An integral part of every Zelda game is the dungeon design, and perhaps none are more renown than the Water dungeons throughout the series. As a rule of thumb, they are long, tedious, repetitive, and always involve the flow of water being manipulated in some way. Out of the bunch, none stands out more than the classic Ocarina of Time Water Temple. Why is it that I don't hear any praise for it? Why are there so many haters of the legendary Water Temple? I think the fabled Water Temple is arguably the best dungeon in a Zelda game; ever. And the reason I say that goes beyond its interior decorations, its layout, or even its bosses. It is because the Water Temple is a reflection of life itself.

With Ocarina of Time 3DS just around the corner, the topic of the Water Temple is as prominent as ever. Haters of the dungeon, and Eiji Aonuma himself (who might as well be classified a hater), always mention how annoying it was having to pause to change to the iron boots, but that is a gameplay and menu design element, quite separate to the Water Temple itself. The boot issue is done and dusted, and will apparently be corrected for the 3DS release. That is not the issue. The issue is that Aonuma says the Temple was too hard and all of the haters say that there is something not quite right with it. Why is it that no-one can identify exactly what is wrong with it? I know - because it's not the Water Temple that has problems, it's you.

Video Games | GT Wish List | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Were a tad late posting this today, but it doesn't change how interesting the actual list is. While I can think of a few additional things I would want to see happen in the remake, this list is actually pretty solid. Adding the dungeons that were cut, along with providing the Master Quest as a second quest are definitely two things that top my own wishlist. So we know what GT wants, so the better question now is what is your wishlist for this Ocarina of Time remake?

The fact that GameStop puts placeholder release dates is no big news. However, the choice of month for Skyward Sword landed on April out of all months, which might or might not mean something. However, the big thing is that apparently the game will come bundled with the Wii Motion Plus, a fact that I personally was very curious about. Whether or not it ends up being true will be known soon enough. For now, hold out on what Wii Motion Plus purchase if you haven't gotten one already.

Originally posted on LoZ.net

[via: GoNintendo]

This has always been a personal favorite of mine in terms of its raw beauty. As I was working on preparing our next soundtrack release for 11th or so, I wondered if I could find a piano version of a song that was essentially 20 seconds long in game. This arrangement is stunning to me. While it's most likely being played by a computer and not a real human, I don't even care. This music just sort of brightened up my entire morning.

Those who have followed the development of the Zelda storyline through the years may have noticed a fairly steady trend: writers and directors of Zelda games, when they work on multiple installments, tend to make their works related to one another in the series chronology. The tendency first started with A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, which were both written and directed by Nintendo legends Kensuke Tanabe and Takashi Tezuka, respectively, and continued through the rest of the series. With this tradition in mind, what might this say about the upcoming Skyward Sword, directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi, who has had a long history with the series so far?

UPDATE: Our official Metroid Other M review is now up! Oh and yeah, New Nintendo got an overhaul. That totally happened while you weren't looking! WHAT WERE YOU MISSING MAN!?

A few months back some of you may recall we started a new project known as Metroid Wiki. Unlike the two other projects we relaunched this year, those being New Nintendo and VGRC, this project has actually stuck and has been taking off nicely. Metroid Wiki is exactly what it sounds like, taking great inspiration from fellow wiki's involved on the NIWA Network, including Zelda Wiki.org.

Today marks the release of Metroid: Other M, and in celebration of the occasion I decided to remind all of you about how awesome Metroid Wiki is becoming. I know we have several Metroid fans at the site, so all I can really ask of you guys is to head on over to the wiki and contribute! We are looking to have the best Other M material on the net, and that only happens because of users like you.

The wiki has come a long ways since it started. Boasting 477 articles, it has grown quickly in a very short amount of time. The traffic is rising, the interest levels are rising, and we want all of you to be a part of it. Because of this, if anyone goes over and registers and makes 100 solid quality edits, we will enter you in a drawing to win a surprise Metroid related prize. The prize may be a t-shirt, a figurine, or even a game! What the prize ends up being is based solely on the amount of new, active editors we get. More details to come later, so for now happy editing!

In case you missed it, hating Navi is so yesteryear. Now game bloggers from all around the world are uniting to love the $%&! out of Link's little helper fairy. Brendan Main, a writer at the internet's most awesome source of gaming comedy, The Escapist, has written an awesome article about why Navi is the most awesome and sexiest thing to ever grace The Legend of Zelda.

I think Navi is the greatest partner ever to grace a videogame. I know that this puts me in the lonely minority. Link's perpetually-nattering pixie friend has become a punching bag among gamers, who view her constant cries as a nag and a nuisance. She's constantly calling out "Hey!" and "Listen!" - only those lines are delivered like a shriek of wonder from a precocious, wild eyed-child, so it's more like "Heeeeeeyyyyy! LeeeeeeEEEEESEN!"

This might be the most unsung virtue of Link as a hero - not only is he the physical embodiment of courage, and a natural with a sword, he's also a really great leeeeeeEEEEESENer.

Read the full article here.

Like it or not, when we at Zelda Informer come across talented musicians, we can't help but share them. Of course, they have to take a fancy to Zelda music to catch our eyes (or ears perhaps). In this case, Nate pointed this video out to me, and... well... she's got talent. It's Saria's Song, or, the Lost Woods theme - whatever you want to call it - from Ocarina of Time. Some people say they can't stand violins, so perhaps they should listen to this to set them straight. Oh, and she just plays it by ear, so props to gbritaney for her skills.

Remember these two projects? Well they both bit the dust. The first one, which was simply taking the 2D graphics and putting it onto a 3D plane, has ended due to lack of programming skills. The other, more ambitious remake known as Ballad of the Wind Fish, is cancelled due to lack of time. I figured at some point the projects would get shut down, but I expected Nintendo to be the cause. It's sad to see such great projects coming to a close due to lack of skill and time, but as fate would have it, it's pretty common trend in the fan game world. We will miss you both. You can check out the respective sites for each to see their own final words.

Link's Awakening 3D - Ballad of the Wind Fish

What a surprise, we have yet another live stream of someone playing Zelda. Why is it notable? Because our affiliate, Zelda Dungeon, is live playing Wand of Gamelon for the Philip's CD-I. The player, Mases, has no previous experience playing the game, so he will be playing the game to completion for his first time live in front of all of his fans, our fans, and Zelda fans all across the internet. It should make for a fun and unique experience.

Throughout the cast they will have some live commentary from webmasters and the like across the web, and I have been asked if I wished to fill one of those slots. So at some point during the run, you'll be able to hear me talking to Mases, and the people chatting it up, about Zelda and all the gloriousness that is Wand of Gamelon. It truly is a special event to behold! We will still continue our news posting as normal, but we will be keeping this post at the top just due to the rarity it is to see someone playing Wand of Gamelon live. This post will be kept at the top until the run is complete. The run starts at 11am Central.

Welcome to Zelda Informer, your premier The Legend of Zelda source. We have many a Zelda guide for every Zelda game, from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, to the new and upcoming Zelda Wii. If you're a little bored of the games, then take a look at our Zelda manga and Zelda cartoon series sections! So stick around and take a look about ZeldaInformer, your ultimate Zelda walkthrough.