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November 27, 2006

Link's Master Sword Forged

The Master Sword, the sword that allows Link to wield unimaginable power - power to slay tyranny time and time again. Yes that sword has been forged. A Zelda fan name Paul Hantschel sent artwork and a request to renowned blacksmith Rob Miller of Scotland for help. Nearly 8 months later and $3,300, the sword was forged.

The replica is incredibly beautiful and although not the first - it certainly the most accurate. Many of the other replicas I've seen are too thin. The Master Sword is hefty, not dainty. Only a hero with great strength like Link can wield the weight.

more pictures after the jump

Lookie here for the original post. Mr. Hantschel, I envy you.

The original sketch Paul Hantschel sent to the blacksmith

The Master Sword forged.

Posted by tranism at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | | |

November 16, 2006

Donkey Kong's and Mario's Dad Turns 54

Shigeru Miyamoto or Shiggy as he is affectionately known, celebrates his 54th birthday today. The creator of memorable characters from Donkey Kong, Mario, Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Pikmin have quite possibly kept Nintendo going despite the mounting competition from media juggernauts.

He is unofficially credited with reviving the video gaming industry during the mid 80's and is still considered to be THE designer newer stock try and emulate. He is also the first person to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame. He topped that honor in March of 2006 when the French government Knighted him into the prestigious Ordre des Arts ed des Lettres.

I don't often celebrate birthdays of people I don't know but this man; his creations defined some of what my childhood was. I can't even fathom what it would have been like if I didn't have Mario and friends to turn to after finishing my homework. It helped me come out of my shell by sharing my games with other kids and in turn, make new friends. And to this day, his latest creation - Pikmin leave me in awe of the gorgeous design and addictive puzzling gameplay.

Happy Birthday Shigeru Miyamoto!

Posted by tranism at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Zelda Twilight Princess Art Style

I just wanted to post this image and follow with this statement.

"Video games can and are a art. One look at the inside cover of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess and one has to admit it, there is no denying that."

For the fans that have followed the series, the image above reveals much about the game. I'll just leave it at that.

more scans of the manual here

Posted by tranism at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

November 15, 2006

Sony's Cat is Online

In my eyes, Sony has two mascots (sorta). First there was Crash Bandicoot, whom I remember transfixed himself as the anti-Mario when the Playstation launched, but nowadays Crash Bandicoot is a faded memory (we miss you Jason Rubin) meanwhile Sony has transformed its Playstation brand into a monolithic technophile icon - of course, save for Toro.

Yes Toro a.k.a the Sony Cat with his trapezium shaped face and rectangular body. He made an appearance long ago (1999) but most people remember him as a launch title on the PSP (Japanese PSP only). I never thought Sony would push him beyond the borders of the East but here he is, kickin' it on Sony's Online Playstation Network.

Just like his game on the PSP, it's all dialogue and conversation with this anthropomorphized cat and this time he's not alone. He has a friend name Kuro the black cat. It's sort of a customized RSS reader that churns out Sony Playstation news several times a day in the form of a conversation between the two cats. Although I can't read Japanese, it's supposedly well scripted and quite funny.

They live in a bachelor style apartment, barren at first but you can play trivia games to win prizes like furniture and nick-nacks to decorate their apartment.

It may not be THE killer online component but it sets Sony apart in offering a clever way of disseminating news instead of the stale old date stamp followed by PR blurb.

via kotaku

Posted by tranism at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

November 14, 2006

Twilight Special

It's time to fire up your copy of Animals Crossing for the DS people. I know it's probably been months since you've visited your town but trust me, if it's anything like my town was, then you're way overdue.

Weeds have basically taken over. My yard looks like the 2 blocks east of USC (for those who live in Los Angeles, you know the reference). I must have spent 10 minutes trying to clean everything out and another 20 trying to soothe my neighbors whom were super mad about my neglect. LISTEN GUYS, I'm sorry I fupped up your property value!

Anyways, back to the hand at topic. The reason for my return to Wild World, and yours, is because Nintendo is planning on a special Zelda Twilight Princess gift for all those that sign on between the 17th - 24th of November. If you're an Animal Crossing vet, you KNOW how coveted any Zelda artifact is in that world.

By the way, Gay Gamer is my new favorite blog and their header caption explains it better than I can; "for boys who like boys who like joysticks!"

Cheers to that mates!

via 4 color rebellion

Posted by tranism at 5:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

November 7, 2006

It's a Yes on PS3

I've been a harsh critic of Sony's hardware design for the PS3 but that doesn't negate the fact that I'll get one - about a year later.

As the North American console launches for the industry's other two players looms near, I'm getting a slew of emails from friends and readers about which console I'm getting. To answer those question simply, I'm getting a Wii first and a PS3 a year later (hopefully). That is unless Sony wants to send me one gratis - I will be more than happy to accept.

First, why no Xbox 360 for me. I think it's an awesome machine with awesome looking games and an online component second to none. My only issues with it are no HDMI and not very many games (genres) that I would play. I'm not a FPS type person nor am I into sports. That doesn't leave me with much except for Kameo and PGR. I did play Oblivion but it screams western RPG to me (call me a purist). I think the only game that has be excited for the 360 is Fable. (Yes I actually liked the first one too). When the 360 gets more RPG's, platformers and adventure games, I'll give it a second look.

The Wii is a no brainer for me. It's dirt cheap (by comparison) and has a group of games out at launch that I want. Namely Zelda and Rayman. The aspects of the controller also have me excited and since it's not an HD console, I could care less about HDMI, as long as I am able to get my Wii component cables.

Which brings me to the PS3. I've seen the games, even played some of them. It really is next generation (in terms of graphics), not to say the Xbox 360 isn't on par. It's the exciting possibilities of Linux being pre-installed on each unit, blu-ray, and curiosity of how well Sony's new unified online experience will be. The new SIXAXIS controller is pretty cool and although I was probably one of the few who understood and liked the ergonomic advantages of the concept boomerang controller, I never really had any gripes with the dual-shock design. I like that it comes with HDMI and games are true 1080p or 1080i. I have an HD TV but no HD cable so it'll be nice to see something utilize my TV's potential. The only barriers to my getting one come launch day are three-fold; price, games and availability.

PRICE: I believe Sony when they say it's a console worth $600. I mean it's got a revolutionary processor and blu-ray. Judging by the cost of current 2 core processors commanding almost $200 bucks; an 8 core Cell for $600 isn't so bad. Not to mention dedicated blu-ray players are going for $800+ so again, $600 isn't so bad. The price just sounds crazy because the average multimedia and gamer guru doesn't have that kind of disposable income. When we start to see games leverage the power of Cell and blu-ray become the new standard - it's value will become a little more apparent.

GAMES: Secondly (I swore I would never use that word), the launch games are kinda meh. The FPS, sports, bevy of violent themed, and tuner race games don't do anything for me. The games I want are next Final Fantasies, the Kingdom Hearts, the Jak & Daxters. Those types of games probably won't be here until 1 - 2 years later and I worry the new console generation will find those games playing second fiddle as the industry shifts its focus towards the cash laden. testosterone filled male gamers of North America and Europe. I just hope there's another Jason Rubin out there, tinkering away at some new platformer to fulfill my next gen needs for a Jak & Daxter.

AVAILABILITY: All I'm gonna say here is GOOD LUCK FINDING ONE! If you didn't know it already, Sony has had numerous production problems, making the PS3 somewhat of a mirage. You might find one, but find it at an inflated price; that's for damn sure.

So you see, I do like PS3. I know sooner or later I'll get one. It's just weird because this is the first time Sony won't be my first console purchase of a new generation.

Posted by tranism at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

November 3, 2006

Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

November 19th is so close yet so far away for me to enjoy my Nintendo Wii and the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess game. I've been a Zelda fanboy since the original on the NES. Ocarina of Time on the N64 was by FAR the BEST ZELDA ever but Twilight Princess looks to be just as great if not EPIC. I can hardly wait and time seems to be slowing down as I write this.

Nintendo just released two new videos for Twilight Princess. The first is the opening scene and the second is a new 2 minute trailer. ENJOY!

Posted by tranism at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |