Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Zelda (Page 2)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a classic game that is considered by many as the greatest video game of all time. Needless to say, it’s pretty popular and people play it over and over and over. One gamer in particular, Runnerguy2489, has played it so many times that he can, in fact, beat it with his eyes closed.
Takayas Custom Jewelry is no slouch when it comes to pleasing their fans, with intricate details in each and every ring they design. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that we showed you their out-of-this-galaxy Star Wars rings whose beautiful designs meant that there was no need for any hooded strangers to wave their hands in front of us and tell us that we wanted them.
They’ve now released a set of three rings based on the critically acclaimed video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, taking design cues from the three Spiritual Stones that play such an important role in the game’s story.
This year marked a huge change for American broadcaster CBS’ Late Show. After 22 years of hosting the program, David Letterman finally stepped down, and the reins of the show were handed to Stephen Colbert, who took over in early September.
The move instantly attracted fans who’d been hungry for more Colbert since the final episode of The Colbert Report aired last December, and as proof that the Late Show is hoping to be more relevant to this younger demographic, the new host recently welcomed the members of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses to perform music from the series live in front of the studio audience.
Etsy has become the place for the geeky and talented to sell things to their geeky brethren. Every fandom is represented and you can buy creative and fun merchandise, such as accessories, t-shirts and those DIY items you haven’t found the time to make yourself. There are so many artistic and creative things to buy that it’s really hard to exit out of the page before you find something you really, really want.
This week, we found some gorgeous jewelry that’s perfect for an engagement, marriage, or just the otaku who needs some more bling. It might cost you a pretty penny, but according to thousands of satisfied customers, it’s worth the price.
For decades, Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series has stayed more or less faithful to its original character design for its hero, Link. In each game, the silent protagonist has long bangs, pointed ears, and green clothing.
In his very first adventure, though, Link didn’t wear any pants. Instead, he sported a thigh-length tunic-like garment. It was a bit of an odd choice, considering that his bare legs sticking out kind of made it look like a dress.
But hey, maybe the fabric used for Hyrulian underwear doesn’t breathe well, and Link needed all the cooling ventilation he could get while running through those eight dungeons. Or perhaps the reason he went pantless is because that was neither a tunic nor a dress, but a comfortable Legend of Zelda bathrobe, like this one you can now buy for yourself.
While every game in Nintendo’s long-running Zelda franchise stars an elfish boy named Link who goes on a quest to save the world, each installment puts its own signature wrinkle on the formula. Wind Waker is the one with cel-shaded, storybook-like visuals. Twilight Princess is the one where Link can turn into a wolf.
And Majora’s Mask is the weird, dark one that would give little kids nightmares.
That’s not the sole distinction for title, though. Majora’s Mask is also the only place where you can see the awesome Fierce Deity Sword. Well, more accurately, it was the only place, since the awesome blade now exists in real life, too.
We all know that Japan does “small” well. Whether it’s microtechnology, tiny houses or bonsai, the Japanese are known for their dexterity and being attentive to the tiniest detail.
But a hobbyist and Niconico Douga user known simply as “A” takes attention to detail to a whole new level. In a homage to the three-dimensional worlds created by video game giants Nintendo, A has constructed an ultra-detailed diorama based on the first level of Nintendo 64 classic Super Mario 64 and even recreated the entire world map from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on a scale so small we could barely believe our eyes when we first saw it.
How small are we talking? Find out after the jump!
Hot on the heels of Mario Kart 8‘s collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, Nintendo has announced that players can now preorder two more DLC expansion packs, which will include Zelda and Animal Crossing characters and maps.
They may look like digital creations, but these stunning illustrations are in fact entirely hand-drawn in coloured pencil. 17-year-old artist Polaara is a young British student who made these painstakingly detailed drawings in between studying for exams.
Join us after the jump for beautifully rendered fan art of Link, Zelda, and other video game and anime characters – plus some videos from Polaara herself showing how it’s done.
I’ve never really been one for special editions of video games. At first they seem like a great idea, with terms like “rare” and “collector’s edition” making us feel like we’d be missing out if we didn’t pick one up, but when you later realise that there are thousands of other people out there with the same cheaply made “limited” trinkets – most of which are likely to end up in landfills a few years down the line anyway – that Master Chief helmet or deluxe orc statue suddenly doesn’t seem quite so essential.
The Triforce clock that comes with special editions of upcoming Wii U hack and slash title Hyrule Warriors, however, is by far the coolest gaming goodie we’ve seen in years, and for once I’m actually considering paying extra money for the additional chunk of plastic.
It may not be the Zelda game that fans of the series are truly craving, but Dynasty Warriors-inspired hack and slasher Hyrule Warriors, or Zelda: Musō (“unparalleled”) in Japan, will reportedly be hitting Japanese shelves on August 14.
Despite electronics giant Sony being a Japanese company, its PlayStation 4 video game console sure has taken its sweet making it to stores in Japan. The next generation system was released in the U.S., Canada, and Europe last November, since racking up over five million units sold, but Japanese gamers still have a few days to go before the PlayStation4 becomes available here on February 22.
The upcoming big day hasn’t escaped the notice of rival video game maker Nintendo, which has decided to welcome Sony’s competing product by cutting prices on its own titles.
Is your cuddly toy collection lacking a little heroism? Is your troupe of Hello Kitties, freaky mushrooms and squeezable squid in need of a genuine princess? Well you’re in luck: a series of plushies featuring Princess Zelda, sword-brandishing Link and creepy wannabe elf Tingle from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series is due to go on sale early next year.
The robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba has already made life easier by cleaning floors on its own (when it is not running away), but a U.S. art exhibition recently showed how the device can turn household chores into a replay of childhood video games. At the art show, an artist crafted Nintendo-inspired covers and turned the cleaning robots into four of the most feared, but beloved video game enemies from the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda series.
With the high-definition remake of the beautiful cel-shaded action RPG The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker set to go on sale next month (early October in Europe/North America), gamers the world over were excited to see a new video from Nintendo last weekend introducing the game’s new “hero mode” which powers up enemies’ attacks while removing life hearts from the game world. Nintendo pulled the video soon after, however, as it also contained a shot of a Zelda-themed Wii U console that the company has yet to officially announce.
While many critics are pointing to the underwhelming performance of Nintendo’s Wii U platform as yet another sign that the video game giant should beat a hasty retreat from the hardware industry and instead become a multi-platform publisher, recent news from the house of Mario suggests that there’s plenty of life in the old dog yet.
With dozens of new first-party titles arriving in the next 12 months, the Wii U is gradually beginning to pick up steam. But when President and CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata made reference to a brand new The Legend of Zelda title for Wii U in a recent interview with Britain’s The Guardian, people really started paying attention.
The man brought us the jaw-dropping stop motion videos of battles between iconic Dragon Ball and Street Fighter characters has done it again! This time, he’s brought The Legend of Zelda‘s sword-wielding hero Link to play, and he’s got a sexy gun-toting pal with him…
Becoming obsessed with The Legend of Zelda after getting it as a birthday present at the age of six, one fan has found a way to bring items from the game into the real world.
How, you ask with images of magical blacksmiths dancing in your head. Simple: 3-D printing!
This fan, who documents the creations at the incredible blog Hyrule Founder, recreated the 8-bit items as 3-D, digital models and printed them with a high-quality 3-D printer. Read More
In January this year, we brought you news of an upcoming video game that quite literally evolves as you play, starting off as a monochrome mass of pixels before slowly introducing virtually every gaming mechanic and action RPG element that we’ve come to know and love, culminating with full-on 3-D visuals, giant demons and a suitably epic plot. That game is Evoland, and after long last it’s available to buy from today.
RocketNews24 was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of the game late last week. Having poured over the original promotional video for so long, it was with high expectations that we sat down with the full game for an extended session of hacking, slashing and critical dissecting. The finished article, we’re happy to say, is absolutely spellbinding.
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
Tokyo sweets store has a “350% Pudding Soft Serve”, and people are going wild for it
Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu and Winne-the-Pooh announce crossover merch line [Pics]
Wagyu ramen for foreign tourists appears in Kabukicho, with a very high price tag
Shinto shrine in downtown Tokyo announces cosplay ban
This awesome Japanese arcade chain has crane game coaches to help you win prizes
Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans
McDonald’s Japan’s new Chiikawa Happy Meal figures are here![Photos]
Stray cats almost became classified as an invasive species in Japan but the change was overturned
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Kochia calling: Right now is a great off-season season to visit this beautiful Japanese park
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in JapanPokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Shinto shrine in downtown Tokyo announces cosplay ban
This awesome Japanese arcade chain has crane game coaches to help you win prizes
Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans
McDonald’s Japan’s new Chiikawa Happy Meal figures are here![Photos]
Stray cats almost became classified as an invasive species in Japan but the change was overturned
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
Did you know? Only one Beard Papa’s in all of eastern Japan sells soft serve in a cream puff
This Japanese chopping board sanitising bag might be the handy kitchen gadget we never knew we needed
Are Japan’s room-temperature curry packets the boxed lunch heroes we’ve been looking for? [Taste test]
7-Eleven Japan adds new doughnut-like tonkotsu ramen fried chicken to its hot food section
Over 1,400 cities in Japan see foreign population rise, total populations drop in new statistics
Studio Ghibli theme park announces new expansion saluting a previously off-limits anime
Japanese convenience store food gets turned into hyper-realistic stationery you can peel open
Kumamoto earthquake may have created Japan’s newest hot spring inside flooded restaurant [Video]
