Last year's middle months were starved for high-profile releases -- publishers held back the big guns for the holiday season, and the Nintendo DS relied on Big Brain Academy and third-party GBA games to fill out its summer schedule. The latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu reveals that this year could be different with the early release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on June 23rd.
After seeing that the only Phantom Hourglass previews available at GDC were of the game's multiplayer mode, we didn't think that Nintendo would have Link's new adventure ready until Christmas. The announced date is for Japan, of course, but we don't expect a significant delay for its North American arrival. The series has always experienced more success in the US, sales-wise.
June 23rd happens to fall on a Saturday, which is unusual when you consider that outside of Dragon Quest and hardware debuts, most games in Japan are brought out on Thursdays. Could a Zelda-themed DS Lite also be in the works? We've got our fingers crossed!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-11-2007 @ 2:05PM
Crazylink said...
I guess this means we can't believe the Gamestop realease dates.
Reply
4-11-2007 @ 2:41PM
Hirsbrunner said...
Is there any mention of control options in that issue of Famitsu? As in, will we have the option to use the d-pad/buttons instead of the touchscreen?
Thanks!
(I asked this on the joystiq thread as well)
Reply
4-11-2007 @ 3:17PM
chris said...
Um, maybe dsfanboy should start getting their news from Joystiq. This summer release is Japan only. The gamestop release list is still probably accurate for a North American release.
Reply
4-11-2007 @ 3:57PM
haywood jablomey said...
Umm...maybe chris should read more carefully before passing judgement:
"The announced date is for Japan, of course, but we don't expect a significant delay for its North American arrival."
Reply
4-13-2007 @ 1:38PM
Alienhead said...
I'll be honest. I don't give a crap about japanese release dates. I don't live there.
Reply