Prerelease:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Sword on B

This page is a thing which exists.

September, 1998

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

New story facts on Zelda V

September 27, 1998

Here's some interesting new information on Zelda V's story, characters and goals. If you don't want to know about all that yet, please skip this article. The fact listed here come from multiple sources, under which IGN64 and Nintendo Power Magazine. Major thanks go out to Bowza from Z64: THE Zelda 64 Page, though.

The quest of Zelda V will begin with Link as a child. In this form he'll have to collect three treasures, the Kokiri's Jade, Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire. He'll be able to put these into his Ocarina of Time then. After he retrieves these things, he'll be placed into suspended animation. Pictures of Link trapped in a crystal quite possibly show this.

After he finally gets out of the crystal after a couple of years, he will be the older, fully grown Link. When he returns to the world as an adult, he will notice that Hyrule is in termoil, and that a once happy world is now in ruin. There are around 7 dungeons in this older world (similar to the Dark World), and to solve riddles, Link will have to travel back and forth through time using the Master Sword and the Ocarina.

Then on to some new characters. Firstly, there's Talon, who owns the Lon Lon Ranch. This ranch is where Link learns to ride his horse. Talon is a very lazy man, who prefers sleeping over working anyday. He hates turtles, but loves mushroom. As irrelevant as it sounds, you can bet it will have a purpose in the game. This is Zelda we're talking about, after all. Talon looks a lot like Mario, surprisingly.

Next to Talon, there's Ingo. He takes care of chores at the ranch because the owner is way too lazy! He teaches Link horseriding. He's not a big fan of Talon, his employer, but did have a crush on Talon's wife.

Then there's also Malon, Taron's daughter. She lives on the farm, and will no doubt become friends with Link. Link will meet her as both a child and as adult. She's a good singer, so perhaps she can teach Link some songs he can play on the Ocarina.

Finally there's Sheik, part of the Sheiker bloodline, known for it's warriors. Link will meet with this mysterious man several times in his adult form.

To close this article, there's a bunch of little fun facts. Once again, there will be a fishing mini-game, just like in Zelda 4. This is not where the similarities with that game stop, as there will be an owl who gives you clues. Besides the similarities with the Game Boy game, Zelda V will also be similar to the Super Nintendo game. It begins much like it, as Link awakes from a dream of some sort, and control over the game begins in Link's house.

Niels 't Hooft

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

Zelda to be playable early

September 27, 1998

As you probably read elsewhere before, starting October 24 (when the big hype around Zelda V will start), the game will be playable in the major stores. So, if you can't really wait to get your hands onto an actual copy of the game, this should be your chance to test the game before you buy.

Niels 't Hooft

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

More gold

September 18, 1998

Still not sure how to get a Gold cart for Zelda V? This is how to do it: pre-order it after October 24 and before November 22.

Already pre-ordered? Go to the shop where you pre-ordered your copy of Zelda V after October 24 and before November 22, and ask them there: "Hello, I preordered Zelda for Nintendo 64 a while ago, will I get my game on a Golden cart?" If they tell you: "No," or "Dunno," ask your money back, and go to another chain, which does run the promotion, and pre-order it there. If they tell you: "Yes," then go back home happily.

Any store can participate in Nintendo's Gold-cart Zelda-hype promo, so most of them will probably run it. The promo starts October 24, that's why most retailers won't know about it until that date (not everyone has an internet connection, nor do they all check out the major gaming news websites).

Niels 't Hooft

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

Zelda goes gold

September 9, 1998

According to Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is going to arrive on a Golden cartridge after all. However, this will only happen in a limited edition, for people who pre-order the game. They don't have an official line on this, but this is what Nintendo told one of our readers in an e-mail:

Yes, it's true. Between October 24 and November 22, game players can sign up with their favorite retailer to pre-purchase The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. These pre-purchased games will come in a special gold-colored cartridge. Once the game formally launches on November 23rd, gold cartridges will no longer be available.

Because this is a recently announced promotion, we do not have a list of participating retailers. You will want to check with your local retailers to find out which ones will be taking part in the promotion. Please keep in mind that since this promotion doesn't start until October 24th, in-store personnel may not have all of the details yet. If you've checked with the retailers in your area, and they are not familiar with this promotion, please check back with them on October 24th.

What does this mean? Well, Nintendo will start advertising in favor of pre-ordering the game on October 24th. After that, certain stores will also advertise it, and have promotional material as to this. It seems highly likely that if you have preordered the game at a shop which participates in the promotion, you'll also get a gold cart, even if you didn't preorder. Check with them somewhere between October 24 and November 23, though, to make sure! If you have preordered already at a big chain like Toys R Us or EB, the chance is big you'll be able to participate. If you preordered at a smaller shop, there's a small chance you won't be able to participate... but the only way to find out is by checking with them after October 24.

Either way, if you didn't pre-order yet, wait until October 24, and do it, or you'll be missing out on a historical event, in the form of a golden Nintendo 64 cart.

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

Box art for Zelda V unveiled

September 27, 1998

Here it finally is... the box art for Zelda V. And surprisingly, it's not even far from the concept that I created months and months ago. Take a look at my version, and the one that it's going to be.

My box. My version, made months ago.

Nintendo's box. Nintendo's version.

This box also confirms that the official title will be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time instead of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time as previously thought.

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

September 30, 1998

BowZa reports on Nintendo Power

The recent issue of Nintendo Power gives us more interesting news about Zelda V! First of all, a new weapon has been uncovered, it is called the Bombchu, and is described as "a mobile weapon that shuttles bombs across the ground and up walls". In addition, to turn on the Rumble Pak compatibility within the title, you will have to uncover the Stone of Agony, and, as reported several weeks ago, Link will be able to fish. Other mini games include bowling, with bombs of course, and a shooting gallery. In my opinion the idea of having to basically discover the Rumble Pak ability is great! It should be mentioned that the Rumble Pak will be used differently in this game than in most, and will be used to uncover secrets.

http://web.archive.org/web/19990222123646/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/september98.htm

Z64: The Zelda 64 Page

Zelda commercials to be seen in theaters

September 27, 1998

That Zelda was going to be one of the biggest games ever was already known. But that Nintendo would be using all sorts of ways of promotion, including some that have never before been used to promote videogames, that surprised even me. Yes, it's true, starting October 24, you'll be able to spot commercials for Zelda V in the theaters. What movies they will appear with is still unclear.

Perhaps the most amazing part is that this promo won't only be appearant in the US, but it will be the same in Europe, including my home country The Netherlands. I can't wait to see that one! It only goes to show that Nintendo is really stressing the N64 and Zelda in Europe. Finally!

Iwata Asks

Iwata My own impression is that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time firmly established the "essence of Zelda."

Aonuma That's right. That's why it's been hard to make anything ever since! (laughs)

Aonuma Something I always think as I work on the series is how hard it was to make The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but it was also a great time. As mentioned earlier, we were making something unprecedented.

Iwata There wasn't anything you could compare it to.

Aonuma As we went through a process of trial and error and watched it take shape each day, it was really fun working on it. Each day we said, "Oh, look at what we did!" and that built up.

Kawagoe For example, we were really impressed when the sword was able to cut a sign.

Aonuma Yeah. Miyamoto-san put that in when everyone was exhausted. (laughs)

Koizumi (Kazuaki) Morita-san17 at SRD programmed that. You don't just cut the sign, but float it in the pond. When Miyamoto-san saw that, he burst out laughing and said, "Now that's The Legend of Zelda!"

Iwawaki Yeah, he said that. (laughs)

Koizumi I remember it clearly.

Iwata Aside from cutting the signs, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a game with lots of forms of gameplay that players were experiencing for the first time and that must have made them think, "What's this?" and "What's going on here?"

Kawagoe-san, why do you think you were able to make a game like that?

Kawagoe In some ways, I think it was because of a certain fearlessness on the part of the staff. We were just getting acquainted with the Nintendo 64 hardware and began development in a state of excitement over all the possibilities. As a result, our feelings and behavior packed a lot into the game out of a sense of "Well, if we can do this, then let's do that, too!"

Kawagoe Put another way, it's like we were plunging into a pathless, misty expanse and thinking, "I'm sure we can do this!"

Iwata I think that fearlessness was indeed a big factor. You were a group of people who hadn't learned before you began how hard it could be or how long it could take. (laughs)

Aonuma We really hadn't.

Iwata The group believed that anything was possible with the Nintendo 64 system, plunged ahead, discovered a lot of interesting stuff, omnivorously adopted it, and threw it all together in a way without any friction, resulting in a dense concentration of material.

Kawagoe But as with the moon sliding into view, which came up earlier, a lot of things fell into place by chance.

Osawa We'd be feverishly working away at it and all of a sudden be like, "Oh, we did it!"

Aonuma We'd get a lot done that we hadn't even imagined.

Kawagoe I feel like we encountered a lot of such happy chance occurrences.

Iwata So the developers could get excited about the daily discoveries.

Osawa Almost every day, I was like, "You made that?! Well then, I'm gonna..."

Aonuma Each day, I experienced the reward of seeing the practically empty world that I had first designed with only squares and triangles rapidly become a realer one as various people added their input. I was incredibly happy about that.

Kawagoe I suppose we could do that because we were all young.

Iwata Koizumi-san, I think you're the youngest among the team members here today. How old were you when you made The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?

Koizumi I was about 26 or 27. How about you, Aonuma-san?

Aonuma I was in my thirties without doubt.

Koizumi (looking serious) I was the youngest among those of us here, so I was ill at ease (laughs) and couldn't really say what I wanted.

Aonuma Huh? No way! You always said the harshest things! (laughs) Everyone (laughs)

Koizumi Did I? (laughs) I think it will show up in the next session of "Iwata Asks," but the designers (Yoshiki) Haruhana-san and (Satoru) Takizawa-san were in their early twenties then, and they kept up their enthusiasm. The development period was two and a half years.

Iwata And it was a particularly intense two and a half years.

Koizumi When it's that long, you should run out of breath, but we never did.

Koizumi It wasn't hard at all for me to work until or past midnight every day.

Kawagoe Yeah, we were all young. (laughs)

Osawa It was fun how each day was different.

Koizumi It sure was.

Iwata We raced along for two and a half years, experiencing immense changes each day.

Aonuma That's right.

Koizumi Work is generally fun, but that may have been the most satisfying time. I was able to make a lot of selfish demands, so I think we caused everyone trouble…but it was fun.

Aonuma We weren't selfish—we were dedicated.

Osawa I think if the same team ever had to make the next The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it would probably be fun.

(That's the joke!)

3DS

Iwata Lastly, I'd like each of you to say a few words regarding the return of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 13 years after its original release. Shall we start with you, Iwawaki-san?

Iwawaki Sure. I actually tried out The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS system and felt that big world of The Legend of Zelda drawing me in.

Iwata That immense world was in the palm of your hand.

Iwawaki Yes, just like that. I felt like that world was right there. I hope everyone else will enjoy the world of The Legend of Zelda to the fullest.

Aonuma As mentioned earlier, it was really fun when we were making the original game, because each day we made rewarding progress and the world in the game rapidly came together. I think the players could sense the fun we had.

Iwata You feel like the developers' feelings reached the players through the game.

Aonuma Right. Our feeling 13 years ago is even further amplified in the Nintendo 3DS version. I hope the players will sense that. If you go on an adventure in that broad world in the Nintendo 3DS version, new discoveries await.

Iwata Some who played the Nintendo 64 version may not have played it to its fullest.

Aonuma That's right. We put in all sorts of weird stuff (laughs), so I hope everyone will find those things.

Kawagoe The Nintendo 3DS version is a remake, but there are different directions to take with a remake. I don't think simply spiffing up the graphics and making it more luxurious would inspire the same moving experience. But this remake plays out the stereoscopic 3D, allowing players to experience the splendor of the Nintendo 64 version from a new perspective. I think that's great.

Iwata Kawagoe-san, have you played the Nintendo 3DS version?

Kawagoe Yes. I was surprised to see what the landforms we had created were like!

Iwata You didn't know until seeing them on the Nintendo 3DS version?

Kawagoe No. On the Nintendo 64 version, I sort of knew what they were like by filling in their real forms in my head, but on the Nintendo 3DS version, like when looking at Hyrule Field, I got a much clearer sense of what the landforms and distances were like.

Aonuma That surprised me, too.

Iwata You were surprised even though you had made them.

Kawagoe A discovery 13 years later!

Iwata I see. How about you, Koizumi-san?

Koizumi I'm really scared to play the Nintendo 3DS version. That's because I feel like if I encounter my work from 13 years ago, I'll find a lot of stuff to make me cringe.

Kawagoe I was the same way. (laughs)

Koizumi But they're making the Nintendo 3DS version in Tokyo, so they asked me to check it. I hesitantly tried it out (laughs) and was pleased to see how handsome Link looks!

Osawa I haven't laid hands on the Nintendo 3DS version yet. That's not because I'm scared like Koizumi-san, but because I want to buy it myself and play it like any other gamer. I'm really looking forward to seeing how what we made 13 years ago has changed, and I'm glad what we made 13 years ago has been shed new light by someone else so I can enjoy it too.

Iwata I suppose you'll feel like you're opening a time capsule.

Osawa Yes. The only Legend of Zelda game I've ever worked on was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, so I felt like I had done everything I could. But today, 13 years later, I even want to enjoy looking at it again and noticing places where I could've done better, so I can't wait for the release date.

Aonuma I've been involved with every game in the series since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, so I don't feel that way. I'm like, "Tch!" (laughs)

November, 1998

http://web.archive.org/web/20000414160749/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/november98.htm

Zelda on IGN64

November 4, 1998

IGN64 has been quite a bit of a busy site recently, when it comes to Zelda coverage. Not a strange thing, considering the fact that Zelda is the N64's biggest title yet, and that IGN64 is an N64 site.

Among the stuff they've had in the last week is a downloadable version of the Zelda trailer that will be showing in theaters, a new issue of Hyrule Times, in which they keep the Zelda facts from spoiling stuff to you in a smart way (but you quite likely read everything they tell on ZHQ already), and an interview with the guy who wrote the upcoming adventure book based on Ocarina of Time. Stupid thing is that in this (non spoilerproof) interview, more is spoiled then even I wanted to know. I'll be glad to warn you properly this time: spoilers are ahead!

Among new items are the Hoover Boots and the Mirror Shield. The six items adult Link has to get from the later dungeons are Medallions. Part of your mission as adult Link is to rescue all the Sages (as the seven Wise Men are now called, eliminating the problem of one of the Wise Men being female). The most interesting, and most spoiling new fact, however, is that the Sages will be aiding you in the final battle against the transmutated Ganon.

Jason Rich, the writer of the book, also said that there's only one Link and one Zelda in the series, but here at the ZHQ staff we're convinced he doesn't have any idea what he's talking about. An interesting thing he added, however, was: "Link and Zelda can pretty much become anything." Umm... yeah, right. We'll wait and see until we play the game.

IGN64 also revealed that to develop The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo spent $10 million. 200 people worked on the game in two years. If you want to read more, head to IGN64.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000414160749/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/november98.htm

Zelda meets the British press

November 4, 1998

If you've ever read any of them, you know that British gaming magazines are the best in the world. This month a couple of them had some interesting stuff to tell about Zelda V.

It began with Nintendo Magazine, which is pretty much the equivalent to Nintendo Power, but kinda annoying at that. The magazine was proud to present the first Zelda review to appear in any UK-mags. It was clear that the writer of this review went to the same event as I did (as it's been the only opportunity for anyone in Europe to play the game). However, the review wasn't exactly top notch. It said: "This is THE game of the decade," but that was pretty much all it had to tell. It never became clear what exactly makes Zelda so good. It did unveil the second magic spell, however, which I hadn't discovered myself, yet.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000414160749/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/november98.htm

Nov. 23rd, 1998

ZHQ's co-webmaster Steve Fairbank reported on his favorite magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly: "EGM has an incredible sixteen pages of Zelda in this month's feature. The first half of the article, entitled "The Hyrule Tattler," tells about the magazine's exploits of Hyrule at the Zelda Summit. The ocarina, controls, areas, and events of Zelda V are discussed in the first eight pages. The second section, "Zelda 101," looks back on eleven years of Link. The storyline, gameplay, outcome, and the Japanese version of each Zelda entry are featured in this part. The CD-i and Satellaview games are also told about in Zelda 101.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000414160749/http://www.zhq.com/entry/news/november98.htm

News on Zelda DD

November 23, 1998

I'm wondering whether I should be happy with the latest news on Zelda DD. It was, in a way, easy not to know anything about the game at all. If you're a fan, you know that previously, the Zelda game for the 64DD was one big mystery.

Last Friday, however, IGN64 ran a story on this game. They sat down with Mr. Miyamoto when he was in San Francisco to talk about Zelda last week. And, they asked him about Zelda DD.

As you may remember, Nintendo initially announced that Zelda would include so-called 64DD hooks, which allow the game to access data stored on a 64DD disk (if the drive is connected).

"Ocarina of Time has been designed with the disk drive system in mind," Mr. Miyamoto told IGN64. "More specifically, if you connect Zelda with the disk drive, an icon will appear on screen, announcing 'Ura-Zelda', or 'Another Zelda'. There were several ideas that I could not incorporate [in the current game] because of the time shortage and other reasons. In the future, I want some new areas and new dungeons to be available for players who have already finished Ocarina of Time, where they will find new challenges."

While the prospect of new adventures and dungeons sounds intriguing, even Mr. Miyamoto is still unsure about the future of the disk drive add-on which would unlock the new quests when coupled with the optional Zelda DD disk: "We were assuming that the disk drive system would be introduced next year," said Miyamoto. "But since the DD hasn't been introduced, we have to still determine product reliability and other factors -- which may not allow us to release Ura-Zelda next year."

So what happens to the extra quest if the DD doesn't come out? Said Miyamoto candidly: "If that happens and we cannot introduce this second game, we may have to have a special edition release in the future."

Since Nintendo of America is currently not planning to release the 64DD in the US, the prospects of a special edition of "Ura-Zelda" or perhaps a lock-on cart with new adventures are a good indication of what's to come in '99.

Gold Cart

Miyamoto Interview - Game Staff List Association Japan, 1998</ref>

アメリカのゴールドバージョンゼルダは、カートリッジの外側がゴールドで、予約限定のやつですね。元々アメリカで発売してるゼルダは１作目からゴールドで、今回も全部ゴールドの予定だったんですが、色々問題がありまして。

そこで最初の何万個かだけ限定にすることにしました。とにかくアメリカ人にしては珍しく前金を入れて予約してくれて、予約も数十万個頂いたみたいです。何かイベントでも開いて日本でも販売してみたいですね。

Removing Things

なのでモニターをとって全員が「つまらない」と言ったものは排除しましたが、ばらけたものは残しました。かなり好みが分かれると思いますよ。