NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: ZELDA CLASSIC BECOMES 300TH VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME

May 18, 2009

Every Monday for two and a half years, Nintendo has introduced new downloadable games and applications for the Wii™ console. Today marks a milestone for the Virtual Console™ section of the Wii Shop Channel, home of some of the greatest titles in video game history. The classic The Legend of Zelda™: Majora's Mask™ becomes the 300th Virtual Console title available for download. It's one of the highest-rated Nintendo 64™ games of all time, and its three-day time cycle and deeper, darker storyline offer players a different experience than a traditional Zelda game. People who played it years ago can relive their gaming roots, while those who never picked it up can discover its fun and charm for the first time.

Not to be overlooked, the second Art Style puzzle game for Nintendo DSiWare™ makes its debut, along with the WiiWare™ games CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 from SQUARE ENIX and Silver Star Chess from Agetec, Inc.

Virtual Console
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask [Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points™]: Link™ must save the world! This time, he finds himself trapped in Termina, an alternate version of Hyrule that is doomed to destruction in just three short days. Link must race to recover the Ocarina of Time (which allows him to manipulate time in multiple ways), defeat challenging bosses in dungeons spread across Termina and discover the key to the mystery of Majora's Mask. Along the way, he'll obtain new weapons and items and help other characters (some strangely familiar) in their everyday lives. In addition, Link must use a wide assortment of masks scattered throughout Termina, each with its own specific use or power. Never before have three days offered so much in the way of action, mind-boggling puzzles and depth. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an adventure unlike any other!

Nintendo DSiWare
Art Style™: PiCTOBiTS™ [Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points™]: Your goal in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS is simple: clear large blocks that fall from above ("megabits") by combining them with "bits" (square blocks) of the same color. Add in the ability to pick up bits and place them anywhere on the touch screen, and you'll quickly find that strategy is critical to your success. By clearing the bits, you gradually reveal each stage's hidden game character - look for favorites from classic NES™ titles - and earn coins that can be spent to unlock DARK stages or to listen to the game's soundtrack in MUSIC mode. This grand mix of familiar elements and new game play leads to the uniquely enjoyable experience that is PiCTOBiTS.

WiiWare
CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 [SQUARE ENIX, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points]: In CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2, you must deploy various units, such as Fencers and Black Mages, to stop waves of encroaching monsters from escaping the area with your party's crystals. There are many types of units to choose from: Some specialize in powerful short-range attacks, some wield far-reaching magicks and still others are equipped with bows, enabling them to bring down aerial foes. Deploy units in strategic locations to take full advantage of their traits. Each time an enemy breaches your defenses and reaches a map's exit, your party will lose crystals. When all your crystals are gone, the game is over. CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 offers several new, challenging maps containing multiple entrances and exits. It also introduces three varieties of Power Crystals, allowing you to enhance the abilities of your units, while new jobs, including Flintlock and Tinker, set the stage for even more complex strategies. Can you defend all the maps without losing a single crystal?

Silver Star Chess [Agetec, Inc., 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Suggestive Themes, 500 Wii Points]: Silver Star Chess has two modes: 1-Player and 2-Player. 1-Player mode allows you to play a chess match against the computer opponent. 2-Player mode allows you to play against another person. In 1-Player mode, you can select one of five different computer opponents, as well as turn the background music off, adjust sound effects and access in-game help features. Also, during the match, you can redo your last move, save the game at any point or resign from the game. After the match has ended, you can review each move made during the match. While reviewing the match in this way, you can resume that match at any point.

rragnaar said:

I can't wait to check out Majora's Mask.  It is the one Zelda that I've never even seen, let alone played.

 Holy moly. 

Some zelda fans rank it as their favourite. Playing so many years later though, that's got to be harsh on the eyes. 

gamingeek said:

rragnaar said:

I can't wait to check out Majora's Mask.  It is the one Zelda that I've never even seen, let alone played.

 Holy moly. 

Some zelda fans rank it as their favourite. Playing so many years later though, that's got to be harsh on the eyes. 

 I turn off my inner graphics whore when playing older games, so I'm sure the graphics won't cut my eyes.  Vader gets pissed every time I say it, but, to this day I haven't beaten a single Zelda game.  I have the attention span of a goldfish.

gamingeek said:

rragnaar said:

I can't wait to check out Majora's Mask.  It is the one Zelda that I've never even seen, let alone played.

 Holy moly. 

Some zelda fans rank it as their favourite. Playing so many years later though, that's got to be harsh on the eyes. 

Some don't

<--------

rragnaar said:

I can't wait to check out Majora's Mask.  It is the one Zelda that I've never even seen, let alone played.

You haven't finish any of them, go away.

rragnaar said:

Dvader said:

rragnaar said:

I can't wait to check out Majora's Mask.  It is the one Zelda that I've never even seen, let alone played.

You haven't finish any of them, go away.

 I was real close with Twilight Princess, but I got to one of the last temples and got a little bit stuck, and then I never went back to it... same thing happened in Link to the Past.  I never knew where to go once the crazy mirror world thing got unlocked.  One of these days I will beat them.  Maybe I will start with Majora's Mask.

That's not close to being finished, and where you go is marked clearly on your map.

robio said:

YOU ARE WEAK!!  GO BACK TO YOUR CARNIVAL GAMES LITTLE WEAK MAN!!!

 ... I beat Demon's Souls though... beating the 'hardest game of the gen' has to count for something.  

*opens can of worms*

In any case, I never quit a Zelda game due to difficulty, I just had a hard time investing so much time in a game with little or no narrative to drive it forward.  I always ended up just quitting the game whenever I had had my fill of the gameplay since I had no interest in seeing how the story panned out.

rragnaar said:

In any case, I never quit a Zelda game due to difficulty, I just had a hard time investing so much time in a game with little or no narrative to drive it forward.  I always ended up just quitting the game whenever I had had my fill of the gameplay since I had no interest in seeing how the story panned out.

Somewhere in Miami, dvader just lost control of his bodily functions and is hastily searching for a fresh pair of undergarments. 

SteelAttack said:

rragnaar said:

In any case, I never quit a Zelda game due to difficulty, I just had a hard time investing so much time in a game with little or no narrative to drive it forward.  I always ended up just quitting the game whenever I had had my fill of the gameplay since I had no interest in seeing how the story panned out.

Somewhere in Miami, dvader just lost control of his bodily functions and is hastily searching for a fresh pair of undergarments. 

 ... this is old news for Vader.  He has heard my heresy before.