Every one get your magical flute out (a recorder will do in a pinch) because it's time to celebrate! Nintendo has finally decided to become a responsible adult and tell their children exactly when The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will be released in the US. October 1st will be the day to set the alarm early, call in sick for work and get your best grumpy face on for the line that will surely you await you at any store.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass, Zelda's Debut on Nintendo DS Approaches

Legendary Franchise Goes Portable Oct. 1

REDMOND, Wash., July 2 /PRNewswire/ — What do you get when you combine
the world's best-selling video game system, the Nintendo DS(TM), with one of
Nintendo's best-loved franchises, Zelda? An epic new adventure that satisfies
longtime fans but draws in new players with intuitive touch-screen controls.
Launching Oct. 1, The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass, complete with
crisp 3-D cartoon graphics and multiplayer battles over Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi
Connection, marks the debut of the franchise on Nintendo DS(TM).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070702/LAM039LOGO)
"Since 1987 The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold more than 52 million
units worldwide," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice
president of marketing and corporate communications. "The Legend of Zelda:
Phantom Hourglass stays true to the richness of the console Zelda franchise
while introducing new controls that allow veterans and first-time gamers to
become fully immersed in the adventure."
The game involves legendary hero Link and Tetra, the leader of a band of
pirates, as they discover a ghost ship in dense fog. Link falls into the ocean
when Tetra gets into trouble, and he wakes up alone on the shore of a
mysterious island. Throughout the game, Link collects sand for his Phantom
Hourglass, which allows him to explore deeper and deeper into a time-limited
dungeon in his quest to find Tetra.
You can play the entire game with only the Nintendo DS touch screen. Walk
up to characters and tap them to start a conversation. Slash your stylus
across the touch screen to swing Link's sword. If players touch an enemy with
the stylus, Link attacks. Players can even navigate their ship or set a route
for their boomerang simply by drawing a path on the touch screen.
The robust single-player adventure will have Zelda veterans and newcomers
alike engrossed by the story as they move through the game with the stylus. A
special two-player battle mode lets players connect locally or via Nintendo
Wi-Fi Connection. One player controls Link as he tries to gather as many Force
Gems as possible, while the other player manages the enemies who pursue Link.
The replayability of these winner-take-all matches is virtually endless.
In both style and characters, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
echoes the smash-hit The Legend of Zelda(R): The Wind Waker(TM) for Nintendo
GameCube(TM), which sold more than 2.2 million in the United States alone. But
the inviting, easy-to-understand story and ease of control will attract casual
and younger players who might be new to Zelda games.
As a special bonus for Nintendo's rewards club, My Nintendo members who
register the game and their Nintendo DS hardware at MyNintendo.com and fill
out a short survey will receive a special Nintendo DS stylus that looks like
an old-fashioned quill pen, modeled after an item in the game (subject to
availability).
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass follows hot on the heels of another
classic Nintendo franchise with amazing new controls. Metroid(R) Prime 3:
Corruption, the third installment of the hit trilogy, launches with motion-
sensitive controls exclusively on Wii(TM) on Aug. 27. For more information
about these games, visit http://www.Nintendo.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video
games and more than 409 million hardware units globally, and has created
industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and
Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in
Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the
Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's
Web site at http://www.Nintendo.com.

SOURCE Nintendo

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