? Do you think it will work?’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I already had kind of the team in mind,” Moore explains. “One of my best friends, Chad Seiter, who’s the music director and arranger for Symphony of the Goddesses, is in it. Our team actually is the team that put together the E3 [2011] presentation, where the orchestra came out from under ground and performed that big overture for the 25th anniversary.”

Being a performance that melds both dramatic visual content from previous releases in the series, Symphony of the Goddesses was quite the massive undertaking. The show is what Moore calls a “four movement symphony,” with each movement focusing on a major game within the franchise … paying respect to The Timeline, of course. (Moore isn’t kidding when he claims to be “a diehard Zelda fan.”)

“Little did we know, when Hyrule Historia was released in Japan, that the two timelines are really three. So, that sort of blew some minds and confused some people, [but] it’s slowly been accepted,” Moore says, letting his fan flag fly. “Bear in mind, our concert is linear. We can’t set a room over here, a room over there and say, ‘OK, for these next couple pieces, if you want to go to Timeline A, go over there. And if you want to go to Timeline C, go over here.’ That would be a huge production and confusing–completely impractical.”

Given Moore’s intensely intimate knowledge of The Legend of Zelda series, it’s not surprising that he claims franchise composer Koji Kondo and producer Eiji Aonuma had little to no issues with Symphony of the Goddesses. Though, Moore recalls one particularly nerve-wracking interaction with Mr. Aonuma and Mr. Kondo in the flesh.

After working rather closely with the duo for months prior on the music for the concert, Moore (pictured above center) had unfortunately learned that Eiji had yet to see the video content he created for the show. Hours before the show was to go live in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theater, Eiji was prepared to see the videos that would play during:

Bill Trenton, [Shigeru] Miyamoto’s translator and the product director at Nintendo, pulls me aside and says, ‘Hey, Jeron, lets go review the videos with Mr. Aonuma.’ And so, we walk down. The auditorium is completely empty, and we just file into one of the rows in front of the orchestra, as they’re playing.

And Mr. Kondo is already sitting out there, so Bill sits next to Mr. Kondo, so Mr. Kondo’s to Bills left. I sit next to Bill, and then Mr. Aonuma sits to my right. So, I’m sandwiched between these three guys. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but my brain was exploding. I mean, the only person who was missing was Mr. Miyamoto.

I’m just sitting here with these icons, and then of course, with the idea that Mr. Aonuma hasn’t seen any of the work that I’ve labored over for the past few weeks, and we’re supposed to have a show later that evening. So, I’m like, ‘What if there’s something wrong? What if he wants a change? I don’t have time to go back and do this.’ You know, we’ve got a lot going on.

At the end, after we finished watching it all, he extended out his hand, shook my hand and said, ‘Excellent work.’ And I was just like, ‘Awesome. That just made my year.’ Just getting his full stamp of approval, no caveats. He was totally fine with it all.

Moore has already proved the weight of his work to some of the greatest minds behind The Legend of Zelda series. But he’s more concerned with everyone else in the theater–the moms, dads and grandparents who were dragged there by their little Link fans, especially. To Moore, Symphony of the Goddesses has something important to say to the audience.

“It’s not just a video game. It’s not just a silly toy. Their eyes open to, ‘Hey, there is actually something to this. Maybe I misjudged. Maybe I sized it up too quickly.’ Obviously, the audience for Zelda–all of us–saw something in it that was special, acknowledged it as a piece of art and experienced it as such. That’s something that a lot of people don’t get initially.”

Have you seen Symphony of the Goddesses or a show like it? What effect did it have on you? Share with us in the comments. Add Comment.

With Nintendo expected to unveil its new Wii U home console this winter, the Manifesto’s contributors are offering their picks for the greatest games on each of the company’s U.S. consoles.

By the time the Nintendo 64 came along in 1996, The Big N had made itself the top name in video game consoles with the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo. But it soon would find itself a distant second as the N64 and its cartridges would falter compared to Sony’s first PlayStation, which used CDs.

But that doesn’t mean the N64 didn’t boast plenty of accomplishments. It ushered in solid 3D gaming with some of the following titles, which became more legendary than the system that ran them.

Many of these are available on Wii’s Virtual Console if you want to see the ancestors of today’s top games.

Goldeneye 007: Everyone talks of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as the revolutionary game on the Nintendo 64. It no doubt was revolutionary, but it wasn’t alone. For everyone who loves playing Call of Duty or Halo, they owe a thank-you to Goldeneye 007.

It was the first game to truly show that first- person shooters could work on consoles in addition to PCs. It introduced local multi-player death matches, which would become the staple of first-person shooters of the future.

It also had a great story and stellar graphics for its time. It’s just a shame that the Bond games since haven’t risen to the standard Goldeneye 007 created.

Most underrated N64 game: WWF War Zone

SCOTT SLOAN

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Most of my friends were into Zelda pretty big in the 1980s, and I never understood why. Aside from the gold cartridge, I always thought the game, which moved up and down and left and right on a pathetic grid, was pretty lame.

But I finally got into the series when Nintendo released Ocarina of Time. There was a lot of hype surrounding the game, and it was justified.

Ocarina of Time told the story of Link in such a different way. It was 3-D and, at that time, truly a thing of beauty. A target-lock system was introduced and has since become a staple.

The story line also was displayed with far more grace than any other game at that point. It was cinematic, and it drew you in. You actually wanted to help Link.

This exciting action-adventure game set the tone for what gaming would become.

Most underrated N64 game: Diddy Kong Racing

DELANO R. MASSEY, dmassey@herald-leader.com

Paper Mario: Paper Mario completely surprised me. After all, who would have thought a kiddie-themed Mario role-playing game with turn-based battles could be a stellar offering?

So I passed and didn’t actually play it until years later while I was in college. Once I got into it, though, it blew me away.

What I thought was a child’s RPG was in fact a deep game with memorable moments and an art style that was not even geared toward kids. The turn-based battles and associated action system were welcome changes and still stand up well today. The puzzles, while not terribly difficult, were challenging enough to keep the pace of gameplay going.

If you passed on this game because it wasn’t in your comfort zone, give it a chance today. It’ll surprise you.

Most underrated N64 game: Diddy Kong Racing

WILLIAM WOOD JR.

Perfect Dark: I’ve played video games since I was old enough to grip an Atari joystick, but before Perfect Dark, I almost always played by myself.

Perfect Dark taught me gaming could be a social affair. Sure, the single-player game had awesome graphics, tons of weapons and a cool story, but all of that was secondary to the best, most customizable multiplayer experience of the Nintendo 64 generation.

When I was 16, after working long night shifts at KFC in Eaton, Ohio, a few co-workers and I would walk to my manager’s house nearby, plug in Perfect Dark and play for hours, setting up fights against one another other or huge armies of computer- controlled players. Our favorite game type? “One-shot, one-kill,” in which a single bullet kills you. Pistols only.

Unlike many classic games, Perfect Dark does not withstand the test of time. First-person shooters have evolved leaps and bounds since 2000, making the N64 classic seem frustratingly dated now. But if you’re willing to wade through the frustration for a tidbit of nostalgia, a high- definition remake of Perfect Dark is available on Xbox Live Arcade.

Most underrated N64 game: Beetle Adventure Racing

JOSH KEGLEY, jkegley@herald-leader.com

Scott Sloan: (859) 231-1447. Twitter: @HeraldLeaderBiz.

Nintendo’s “Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Tour” may be coming to a city near you soon.

Nintendo of America announced 11 new tour dates and cities for their Legend of Zelda symphony series including Toronto, Minneapolis, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, San Antonio, Calgary, New York, West Palm Beach, Miami and San Jose.

The symphony series will take the audience on a musical journey through the storylines of four classic Zelda games including Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and A Link to the Past.

The new wing of the tour kicks off in New York City at the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza with an interactive ocarina workshop led by acclaimed ocarina expert David “Docjazz” Ramos. According to his website, Ramos started playing the ocarina because of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64. He organized the first public US Ocarina Gathering in Seattle in 2009 and plans to hold another one by the end of 2012. He also performed with the Nintendo symphony series last July in Orlando.

Image: Jonathan Alcorn, Bloomberg/Getty Images

Nintendo’s press release:

NINTENDO ANNOUNCES NEW TOUR DATES FOR “THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SYMPHONY OF THE GODDESSES”

Acclaimed Concert Continues to Enchant Video Game Fans and Music Lovers Across North America

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 5, 2012 – “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Tour” is coming soon to even more locations across the United States and Canada. Based on one of the most popular and beloved video game series of all time, the tour features live orchestral performances of theme music from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise. The newly announced dates include:

• Sept. 15: Toronto; Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
• Sept. 22: Minneapolis; Orpheum Theatre
• Oct. 12: Dallas; ATT Performing Arts Center
• Oct. 18: Boston; Wang Theatre
• Oct. 25: Chicago; The Chicago Theatre
• Nov. 3: San Antonio; The Majestic Theatre
• Nov. 6: Calgary, Alberta; Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
• Nov. 28: New York; The Theater at Madison Square Garden
• Dec. 8: West Palm Beach, Fla.; Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
• Dec. 9: Miami; Adrienne Arsht Center
• Dec.14: San Jose, Calif.; San Jose Civic

In celebration of the tour, the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza in New York will host a special event on Friday, Sept. 14, from 6-9 p.m. From 6-6:45 p.m., ocarina expert David “Docjazz” Ramos will lead an interactive workshop, introducing fans and newcomers to the history of the instrument. From 7-8 p.m., an intimate mini-concert will be performed, featuring a small musical ensemble. From 8- 9 p.m., attendees can interact with David Ramos and the concert musicians. Event attendees can also take photos with Link cosplay model Li Kovacs and purchase official “Symphony of the Goddesses” merchandise. The first consumers to enter the event will receive a special concert pack that includes a T-shirt, poster and an ocarina to use during the ocarina workshop.

The name “Symphony of the Goddesses” refers not only to the concert program but also to the new four-movement symphony recounting the classic storylines from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The concert also will highlight orchestral renditions of music from other series games, including The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The full orchestra will be conducted by Eímear Noone with arrangements by music director Chad Seiter.

“We are thrilled to bring this unprecedented and exhilarating tour to fans across the U.S. and Canada,” notes Jason Michael Paul, CEO of Jason Michael Paul Productions, which is producing the concert tour. “From children to adults who have followed The Legend of Zelda for decades, the fan base for this concert is growing exponentially, and we are ready to deliver an unforgettable experience.”

Fans can view a complete tour schedule with ticketing information and also sign up for a regularly updated digital newsletter at http://zelda-symphony.com. Club Nintendo also is offering a discount to the shows—users just need to register at the Club Nintendo site and enjoy an exclusive 15 percent discount by logging into their accounts at http://club.nintendo.com and clicking on the “Symphony of the Goddesses” logo banner. Exclusive concert packs also are available at GameStop locations.

Since first appearing in 1986, The Legend of Zelda game series has sold more than 69 million units worldwide. The latest entries in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for Nintendo 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii console, have both sold more than 1 million copies in North America since launching last year. Additionally, on Jan. 29, 2013, Nintendo and Dark Horse Books will release Hyrule Historia, a hardback book chronicling the history of The Legend of Zelda series. Featuring never-before-seen concept art, the full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the game and insights from developers that have worked on the series, the book is currently available for pre-order via select retailers (deposit may be required for pre-order).

For more information about the concerts, visit http://zelda-symphony.com.

In the late summer of 1987, “The Legend of Zelda” made its North American debut.

What started as Link’s hero’s quest to rescue Hyrule’s beloved Princess Zelda from the wicked clutches of Ganondorf, the King of Evil, has become one of the most popular and influential video game franchises of all time.

According to USA Today, Nintendo had sold 62 million games from “The Legend of Zelda” as of April 2011. That was before the November 2011 release of the series’ 16th installment, ”The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.”

In honor of this summer’s 25th anniversary of Zelda’s North American debut, please enjoy the entertaining, slightly ribald short film “Zelda: The Musical.”

-BAM

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