The Legend of Zelda series has always dabbled in alternate realities - mirror worlds, sunken pasts, waking dreams, futures that might have been. This is the story of one such lost future, a dream originally dreamt by the developers of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, kept alive by a fervent underground community of fans, modders and artists. It's the tale of a version of Ocarina of Time which is, somehow, both a tangible fact and an eternally deferred Holy Grail, always quested for, never quite grasped - the reworked "Ura" edition that was once planned for release alongside the Nintendo 64's ill-fated 64DD peripheral, tantalising elements of which can still be uncovered on a Zelda 64 cartridge today.
For its age, the 64DD was a fairly magical piece of kit, armed with internet connectivity backed up by a rudimentary gaming network, a real-time clock and support for rewriteable 64MB magnetic discs. Besides giving developers vastly more storage to play with at a fraction of the cost of the N64's existing cartridge format, it would have allowed players to craft their own textures, characters and levels into games like F-Zero and share them over the internet - years before “user-generated content” became an industry buzzword.
For a while, the 64DD was Nintendo's favourite son: in a December 1997 interview, Shigeru Miyamoto claimed that “almost every” new N64 game in production was designed to make use of it. But the add-on was a troubled project from inception, pegged for a 1996 launch only to wallow in development hell till 1999, when it saw a limited release in Japan as part of a game subscription package. By the time the 64DD was fit for public consumption Nintendo was eager to be rid of it, and the combination of an eye-watering price and N64's relatively modest installed base led to an early retirement in February 2001.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's classic tunes are getting a classy treatment with a two-disc vinyl LP called Hero of Time.
Between Emily and Corvo's quest for revenge in Dishonored 2 and Agent 47's episodic antics in Hitman, 2016 has been pretty kind to stealth game protagonists. They're a special bunch, when you think about it - surviving a stealth game requires cunning, poise and nerves of steel. In other words, being the hero or heroine of a stealth game isn't for everyone.
Minigames are interesting things. They're purpose built to distract the player - to give them something different to do for ten minutes in order to break up the flow of the main game. In a sense, they're tacit admissions of the fact that sometimes games - especially long ones - can get a bit monotonous.
Five more 3DS games are joining the Nintendo Selects range next month, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.
UPDATE 5/4/16 12.00pm: After his recreation of Ocarina of Time's Death Mountain, CryZENx has now remade the game's watery Zora's Domain.
In case you didn't catch it first time round, Late to the Party is a show in which we put a Eurogamer staff member through the ringer with a classic game they've never played.
You know how in action movies whenever the hero meets a blind person they always end up being a highly skilled combatant? Well YouTuber Runnerguy2489 is that guy in real life after completing the entirety of Ocarina of Time blindfolded.
N64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will launch on the Wii U eShop this Thursday.
It's bank holiday Monday, a day on which all the bankers are allowed to come out from behind their side of the counter and roam the countryside for a few hours. At least I think that's how it works.
A team of talented Zelda fans have released a trailer for The Legend of Zelda: The Final Battle, their upcoming live-action film.
The Final Battle will centre around the finale of N64 classic Ocarina of Time, as Zelda hero Link faces off against the evil Ganondorf.
Fairy companion Navi and noble steed Epona also put in appearances.
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UPDATE 23/03/2015 5.47pm: Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has cast doubt on the Wall Street Journal report about a live-action Zelda series coming to Netflix.
In her infinite wisdom, Cher once sang, "If I could turn back time, if I could find a way." Really makes you think. Mind you, the cruel and inexorable march of time is good for some things, like bringing us this bunch of video game remakes that, in one way or another, managed to surpass their progenitors. Who would have guessed back in 1998 that the one thing missing from Half Life was Paul and Barry Chuckle? Technically that's two things, but you get my meaning.
The official Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert tour returns in 2015 for a new round of performances.
Now subtitled Symphony of the Goddesses: Master Quest, 2015's updated set list includes new compositions and old favourites.
Among the new additions are musical and visual excerpts from 3DS adventure The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and the upcoming Majora's Mask 3D remake.
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Fans of Nintendo's N64 classic Zelda: Ocarina of Time are trying to remake the entire adventure in 2D for PC.
There's an official The Legend of Zelda version of Monopoly due out next month.
How good would N64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time look if it was made using Unreal Engine 4?
Nintendo has begun selling pre-owned 3DS and DSi XL handhelds in North America via its official online store.
We knew that Nintendo was in the process of making more full-priced retail 3DS games accessible via the digital market and now its brought several of the platform's best games to the eShop.
Nintendo is currently contemplating which Zelda game to remake next for 3DS, top designer Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed.
Super Mario 3D Land is the first Nintendo 3DS game to sell over five million copies.
Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto is considering revisiting the 2D era of Zelda games for a future 3D remake.
London, October 2011. Thousands are crowded into the Hammersmith Apollo, one of the city's most famous theatrical venues, to hear a concert of music commemorating the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. It's an emotional night. Host Zelda Williams recalls how much the series she was named after meant to her growing up, and her voice audibly cracks at the memory. As Koji Kondo plays a delicate piano solo of Grandma's Theme from The Wind Waker, grown men can be seen dabbing their eyes. Kondo rises from his seat and the audience stands, too, applauding wildly, a number of them clad in the familiar green tunic, tights and pointed hat of their hero.
UPDATE: We've tweaked our headline slightly following word from Eurogamer's Portugese site that the original MyGames interview was mis-transcribed.
Nintendo's Aonuma walks you through.
Nintendo titles have assaulted the top 10, as niche 9/10 Wii-exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles turned up in seventh place.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Nintendogs + Cats saw healthy sales bumps in Japan last week thanks to the 3DS price cut.
3DS sales figures have shot through the roof in Japan after Nintendo's worldwide price cut took effect last week.
3DS sold 214,821 units between 8th and 14th August, according to chart company Enterbrain (via Famitsu). That's the highest weekly amount since the 3DS launched in February.
Two weeks earlier, 3DS sales were 16,415 units a week. (News of the price cut impacted sales the week after.)
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No surprises as to this week's number one - it's three million-selling dance workout title Zumba Fitness.
UK Club Nintendo members will soon be given the chance to win free tickets to London's Zelda Symphony tour, Nintendo has told Eurogamer.
The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concert tour will play a one-off performance at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on 25th October, Nintendo has announced.
Places will be extremely limited - it's the only date planned for the whole of Europe.
Tickets are priced at £33.75 and go on sale 8th August from Ticketmaster and Zelda-Symphony.com.
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It's not all doom and gloom for Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has become the first 3DS game to break through the million sales barrier.
While shops discuss tactics, analyst Piers Harding-Rolls predicted that the Nintendo 3DS UK recommended retail price (RRP) will fall to between £150 and £155.
The original concept for N64 classic Zelda: Ocarina of Time saw the game play out entirely within the confines of Ganon's castle, according to creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D deliberately preserves some of the N64 version's original bugs, its developer has said.
If you pop into your local HMV with your Nintendo 3DS and use its StreetPass feature to collect a "HMV store Mii", the nice people behind the tills will give you 10 per cent off a Nintendo 3DS game.
The 3DS has finally unseated the PSP at the top of Japan's weekly hardware sales chart, after months of Sony domination.
Developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto has admitted that in some cases it's perfectly acceptable to turn the 3D effect off when playing games on the Nintendo 3DS.
Everyone who registers Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D online by 30th June will recieve the game's promised bonus soundtrack CD, Nintendo has now stated.
Fan fury over a free Legend of Zelda soundtrack has forced Nintendo to extend the offer in the US.
Resurgent dance regime Zumba Fitness has leapt back to the top of the UK gaming chart.
The concept of pressing a button to lock onto an enemy or object is now regarded as something of a standard in video games.
Nintendo UK has shored up its online security in the wake of a "possible phishing threat".
Register your copy of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D on the Club Nintendo website now - you'll get an official soundtrack CD, while stocks last.
Nintendo top brass turned down a request from its US wing to repackage classic Zelda games on a single Wii disc in celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary this year, according to the latest Iwata Asks interview.
With his daughter, Zelda.
We have such a strange attitude towards our past as gamers. Our neophilism is such that re-releases are often regarded as brazen attempts at daylight robbery. It's a bizarre mindset that isn't to be found anywhere else in entertainment. ("Remasted Beatles albums? But I already heard Abbey Road.")
Of course, there's a right way to go about it. Stick five ROMS or PC ports on a disc without bothering to construct so much as a new menu screen - I'm looking at you, Dreamcast Collection - and you deserve all the bollocking you get. But remakes - proper remakes, undertaken with fidelity, respect and enthusiasm - those are a different matter altogether. This is still a young industry, and up until very recently, technological restrictions often prevented games from being all that they could be. Remakes have the potential to realise a game's vision in a way that wasn't possible when it was first made.
That is exactly what The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D does. This is a better version of Ocarina of Time that's worth every penny of its modern-day price tag. Really, that should be all you need to know.
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Nintendo has admitted that sales of the glasses-free Nintendo 3DS have not been up to scratch.
The 3DS, which launched globally in March, suffered because it failed to meet fan expectations, Nintendo said.
"It's fair to say that while Nintendo 3DS had a strong launch day, the results since then have not met our expectations," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors at E3.
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This week sees the return of a true classic in the world of gaming - a sequel to American McGee's Alice game! Ah, we kid. We mean Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 3D.
Misty-eyed Miyamoto's Nintendo nostalgia.
Nintendo will unveil a new The Legend of Zelda game at next week's E3 event, a fresh report claims.
Master Quest "hard mode" comparison!
Boss mode! Touch screen inventory! Hints!
Japanese vid shows cucco-flying.
The best thing I ever read about Ocarina of Time wasn't a nostalgic retrospective - although there have been some wonderful pieces written - or a searing critical analysis of its themes and structure - again, there are classics out there. It wasn't even a FAQ for the Water Temple. The best thing I ever read about Ocarina of Time was printed on a back wall at the Game On exhibition over in the Barbican a few years ago.
Those who pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time get special game packaging, featuring a gold sleeve and a double-sized A2 poster, Nintendo has announced.
Nintendo links to the past.
Gamers will have a fancy new feature awaiting them in Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - an all-fighting Boss Challenge mode.
Insert treasure chest opening noise here.
As one of gaming's indisputable all-time classic, you'd have thought Nintendo would be handling the forthcoming 3DS remake internally. Well, not so.
The 3DS remake of N64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches in Europe on 17th June, Nintendo has announced.
It seems that the upcoming 3DS revamp of N64 classic Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be more than just a scene-for-scene remake – Nintendo is adding exclusive new content too.
Developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto has embarked upon remaking classic games The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64 (known as Lylat Wars in Europe and Australia) because those who played them back in the day are all grown up.
The Nintendo 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time includes the Master Quest version of the game as well as the original, Nintendo has confirmed.
The Nintendo 3DS conversion of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be released in June, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed.
Shop GAME will give you a trade-in price of £190 on the £196.99 Nintendo 3DS if you bring it back within a month of buying it.
The 3DS remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be out "when it's ready" and, in any case, there are more than enough launch games to satisfy the needs of core gamers picking up Nintendo's new handheld on day one, according to the platform holder.
In an interview with MTV, Nintendo US chief Reggie Fils-Aime explained, "Mario, Zelda - all of those titles are coming. From our perspective, we like to launch titles when they're ready. And so they'll be ready, they'll be ready soon. Just not in that initial time period of late March to early June."
Reggie added that the launch line-up is robust enough to satisfy the needs of serious gamers without the presence of Link and co.
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Nintendo's back catalogue is never-knowingly underexploited. In recent years the runaway success of DS and Wii has emboldened the company to keep remixing – or simply repackaging – classic titles in the confidence that there's no shortage of customers to hoover them up.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats and Steel Diver will be the first party 3DS launch titles, judging by a release schedule included in Nintendo's annual fiscal report.
The list, posted by GoNintendo, states that the four games are down for a Spring release in Japan.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is listed merely for 2011. Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing and Starfox 64 3D are all down as "TBA".
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Released by Nintendo at E3.
