Back at E3, Nintendo comfirmed the existance of what’s been dubbed the “kind code”. With the feature players will be able to pause a game during a particularly difficult level and let the game take over to complete the level, simply pressing a button to resume playing. This feature is another step in Nintendo’s aim to make gaming accessible to a wider audience, with New Super Mario Bros. Wii being the first game to make use of the Kind Code.

“In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, if a player is experiencing an area of difficulty, this will allow them to clear troubled areas and take over when they’re ready” confirmed Miyamoto, adding “And yes, we’re looking into this for future games, too”

Source: Game Hunters

Is this a step in the right direction for Nintendo, or not?

In other news, Former staff member Andoman has rejoined the staff as a News Updater. Who would have guessed?

Well, the awards were tallied this last Saturday, and traditionally, the awards go up at the end of the month. So, without any further ado, I present to you the official results!

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Hello all, Kandid here. You may recognize me as an admin from the forums. If not, well, join and get to know some people!

At any rate, I come to you today with happy news. We’ve had a couple people step down from being a mod over the last few months, but never felt the need to replace them. Until now, that is. Yes, it is my very happy privilege to announce that Teeler and Hanyou (two great, helpful guys) will be joining the LoZ Staff as our new moderators! Good luck guys, and may your banhammers stay… sharp?

Be sure to head over to the forums and congratulate them.

For those of you who remember, I used to release articles written myself in response to questions emailed by you, in the LoZ.com Mailbag. However, I stopped getting any real emails, so the series died.

However, I would love to begin doing this again. So starting immediately, you may email your questions to me, Xizor, at xizor@legendofzelda.com. The more detailed and thoughtful your question is, the more likely I will choose it! Remember, no questions about the site.

Be sure to check back here for updates, and when the archive builds, you can view older mailbag responses on the Mailbag page, under Interactive. Don’t forget to check out the Zelda Wiki and LoZ.com’s Facebook page! Also, for those interested in joining the staff, a “Staff Openings” page has been added under Main Features.

Hello there! LoZ.com is looking for fresh, brand new content for our Zelda Games sections. If you are interested in contributing to your favorite zelda site, these are the following positions we need:

- Walkthrough Writer (3-14) – We need a walkthrough for each zelda game.
- Boss Guide Writers (2-4) – We need a full boss strategy guide for each game.
- Review Writers (1-3) – We need detailed and insightful reviews for each game.
- News Updaters (1) – Ciaran is a loner. Keep him company.

If you’re interested in doing any of these tasks, please send an email to xizor@legendofzelda.com with the following information:

- Position of Interest
- Game of Interest (For Reviews, Boss Guides, or Walkthroughs)
- Projected Deadline of Work (When do you think you can get us your work?)
- Why Should You get this Position
- A small sample of your work (for Reviews, Boss Guides, or Walkthroughs)

Make sure that all content is ORIGINAL. Any STOLEN or PLAGIARIZED work will be rejected, and you will NOT be given any credit. Unless you are applying for News Updater, you will not be added to the staff page until your first completed submission.

I look forward to seeing the applications! Remember, xizor@legendofzelda.com is the address to send to!

Six copies, naturally. Believe it or not, a seller over on eBay is selling a box that contains six copies of the SNES classic A Link to the Past that have never been opened. Looks like something fell off the back of a truck 17 years ago, and has since been bidding its time, waiting to freak everyone out. The auction didn’t last long though, for some stupid reason it was put up as a ‘buy it now’ for only 145 euro, and was snapped up right quick…145 euro is cheap for something like this, right? Still, check it out over here at eBay, and then let us know what you think. In other news, expect six separate auctions to start up in a few days, selling mint condition versions of A Link to the Past for 50 euro each.

eBay via GameSniped

Ah yes, Spirit Tracks. The game where Nintendo does exactly what we were all asking them to do – putting Link in another cel-shaded game, and chucking him in a train instead of on Epona or another boat. What, people weren’t asking for that? Well, people wanted some new and fresh at any rate…anyway, Kotaku managed to get some considerable time playing a demo version of the game, and have posted up some impressions. The good? The control system and the new Phantom character that helps Link through dungeons. The bad? How the train looks like it might be used, which appears to offer less freedom than a trusty steed or even a stylus-directed boat could offer. Of course, it is just a demo version of the game, so this might not be a problem in the final product.

It sounds like the game is coming along well at any rate, which is hardly much of a surprise considering it seems to be using the same engine as Phantom Hourglass. The game is due out at the end of the year, so we will likely be hearing a lot more about it in the coming months. For now, hop on over to Kotaku to check out their full impressions of the demo, and then let us know what you think about how the game is coming along so far.

Source: Kotaku

Over at Zelda Wiki.org, it has recently gained three new masterminds since we were added to the list. In order, it has been the Sacred Realm, Portal to Hyrule, and just now today, Ordon Village. These are all great sites, and it has been a real pleasure working with them on the Wiki project!

If you have not yet checked out the Wiki, you should do so! Get registered, and make a profile page! Get to editing. Check out the pages about LoZ.com, maybe add some of your own! For information on how to make pages for the LoZ.com Community on Zelda Wiki, check out the topics by Mases in the Town Mayor’s Hall.

The link to ZW.org is found under “Main Features” on the sidebar. Don’t forget to become a fan of LoZ.com on Facebook! Link can be found under “Interactive” on the sidebar.

Now go post something. =P

The staff has been discussing for a few weeks an issue that many users here have rasied: Lack of zelda discussion. For a long time, it has seemed that general chat and other activities are dominating the forum. With the new layout, the gaming boards were moved up on the index. However, we’ve taken it another step further by adding two new boards to the forum: 2D Zelda and 3D Zelda! They can be found as subforums under General Zelda. Go check them out!

Also, LoZ.com is on Facebook now! This has been a trend that other sites in the community are following, and so I thought it best to join in on the fun. If you’re a member of Facebook, click here to view LoZ.com’s page! If you aren’t a member of Facebook, you can still check us out. Maybe you should join Facebook? There is also an LoZ.com group on FB, so go check all this out!

Don’t forget to send in your award ballots and to join a group!

Alright guys, for those of you who are not a member of one of the three usergroups here at LoZ.com, now’s a great time to get involved! However, for some of you reading this post, you aren’t allowed to join a group because you either have less than 100 posts or haven’t been at LoZ.com for an entire month yet. That is about to change.

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