In the first half of 2009, the Wii worldwide sales were restrained, with President Iwata himself, in October of the same year, gave his his interim closing announcement. “The market stalled,” President Iwata pointed out. However, “with the end of the year trade war between Japan and America, ‘Super Mario Brothers’ latest growing investment and so on has been successful over the past three years with the most sales quantity ever recorded.”

“It is important to invest in software, with the future’s growing importance of possible software sales. In July, the new controller that can take readings (Vitality Sensor) should be popular, just like the new addition to Legend of Zelda series’, which is to be released before the end of 2010.”

And Gamestop already jumped the gun on this and are now taking pre-orders for the next console Zelda game. You can pre-order your copy of Zelda Wii by following this link! Do they know something we don’t? They are claiming the game releases in October of this year. Either way, we will all find out at E3 when Zelda Wii is presented (as said by Aonuma).

“I hope that we can show you something at the E3 show next year, and it is something we are hopeful will be surprising,” Aonuma said. The Zelda producer also noted that the game will support Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus controller add-on.

While Aonuma did not specify the exact nature of the surprise, he did say that Nintendo will be tinkering with the Zelda formula. “It is something we used to talk about with Mr. Miyamoto, and he and I agree that if we are following the same structure again and again, we might not be able to give longtime Zelda fans a fresh surprise,” he said.

“So we have been trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game this time,” he continued. “I am really hopeful that people will be surprised with the changes we have implemented for this Wii version.”

“For Twilight Princess we used the adult Link and one of the interesting things about that was how we considered the precise proportions of Link and the world. The scale is because we aimed for a more realistic quality in the size of the environments of Hyrule and what that Link faced.

“But the question is whether or not we were able to incorporate any and all of the interesting game ideas that were able to take advantage of that kind of sheer grand scale within the Zelda universe. I am afraid that definitely no, we were not able to do all the things that perhaps with hindsight we had the capabilities to do. With that as the starting point, we are now developing the Wii version of Legend Of Zelda.”

Aonuma went on to admit that the discrepancy between imagination and representation was his greatest regret about the previous Wii game:

“In the case of Spirit Tracks it was relatively easier, because regardless of the actual proportions between the player character and the other objects, we can simply concentrate upon the many game ideas we want to realise. But in the case of trying to depict a relatively photorealistic three-dimensional world, we have to be very careful to adapt the ideas so that they seem to perfectly fit with that world. I must admit that’s actually one of my very greatest regrets as regards the Twilight Princess.”

1) The development team is having a positive responee towards MotionPlus controls.
2) The game’s structure has been significantly changed.
3) Aonuma hopes it can be shown at next year’s E3.
4) A graphical style has not been set in stone yet, although the cel-shading style is not likely to return.
5) Aonuma has been playing Monster Hunter Tri to figure out what appeals to gamers.

Shigeru Miyamoto also mentioned about how they approach each new Zelda title (but of course not revealing anything on Zelda Wii).

Edge: What sort of innovation do you think Nintendo is bringing to gaming now?

SM: Our basic principle is very clear: we’re always trying to be different from everybody else. Many other companies might try to do the same things as someone else who’s already been successful in a certain area: they think in terms of the competition, and they think in terms of how they can be better than their predecessor in any established arena. But Nintendo always tries to be unique instead. We always try to be different all the time. Even when we’re working on those so-called ’serious’ titles, when we’re hard at work on a Zelda or Super Mario Bros., amongst ourselves in the same development team, the way we discuss the game is to ask: “What’s new? What’s fresh about this title?” That kind of focus on trying to be new, to be unique every time, of trying to create something different every time, will be carried on and on and on, so that even when we are working on several other titles, our spirit of trying to be different is always there in the background somewhere.

Read the rest of this interview here!

And now the site related updates…

The first thing I would like to mention is that Zelda Chronicles is now fully accepting affiliation. Not that we were not before, but I would now like to partner up with any deserving site out there. Whether you’re brand new to the community or you own a long lasting respected site, we are taking requests from anyone that shows any interest. Unlike before, we will not be categorizing affiliates (for example : Allies/Top/Regular). I’d also like to point out that the current position of our affiliates will be in a more respected area once the new layout launches.

To apply, just simply visit our contact page and provide us with the following details.

Subject : Affiliation

• Website Title…
• Website URL…
• And just a brief description of your website.

I will then look over your website and e-mail you back when and if you are accepted.

APPLY FOR AFFILIATION

The next site related update I would like to mention is our next layout. The next layout will be bringing some changes for the site, but nothing any of you ZC veterans will be surprised with. I won’t say much now except that we will be covering the following again :

• Game Guides
• More Media
• Exclusive Content
• Fan Related Content

I will also say the layout itself will be a breath of fresh air for ZC and will have more interactivity. I have displayed a preview for certain members of the community. If you wish to see the progress, give me a PM via the forums.

On a last note, it has been brought to my attention that some of you wish to become part of the ZC team (as Zelda news writers). I have thought about this and will be willing to accept some experienced writers once the new layout launches. More details will be available then.

Speaking to IGN about the anticipated title, director Eiji Aonuma said, “With Twilight Princess, we challenged ourself to create the most vast and realistic world the series had ever seen, but we don’t feel that we were able to fully complete this objective. With that as a starting point for our improvements to the series in the future, we are of course working on a new game for Wii.”

Might the forthcoming Zelda title, which is purportedly set to be unveiled at next year’s E3, be the Wii equivalent of Majora’s Mask?

Says Aonuma: “For any game to be remembered for a long time, just like Ocarina of Time was, the game must give the strong impression that it has set a new starting point for future sequels to build upon. We are working to further improve upon the experiences found in Twilight Princess so that our future games can realize these innovations.”

Aonuma
That’s right. It made us very, very happy (laughs). Even after its release, I felt that we’d really done something special; I felt very fulfilled. At the time, I think (Shigeru) Miyamoto-san had that same feeling, but apparently he also felt as though there was still quite a lot left to do.
Iwata
Yes, Miyamoto-san really is greedy about things like that, isn’t he. (laughs)

Aonuma
And so he said: we’d already made 3D models for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. By changing the situation, couldn’t we make new ways to play, a new story?
Iwata
So you made The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
Aonuma
No, we didn’t just start making The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, not right away. There was actually a flip-side, and in the beginning, the idea was to make a “Ura (Flip-Side) Zelda”.

Iwata
That “Ura Zelda” (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest) was developed for the 64DD5. Ultimately, we recorded it on a limited edition disc that went to people who reserved The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker6.

Iwata
Aonuma-san, you’re involved with both the Wii and Nintendo DS editions of The Legend of Zelda. Are there any differences in how you work on the two?
Aonuma
When I work on the Wii edition, I’m right on-site, and I often do my job from a director’s perspective. On the Nintendo DS version, I do proper producer’s work. …That said, when I worked on the previous game, The Legend of Zelda:Phantom Hourglass, I was simultaneously making Twilight Princess2, so I couldn’t keep a very close eye on things right from the beginning. Then, when The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was finished and I went to the Nintendo DS version’s office, the development was already pretty far along. From my point of view, it was at a stage where I could really make myself useful.

Iwata
So you’re saying that you left the site for a while, and that let you see the Nintendo DS version with a new set of eyes. As a result, you were able to spot the places where you could put in a little more work and really improve things.
Aonuma
That’s exactly it. So then — and I did feel bad to do so — I asked that development be extended three more months, and I worked on it during that extra period. Then, the more I worked, the better it got.

Read the rest of the interview here!