Author: Alexis S. Anderson

Nintendo of America updated its End User License Agreement (EULA) on May 6th to make a number of key changes, most notably to its piracy and dispute resolution policies. However, while users certainly have reason to be concerned, Nintendo is far from the first company to adopt rules of this nature. Stricter Piracy and Hacking Prevention Measures Nintendo’s changes to Section 2 of the EULA provide stricter prohibitions on acts of piracy, the making or using of mods, and any…

Retro Game Books is back with a new volume of its Video Game Maps book series. Video Game Maps: SNES – Volume 2 is comprised of artists’ depictions of maps from over 65 Super Nintendo Entertainment System games culled from guides, posters, manuals, magazines, and other SNES-era sources. The Zelda series’ own A Link to the Past is featured in this volume, along with some lesser-known artwork and historical tidbits related to the game (contributed and fact checked in part…

The Zelda series has gone through formula-breaking (and at times polarizing) changes in recent years. Making Zelda the player character in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is another bold step from Nintendo. Does it signal even more gutsy changes to come? I for one wouldn’t be surprised if we see Nintendo taking more big swings in the future, like changing up the series’ art style, delving into new genres, or reimagining characters we know and love.  New Art…

Hard to believe that those of us in the northern hemisphere are already halfway through summer! All the more reason not to waste a minute of it– it’s prime time to trot out some new summer styles (and it’s never too early for our southern hemisphere friends to get a jump on summer planning). Etsy seller Royal Guard B. Russel of HylianAtHeart is ready and waiting with Zelda inspired bathing suits, towels, and rashguards for every Zelda fan’s beachy needs. …

In a Q&A with investors on July 1st, 2024, President of Nintendo Shuntaro Furukawa expressed hesitation around the use of generative AI in the making of first-party Nintendo games. In response to a question regarding Nintendo’s potential AI initiatives, Furukawa said: “In the game industry, AI-like technologies have long been used — for example, to control the movements of opponent characters — so I believe that game development and AI technology have always had a close relationship. Generative AI, which…

Four Swords Adventures is, in a word, bizarre (in the best of ways). Each underrated Zelda game has its own set of anomalies that make it stand out from the rest of the series and Four Swords Adventures is no exception. Its increasing inaccessibility to players only adds to this mystique — and most emulations can’t replicate the experience of playing it on a fuzzy, old TV, clutching a chunky GameCube controller or Game Boy Advance. Four Swords Adventures’ eccentricities…

Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild introduced a ton of food to the Zelda franchise, on top of what the prior games already brought to the table. Amateurs to professional chefs have cooked up many a Zelda recipe since, but what would realistically be featured in a Zelda Café? In addition to bites from the games, a video game cafe isn’t complete without some cute little treats depicting characters or icons from the games. Based on the…

So many different creative minds have to come together to make a successful film, particularly when adapting an existing franchise to the silver screen for the first time. The Zelda series is chock full of unique, beautiful, memorable costumes that feel both real and heightened. Capturing this style will take a keen eye, so who of the many talented costume designers in the film industry today would be up to the task?  To start, it should be someone with experience…

Tears of the Kingdom introduced a number of gameplay mechanics that Breath of the Wild lacked, as well as left behind a few mechanics that its predecessor offered. In doing so, it my have caused Breath of the Wild fans to experience an adjustment period that prevented them from hitting the ground running in the new title. New players, on the other hand, did not have to re-learn how to navigate within the game, and may have adjusted more quickly…

New Year’s Eve can be an exciting night to celebrate the events of the prior year and cheers to one’s hopes for the next, but how might our fated trio celebrate the holiday? There are a myriad of ways to approach New Year’s Eve: sparkly outfits and champagne at a big bash, a kickback with close friends or loved ones watching a televised New Year’s event, doing absolutely nothing different than you ordinarily would, and everything in between. So where…