Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past will be released on the Wii U's virtual console. This is hardly surprising since A Link to the Past was first released over 20 years ago, and Nintendo are probably wanting to give younger fans a chance to play this classic title ready for when A Link to the Past 2 comes out. Of course, if you don't have a Wii U, you can also download this game on the original Wii's virtual console!

Today, Nintendo announced that they will be releasing a sequel to A Link to the Past for the 3DS! This game will not be a remake like the upcoming Wind Waker HD for the Wii U, but instead will just be set in the same world as AlttP. We'll be getting a new storyline, new dungeons and quests, and 3D graphics!

Nintendo says that they wish to reinvigorate the 2D world of the original Link to the Past, giving this new game a real sense of volume and height. For example, platform levels in dungeons will be easy to distinguish. One of the most interesting features of the game is that Link is able to transform into a 2D wall drawing, and move around walls. I thought this was rather bizarre at first, but it will probably make for some innovative puzzles.

For more information about the game, check out the video and screenshots below.

Since the Zelda Wii U tech demo came out at E3 2011, fans have been speculating over a Zelda game for the Wii U. Some think Nintendo will turn the tech demo into a full on game, while others speculate that Nintendo will scrap it entirely and start fresh. On the Nintendo Life forum, fans debate on when the game will come out, what it should be about, and how it should be portrayed. When debating the controls, one user said "With this being designed from the ground up as a Wii U exclusive, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of focus on the gamepad." When motion controls were brought to Zelda on the Wii, Nintendo put a lot of focus on that style of gameplay.

It's safe to say that we can expect them to do the same with the Wii U's gamepad. Even though many weren't fond of the Wii's motion controls, Nintendo found a way to make that style of gameplay very enjoyable with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Let's hope they can do the same with motion controls and a gamepad. As for the story - I wouldn't doubt Nintendo on that. Nintendo has a reputation of making great Zelda games with amazing stories. The real question is, when will it take place, will it be a prequel or a sequel, and to which game? That, we won't know until when it's released. Look forward to it!

What do you think of a Zelda Wii U game? Let us know in the comment section below!

In an interview with ABC News, Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned that, one day, Nintendo may open a real-life, Nintendo-themed theme park. The interviewer mentioned that many people would want to visit the world of the popular Wii U game, Nintendo Land, for real. Miyamoto responded that "Certainly, with Nintendo being in the entertainment industry, there may come some point in the future where that might become a possibility. But right now we've got our hands full creating our digital products. Certainly, it's not an impossibility."

This may not just be wishful thinking, since Nintendo did open a Pokemon theme park in Japan a few years ago. A general Nintendo theme park opened up in America could do extremely well. Imagine Mario Kart-style raving and bumper cars, mini-games from the Zelda series brought to life, or even some sweet rides like Kirby's star. It would be a heck of a lot of work, but it could turn out extravagantly well.

In a recent interview with Polygon, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed an interesting fact about the initial development stages of the Legend of Zelda Oracles games. Nintendo considered releasing the games not as whole titles, but as an episodic series of dungeons. Miyamoto said that "the original idea for those games was for them to be more episodic in content and the development actually started with the notion of potentially trying to sell dungeons individually", only for Nintendo to decide, in the end, that such a style of content delivery would have been unsuitable.

Miyamoto then started talking about the eShop, and the possibility of Nintendo experimenting with episodic releases of games, saying that the eShop has opened up "the possibility for downloadable content or adding new levels to a game that's already been released."

If this was applied to a Zelda game, it would mean fans could enjoy some of the game's content early on, without having to wait the usual amount of time between console Zelda title releases. Perhaps fans would be willing to spend a few dollars on some downloadable dungeons and levels, too.

Nintendo has officially announced that Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are now going to be available for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Each game will be priced at roughly $6.50, making it a great opportunity to play these classic titles. The Gameboy Zelda titles tend to be overlooked a little in favour of the console titles, and the games are undoubtedly outdated in technological terms, but don't let that put you off - the oracles series is an exceptionally good duo of games.

The oracles games were worthy successors to Link's Awakening - the colour, the humour, quirkiness, and expert game design are all here. Perhaps I'm biased, because these games do form a significant aspect of my childhood, but even today I can still derive plenty of enjoyment from these titles. Don't let the handheld format fool you - these games are outstanding and are as worthy additions to the series as Ocarina of Time is.

One of the most interesting aspects of OoA and OoS is the way the games link together. Once you've finished one of the games, you can talk to certain NPCs and hear passwords (known as "secrets"), and enter them into the other title. This feature allows you to access a number of hidden features such as bonus items, and an epic boss battle. But the "secrets" feature is just one of the many aspects of these games that will wow you - the innovation in these titles is on a similar level to that of Pokemon Gold/Silver. So go out and play them already for an epic blast from the past!

Source: Zelda Dungeon

Need a small break from Zelda to clear you thoughts? If you are getting bored of the usual games available on Nintendo Wii why not try your hand (quite literally) at some of the nation's favourite casino games through your console.

The outrageous success of the Hyrule Historia continues as it has been revealed that over 400,000 copies are now in circulation. The book is a detailed encyclopedia on the Legend of Zelda series, and was first published in Japanese - but demand from fans lead to the book's translation in English. Months ago the book become an Amazon bestseller and it is still enjoying huge sales - Dark Horse, the publisher of the Hyrule Historia, recently announced that the book has become a Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller. It's great to see so much interest in the series, and perhaps the success of the Hyrule Historia will encourage Nintendo to produce more written material about the Legend of Zelda series.

A remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is officially in the works, as announced at the Nintendo Direct online conference. It will be on the Wii U, and the release date will be around Autumn this year. Nintendo is developing the game in a similar fashion to Ocarina of Time 3D - that is, the visuals will receive a makeover but the core game will remain generally unchanged. The gameplay and controls will get some minor improvements, though.

The game will be compatible with the Wii U gamepad, allowing you to play without a TV, and the game will also have Miiverse compatability.

Source: Zelda Universe

A while ago I wrote about a game called Dark Cloud 2, citing it as a great example of a game Zelda fans might like. Well, here's another one - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

The Sands of Time is a game with many similarities to Zelda. It's a blend of fighting and puzzling, but with a big focus on platforming too. The game takes place in medieval Persia, and you play a man known only as the "Prince". The Prince has just helped his father, King Sharaman of Persia, defeat the army of an enemy Maharajah. As Sharaman's forces ransack the Maharajah's palace, the Prince decides to head for the treasure vaults, and steals a magical artifact known as the Dagger of Time. But a traitorous ally of Sharaman tricks the Prince into using the dagger to unleash a curse that turns everyone in the palace into hideous monsters. The Prince thus sets out to undo this damage.

The gameplay is very appealing. The combat is solid, with the Prince sword fighting horrific monsters. You'll have to be quick on your feat to dodge or parry enemies whilst striking your blades through them. The Prince must also carefully navigate the palace, which requires much timing and skill. This involves solving a myriad of puzzles, avoiding deadly traps, ascending platforms, and performing incredible acrobatic feats. You'll make dangerous leaps, swing from bars, and you can even run across walls - all whilst avoiding huge chasms, pits of spikes, moving saws, and more. It's a very satisfying feeling overcoming these obstacles.

The Dagger of Time also grants the Prince the power to reverse time itself. You can absorb magical sand from enemies that charges the blade, allowing you to trigger an ability that reverses time for a short period (or until you let go of the button). So if you get hurt in battle, or miss a jump, you can reverse time to undo the damage - you even get a chance to reverse time upon your death. The gameplay is very well-designed, and all the game's features add up to make a highly enjoyable, varied adventure.

The graphics and atmosphere in the game are fantastic. Environments are grandeur in scale, and glistening with detail. You'll come across elaborate structures, steep heights, and enchanting environments. The game has much graphical variety, from lavishly decorated hallways to splendid outdoor quadrangles and mysterious water spas. So many additional features - such as clever lighting, pretty water, and destructible scenery - make the visuals that extra bit special. The sound effects are solid, as is the thematically fitting music. The voice acting is also of good quality, with the Prince narrating the events of the game as if sitting next to you, telling you the story as you play through the game. The narration works really well, particularly in terms of the Prince's character development. As for the story line, I won't say too much, but the plot of The Sands of Time provides plenty of entertainment. The Prince must undo the damage of a catastrophic event, battle a mysterious enemy, and a possible love interest emerges along the way.

Aside from the graceful platforming action, The Sands of Time also differs from Zelda in terms of progression. There is no overworld in this game, with the game being linear in nature. But free exploration and side-quests aren't the crux of this game (although there are hidden health and power upgrades to find). Instead, this game is a constant stream of delicious platforming, puzzling, and fighting. So if you love action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda series, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is worth a try, as are the other two high-quality games in the PS2 series (Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones). The Prince of Persia universe is spectacular to behold, and not playing this title means you are missing out on one of the best in its genre.