By Steve Dixon
First things first, I would like to make one thing really clear. Before I go any further, I just want to state that Zelda Gaiden and Ura Zelda are two seperate games. What? Didn't know? Pinch yourself and read it again; They're two seperate titles. This little editorial is here to tell you the difference. So, with little further ado...
Zelda: Gaiden
This game picks up a few months after the end of Z64. All is well and good in the happy-go-lucky kingdom of Hyrule. Then something goes wrong. The moon is getting kinda, err, big. Like, really big. Finally it dawns on the people of Hyrule that it isn't getting bigger, it's actually coming closer to Hyrule. Bad thing. So as always, it's up to the short guy with big ears to save the day. One of this games most amazing features, according to Mr. Miyamoto, is that the sun moves in real time. The fact that Mr. M made such a big deal of this means that it's possible that the sun will move on a 24 hour clock. Unfortunately, the moon is also moving in real time. So if you stand there like an idiot staring at the sun slowly moving accross the sky, Hyrule is toast. An interesting little side note is that this game will use the upcoming 4 meg expansion pak. In fact, it requires the extra memory...
Ura Zelda Yes, the legendary Ura Zelda. Remember back before Zelda Gaiden was announced? You don't? It was two stinkin' weeks ago!! Apparently this baby does just what we suspected. It plugs in to your DD (Which, by the way, won't be coming to the states) and lets you play all sorts of new stuff. Like I said, the DD isn't heading here, so don't get too psyched. Is there any chance of a U.S. lock on cart? Maybe. Is there any chance that someone will find a way to emulate the DD or create a U.S. version of the hardware so that we can import the game? I don't doubt that for a second...
You can bet that in a couple days we'll have a TON of additional info. Until then, hide the children, lock the doors, and always, always watch the skies...