All Articles: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Nintendo will drop the price of Super Mario Maker 3DS, Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, and Star Fox 64 3D on February 4

Nintendo has announced that three games for the 3DS will be getting a price cut on February 4. Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, and Star Fox 64 3D will all get a more wallet-friendly price of $19.99 as part of the consolemaker’s Nintendo Selects program:

In Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS, build, play and share your own side-scrolling Super Mario levels using a wide variety of tools. Want to make your cannons shoot coins or have Bowser fly? With the intuitive touch-screen controls of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, creating levels is easy and fun. Plus, you can take on 100 built-in courses as you tackle the Super Mario Challenge.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D brings Link’s classic adventure to Nintendo 3DS. This remastered and enhanced version features a cast of memorable characters, unforgettable gameplay and a dark and mysterious story. With control of time itself, Link must save the world of Termina from destruction by helping citizens, battling bosses and solving challenging puzzles.

Join ace pilot Fox McCloud in Star Fox 64 3D, an action-packed space shooter that puts you in the control of the classic Arwing ship as you blast, warp and barrel roll across space. Each mission in the game takes you through a different planet of the Lylat system as you face off against enemies, collect power-ups and fight powerful bosses on the way to the final battle against the evil Dr. Andross.

More than a dozen 3DS games are currently available through the Nintendo Selects program. You can find the full list at Nintendo’s official website.

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Nintendo Download: Zelda Majora’s Mask, Dragon Ball Fusions, Breath of Fire II, more

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It’s Thursday, so Happy Thanksgiving! And since Thursday is also the day Nintendo adds new games to the Nintendo eShop, let’s have a look…

This week, the consolemaker will add The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask to the Wii U eShop. Originally released for the Nintendo 64 back in 2000, Majora’s Mask is probably the most divisive game in the franchise’s history. But lots of people loved its unique structure and overall weird vibe, so it might be worth another look.

On the other side of the Nintendo eShop, a pair of RPGs are also available to download this week on the 3DS. Dragon Ball Fusions is the latest game based on the popular anime, and it combines “fighting, customization, and collection elements” to “see who the best fighters are.” Meanwhile, Capcom’s Breath of Fire II was originally released for the Super NES, and players can join the fight “to rid the world of a growing evil” today.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Insert Quarter: The Legend of Zelda’s Most Interesting One-Off Items

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

With more than a dozen games under his tunic, Link has accumulated quite the arsenal of one-off items and weapons. Sure, everyone loves the Ladder and the Whistle, but those appeared all the way back in the original Legend of Zelda. What have you done for me lately, Link?

Thankfully, the writers at The AV Club have put their “Inventory” skills to good use and cataloged all these weird and wacky inventions for future generations as part of “Zelda Week.” That’s such a great idea that I’ll even give them a pass after whiffing on the Ball And Chain (it appeared in Twilight Princess and Hyrule Warriors):

So much of The Legend Of Zelda’s identity hangs on that “legend” conceit. It’s a tale that’s always being retold, often with the same characters, locations, and plot points. That’s also why Link’s ever-growing collection of weapons and gadgetry tends to stay so similar from game to game. But when you look past the utilitarian adventuring necessities—your bombs and bows and boomerangs—the series is full of tools that have only ever made their way into a single Zelda game. Some are powerful items with deep ties to the stories in which they appear, and others are idiosyncratic novelties that have no place outside the ruined temples in which they’ve been hidden away. Whatever their role, some of these one-legend wonders are among the most memorable tools Link has ever used.

The full article is available for your perusal at The AV Club.

Posted in 3DS, News, Retro, Wii, Wii U | Tagged , , , , ,

Nintendo posts first yearly profit in four years as Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros. 4, Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire sell a bundle

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The champagne is surely flowing in the Nintendo office today as the consolemaker has posted a yearly profit for the first time since 2011. After tabulating sales of almost ¥550 billion (about $4.6 billion), Nintendo announced an operating income of ¥24.77 billion (about $207 million) during their most recent fiscal year (April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015).

It’s quite a turnaround for the company, and it’s all due to an influx of big-selling titles on the 3DS and Wii U. Leading the way was Super Smash Bros. For 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U. Nintendo’s ridiculously popular fighting game sold 6.75 million copies on the 3DS and 3.65 million on the Wii U for a grand total of 10.4 million copies. Another connected pair of games almost reached eight figures this past year, but Pokemon: Omega Ruby and Pokemon: Alpha Sapphire will have to settle for a 9.94 million tally instead.

Mario Kart 8 was next on the sales charts, producing sales in excess of 5.11 million copies sold. And speaking of the Mario Kart franchise, Mario Kart 7 sold 2 million copies during the fiscal year, which pushes its lifetime sales past 11.7 million copies. Sticking with the 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D also performed well in the last 12 months, selling more than 2 million copies.

Finally, Nintendo also shared hardware sales figures for both the Wii U and 3DS. Nintendo’s home console has sold 9.54 million systems since its 2012 launch while the 3DS has chipped in 52 million in sales for the handheld’s entire family.

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged , , , , ,

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D shoots the moon as the top-selling game in February 2015

legendofzeldamajorasmask-limitededitionThis just in… people really love the New 3DS XL. According to Nintendo, the consolemaker sold almost twice as many 3DS handhelds last month than in February of 2014. Though I guess that was probably going to be a given as people love every Nintendo handheld.

More surprising is the fact that people really love The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D. Long thought of as the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, it took the top spot in the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games from February 2015. The handheld’s other major launch title, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, checked in at #10. When you add in digital sales, the game sold more than 290,000 copies in February, making it the best debut for any game in the entire series.

Majora’s Mask 3D beat out February’s other big release, Evolve, which managed to shoot its way to the #2 spot. Other new releases appearing in the February top ten include Dragon Ball Xenoverse (#7) and The Order: 1886 (#9), which only had a few days to rack up sales due to its February 20 release date.

The remainder of the top ten includes plenty of holdovers from January including the former #1, Dying Light. Techland’s zombie game drops to #3 and it’s followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (#4), Grand Theft Auto V (#5), and NBA 2K15 (#6). Another strong showing by Minecraft keeps it in the top ten for another month, this time at #8.

Overall, Game Informer is reporting that sales of hardware, software, and accessories all saw major improvement last month versus February 2014. And while Nintendo may have dominated with the New 3DS XL, Sony has once again claimed the top-selling console with the PS4.

If you’d prefer to read the full top ten from February 2015 in list form, you can find it after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Nintendo will bring Splatoon, Xenoblade 3DS, Puzzle & Dragons: Mario, more to PAX East

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Nintendo has announced their PAX East 2015 lineup and I hope you like handheld gaming, because it is very 3DS heavy. Attendees will get a chance to play the already available The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and Super Smash Bros. For 3DS. But for players looking for something a little more unreleased, Nintendo will also decorate their booth with demo units containing Code Name: STEAM, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. GungHo Online will also have a booth at PAX East with a playable demo of the other half of the Puzzle & Dragons package, Puzzle & Dragons Z.

A single Wii U game, Splatoon, will also be available to play at the expo. Nintendo’s colorful first person shooter will launch in May and its PAX East appearance will be the last chance gamers get to try it out before its release.

“We love giving our fans an opportunity to check out our latest products at PAX events,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The newly released New Nintendo 3DS XL is sure to be popular with the many show-goers looking for StreetPass tags, and Splatoon will let attendees get their first hands-on experience with one of the year’s most creative games.”

The 2015 PAX East expo will take place next weekend, March 6th through the 8th, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

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Nintendo Download: Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D , Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Breath of Fire, more

legendofzeldamajorasmask-limitededition3DS owners will be very pleased with this week’s Nintendo Download as the forgotten member of the Zelda family, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow. Besides asking yourself if a Zelda game can truly be forgotten, Majora’s Mask is an interesting look back at how Nintendo treated one of their biggest franchises in the early 21st century. But even if you’re one of those people who didn’t think it worked the first time around (watch as I sheepishly raise my hand), every game should get a second chance like this.

Speaking of second chances, the rest of this week’s new 3DS games should also look familiar to gamers:

  • Capcom is bringing an enhanced version of Monster Hunter 4 to the 3DS eShop tomorrow as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Never-before-available in America, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will give players the chance to “tackle hundreds of quests and take down ferocious monsters.”
  • Bandai Namco has slapped a fresh coat of paint on Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy as well as added Amiibo support to the aerial shooter. These additions have given it the new name Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy +.
  • Finally, Sega is resurrecting one of their Genesis-era shooters exclusively for the 3DS as 3D Fantasy Zone.

Even though most of this week’s focus is on the 3DS, the Wii U got in on the re-release game too as Konami has added the well-liked SNES RPG Breath of Fire to the Wii U eShop.

More details on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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New Releases: Evolve, Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, More

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One of 2015’s most anticipated games, Evolve, will finally be available on store shelves this week. Originally scheduled for release last Fall, Evolve is the latest asymmetric shooter from Turtle Rock Studios, the team behind 2008’s well-loved Left 4 Dead, though it switches out zombies for a player-controlled Monster on an alien planet. Evolve will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One if that sounds like your kind of thing.

If you’re a handheld gamer, this week will also be a good time to head down to your local game store as Nintendo plans to release their New 3DS XL handheld in America. A slight refresh of the 3DS platform, the New 3DS will include built-on NFC support for Amiibo figures as well a second analog stick and a handful of additional input buttons. Nintendo will support their latest handheld with a trio of new titles including The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (a remake of the underappreciated N64 classic), Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (an enhanced re-release of the latest game in Capcom’s monster-hunting franchise, which was previously only available in Japan), and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + (an enhanced re-release of the latest game in Bandai Namco’s aerial combat series).

All three games are also compatible with earlier 3DS hardware, though that won’t be the case for every New 3DS game going forward.

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