<![CDATA[Kotaku: legend]]> http://tags.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: legend]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/legend http://kotaku.com/tag/legend <![CDATA[The Nintendo Download: A Milestone Marked By Majora's Mask]]> We've struck a major milestone in this week's Nintendo Download, as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask becomes the 300th game to grace the Wii Virtual Console.

If I have to explain what The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is to you people, then you might be at the wrong website. The second outing for Link on the Nintendo 64, Majora's Mask is one of the darkest and most original games in the Zelda series, and it can now be yours to play on your Wii for 1,000 Wii points. An extremely nice way to celebrate the big 300.

The rest of the Nintendo Download isn't too shabby either. The DSi gets a new Art Style game in Pictobits (500 DSi Points), and WiiWare gets the second helping of Final Fantasy-themed defense gaming with Crystal Defenders R2 from Square Enix (800 points), along with Agetec's Silver Star Chess (500 points).

As always, check out the official description of the titles from Nintendo below.

So, anyone picking up Majora's Mask? Anyone who owns a copy of the original game and a functioning Nintendo 64 planning on buying it anyway?

Virtual Console
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points™): Link™ must save the world! This time, he finds himself trapped in Termina, an alternate version of Hyrule that is doomed to destruction in just three short days. Link must race to recover the Ocarina of Time (which allows him to manipulate time in multiple ways), defeat challenging bosses in dungeons spread across Termina and discover the key to the mystery of Majora's Mask. Along the way, he'll obtain new weapons and items and help other characters (some strangely familiar) in their everyday lives. In addition, Link must use a wide assortment of masks scattered throughout Termina, each with its own specific use or power. Never before have three days offered so much in the way of action, mind-boggling puzzles and depth. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an adventure unlike any other!

Nintendo DSiWare
Art Style™: PiCTOBiTS™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points™): Your goal in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS is simple: clear large blocks that fall from above ("megabits") by combining them with "bits" (square blocks) of the same color. Add in the ability to pick up bits and place them anywhere on the touch screen, and you'll quickly find that strategy is critical to your success. By clearing the bits, you gradually reveal each stage's hidden game character - look for favorites from classic NES™ titles - and earn coins that can be spent to unlock DARK stages or to listen to the game's soundtrack in MUSIC mode. This grand mix of familiar elements and new game play leads to the uniquely enjoyable experience that is PiCTOBiTS.

WiiWare
CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 (SQUARE ENIX, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): In CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2, you must deploy various units, such as Fencers and Black Mages, to stop waves of encroaching monsters from escaping the area with your party's crystals. There are many types of units to choose from: Some specialize in powerful short-range attacks, some wield far-reaching magicks and still others are equipped with bows, enabling them to bring down aerial foes. Deploy units in strategic locations to take full advantage of their traits. Each time an enemy breaches your defenses and reaches a map's exit, your party will lose crystals. When all your crystals are gone, the game is over. CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 offers several new, challenging maps containing multiple entrances and exits. It also introduces three varieties of Power Crystals, allowing you to enhance the abilities of your units, while new jobs, including Flintlock and Tinker, set the stage for even more complex strategies. Can you defend all the maps without losing a single crystal?

Silver Star Chess (Agetec, Inc., 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Suggestive Themes, 500 Wii Points): Silver Star Chess has two modes: 1-Player and 2-Player. 1-Player mode allows you to play a chess match against the computer opponent. 2-Player mode allows you to play against another person. In 1-Player mode, you can select one of five different computer opponents, as well as turn the background music off, adjust sound effects and access in-game help features. Also, during the match, you can redo your last move, save the game at any point or resign from the game. After the match has ended, you can review each move made during the match. While reviewing the match in this way, you can resume that match at any point.

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<![CDATA[Gary Gygax, Co-Creator Of D&D, Dead At 69]]> The rattling of dice across tabletops around the word falls silent today with the news that co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and TSR, Gary Gygax, has passed away at the age of 69. The news came via the forums of Troll Lord Games, who publish Gygax's Lejendary Adventures and Castles & Crusades sourcebooks, delivered via his son Ernie Gygax. He died in his home, having been in failing health for some time, suffering several strokes and a near heart-attack. Gygax was an inspiration to the gaming industry, with his work directly or indirectly influencing entire genres - role-playing games and MMORPGs specifically. I probably wouldn't be writing this right now if the thought of missing my weekly D&D games hadn't kept me from allocating my 6'6" frame towards more sporting endeavors. Gary Gygax may have passed on, but the legacy he leaves to gaming will live on forever. Rest in peace, Dungeon Master.

Gary Gygax [Troll Lord Games Forums]
Photo by Alan De Smet

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<![CDATA[Jack Black's First Brutal Legend Song]]>

OK, the video of the mystery record ended up being super rambly, and at one point is interrupted by the UPS lady dropping off a package on my doorstep, but I suck at video editing, so sorry.

:)

I still can't make out the words, but it certainly says Brutal Legend and maybe something else too. Let me know if you want me to just do a straight up video of the song playing all the way through and I can add that here later.

I believe this might be the most annoying video I've every uploaded, but that doesn't mean I won't out do it one day.

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<![CDATA[A Kinder, Gentler, De-Bustified Lara Croft]]> MTV caught up with the folks at Crystal Dynamics, the dev house that nabbed the tomb raiding rights from former Croft masters Core Design. They talk about what's up with the jungle goddesses seventh cave dwelling, artifact collecting adventure. What's so different this time?

It seems Lara is now really into nature ("She would be interested in joining the Sierra Club." Okay...) and animals and less so into killing people (and the aforementioned wildlife). She's also snobbier, more fashion conscious, and decidedly less chesty.

I'm upgrading my interest rating on Tomb Raider Legend to "cautiously optimistic".

Lara Croft Trades Bust For Brains, Regrets Killing Animals In 'Legend' [MTV]

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