Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Link, a young man raised as a wrangler in a small, rural village, is ordered by the mayor to attend the Hyrule Summit. He sets off, oblivious to the dark fate that has descended upon the kingdom. When he enters the Twilight Realm that has covered Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and is captured. A mysterious figure named Midna helps him break free, and with the aid of her magic, they set off to free the land from the shadows.

Another epic adventure in the Legend of Zelda lore begins...

Link must explore the vast land of Hyrule and uncover the mystery behind its plunge into darkness. As he does, he'll have to enlist the aid of friendly folk, solve puzzles and battle his way through dangerous dungeons.

Link will also be able to enter the Twilight Realm and transform into a wolf, much like the transformation into a bunny when entering the Dark World in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Link will be unable to use any weapons or items in this form, but will be tied with Midna, a small character who rides atop Link wearing an odd helmet. As the Twilight gets pushed back, Link will regain his human form, altering Link and Midna's partnership.

In this game, Link's horse is not Epona, despite looking very similar to her. While the E3 footage shows the horse's name as Epona, this time around, gamers can choose their own name for the horse. Whether or not it has a default name (as with Link) is currently unknown. In the gameplay trailers, Link picks some horse grass. It has been confirmed that this can summon the horse. Confirmed new mechanics for riding include Link doing battle while on horseback, and being thrown from the saddle at times.

Not much is currently known about the enemies in the game; while some enemies from previous Zelda games return, as seen in the third official trailer, there are also many new creatures. The artificial intelligence of the enemies has been improved from that of Wind Waker.

Midna, a new character (who some speculate may be evil), is a resident of the Twilight Realm. At a certain point in the game she decides to team up with Link to fight a "greater evil" that she cannot overcome alone (fans assume this is Ganon). For these parts, the player controls her while she rides on wolf-Link's back.

There is also some speculation - mostly unfounded - that Princess Zelda herself may be playable in the game. The primary basis for this theory is a piece of official concept art in which Zelda wields a sword. No official confirmation exists, however, and the fan community is largely divided on the prospects of such a move.

The game will feature some as-yet-unrevealed new weapons/items, and many classic Zelda armaments - some with new twists, such as the Gale Boomerang. This novel version of a cherished tool can create a small whirlwind capable of picking up items, including lit bombs, and delivering them to other locations, such as to an enemy or back to Link.

It has also been confirmed that some weapons can now be combined, as with the bomb-arrows seen in one trailer. (This combo actually originated in the classic Game Boy adventure Link's Awakening, and fans have been clambering for the feature's return ever since.)

Recently Nintendo announced it would delay Twilight Princess some time after March 31st 2006, because the development team needed more time to work on the game. A more precise date has yet to be announced.

The delay for Twilight Princess has caused a large number of fans to speculate that Nintendo is actually planning to release the game for the company's next-gen console, the Nintendo Revolution. However, Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's vice president for corporate affairs, has confirmed that it will indeed be released on the GameCube: "...we feel a commitment to the GameCube owners who've been patiently awaiting this new Zelda title, and don't want to force them to wait and buy a brand new system in order to play the game." So Cube fans need not worry, Zelda is coming, it's just a matter of waiting patiently.