Nintendo Review

The Legend of Zelda

A dark time is approaching in the fantasy realm of Hyrule. The storm clouds of evil are gathering over the land, and malevolent forces are poised to strike at the most sacred and powerful artifact of all, the mysterious Triforce. The only thing standing between chaos and destruction are two youths, an elfin boy from the magical Kokiri Forest, and the young princess of legend, Zelda. Do you have what it takes to guide the intrepid hero, Link, from his secluded forest home to the final confrontation with the ultimate evil force?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the latest installment in Nintendo's legendary fantasy adventure games. Exclusively for the Nintendo 64 video game system, this new chapter in the series reveals the genesis of the fantasy land of Hyrule, the origin of the Triforce, and tells the tale of the first exploits of the heroic adventurer Link and the Princess of legend, Zelda. Like the previous games in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is sure to take its place in the realm of video game legends, with immersive graphics, sweeping storyline, swashbuckling adventure, mind-bending puzzles, and just a twist of humor.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time transports you into the fantasy world of Hyrule with vibrant, real-time 3-D graphics. With full freedom of movement, your quest will take you through dense forests and across wind-whipped deserts. You'll swim raging rivers. Climb treacherous mountains. Dash on horseback across rolling hills. And when you reach your destination, you'll delve into dungeons full of creatures that will fight to the finish to put an end to your adventures, and your life.

As you venture through the many locales of Hyrule, an epic story will unfold. An evil being of immense power covets the sacred relic that will give him ultimate might, the Triforce. You must race against time to find the keys to the legendary Sacred Realm where the Triforce is kept. Fail, and the fair land of Hyrule and all its peoples will fall into a dark age of destruction. Your adventure will even span time itself as the hero must venture back and forth between two ages to completely foil the evil plot that threatens his world. `Tis a quest so epic, it will take many, many hours of adventure to complete.

But while there are legions of monsters to be slain, the forces of evil cannot be thwarted with force of arms alone. Nay, a true hero must possess wisdom in addition to courage. Within the depths of a dozen dungeons, puzzles as perplexing as they are deadly must be solved to win weapons and devices necessary to completing your quest.

You will not be totally alone in your fight. Throughout your travels, you will encounter folk who thirst for justice and will offer you aid. Speak to all who you meet for you never can tell who might possess a pearl of wisdom that will be the key to unlocking some great mystery.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is Nintendo's most epic challenge yet. With 256 Megabits of action, this is one game that you won't finish overnight. You can save up to three adventures in progress right on the cartridge. Add an optional Rumble Pak accessory to feel the full realism of force feedback (and help you find even more hidden items). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be available in stores everywhere on November 23rd, 1998, for a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $69.95.

NINTENDO PROMISES MORE ZELDA ON THE WAY

Retail Shortages of Video Game Should Be Rectified Soon

REDMOND, WA. (November, 27, 1998) Even though demand for the video game of the century has exceeded supply in many parts of the country, Nintendo of America today announced hundreds of thousands of additional copies of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be on their way to retail stores beginning Monday.

Across America, more than half a million people placed advance cash deposits to guarantee delivery of the Nintendo 64 game cartridge at its official launch last Monday (Nov. 23). That figure more than triples the previous record for pre-sell for any video game in history.

“Whatever shortages do exist should be of very short duration,” says Peter Main, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Nintendo of America. “We're moving product into stores just as fast as we can produce it. And we remain on track to ship two and a half million copies of Zelda to stores by Christmas Eve, and the game remains on track to become the fastest-seller in U.S. history.”

“The idea that one game can sell over two million copies in less than two months makes it a phenomenon not just in the video game business, but in consumer products in general, ” says Sean McGowan, executive vice president and director of research at Gerard, Klauer Mattison in New York. “To think that this amount of business can be done in one item in a relatively small piece of real estate space in stores means it'll probably be the best performing item at the toy stores.”

"Zelda's gonna own Christmas no doubt,” adds Simon Cox, Executive Editor of Next Generation magazine. “You're gonna start playing it, and Christmas Day is gonna pass you by and New Year's is probably gonna pass you by as well. (It's) brilliant value it's magical, and Christmas should be magical. It's a magical game. That's why we've said it's the game of the century.”

Adds Peer Schneider, editor of IGN64.com, “it's the most impressive video game I've ever played.”

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a novel blending of stunning 3D action with the engrossing story line of a traditional role-play game. Several independent game reviewers have compared the epic experience of playing Zelda to reading a great novel because of the degree of character development and depth of plot. Consumers began seeing excerpts of game footage in more than 11,000 movie theatres across the country beginning November 1st. The game, exclusively for the Nintendo 64 home game systems, carries a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $69.95.

Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the leader in the worldwide $15 billion retail video game industry. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its best-selling home video game systems, including the hand-held Game Boy, the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the 64-bit Nintendo 64. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American households own a Nintendo game system.

For more information on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, or any Nintendo product, visit Nintendo's web site on the Internet, www.nintendo.com.

Next Generation magazine, December 1998