30th Anniversary Replay List: Final Update

The 30th Anniversary is over and my big goal for the 30th Anniversary was to play through as many Zelda games again as possible. This was not only to re-experience all the games, before Breath of the Wild comes out, but it was also an enterprise to clear my Zelda backlog on both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. This included many untouched Virtual Console copies, all the Nintendo 3DS Zelda games where I own duplicate copies for various reasons, as well as 2nd Quests, Linked Games and/or Hero Modes that I left for a later date.

Much of this was already achieved last year and the final sprint now was happening in the first two months of 2017, where I had the goal to go through all 3D Zelda games on my Wii U again as a preparation for Breath of the Wild. And I'm almost done with the effort:

• Ocarina of Time (on Wii U)
• Majora's Mask (on Wii U)
• The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest)
• Twilight Princess HD (Hero Mode)
• Skyward Sword (Hero Mode)

Originally, when rumors had it that Breath of the Wild would be released in June, my plan was to do all of this in five months, one game per month. But with the March 3rd release I only had two months left, where I've spent most of my free time playing Zelda to achieve it, because I really wanted to get this done.

Well, I'm not completely finished with my last playthrough of Skyward Sword, but that's not so important, because Skyward Sword wasn't part of my backlog. I already had completed both the normal game and Hero Mode back when the game came out. So, as long as I got to refresh my memories about the game, I'm happy.

Anyway, here's the complete list of all my "replaythroughs" for the 30th Anniversary:

• The Legend of Zelda (on 3DS)
• The Legend of Zelda (on Wii U)
• Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (on 3DS)
• A Link to the Past (on 3DS)
• A Link to the Past (on Wii U)
• Link's Awakening DX (on 3DS)
• BS The Legend of Zelda (Dubbed)
• Ancient Stone Tablets (Dubbed)
• Ocarina of Time (on Wii U)
• Ocarina of Time 3D
• Ocarina of Time 3D Master Quest
• Majora's Mask (on Wii U)
• Majora's Mask 3D
• Oracle of Ages & Seasons (on 3DS)
• The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest)
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Realm of Memories)
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Hero's Trial)
• The Minish Cap (on Wii U)
• Twilight Princess HD (Hero Mode)
• Phantom Hourglass (on Wii U)
• Spirit Tracks (on Wii U)
• Skyward Sword (Hero Mode)
• A Link Between Worlds (Hero Mode)

The one game that's still on my backlog would be Zelda II - The Adventure of Link on the Wii U Virtual Console. But to get the most enjoyment out of this game you have to play its 2nd Quest, so I've already beaten it twice on the 3DS last year. But I will probably play the Wii U version later this year, when I go through the rest of my Wii U backlog.

There's also one Zelda game completely missing on the list: Four Swords Adventures. But since I focused entirely on 3DS and Wii U, the game was simply not available. Also, if I ever play the GameCube version again, I want it to be in multiplayer with three other people.

Then there's Tri Force Heroes, where I even also have a duplicate copy that I got for review purposes back in the day. But this game is still fairly new and I put over 200 hours into it, so there was no need to replay the entire game again already.

Overall I'm really happy that I did all of this. On the one hand this gives me a certain level of closure and completeness. Breath of the Wild will be a big new chapter for the series, maybe even a new beginning, where it's good that I'm done with the series as a whole and ready to move on. On the other hand re-experiencing all the games made me evaluate what I liked and didn't like, what worked great and what didn't work and so on. It gave me a good picture of what I would want out of the ultimate Zelda game. And it will also help me to draw the lines between Breath of the Wild and the past games, when I evaluate the new title.

End of 30th Anniversary

Today's the last day of the 30th Anniversay of The Legend of Zelda. Tomorrow the franchise will be 31 years old, roughly ten days before the release of the next big installment that is Breath of the Wild. Unlike Skyward Sword back in 2011, the new game didn't make it in time for the anniversary, which is probably why Nintendo kept things low, when compared to the 25th Anniversary of Zelda.

Essentially all we got for the 30th Anniversary were a bunch of amiibo, a Nintendo 3DS HOME menu theme and the new Arts & Artifacts book, which will be released tomorrow in the West. Japan also got some new concerts and a Game Music CD Collection, but that was it. As already depicted in my review of the year 2016, Nintendo could have also tied all of the March 2016 releases to the 30th Anniversary, like Hyrule Warriors Legends and all the new Twilight Princess stuff, but they didn't, probably because they still may have had plans for a potential 2016 release of Breath of the Wild.

But what could they have done in addition? What the 25th Anniversary started six years ago, essentially never stopped. The golden Wiimote, the Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS, the Hyrule Historia book, the Zelda level in Super Mario 3D World, the orchestral concerts, the CDs and what not felt pretty special at the time. Finally Zelda got a lot more attention. But by now it seems like all these things have become a standard - the Nintendo 3DS alone saw a total of three more Zelda Limited Editions in the following years and even the Wii U got one. The Symphony of the Goddesses concerts kept happening in cities all over the world. Hyrule Historia now is receiving follow-up books with Hyrule Graphics ("Arts & Artifacts") and Hyrule Encyclopedia. And in general Nintendo is more open with the franchise, which even led to a new spin-off series with Hyrule Warriors.

The one thing from the 25h Anniversary that probably still stands out is the Four Swords Anniversary Edition - a free game, where Nintendo never made it available again (save for four days in 2014 in North America), not even during the 30th Anniversary. In fact this would have been the best opportunity to offer this game to anyone, who didn't have a chance to get it before. They could have offered as a bonus in their new My Nintendo program. But they didn't...

Also, I personally hoped that for the 30th Anniversary they would offer something similar in the form of some free Anniversary DLC for Tri Force Heroes, but sadly this also didn't happen. And the game could have used it, because it was dying quickly without any new content.

Another thing that I expected was some Zelda anime movie, but this can still happen and might tie in with Breath of the Wild later this year...

And from now on Nintendo will have to wait nine years now to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Zelda in 2026, there's no big date in between (you don't usually celebrate 35 years; 25 years is only a thing, because it's a quarter century). But that probably won't stop them to use Zelda as their golden cow in the meantime.

Got the 30th Anniversary amiibo

Wait, what...?

Yes, I've actually bought the four new amiibo that Nintendo released for the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. I've never been an advocate of amiibo, in fact there was a time, where I was heavily opposed to the practice, but once you start collecting these things, there is no turning back. So far I got all the amiibo based on Zelda and Metroid from the Super Smash Bros. series, but here I only bought Zero Suit Samus for myself, because she's my main in the game (and the butt looks nice). The others I got either from Nintendo as "review material" or as a present from a friend last year. But this got me infected and now I need to collect them all, at least all the ones for Zelda and Metroid.

And this is why I got the 30th Anniversary collection as of late:

My initial reaction, when Nintendo showed them off last year, was "no, thanks", but I have to say that they are actually quite nice, now that I've had them in my hands. Unlike the Smash amiibo with their silly support poles they all have a nice look and feel to them. These figurines are not just based on some ingame artwork poses, they were made to be amiibo:

I'm still not a big fan of the "8-Bit Link". He has a nice weight to him, but he looks clunky and not like something that's actually from a NES or Zelda game, in fact he more looks like something from Minecraft with that White Sword on his back:

The Ocarina of Time Link is probably the one with the best quality, especially the Hylian Shield and Master Sword on his back look much better than on the Smash Bros. Link. He was also the rarest of the four, I couldn't find him in any shops or for a reasonable price online. It was only thanks to a friend from another region (same one who gave me some of the Smash amiibo) that I was able to get him... But according to Amazon there will be more available in February, so I probably could have just waited.

The two amiibo from the Wind Waker are also nice, but Toon Link feels mostly redundant thanks to his Smash Bros. counterpart. Zelda looks great, though. But the Toon Zelda artstyle is quite perfect for these types of figurines anyway. Nintendo probably wished that they already had come up with amiibo in the times of the Wind Waker, because they could easily turn a majority of the Nintendo Gallery figurines into amiibo. There even have been quite a lot of these Zelda figurines from Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks in the past, which had to be assembled, but were otherwise very similar to amiibo, only years before that and without the NFC chips to rip you off.

But it doesn't seem like these new amiibo will be useful, which I don't mind, because I didn't buy them for some locked ingame DLC - I bought them, because I wanted the figurines for my collection. Anything they might do in games, is simply an extra. And you never should feel obliged to buy these figurines, just because you want all the content in a game. Nintendo might have realized this somewhat, at least with these new Zelda figurines I don't see them as a rip-off, but as a pure collectible, and the more I'm willing to support Nintendo here.

Let's see, how the Breath of the Wild amiibo will turn out...

My Nintendo: Zelda Anniversary Goodies now in Europe

This took quite a while. The rest of the world got this two months ago already, on December 1st. But it looks like Nintendo of Europe wanted to do some promotional stuff closer to the release of Breath of the Wild, where currently every Zelda game on the eShop has a 30% discount. Too bad that I already got all the games.

Anyway, the theme is lackluster as usual. It doesn't look all that appealing and probably nothing will ever beat the golden Majora's Mask theme, it's just too good.

Also, if the three videos of the 25th Anniversary concert feel oddly familiar, then that's because they used to be available for free as part of the "Nintendo Video" application, where Nintendo dropped the support after a while. But it's still nice to have them back, even though the 3d, video and audio quality on Nintendo 3DS is quite bad.

Well, gift horses and their mouths... It's good that there finally has been some use for all these Platinum Points. I've reached the point, where they now keep decaying month after month and I would like to have more uses for them. Here are some suggestions, Nintendo.

(I've updated that post with the Hyrule Warriors Legends Gifts, by the way. Those would be PERFECT for My Nintendo, since they were all made accessible via codes anyway.)

2016 – The Year of Legends

Another year went by, much has changed, much was announced, but one thing is for sure: this was another good year for the Zelda franchise despite the fact that we're all still waiting for the main dish. Ever since Aonuma had announced the next big The Legend of Zelda game for Wii U in early 2013, Nintendo and friends made it their mission to keep us Zelda fans entertained as much as possible in the meantime. New handheld games, remasters, spin-off titles, DLC, merchandise, concerts... The last four years always gave us something new to look forward to and 2016 was certainly no exception. Here's an overview of the most important things that we got throughout the year:

• Twilight Princess HD + Wolf Link amiibo
• Twilight Princess Picross
• Hyrule Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL
• Hyrule Warriors - Legends
• Hyrule Warriors "Legends of Hyrule" DLCs
• Breath of the Wild E3 Demonstration
• Twilight Princess Manga
• 30th Anniversary amiibo
• 30th Anniversary Game Music Collection (in Japan)
• Hyrule Graphics (in Japan)
• Symphony of the Goddesses 2016 Master Quest Tour

It's also been the year of the 30th Anniversary, however, Nintendo had been a little late to the party and when compared to their efforts of the 25th Anniversary, it felt rather rehashed and unexciting. New books, more concerts, some amiibo... Because Breath of the Wild had been pushed to 2017, Nintendo probably didn't want to go too far with the marketing, but it's great that they at least acknowledged the 30th Anniversary with a nice logo and devoted some goodies and events to it.

Interestingly enough, the month right after the anniversary date (February 21st, 2016) featured a total of three different game releases, but none of it was officially linked to the 30th Anniversary in any way. We got The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD together with the Wolf-Link amiibo, My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and also Hyrule Warriors - Legends, all in March 2016. That's one strong month!

Hyrule Warriors - Legends was also the real star of the year and of the 30th Anniversary. Koei Tecmo really was celebrating 30 years of Zelda with this game by making all sorts of different characters playable. It kept the fans entertained throughout the entire year with new DLC packs releasing every two months until the end of October. You can easily spend hundreds of hours on this title and it can keep you playing Nintendo 3DS on a daily basis. Other than what was already achieved with the Wii U version, the game set its focus on the Wind Waker at first and and afterwards on various Zelda handheld titles with the DLC. And with Linkle there also has been a new original character, where the whole discussion around a female Link has seen quite some controversy this year, but she's overall a very cheerful addition to the game.

While Breath of the Wild wasn't released in 2016, it was finally shown again after one year of silence with a huge demo at E3 2016, where for the first time Nintendo devoted an entire E3 just to one game. That's how big it is. And it certainly made the Zelda fans talk. Could there be a female Link? When will this game take place in the timeline? How big is the world really? Rarely a new Zelda game spawned this much discussion upfront and we will see, how it will hold up next year.


On Hyrule Blog

With the 30th Anniversary at hand, it's only natural that this was one of the strongest years for Hyrule Blog, in fact with a total of 222 post it's the second strongest year only after the 25th Anniversary in 2011. This is not a coincidence and isn't just due to the anniversaries, because between these dates I've been writing news, reviews and guides for the German fansite ZeldaEurope.de, which took its toll. Earlier this year I decided to stop and leave the site, which I haven't regretted. Now, when it comes to Zelda, my entire focus lies on this blog (and a little on GameFAQs), so it's getting a lot more attention.

But on the other hand this also has been a very eventful year. Replaying a majority of the Zelda series, playing lots and lots of Hyrule Warriors - Legends, talking about Breath of the Wild and doing some other fun stuff, like watching the Animated Series, led to an eventful year on this site. I can't promise to keep this up, but I will certainly try, because my love for this franchise is stronger than ever.



Happy New Year, everyone!

30th Anniversary Replay List, 3rd Update

2016 is almost over and in this year The Legend of Zelda became 30 years old. To celebrate I've decided to play through many Zelda games again, which I used as an opportunity to clear my backlog on both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. I'm not in a hurry, I just want to entertain myself with as much Zelda as possible before Breath of the Wild comes out, the next big milestone in the series. And wrapping up everything the series currently has to offer, feels good as a preparation for this milestone.

Anyway, I already was done with the Nintendo 3DS library at my last update in August. Here are all the posts in chronological order:

On Nintendo 3DS

• Oracle of Ages & Seasons
• Link's Awakening DX
• The Legend of Zelda
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Realm of Memories)
• A Link to the Past
• A Link Between Worlds
• Ocarina of Time 3D
• Majora's Mask 3D
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Hero's Trial)
• Ocarina of Time 3D Master Quest
• Zelda II - The Adventure of Link

Right now I kind of want to return to Tri Force Heroes as well, not to replay it from the start, but maybe to help some people out there with their challenges. I might also go through all the Capcom Zelda games for a third time, but let's see about that.

Nintendo doesn't like to acknowledge it, but there is still the Wii U, and here I was busy with the Virtual Console and the following titles:

On Wii U

• Phantom Hourglass
• Spirit Tracks
• The Legend of Zelda
• A Link to the Past
• The Minish Cap

I haven't touched Zelda II - The Adventure of Link yet, but I'm not opposed to replaying that either, after I just recently rediscovered my "love" for this game. However, since my last playthrough on 3DS wasn't that long ago, I still might wait a little.

I've also played through the BS-X Zelda games on emulator again, this time with full fan voice acting, which was pretty nice:

Other

• BS The Legend of Zelda (Dubbed)
• Ancient Stone Tablets (Dubbed)

Now, what's left? As a countdown to Breath of the Wild, I want to play through all 3D Zelda games again on my Wii U, probably one per month (I suppose the June release is pretty realistic at this point). So, this is the list:

Planned

• Ocarina of Time (Wii U VC)
• Majora's Mask (Wii U VC)
• The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest)
• Twilight Princess HD (Hero Mode)
• Skyward Sword (Hero Mode)

With The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD this will actually be "new" territory, because I haven't played the 2nd Quests yet. I want to get a nice new TV early next year and then enjoy these remasters in HD glory for the first time. With the N64 games on Virtual Console I want to see, how well they hold up, after (re)playing their remakes on Nintendo 3DS, and I also want to experiment with Restore Points a little. And I haven't played through Skyward Sword since early 2012, so this will probably be the most interesting replay experience for myself. I'm keeping that for last.

My Nintendo: Zelda 30th Anniversary 3DS Theme

Just a couple of days ago I made some reward suggestions for My Nintendo and suddenly Nintendo puts up stuff for Zelda fans, which is nice.

They made a special Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu theme for the 30th Anniversary of Zelda for 300 Platinum Points:

There are also three Zelda Orchestra videos available for 100 Platinum Points each. Together that's 600 Points well spent. Since these rewards aren't listed in Europe yet, I have yet to try them. I will update this post, as soon as they became available.

Update: One month later, at the end of the year, they still weren't available in Europe...

Official 30th Anniversary Celebration

Metroid just turned 30, so let's quickly celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda half a year later instead, so no one will notice!

After the E3 I wasn't expecting anything for the 30th Anniversary (see this post) anymore and while it's nice to finally get an official logo for the anniversary, it's still not really anything. With the Symphony of the Goddesses and Hyrule Graphics it's just a partial rehash of the efforts that went into the 25th Anniversary, where the only purpose seems to be selling some new Zelda amiibo:

No, thanks... I think that Hyrule Graphics will be nice to have and I will probably also buy the amiibo at some point, whether I like them or not (for Hyrule Warriors only the Toon Zelda amiibo will probably useful), but in the end that's just a joke.

Luckily for Breath of the Wild the Smash Zelda amiibo will also get you covered, save for the 8-Bit-Link it seems. I wonder, if he turns the music into 8-Bit like the Timeless Tunic in Tri Force Heroes. Or something similar.

In the very least it's very nice that Nintendo has finally acknowledged the 30th Anniversary, but I bet that it would have been much more satisfying, if Breath of the Wild would be released this year. Or not, you never know with Nintendo these days.

I wonder, if Metroid will get something better in half a year, hopefully an NX game. But it's probably just going to be an official Metroid amiibo line. :-D

30th Anniversary Replay List, 2nd Update

For the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and before Breath of the Wild gets released, I want to re-experience as many Zelda games as possible. I already started at the end of last year with Phantom Hourglass on the Wii U and by now I went through my entire Nintendo 3DS library of Zelda titles:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II - The Adventure of Link
• A Link to the Past
• Link's Awakening DX
• Ocarina of Time 3D
• Ocarina of Time 3D Master Quest
• Majora's Mask 3D
• Oracle of Ages & Seasons
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Realm of Memories)
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Hero's Trial)
• A Link Between Worlds
• Tri Force Heroes

After Twilight Princess HD I almost exclusively played on my New Nintendo 3DS, where the focus was on Hyrule Warriors: Legends, but I also went through the Nintendo 64 remakes again, played more of Four Swords and also had some fun with Zelda II - The Adventure of Link. On the Wii U so far I've only played Twilight Princess HD, which essentially counts as replaying Twilight Princess, and both Nintendo DS Zelda games on the Virtual Console:

• Twilight Princess HD
• Phantom Hourglass
• Spirit Tracks

I haven't played the Hero Mode of Twilight Princess HD yet and this is something that I'm saving for the last weeks before Breath of the Wild gets released. It's the same with the The Wind Waker HD, where I still need to finish the 2nd Quest mode. And I also want to replay the Hero Mode of Skyward Sword, which is a game that I haven't played much since the release five years ago. So, these three games will be the final part of my journey, where I most likely will play them in the following order: The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest), Twilight Princess HD (Hero Mode) and Skyward Sword (Hero Mode). Ideally I will be done with Skyward Sword right before Breath of the Wild comes out, so there is a nice transition from the previous 3D Zelda games to the new one.

In the meantime there are more virgin Virtual Console copies waiting to be completed on the Wii U:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II - The Adventure of Link
• A Link to the Past
• Ocarina of Time
• Majora's Mask

These are all games that I've already replayed on the Nintendo 3DS in some form, so it's not that interesting, but I still might give it a go and have some goals here. With the NES Classics I want to replay them without relying on VGMaps.com, because I noticed that I grew dependent on these solution maps in the case of these two games. I study them and plan ahead to get the safest and quickest routes through the dungeons. You avoid the literal dead ends and this makes both games a lot easier. So, this time I will go in without the help of any maps or other guides from the internet for a challenge. When I originally played the games on the NES I also didn't have any internet access and the only solution maps I had were coincidentally both Level 5 and the 5th Palace from the Club Nintendo magazine, as well as some tips and tricks for certain parts of the game. But the other dungeons I had to figure out on my own. Of course by now I do remember some critical stuff, so it won't be blind runs, but it's hard to memorize everything with these classic maze dungeons, especially the ones from the 2nd Quest.

With the Nintendo 64 games I just want to see well they hold up after playing the Nintendo 3DS remakes. And I also want to experiment with Restore Points, especially in some of the more annoying minigames. This could be interesting.

A Link to the Past on the other hand won't offer anything new, but there's nothing wrong with replaying the SNES classic. The same goes for The Minish Cap - I've already completed the Virtual Console copy on Wii U, when it was released in 2014, but it's a sweet little game, where I'm not opposed to another run.

The only Zelda game that's not on any list here is Four Swords Adventures. It's not possible to play this on either Nintendo 3DS or Wii U, but I'm staying with the current gen systems for now. And if I replay Four Swords Adventures, I don't just want to go through the singleplayer mode again - I want to play it with three other people to get the full multiplayer experience.

Good Bye, 30th Anniversary

(image by Rasheed)

This was to be expected after the announcement that Breath of the Wild wouldn't be released before March 2017, but now that the E3 is over, we can safely assume that Nintendo doesn't have any plans for the 30th Anniversary of Zelda.

We basically got our unofficial anniversary celebration in March, where Nintendo released many new Zelda things right after the anniversary date with Twilight Princess HD, the Wolf Link amiibo, the Twilight Princess Picross and Hyrule Warriors: Legends. And especially the latter will keep me entertained throughout the entire year with all its DLC.

But with the delay of Breath of the Wild, any other anniversary plans probably got cancelled. Anniversaries are always marketing moves and with the new big game from the table it probably didn't make sense for Nintendo to celebrate. Instead they will focus on Pokémon, which is celebrating 20 years and is going to see new big releases this year with Sun and Moon.

If Nintendo really did anything for 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, I would have expected two things mainly: the announcement of a Zelda Anime movie and more DLC for Tri Force Heroes.

Kimishima already implicated that something like a Zelda Movie will be possible for the future and I suppose that we're going to see first announcements after the release of Breath of the Wild. Some fans might not be too happy about the focus on exploration, instead on cutscenes and story, and a Zelda Movie could just give them what they want, while Zelda returns to being a real game. And some anime in the artstyle of the new game really could be lovely.

About Tri Force Heroes, I already said my piece two months ago: the game is dead and the only hope would have been the release of more content. Data miners found place holders for four more costumes and one more area, but sadly we never got those. And it might be possible that Nintendo planned some special anniversary content, similar to the Four Swords: Anniversary Edition, but they cancelled it with the delay of Breath of the Wild. GREZZO is now working on a new game, so Tri Force Heroes is probably done for good. Too bad, some additional content would have been great and I was hoping that they would improve some parts of the game, especially the singleplayer... But that's probably not going to happen. At least not until they remake this game in ten years.

I'm also not expecting anything about the 30th Anniversary of Metroid. Federation Force will be released right after the anniversary, which is on August 6th, but they'll probably just release this game quietly, instead of angering the fans any further. I don't think, it was even showcased at E3, now was it...?

Zelda Wii U Delayed to March 2017, NX Dual Release

Well, the rumors were true. The new The Legend of Zelda game will be released for both Wii U and NX. However, the NX won't be out before March 2017 and this is why we have to wait until then to get the game. It really sounds like they postponed the Wii U version just for the NX release, which is yet another slap in the face for all Wii U owners. Thank you for this, Nintendo!

Earlier this year I made a suggestion that they should release the Wii U version this year for the holidays and then release the NX together with the NX version of Zelda as a launch title in 2017. And apparently that's what they could have done, but they won't, because they want to have it all for the new console. And don't tell me that the game is going to get "better" in this time period. Twilight Princess sure didn't get any better, when they took an entire year to port it to the Wii. The game probably is ready, they just don't want to remove its impact as a launch title. But this way they will also anger all Wii U owners and cement the notion that not every Nintendo system is worth buying.

Anyway, it looks like I'm kind of getting my Zelda Direct wish, because The Legend of Zelda will be THE ONLY GAME on E3. That's crazy. I wonder, if they will still have the Treehouse Live shows. Probably not, after all the public incidents they had with its staff... But they also could just play Zelda all day long, where they probably will show too much of the game.

And I'm afraid that any 30th Anniversary plans have officially died with the release in March 2017, which is when the 30th Anniversary span is already over. The anniversaries are all marketing moves and without any big game release in the background, Nintendo won't invest in that. Maybe they will prove me wrong, but they probably will keep doing the Pokémon Anniversary throughout the year, because there they are actually able to release new games in time. And without Zelda U they probably would have already done it this March, when they had lots of new Zelda stuff available. Twilight Princess HD could have gotten the 30th Anniversary banner.

It also looks weird for the "NX". They are not showing the system at E3, their new big video game system? I guess, I could have been right that they didn't want the Zelda reveal clash with the console reveal, but I wouldn't have suspected that they give the entire E3 to Zelda! Or they are simply not ready to show the new system yet. And that doesn't look good, if they keep it too close to their chests. But at least they seem to be confident in the new Zelda game, if they're willing to wrap an entire E3 around it.

The "good" news for me personally is: I will have enough time to complete Hyrule Warriors: Legends (the last DLC will be out in November) and replay all 3D Zelda games, before the new Zelda hits.

Expecting Zelda Direct

The countdown is on! In less than two months, from June 14 to 16, the E3 will be happening in Los Angeles. Around the time we can expect the big reveals for Zelda and Nintendo's new console. Obviously these are the Nintendo main topics that everyone is anticipating for E3 (besides some Pokémon stuff maybe). And if Nintendo really reveals their new system for this year, they want to set their entire focus on it. At the same time the new Zelda game has been in development for many years now and will be also released on Wii U, which deserves a lot of attention as well. Naturally it also might be a launch title for the new system, but both things will take attention away from each other. Remember that Nintendo already has displayed Twilight Princess for GameCube in full glory one year before they announced the launch of the Wii. But we didn't have any big Wii U demos for the new Zelda game yet...

The solution? Schedule the first official Zelda Direct upfront! They did it with Smash Bros. last year, where they already aired several things on Sunday before E3. And with a Zelda Direct on Sunday they could draw all the attention towards Nintendo first and make everyone familiar with the nice shiny new game, before they drop the NX bomb on the actual E3 presentation. And we still have the 30th Anniversary to celebrate...

The Zelda Direct could go down like the following:

• Completely new gameplay of the Wii U game at the beginning, maybe the rumored female protagonist exploring a dungeon. Something stunning.
• Reveal of the game's official title, no release date yet.
• Overview of several features of the game.
• Development talk.
• 30th Anniversary celebration announcement.
• Reveal of something crazy new for the Anniversary, like a Zelda anime.
• New Tri Force Heroes Anniversary content available for free soon.
• Short showcase / trailer of the content in the upcoming Link's Awakening Pack for Hyrule Warriors (Legends).
• Maybe also some more free content for Hyrule Warriors (Legends) as another Anniversary gift, e.g. more classic costumes.
• Summary.

On the actual Nintendo E3 Direct they can then reveal the new console using Zelda as the prototype. Since we're now already familiar with the game, they can focus on what the console has to offer. That's where they might give a release date for both console and the game. And then they can show off, what other games they have in store for the system, maybe even some big reveal like Metroid Prime 4 at the end.

I'd say, this makes perfect sense. Otherwise Zelda and the 30th Anniversary would clash too much with the NX reveal. In any case I would expect a Zelda Direct at some time this year. By now they air Directs for many different game series, so you would think that they would do the same for Zelda, when they have a big new game and an anniversary to go through.

Of course there is also the possibility that they really only do the Pokémon 20th Anniversary this year and there won't be any celebration of the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda... Never mind me then.

30th Anniversary Replay List, First Update

For the 30th Anniversary of the Zelda franchise and the release of new big Zelda game I made plans to play through as many Zelda games again as possible. I've already started last year and by now I went through over half of the series:

• Phantom Hourglass
• Oracle of Ages & Seasons
• Link's Awakening DX
• Spirit Tracks
• The Legend of Zelda
• Four Swords Anniversary Edition (Realm of Memories)
• Twilight Princess HD
• A Link to the Past
• A Link Between Worlds

For the most part I have been covering the topdown Zelda games, where only the Four Swords series would be missing. I've played The Minish Cap in 2014, when it got released on the Wii U Virtual Console, and I've already beaten this game seven times in total, so I'm not eager right now to play this again. With Four Swords Adventures I really want to experience this with three other people, where I might have the chance at a Zelda fan meeting in August. And with Four Swords at least I want replay the Hero's Trial at some point, which requires some high levels of masochism though.

The same goes for Zelda II - The Adventure of Link. In February I returned to a savegame on my Nintendo 3DS, where I got to the town of Nabooru at beforehand, but I didn't make much progress there and focused on replaying The Legend of Zelda instead. Even with Restore Points Zelda II can be fairly difficult, but I might play it a little bit alongside Hyrule Warriors: Legends.

Hyrule Warriors: Legends will be my main focus in the next months, probably even until The Legend of Zelda for Wii U arrives, however, I still would like to go through all 3D Zelda games again in order, before the new one gets released. Those would be:

• Ocarina of Time
• Majora's Mask
• The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest)
• Twilight Princess HD (Hero Mode)
• Skyward Sword

I might play all of this on the Wii U or will aim for the Nintendo 3DS remakes with the Nintendo 64 Zeldas. I'm not sure yet, but probably the latter. With both The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD I saved the 2nd playthrough option for later, which I certainly will do before the new game. And Skyward Sword I haven't played since it was released, so this is a game that I'm really looking forward to playing again. It should also be a fitting finale for my 30th Anniversary replay run.

Replaying The Legend of Zelda on the 3DS

Happy 30th Anniversary, The Legend of Zelda!!!

To celebrate I played through the entire game again on my Nintendo 3DS:

 

And for the first time ever I completed the game without dying. Saving in the game also counts as a Game Over, so I never attempted this in the past, because I don't like to play this game in one sitting. While it is as short as Link's Awakening, it's also a lot harder and I like to take pauses here and there. Now, on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console you have both Return and Restore Points to help you out, so there was no excuse of not trying a deathless run for the first time.

Update: I was mistaken on several accounts here. Unlike its successors Zelda II - The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past, saving does in fact not count as a Game Over in the original The Legend of Zelda. I've also already managed to beat the game without dying both on GBA and the Wii, so this was not the first time.

In addition, I also wanted it to be a thorough and complete 100% run. Leave no stone unturned. The goals for such a 100% run were the following:

• Get all items and upgrades (duh)
• Get full 16 Heart Containers
• Open every cave on the overworld
• Get map and compass in every dungeon
• Explore every dungeon room to complete the Start menu map
• Clear every dungeon room with rewards (Keys, Rupees, Bombs)

It's quite the task and I did, however, use solution maps pretty much the entire time, as I've already talked about with the Zelda Randomizer. This saved me the frustration of checking every tree and wall, but it also took away part of the challenge and exploration. I still have a blank copy of the game on my Wii U Virtual Console and I've decided for the next time that I will do it without any maps. But then I will most likely settle for getting all the important items and upgrades, instead of doing a thorough 100% run again.

It's not that rewarding anyway, since you don't get to keep your savegames. It will always go to the beginning of the 2nd Quest, as soon as you beat the game. Your only option is stopping right before Zelda, if you want to keep your savegame as it is... 

With later Zelda games I enjoy having a 100% savegame around. You can return there whenever you want to travel through the game world again, try out all the things, replay minigames and so on. It's a nice thing to have and to show off. With NES Zelda games on the other hand there's nothing much to do in a completed savegame. But they make up for it by having immense replay value.

And I enjoyed playing through The Legend of Zelda a lot! I'm not only saying this because it is its birthday. I'm not too fond of most NES games, but this one I've always liked. I originally played it on the NES back in 1999 and at the time I was fascinated by what gameplay elements, items and enemies already existed in the first game. Before that I only knew the game from Club Nintendo magazine articles... So, there's some nostalgia involved, but I also feel like it has the right level of challenge without ever becoming too frustrating, unlike Zelda II - The Adventure of Link. (I would never attempt a deathless run in that game. I even calculate how far I can get with my three lives and what I can achieve before the inevitable "Game Over - Return of Ganon" screen.)

Anyway, while replaying I've also noticed some things that I want to return in Zelda. One is the boss breath – whenever you're next to the boss chamber, it makes that heavy breathing sound. It's atmospheric and something that didn't return in any later Zelda game. It's also just a part of a bigger picture, where the dungeons are mazes and not constructed step by step puzzle chores. The puzzle was getting to the boss, especially in the 2nd Quest, where the path to the boss could be very well hidden. And without a compass the boss breath was a nice indicator that you're getting close to your goal.

Another thing are interchangeable keys. Starting with A Link to the Past, keys became only usable in the dungeons where you found them. But in the NES classics you have this interesting mechanic, where you can just take a key from one dungeon and use it in another. This can be useful to retrieve a dungeon item earlier. It lets you explore more difficult dungeons for a bit without the need to fight strong enemies for keys. You could even buy keys when you want some paid shortcuts, though I never did this. However, it's something I would like to see Nintendo try again in a future Zelda game... Maybe even Zelda U might be doing this...

What Zelda U might also do again is using powerful enemies as obstacles instead of artificial obstacles, where you need an item to progress. With the exception of two islands, the entire overworld in The Legend of Zelda can be explored right from the start. There are some shortcuts which are created by the Power Bracelet and the Ladder, but overall there are no real boundaries. Still, you get a good feeling for where you belong early on, because areas like Death Mountain are so difficult that your chances of survival are very low, unless you're really good at the game. It would be interesting to see Zelda U do something similar. The further you go, the more often you get hunted down by mighty creatures...

Also, sword beams are essential in this game, not just a nice bonus of a stronger sword. You can shoot beams with every sword in the game at full health and the beams will deal the same damage as your sword and not just the minimum. Without the distance attacks the game becomes a lot more difficult, since your sword has short reach and it's easy to get hit by the enemies, especially the devastating Darknuts. Sword beams make fighting so much easier, which is why you want to keep full health as long as possible.

In the remaining post I will talk about my approach on a deathless run. It's not rocket science, since it's not a swordless run or any similar challenge, but mainly with the 2nd Quest I felt it would be interesting to take note of my steps.

 

1st Quest

Well, this is rather trivial, so I would cut things short. Right in the start of the game you can already become very powerful. Before you enter Level 1 or any other dungeon, you can find three more Heart Containers, get the White Sword, get the Letter, buy Medicine, buy the Blue Candle, the Blue Ring, the Magical Shield, the Arrow and more.

All these items already turn you into quite the powerful force. I then just went for the dungeons in their intended order. Nothing too special here.

 

2nd Quest

Now, the 2nd Quest is a little bit more interesting. You can't just go and grab three Heart Containers plus the White Sword right away, since most Heart Containers require some item to get them. The only Heart Container that is free to get lies on the graveyard, but good luck with getting there alive. And the dungeons are a lot tougher than in the 1st Quest, so you want to be prepared as much as possible.

Keep in mind that this was supposed to be a deathless run. So, I couldn't just storm in somewhere, go for the desired item, save the game (or get killed) and repeat. I also had to return alive! You always have to plan your next steps.

One essential strategy in the 2nd Quest is "item scooping". Instead of going through the entire dungeon at once, you only go for its main item and then return later, after you've become more powerful. This works well, because many of the dungeons in the 2nd Quest offer their item very early on, sometimes even in the first few rooms. As soon as you've collected enough items, you can start actually beating the dungeon.

In the beginning there isn't much that you can do:

• buy Blue Candle
• collect 100 Rupees in the west forest
• buy Magical Shield
• get Boomerang in Level 1
• collect and grind Rupees for Blue Ring
• buy Blue Ring
• complete Level 1 (+1 Heart Container)

The Boomerang in Level 1 is in the room right next to the entrance, so it's easy enough to get and it helps you with grinding Rupees and Bombs in the woods, because you can stun the Moblins. As soon as you got Bombs and the Blue Ring, you can complete the rest of Level 1 and collect your first additional Heart Container. The following step in Level 2 is probably one of the more difficult ones and you certainly want all the health for that:

• get Flute in Level 2
• collect Heart Container from desert
• buy Arrow
• collect White Sword
• buy Food
• get Magical Boomerang in Level 3
• complete Level 3 (+1 Heart Container)

The 2nd Quest's Level 3 is one of the easier dungeons in the entire game, so this is the next dungeon for completion. However, you can only find one key there and you'll need three, so either bring some from Level 2 or buy them. You also have to beat some Triple Dodongos to score the Heart Container, but with some practice they are not too bad. And you want that Heart Container, because the next steps bring you on dangerous Death Mountain grounds...

• cross the Lost Woods (never had to do this in 1st Quest)
• collect Heart Container at Graveyard
• get Power Bracelet
• collect Heart Container near Spectacle Rock
• get the Letter
• teleport to safety
• buy Medicine

This is the turning point. Getting the Letter in the 2nd Quest is like getting the Hammer in Zelda II. Suddenly the world feels open to you and you have many more options, because the big increase in health lets you travel a lot further and even face some more dangers. And as I've already said, many of the dungeons in the 2nd Quest offer their item very early on, which is why I just go in the dungeon, get the item, leave the dungeon and focus on something else, while using the advantages of the new item. So, these are the next steps:

• get Stepladder from Level 6
• collect Heart Container at East Coast
• get Magical Rod from Level 8
• complete Level 2 (+1 Heart Container)
• get Book of Magic in Level 4
• collect Bomb upgrade in Level 4
• beat Level 4 boss (+1 Heart Container)
• get the Raft in Level 4

The Raft part is a little bit tricky. If you don't have enough bombs left before Digdogger, you can't get to the Raft, since the Dodongos will block your way. But the dungeon also traps you in its upper half and since I couldn't kill myself to get out of there, I had no choice but to fight Digdogger. And if you return there later to get the raft, you can't simply use the Triforce to warp yourself out. But there is a one-way walkthrough wall in the Triforce room, which puts you back in the 1st half, but you also have to survive a room full of Blue Darknuts to get out... yikes.

• get Heart Container on island
• get Magical Sword
• get Red Candle in Level 7

I also wanted to beat Level 7 at this point, but there's a Gohma in the way, so you need to play Level 5 first. Also, Blue Darknuts are not my friends, even though they are easier to deal with the Magical Sword. But it's best to have some more bombs ready. And both Level 5 and Level 6 have a Wizzrobe infestation problem, which can be deadly as well, though I personally hate (Blue) Darknuts the most.

Level 8 on the other hand mostly has Goriyas, which are the easiest to deal with of all these candidates. This dungeon still used to be challenging with its Triple Dodongos and the evil rooms filled with only Red Bubbles to take your sword away until you touch a Blue Bubble in some other room, but Restore Points really make that tolerable. In addition it has some more useful upgrades to get. And this is why I played Level 8 next and my remaining course looked like this:

• get the Magic Key in Level 8
• collect the Bomb Upgrade in Level 8
• complete Level 8 (+1 Heart Container)
• get the Bow in Level 5
• complete Level 5 (+1 Heart Container)
• complete Level 6 (+1 Heart Container)
• complete Level 7 (+1 Heart Container)
• complete Level 9

In any case this felt like the right order. Level 8 was certainly the easiest out of the remaining dungeons and Level 7 the hardest. But it's interesting how the Bow ended up to be one of the last items that I got during my run, while in the 1st Quest you get the Bow quite early on in Level 1.

But this is it. Happy 30th Anniversary, everyone!! I can only suggest to play this game today.

30th Anniversary Banner?

The 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda starts on February 21st, in less than a month. And in March Nintendo is already releasing lots of Zelda stuff like Twilight Princess HD, the New Nintendo 3DS XL Hyrule Edition (in Europe) and Hyrule Warriors Legends in the West. But why is nothing here already put under the 30th Anniversary banner?

(image by Alexander Martinez)

Well, some of these things were already released earlier in other regions, but at least Twilight Princess HD should fully fall under the 30th Anniversary releases. And in 2011 nearly everything Zelda was released under the 25th Anniversary banner, starting with the Ocarina of Time 3D soundtrack CD. So, why not here? What are they waiting for?

Okay, in 2011 the Anniversary banner was already revealed at GDC in March, but they waited for the E3 to reveal their full 25th Anniversary plans, so Ocarina of Time 3D itself didn't receive this label at first. And the same might happen right now with Twilight Princess HD and all the other March releases. It's still quite curious, because it feels like they would start advertising all these products with the anniversary right away, instead of waiting until E3, just for the hype of it.

And what will be left? 2011 had the reveal of 25th Anniversary concerts, the Four Swords Anniversary Edition, Hyrule Historia, Skyward Sword with a golden Wii Remote and more. There were quite some big surprises and I wonder, what surprises the 30th Anniversary will offer.

Naturally the Zelda game for Wii U will get the most attention and considering that the 30th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. focused almost solely on Super Mario Maker, it's entirely possible that Zelda U will be the entire focus of the 30th Anniversary as well. Aonuma said that there might be 30th Anniversary concerts, but that's nothing new or surprising, especially since they have Zelda concerts all year long.

But what else could they do? We have been recently teased by the new president Kimishima that Nintendo is licensing movies and TV animes, where something for Zelda would certainly be a surprise, which might please many Zelda fans...

I'm also considering the possibility of a smaller release, maybe revolving around the first Zelda game, like a new Zelda game that is made in a similar style, though we certainly had our share of remakes, remasters and requels in the last years. But The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U is going to be the 19th Zelda game, unless they put some small game before that, because then Zelda U would be the 20th Zelda game during the 30th Anniversary, offering a double anniversary. For this the release would have to be something original though or at least something similar to A Link Between Worlds, because remakes, remasters and re-releases don't count.

This brings me back to my idea of Random Zelda, where you might have a game following the style of the first Zelda game, which randomly generates worlds and dungeons each time you play it. This could be interesting, but it would also fall behind Super Mario Maker, while being too similar at the same time.

With the 25th Anniversary they wanted to avoid doing the same things they did for Mario and this will probably apply to the 30th Anniversary of Zelda as well, while at the same time they want to avoid copying the 25th Anniversary of Zelda. Nintendo wants to surprise people for better or worse, where a Zelda anime certainly would feel different enough from anything they've done so far, not counting that 90s TV show (though I personally find that one hilarious). Imagine an anime in the same art style as Zelda U - the game already gives you a certain anime vibe, which could be expanded upon.

Anyway, still I would like to see something like the "Realm of Memories" as a new set of levels for Tri Force Heroes as a 30th Anniversary gift, though this would be quite similar to Four Swords in 2011. And they probably shouldn't wait until E3 to release new content for Tri Force Heroes, this game needs attention now.

Dawn of a New Year – 2016

One year ago I had in mind that 2015 would give us Zelda U and this year we would see the next Zelda on 3DS. These roles got switched and I'm not unhappy with it. I was moving at the end of last year, so the 3DS is my preferred gaming system right now. And Zelda U certainly feels like a better fit for the big 30th Anniversary of the franchise, similar to how Skyward Sword got released during the 25th Anniversary.

Anyway, a new year has begun, so let's look ahead what awaits the Zelda fans in 2016. It's the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and the new game for Wii U is scheduled to release, where until then we can get entertained by Twilight Princess HD and Hyrule Warriors Legends.

So, there are certainly some parallels to the year 2011, where the 25th Anniversary took place and Skyward Sword got released, the last big console Zelda. They have been working on both these games for five years and it has been over a year that we saw something from The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U (ignoring the small teaser in the last Nintendo Direct). But we should learn more at E3 2016, which will take place between June 14th and 16th in Los Angeles, at the latest, where Nintendo will certainly teach us all about the game, which then should arrive in the last quarter of the year.

And the game will without a doubt be the highlight of 2016. A giant, open world awaits us, which can be explored by foot, horse, or sailcloth. And there will be dangerous monsters, where you will have to flee at first to find the right strategy, which might involve jumping off your horse in slow motion to fire special arrows. And that's what we know so far, where will certainly will learn more this year.

Until the game arrives the 30th Anniversary may keep us happy. The 25th Anniversary gave us Ocarina of Time 3D, the free Anniversary Edition of Four Swords, special hardware, Hyrula Historia, and the birth of the Symphony of the Goddesses, all next to the main dish Skyward Sword. It was an eventful year and since the next big anniversary won't take place until ten years from now, it should make sense for Nintendo to commercially "celebrate" as much as possible in 2016.

To start things off there is the remaster of the GameCube and Wii classic, Twilight Princess HD. It gets released on March 4th on Wii U, together with an amiibo of Wolf Link, where we will have to let ourselves be surprised by what it and the other Zelda amiibo will do in the game.

Three weeks later, on March 26th, we then will already see Hyrule Warriors Legends for the Nintendo 3DS. Apparently, there were requests for a Nintendo 3DS version of the never-ending madness from the Wii U, so Koei Tecmo has ported the game to the handheld and extended it with new contents. Toon Link, Tetra, the King of Red Lions, Skull Kid, and Linkle will all join the party, as well as new stages and an Adventure Map based on The Wind Waker. Plus, Ganondorf will get a Trident weapon. This game is a massive time sink and could easily keep you busy for the rest of the year, if you let it...

The Wii U version will only get the new characters and weapons, but there is also the possibility that Hyrule Warriors Legends will see some DLC of its own with new characters and more, like Groose and Nabooru.

Otherwise I'm convinced that Tri Force Heroes will get additional updates with contents. It was already data-mined that there are four more DLC outfits planned, as well as one more area. It's even possible that this could be tied to the 30th Anniversary somehow, similar to the "Realm of Memories" in the Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Speaking of, Nintendo might even re-release this title once more for everyone who has missed it five years ago.

Other re-releases are in the realm of possibilities as well, like Skyward Sword as a Wii download game in the Wii U eShop. Majora's Mask also didn't make it onto the Wii U Virtual Console yet and maybe they will do something with Link's Crossbow Training, now that there will be Twilight Princess HD.

Concerning the hardware, Europe still didn't get the "Hyrule Edition" of the New Nintendo 3DS XL, which was released in North America at the end of October and will be released in Japan this month together with Hyrule Warriors Legends. Maybe in Europe it will be part of the anniversary, maybe it won't get here at all, we'll see. Plus, with the exception of Tri Force Heroes, Nintendo has released special hardware alongside every Zelda in the last five years, where we might see a golden Wii U or something...

This also raises the question of Nintendo's next console, currently known as the "NX", where we will probably see it at E3 for the first time. It's even thinkable that the new Zelda won't be exclusive to the Wii U, but is also planned for the next generation, just like how Twilight Princess came out for GameCube and Wii. And these type of questions will hopefully be answered in the course of the year...

Other than games, DLC, and hardware, we might see some other things around Zelda during the year. In the very least the Symphony of the Goddesses is still on tour with concerts in Essen, Zurich, Vienna, Geneva, and Paris in October.

Summary

It's the 30th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and we will celebrate! Twilight Princess HD, Hyrule Warriors Legends, and The Legend of Zelda for Wii U will captivate us, while the Symphony of the Goddesses keeps pleasing us musically. And those are only the events that we know of so far, where there may be some surprises ahead of us, like additional contents for Tri Force Heroes.

Anyway, his is what we can expect in 2016:

• More Tri Force Heroes Content
• Twilight Princess HD (March 4th)
  
• Hyrule Warriors Legends (March 25th)
• E3 2016 (June 14th to 16th)
  
• Symphony of the Goddesses (October)
  
• The Legend of Zelda for Wii U

Happy New Year, everyone!

30th Anniversary Replay List

With the 25th Anniversary I decided to go through all Zelda games again, one way or another (see my replay posts). I had completed the original Four Swords for the first time in that year and I even went through the BS Zelda games again, so it was quite a year of playing Zelda for me. Now, the 30th Anniversary will be a thing next year and I'm already getting the feeling like I will play a lot of Zelda during this anniversary as well.

The following games I will replay for sure:

• Oracle of Ages (3DS VC, Linked Hero's Quest)
• Oracle of Seasons (3DS VC, Linked Hero's Quest)
• The Wind Waker HD (2nd Quest)
• Twilight Princess (new HD version)
• Phantom Hourglass (Wii U VC)
• Spirit Tracks (Wii U VC)
• A Link Between Worlds (Hero Mode)

I've already started with Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, because I'm reviewing for ZeldaEurope how these two games are playing on the Wii U Virtual Console. Unlike last time I will play both of these games simultaneously. My original Nintendo DS copies are "full", both savegames done 100% with all Ship Parts and Train Carts collected, so I never would want to delete those. But with these new VC copies I have the necessary room for additional playthroughs.

I've already replayed A Link Between Worlds this year to prepare for Tri Force Heroes, but I still have to complete the Hero Mode there, which I will save for later. This includes going through all 50 StreetPass challenges again, but I enjoy the Dark Link fights a lot, even a lot more than the arena in Tri Force Heroes, sadly...

In 2013 the Oracle games were released on the 3DS Virtual Console and I used this as a project, where I get all 64 Rings from scratch again. I've even written my popular ring guide at the time. However, I started with two simultaneous Hero's Quests using the same GameID. I basically started a new game in both Ages and Seasons, where I could share the rings. The actual Linked Games I saved for later and it turns out that this will happen during the 30th Anniversary.

It's similar with The Wind Waker HD. I first played this, when it came out in 2013, I got all the figurines during the 1st quest, but I saved the 2nd Quest for later. I didn't have an HD TV at the time and I still don't have one yet, but I will get one next year and The Wind Waker HD will be one of the first games I play on it.

And with Twilight Princess HD I will sort of replay Twilight Princess by playing the new version. I've fully completed both the GameCube and Wii version of Twilight Princess twice and while I'm actually in the mood for the playing this game again, I don't feel like ever going back to the old copies. So, I have to admit that the timing of Twilight Princess HD is pretty nice for me, even though I still think that they should have saved this remake for the next generation.

As for the rest, on both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U I have a couple of unplayed or unfinished copies of Zelda games around, mostly for Virtual Console:

• The Legend of Zelda (3DS & Wii U VC)
• Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (3DS & Wii U VC)
• A Link to the Past (Wii U VC)
• Ocarina of Time (Wii U VC)
• Ocarina of Time 3D (2nd copy)
• Majora's Mask 3D (download version)
• Tri Force Heroes (retail copy)

All of these could be potential targets for more replays. The NES classics I had fully beaten on the Wii VC the last time, so on either 3DS or Wii U it should be easier, since there I can use save states for a more comfortable experience. You can save right before the bosses or difficult parts.

It's a shame that the Wii U Virtual Console doesn't allow you to import your saves from the Wii Virtual Console, because otherwise I could already check most of the games there as "complete". But currently I haven't touched anything on the Wii U VC yet. I only got them, because you can get them for cheap and it looks nice to have some sort of collection.

A Link to the Past should go well alongside A Link Between Worlds, but I'm not sure about the Nintendo 64 Zelda games. I suspect that Majora's Mask will be released on the Wii U Virtual Console next year as well, so I have both empty copies of the original versions and the 3DS remakes. I probably will stick with the remakes though, since I don't have as much experience with them and because the play better.

Interestingly enough I do own two copies of all the 3DS Zelda games. I got two retail copies of Ocarina of Time 3D, because of the Anniversary Edition bundle, which got released later and featured a different cover for the game. I got both a retail copy and a download copy for A Link Between Worlds, Majora's Mask 3D and Tri Force Heroes. The retail copy of A Link Between Worlds is what I'm using for replaying, I originally played a download version. The download copy of Majora's Mask 3D came with the Special Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL and remains untouched so far. And I bought Tri Force Heroes in the eShop, when it came out, and later got a boxed review copy from Nintendo (which is very useful for testing the arena and the like). Now, with Tri Force Heroes you can always replay all levels anyway, but if I ever feel like starting over from scratch with all the costumes, I will use my retail copy. I even started collecting Friendly Tokens there, when I farmed them for my main game.

So, there's that. What games are still left?

• Link's Awakening
• Four Sword
• Four Swords Adventures
• The Minish Cap
• Skyward Sword

Link's Awakening I usually replay once per year anyway, because it's a tradition and because you can quickly beat it in one sitting. I'm not sure about the Four Swords games, I probably won't play them on my own, but I might play them with other Zelda fans during ZeldaEurope fan meetings. They might also re-release Four Swords Anniversary Edition for free again, where I might install and play it on one of my other 3DS systems. The Minish Cap I've already completed last year on the Wii U Virtual Console and I don't feel like playing it again, unless they put it on the New Nintendo 3DS as well.

And then there's Skyward Sword, where I really would like to replay it, before Zelda U hits. Mainly because that way I would go through all 3D Zelda games again before the new one, but also because I haven't played this since fully completing both normal and Hero Mode, when the game was released back in 2011.

Of course this is also a question of time and other games might get in the way, especially Hyrule Warriors Legends might turn out to be quite time consuming again, while at the same time it basically counts as replaying Hyrule Warriors all over again. But I also wanted to check out the new Unreal Tournament next year, though I will try to set my focus on Zelda to honor the 30th Anniversary as much as possible. The next big anniversary will be in 10 years, since 35 years doesn't count as a special anniversary, so both Nintendo and Zelda fans should make this one count.