Nintendo

Time Extension Traces Action-Adventures Before Zelda

Time Extension Traces Action-Adventures Before Zelda

Time Extension has published a feature examining what Japanese action-adventure games looked like before The Legend of Zelda arrived on 21st February 1986. The piece argues that pinpointing a genre's true origin is difficult, since earlier precedents can usually be found with enough research. It notes that action-adventures developed alongside, and overlapping with, traditional turn-based RPGs in Japan, at a time when the RPG itself was not yet a clearly defined category there. The feature looks at titles from before Zelda's release to trace how the genre took shape. via timeextension.com

Origin of Zelda: A Link to the Past Rap Jingle Uncovered

Origin of Zelda: A Link to the Past Rap Jingle Uncovered

Time Extension has revisited the Japanese television commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from 1991, which features actors dressed as Link, Zelda, Gibdos and Stalfos dancing to a memorable rap track. The site had long assumed the song was written specifically for the advert, but says it discovered, via a Japanese music credit, that the track actually predates the commercial. A Link to the Past was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. via timeextension.com

Pokémon Orange ROM Hack Gets Major New Updates

Pokémon Orange ROM Hack Gets Major New Updates

Pokémon Orange, a fan-made ROM hack that originally dates back to 2017, has received a set of major new updates described as reworking the entire game. The coverage notes that the hack predates the use of AI tools in ROM hacking, framing it as an example of earlier, hand-made fan projects. Pokémon ROM hacks typically modify existing Game Boy and Game Boy Advance era Pokémon titles with new regions, story content or difficulty changes. via retrododo.com

Speedrunner Cracks RNG Formula Behind Ocarina of Time’s Dampé Game

Speedrunner Cracks RNG Formula Behind Ocarina of Time's Dampé Game

A speedrunner has figured out the underlying formula that determines prizes in Dampé's "Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour" minigame from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The minigame, in which young Link pays the gravedigger Dampé to dig up random items such as Rupees and Heart Pieces, has apparently kept this mechanic unsolved since the game's 1998 N64 release. The discovery comes as Nintendo's Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time has just launched, renewing interest in the original game's mechanics. via timeextension.com

Tim Stamper Asks Fans What ‘Vault’ Reveal They Want First

Tim Stamper Asks Fans What 'Vault' Reveal They Want First

Tim Stamper, co-founder of Rare and Ultimate Play The Game, has followed up his earlier cryptic social media tease by directly asking fans what they would like him to reveal first. His post name-checks several possibilities, including Conker, Ultimate, an unnamed project called Dream, and Zelda, continuing the "vault" imagery and key motif from his initial post. The update states that Stamper plans to reveal more via YouTube. Stamper had been absent from social media for more than three years before this sudden reappearance. via timeextension.com

New GBC Racer ZERO Channels F-Zero’s Style

Rocketship Park and Thalamus are working on ZERO, a new futuristic racing game for the Game Boy Color. The project draws on the style of Nintendo's F-Zero, which launched on the SNES in 1990 and used Mode 7 rotation effects that handheld hardware could not replicate until the Game Boy Advance version arrived in 2001. ZERO aims to show how a similar high-speed racer could work on the more limited Game Boy Color hardware. via gamesasylum.com

Ocarina of Time Remake Reviewed Among New Switch 2 Releases

Gamesasylum has published a roundup covering several new releases, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on Switch 2. The piece discusses the original N64 game's enduring design and spectacle, noting how later Zelda entries expanded on its formula even from Majora's Mask onward. The roundup also covers other titles launching around the same time, including a Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee remaster. Ocarina of Time originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998. via gamesasylum.com

Secret of Mana ROM Hack Swaps Hero for Dragon Ball Z’s Goku

Secret of Mana ROM Hack Swaps Hero for Dragon Ball Z's Goku

A fan-made ROM hack called Secret of Goku has been released, retooling the classic SNES RPG Secret of Mana around Dragon Ball Z's Goku. Secret of Mana, originally released in 1993, is widely regarded as one of the best action RPGs on the SNES, often mentioned alongside Chrono Trigger. The hack reportedly brings the Dragon Ball Z character into the game's world and structure rather than building a new game from scratch. via retrododo.com