Changing Course: Hyrule Blog

It's time for a change. What I was doing here for a year now was pretty much just writing about everything what popped into my mind. The blog focused on a series of different video games, TV shows and other media franchises without any real connection between them besides the fact, that I liked them all. It was a mess. When I look at some of my favorite blogs out in the net, they have one thing in common. They are written by experts talking about their specific field of expertise. And they all deliver something special, you don't get anywhere else in the internet. Which is why I wanted to finally set a focus for this blog: The Legend of Zelda.

I'm a Zelda fan since 1997, I played all the official Zelda games up and down including wildly unknown games like the BS Zeldas or Tingle's Rupeeland. And I find the whole franchise to be very exciting and fascinating, I could talk always about Zelda. Additionally Zelda as a blog topic has the advantage, that you can also talk about other Nintendo stuff like Metroid, Smash Bros, which are somehow related to Zelda, or about Nintendo in general. It won't feel like it's off course and it still will be interesting for a lot of Zelda fans. Also, all the readers, who contacted me, where primarily interested in the Zelda posts and maybe Metroid, but nothing else. So, I think this is the right choice and I have already changed the blog to fit this direction.

What's gone?

• Silly game experiences not related to Zelda. Especially if I'm 404. I'm a Mario Kart n00b, so who cares what I have to say about Mario Kart games? Plus everyone knows Mario Kart, so why should you want to read any reviews about them on this blog? And who cares about how much I have unlocked in Super Smash Bros Brawl? I don't even care about that too much myself anymore. So, good riddance.
• Everything related to non-gaming media. This was mostly stuff about TV shows. LOST, Firefly, Prison Break, Terminator. It was hard to say goodbye to all that, but except for LOST all those shows are cancelled anyway.

What remained?

• Everything Zelda. News, predictions, analysis, opinions. Like I said, the blog focuses now on Zelda, so of course this stays.
• Game franchises close to Zelda, these being Metroid and Super Smash Bros. I like Metroid a lot and it shares many similarities with Zelda, since both are Action Adventures, and it's a popular Nintendo franchise, so mentioning it here and there won't hurt. Super Smash Bros on the other hand features a lot of cameo appearences of Zelda, so this is still welcome.
• Custom content. Like my SSB Brawl stages or Unreal Tournament maps. I planned to use this blog as a platform for my custom content from the beginning and I will continue doing so.
• Everything about Unreal. For now.
• Detailed reviews of wildly unkown games, that Zelda fans could like. Games like Mystic Quest or Terranigma. Since those Action RPGs have a lot in common with Zelda, Zelda fans could find those interesting and therefore those articles can stay. Well, the Turok: Rage Wars review is still there too, but consider this as a fun entry.

Why is Unreal still here?

That's a good question. Primarily because I want to have a platform to show off my Unreal maps and right now it doesn't justify it's own page. Also, I like to use Unreal as an example for a non-Nintendo video game franchise in my posts, because it's my favorite non-Nintendo video game franchise. It doesn't mean however, that there will be a lot of Unreal posts on this blog, don't worry.

What's new?

• The "It's a secret to everybody" shoutbox. Since the LOST countdown timer is now gone and the upper right corner did look very empty, I thought I should add something Zelda there. I used the free code from Zeldapower.com, thanks for their work.
• More labels and categories. Since it's all about Zelda now it doesn't make sense to have just a "The Legend of Zelda" category. It gets split up, for example my The Future of Zelda articles, Spirit Tracks and Tingle all got their own categories. And I will keep labelling posts, so it's easier to find them.

But "Torvus Blog" doesn't really sound like Zelda!

That's because it sounds like Metroid. I will think about a new name, any advices or ideas are very welcome.

Update: I chose to name this blog "Hyrule Blog" from now on. Since my nickname contains "Tourist" it makes sense to name the blog after the location I'm visiting in my posts, hence Hyrule. It's not very creative, but at least it's recognizeable and easy to remember. Also, I couldn't find any blogs called "Hyrule Blog", which is a good thing. So, welcome to Hyrule Blog.


In the end I can just say, that I am very comfortable with this change of course and I hope, that I can deliver one or two interesting reads for every Zelda (and Nintendo) fan.