The "paradigm shift" promised by a recently unearthed Nintendo patent is just the latest in a string of always-peculiar, sometimes-unsuccessful attempts by Nintendo to simplify (some say: dumb down) video games. Six prior attempts go under our microscope.

***

News broke late last week that famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto filed a Nintendo patent application last June intended to empower any person on the planet to get to the end of a video game. (The patent was first unearthed by users of message board NeoGAF)

The June 2008 patent was described by game blog Kotaku as a "hints 2.0." The document outlines a new way to structure games that would allow users who wouldn't -- or couldn't -- play through a game in full to access a digest of save files, chapter breaks, video play-throughs and similar aids to get the most of their games. The invention, in the patent's words, would be a "program for allowing a player to freely play and enjoy the game to the end." Gamers using this system wouldn't be able to save their progress, ensuring those who want to play through without these aids to to keep from "losing his/her interest in the game."

Whether it was the slow sales of the Wii's 50-hour-plus "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" in 2006 in Nintendo's native Japan that spurred this or something else, it's no revelation that many people don't have the time in their lives or the skill in their fingers to play through epic video games. More casual gaming, experienced through the likes of "Wii Sports" and "Rock Band" is in vogue. But of what the epic games? The patent mentions action-adventure games, role-playing games and -- think "Zelda" -- action-role-playing games, and offers the outlined solution.

But it shouldn't be surprising that Nintendo might be looking into this. The company has a long and controversial history of trying to make gamers easy -- and risking angering hardcore gamers in the process.

Long before Peter Molyneux's and Ben Mattes' development teams removed death from "Fable 2" and "Prince of Persia"…before Atari featured DVD-like scene selection in both "Marc Ecko's Getting Up" and "Alone In The Dark"… Nintendo was pleasing and angering gamers by… simplifying things.

Depending on your perspective, here are six key highlights and lowlights:

Six Big Nintendo Attempts To Simplify Games

The No-Jump Link
In 1998, the company that made its first big gaming money with a game starring a character named Jumpman -- and was the chief creator and innovator of the jumping-based platform genre -- released a game that had automated jumping.

The auto-jumping game was "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time," a title that has long been celebrated for many things but seemed a bit bizarre in its day for letting the console handle all the in-game jumping. "Zelda" hero Link made his jumps without you. If players ran to the brink of a passable gap, Link would jump. Walking slowly to the same edge would cause Link to stop, eye the gap -- and not jump. No button could make him jump. But with that full-speed run he'd make the needed leaps, and make them perfectly every time, no player-skill, no manual aiming, no precise timing needed. This idea has been used in subsequent "Zelda" games but has been ignored by most other game developers.

Paperweight Role-Playing Games
In 2000, Nintendo released the first of a series of streamlined role-playing games staring Super Mario and his family and friends, a series that rejected many of the standards of other turn-based role-playing games. "Paper Mario" had experience points and items, but it had both fewer menus than the average RPG and a late-game power-up that turned the game's formerly turn-based encounters into action-oriented fights (Imagine a side-scrolling "Final Fantasy" suddenly playing like "Super Mario Bros.") Those elements returned in subsequent "Paper Mario" games.

A Giant Green Button
The first sign of Nintendo's designers applying their simplification concepts to the company's hardware emerged in the design of the GameCube controller. Almost any controller design was going to be simpler than the preceding three-pronged Nintendo 64 controller that had been designed to be held in any of three ways. Nevertheless, it was still a surprise to see Nintendo introduce a controller designed around one over-sized button. This giant green button was encircled by other kidney-shaped buttons. To this day, that button configuration makes the GameCube controller the controller least likely to have the wrong button pushed on it at any give time. The differences between the buttons are obvious to the touch.

A Two-Input Racing Game
The GameCube era may have included the introduction of some complicated GameCube-to-Game-Boy-Advance wiring schemes for so-called "connectivity"-based gaming, but it also introduced one of the simplest gaming control-schemes ever invented. The 2003 racing game "Kirby Air Ride had no throttle button. Kirby moved down the race track no matter what. Players used an analog stick to move Kirby and a single action button to perform any of Kirby's other accelerating, decelerating and combat moves. That's it. Just two inputs. While the game design simplifications of "Ocarina of Time" and "Paper Mario" did not get in the way of big sales, the control scheme of "Kirby Air Ride" appeared to do nothing for the series. "Kirby" hasn't been back in his own console game since.

Stylus and Remote
Maybe the GameCube's big green button wasn't the hardware simplification that the world was clamoring for. Instead, Nintendo correctly deduced, people would really like to play games while holding a pen or wielding a TV remote, thus the historic sales numbers for the Nintendo DS and Wii.

Barely-Controllable Tennis Players
Sports video games had become increasingly complex for decades. Nintendo's line of "Mario" sports games seemingly demonstrated the lengths Nintendo thought it needed to go to make simpler sports games. But, no, the company could make them even easier to control. How? By letting the computer control the player-character's footwork. With 2006's "Wii Sports" tennis, all gamers had to do was worry about the timing and angle of their tennis swings. The two (!) tennis players on their side of the court would automatically run to the optimal places from which to make those swings. How easy was that? Easy enough to get live sessions of "Wii Sports" tennis played on televised award shows, late-night talk shows, morning shows, news programs, etc.. There's no doubt that this one was a good move.

***

There's so much more that could go on this list of Nintendo Simplicities: the no-fail/user-inputs-their-own-score design of "Wii Music," the attempt at popularizing drum-controlled games on the GameCube, the on-and-off decades-long support of simple light-gun games, the attempt to streamline the real-time strategy genre with "Pikmin," etc.

And, yes, some of Nintendo's initiatives have run contrary to this ethic of simplification: online Friend Codes, GameCube-GBA connectivity, the control scheme for "Luigi's Mansion."

Nintendo seems ready to make playing games simpler… again. Are they betraying the core values of their medium, by making games less interactive? Or are they smartly meeting time-strapped and low-skill gamers halfway?

Whichever the case, they've been trying to simplify video games for a long time.

***

As grumbling longtime Nintendo fans know, Nintendo plans to publish just two titles for the Wii this winter, both of which are re-purposed GameCube games with added Wii controls. But, grumbling longtime Nintendo fans, maybe you can look at this pending March release of "New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis" and "New Play Control! Pikmin" another way:

Let me take you back to the Game Developers Conference of 2006 and my sitdown interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. It was March, just two months before Nintendo's then-unreleased console would drop its Revolution codename and become the Wii and just two months before it's flagship games, "Wii Sports" and "Super Mario Galaxy" would become the stars of E3 2006.

I asked Iwata to reflect on the GameCube, the 2001 Nintendo console that would be replaced by the Revolution/Wii that coming fall. What was he proud of? And what did he regret?

His answers proved prophetic and did much to justify the Revolution/Wii's relatively limited horsepower as well as the 2009 re-purposing of GameCube games for the Wii:

"The one thing I'm still very proud about that I think to this day we did very well with the GameCube is that we designed a system that was very, very well thought out and well put together. The design of the overall system was really great. And it achieved our goal of trying to make it easier to develop games.

"The other regret that I have is, despite the fact that a lot of very, very fun titles were released for Nintendo GameCube, not very many people got to experience them."

"On the other hand, I think the one issue that we had is really an issue of momentum with GameCube. The PlayStation 2 launched before the Nintendo GameCube and, when we launched the Nintendo GameCube -- despite the fact that it was a more powerful system -- the consumer wasn't able to see that it was a more powerful system. Because of that, the GameCube had a hard time building momentum. And so, in that sense, that would be one regret I have about the Nintendo GameCube.

"The other regret that I have is, despite the fact that a lot of very, very fun titles were released for Nintendo GameCube, not very many people got to experience them. And that's why I'm hoping that, with Nintendo Revolution, number one, I think we're going to be able to build that momentum. And number two, I'm hoping that people who didn't play games on Nintendo GameCube will, through the backwards compatibility of Nintendo Revolution, go back and try out some of that unique and innovative software that we released on the Nintendo GameCube."

***

The above quote didn't make it into my original story, but plenty of other stuff did. Check out the March 2006 MTV News article:Nintendo President Says Revolution Still Full Of Surprises. So much of what he told me back then about what Nintendo was up to and how he expected the style of games the company makes and the type of consumers Nintendo attracts to change proved prescient.

From Iwata's perspective, can you blame him for wanting some of the GameCube's best games to get a second shot at success?

It seemed hard to believe.

Once I played it, I realized Trinen was right. And enough people at Nintendo other than Trinen must have concluded that as well, because the "Jungle Beat" team's next gig wound up being the next "Super Mario" game, "Super Mario Galaxy."

"Jungle Beat" has remained a hidden gem of a Nintendo-made game, but is now set to be the first of seven "Play on Wii" GameCube re-makes being produced for the Wii. The re-made "Jungle Beat" will be released in Japan on December 11, with a re-made "Pikmin" following on December 25.

A short video Nintendo has released for the game suggests that the Wii release is essentially a port of the GameCube game -- but with new controls. Check it out in motion near the bottom of this Nintendo page.

Nintendo of America has not yet announced details about these re-makes or even if they're coming to the U.S. I can recall that, back in March 2006, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told me in an interview that he was proud that the Wii's backwards compatibility with the GameCube would allow overlooked GCN titles to get a second shot with consumers. With this new program, his company has made its best effort yet to make his wish a reality.

Just don't ask me how players can clap their hands while their holding a Wii remote and nunchuk.

Most of them were titles I either hadn't heard of, were released outside the United States, or I had simply overlooked. Holding his opinion in high regard, I kept a running list of his recommendations, and made it a point to try as many of them as I could.

I put together a short list of some of the games that Stephen has recommended, and whether or not the games ended up being as good as he said they would be. I rated each of his recommendations on a scale of one to five, one being bad, and five being great. See if you agree...

"Cubivore" (GameCube)
Why it was recommended: It's one of the most creative, and unique games ever released on the GameCube.

Reason I missed it originally: A quirky game about evolution, published by Atlus for the GameCube only. The better question: how was it originally noticed by anyone?

How good was the recommendation? 3/5
"Cubivore" is quite possibly one of the weirdest titles I have ever played. Overall, it's not super-complex, but there are a surprising amount of layers to the game. It is not a bad game. It's just different, which is something I do appreciate. I didn't have the time to run through the whole game, but it is the only title on this list that I know I will return to someday. It should also be noted that this is the only U.S. console game on this list, and it was also the hardest to find of any of these games.

*****

"Digidrive" (GBA - Japanese Import Only)
Why it was recommended: A simple puzzle game that forces you to think on your toes.

Reason I missed it originally: It was only released in Japan as part of the Bit Generations line of GBA games.

How good was the recommendation? 2/5
It's a pretty fun little game, but judged against the rest of the bit Generations games, it has trouble holding its own. Stephen is a fan of all of the bit Generations titles, and highly recommended each of them, but after a few weeks of playing them he said that "Digidrive" came out on top. I picked up each of these games, and while "Digidrive" is fun, it isn't as good as "Dotstream," "Soundvoyager," or "Orbital," and since this was, in his opinion, supposed to be the best out of the bunch this recommendation is slightly off target.

*****

"Rhythm Tengoku" (GBA - Japanese Import Only)
Why it was recommended: A mini-game compilation of rhythm games made by the team that worked on the "WarioWare" games.

Reason I missed it originally: Japan-only release.

How good was the recommendation? 4/5
Honestly, this game really should have been released in the U.S. Sure, it's a bit quirky, but it's also a lot of fun (at least until you get to the game were you have to tap the buttons in time with some hand-clapping women). I made it almost halfway through the game, and I hit the wall. I honestly had no clue what to do in this one level, and couldn't get past it. If this game had English subtitles it would be in my top five GBA games ever. Now, it's just in the top ten.

*****

"Earth Defense Force 2" (PS2 - Japanese Import Only)
Why it was recommended: Picked up on a trip to Japan, Stephen came back and made every member of the MTV.com Games team play at least one co-op mission with him, because it was that "good."

Reason I missed it originally: "EDF 2" never made it to the States.

How good was the recommendation? 1/5
Stephen tried to explain to me that it was a great "bad" game, but it was really just bad. The concept was okay -- save the earth from invading aliens -- but the execution was so poor that the game was barely playable. Bogged down by frame rate issues and menu screens that I couldn't navigate -- mostly because I don’t speak Japanese -- the game was more a test of my patience than anything else. "Earth Defense Force 2017" solved most of these problems, and that's a great "bad" game.

*****

"Passage" (PC)
Why it was recommended: I was told it was one of the most emotional games of 2007, and it only took five minutes to play.

Reason I missed it originally: I tend to stay away from downloadable PC games. They evoke memories of homemade Windows 3.1 games like "Kill Barney."

How good was the recommendation? 5/5
For what it is, and that is not a game, it was pretty impressive. I thought it was more like interactive art than a "video game," but I have played it through multiple times, and recommended it to other people I know as well. I feel that this was the best suggestion on this list, because had Stephen not recommended it to me, I'm sure that I would have completely overlooked it, and never gotten around to appreciating it.

*****

Recommendations are a tricky thing; they can either end up being good or bad. It mostly depends on how well you know the material you are recommending, and the person you are recommending it to.

Overall, I'd have to say Stephen's suggestions were, for the most part, good, and at the very least I'm a better gamer for having at least tried all these games.

Do you take recommendations from your friends, and, if so, are there certain friends that you'll listen to over others?

"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" director Masahiro Sakurai seems to. At the end of today's post on his game's official Dojo site he had this to say about the past twelve years of Nintendo-developed games:

It’s an incredible number of characters and a group of really well-known series. And to think that they all had their beginnings in Japan...wow!

When they’re all lined up like this, it becomes obvious that there is roughly 6-year blank before and after Pikmin. While there have been big series since then like "Animal Crossing," "Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day," and "Wii Sports" it does seem that coming up with a completely new character-driven series has gotten more difficult recently.

Is he right? Have the gaps that surround "Pikmin" upset any gamers out there? It doesn't appear to have effected Nintendo's business too much, at least as of late.

While many of you may not have gotten around to playing "Briney's Dance Beat," it was, in fact, a rhythm game that featured some of her music. With the addition of "Dance Beat" to the Track Finder, it brings Britney's rhythm game appearances to a total of nine different games. She sure does get around.

We also added in the tracks for "MC Groovz Dance Craze," a Gamecube exclusive that hit stores back in 2004. The reviews weren't that great, but it does feature one of the greatest songs ever by a rapper-turned-actor: "Parents Just Don't Understand" by the Fresh Prince. I wonder if Will Smith even knows he made an appearance in the Mad Catz game?

Nine Inch Nails make a return to "Rock Band" this week with two of their greatest songs ever recorded, and a third that's almost as good. "The Perfect Drug," which originally appeared on the "Lost Highway" movie soundtrack, may be a bit unfamiliar to those that aren’t NIN fans, but it should be completely worth the download, as it should offer some of the hardest guitar tracks yet. One other little song was announced and added for "Rock Band" last week. Some of you may have heard of it, "Still Alive" from "Portal." (That addition got it’s own little mini-update.)

The whole breakdown is below. Please let us know if you have any requests. We can try to work them into next week's Rhythm Game Track Finder update.

Britney's Dance Beat (PS2) 5 Songs Added
MC Groovz Dance Craze (Gamecube) 28 Songs Added
Rock Band - (Xbox 360, PS3) 4 Songs Added - ("March of the Pigs," "The Perfect Drug" and "The Collector" by Nine Inch Nails and "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton)

I was a latecomer to the GameCube, holding out until "Mario Kart: Double Dash" was released, but that's when I dove in. Being the habitual video game collector that I am, I have been doing my best to fill out my GameCube library with the best the box had to offer. I feel that I've done a pretty good job of picking up most of the worthwhile titles. I focused mainly on the first party games since, for the most part, if a multiplatform game came out last generation, I picked it up on the PS2. The collector in me rears its head when it comes to some of the titles on the system that are hard to find. If it's rare, I'll do my best to get it.

My collection is nowhere near complete, and I'm not going to claim that it is. However, I think I have picked up most of the games that suit my taste, but I'm not sure where to stop. I was planning on holding out and waiting for "Radio Allergy" to be released, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen... ever.

Have I missed any important GameCube games?

This is where you come in. Please take a look at the list of titles in my GameCube collection and let me know if there are any more that I need to pick up. Am I missing your favorite? Are there any really hard to find games that are worth hunting down? Help me figure out where to stop before these games completely disappear from store shelves.

"Alien Homonid"
"Animal Crossing"
"Battalion Wars"
"Chibi-Robo"
"Cubivore"
"DDR: Mario Mix"
"Eternal Darkness"
"Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance"
"F-Zero GX"
"Geist"
"Ikaruga"
"Killer 7"
"The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition"
"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures"
"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest"
"The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker"
"The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess"
"Luigi's Mansion"
"Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour"
"Mario Kart: Double Dash!!"
"Mario Power Tennis"
"Mario Superstar Baseball"
"Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes"
"Metroid Prime"
"Metroid Prime 2"
"Odama"
"P.N. 03"
"Pac-Man World 2/ Pac-Man Vs"
"Paper Mario and the 1,000 Year Door"
"Pikmin"
"Pikmin 2"
"Simpsons Hit and Run"
"Sims 2"
"Skies of Arcadia Legends"
"Sonic Gems Collection"
"Sonic Mega Collection"
"Soul Calibur 2"
"Star Fox: Adventures"
"Star Fox: Assault"
"Super Mario Strikers"
"Super Mario Sunshine"
"Super Smash Bros Melee"
"Viewtiful Joe"
"Viewtiful Joe 2"
"Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble"
"Wario World"
"WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$"
"Wave Race: Blue Storm"

This past week I collected another 1,415 achievement points, which, put me past my secondary target goal of 20,000 points before February 11 - "Smash Bros.'" second pre-delay release date. I've now collected a total of 20,595 points since mid-September, and am well on pace to hit 25,000 points by March 9. I've been furiously obsessing over Xbox 360 titles for almost six months now, but, as some of you readers have pointed out, at what cost to my other game systems?

Great games on other systems have come and gone since I started, and I have barely touched them. I've been too busy playing games like "Open Season," "Cars," and this week's 1,000 point-getter "NHL 2K6." I haven’t stopped collecting games, filling in my back catalog of titles that I missed when they were first released. In an attempt to demonstrate just how much I am actually missing out on, I now present a list of games that I have added to my collection since I started this quest back in September.

Atari 2600
"Spider-Man"

Famicom
"Kirby's Adventure"
"Pac-Man 2"

NES
"720"
"Adventure of Lolo"
"Barbie"
"Darkwing Duck"
"Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom"
"Donkey Kong 3"
"Duck Hunt"
"Evert and Lendel Tennis"
"Gun-Nac"
"Heavy Barrel"
"Heavy Shreddin'"
"Home Alone 2"
"Kickle Cubicle"
"M.C. Kids"
"Mappy Land"
"Mega Man 5"
"Mickey's Safari"
"Nightshade"
"Quantum Fighters"
"R.B.I. Baseball"
"Rampage"
"Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos"
"Spelunker"
"Stinger"
"Super Sprint"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project"
"Tetris 2"
"Thrilla's Surfari"
"Tiny Toon Adventures: Cartoon Workshop"
"Wacky Races"
"Widget"
"Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros Visions of Power"

Gameboy
"Killer Instinct"

SNES
"Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures"

PlayStation
"C: The Contra Adventure"
"Danger Girl"
"Die Hard Trilogy"
"Medievil II"
"MediEvil"
"PoPoLoCrois" (JP)
"Valkyrie Profile" (JP)
"X-Men: Mutant Academy 2"
PlayStation Developer's Demo Disc

N64
"Banjo-Kazooie"
"Pokemon Stadium"
"The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask"
"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"
"Yoshi's Story"

Dreamcast
"Shenmue"
"Skies of Arcadia"
"Virtua Tennis"
"Wacky Races"

GBA
"Boundish" (JP)
"Drill Dozer"
"Fire Emblem"
"Gunstar Super Heroes"
"Rhythm Tengoku" (JP)
"Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$"
"Warioware Twisted"

PlayStation 2
"Amplitude"
"Beyond Good & Evil"
"Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1"
"Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King"
"Frequency"
"Kingdom Hearts"
"Kingdom Hearts 2"
"Lesuire Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude"
"Mega Man X Collection"
"Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty"
"Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence"
"Mister Mosquito"
"Odin Sphere"
"Silent Hill 2"

Gamecube
"Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem"
"Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance"
"P.N.03"
"Pac-Man vs". / "Pac-Man World 2"
"Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door"
"Skies of Arcadia Legends"
"Star Fox Adventures"
"Star Fox Assault"
"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures"
"Viewtiful Joe 2"
"Wario Ware Inc. Mega Party Game$"

Xbox
"Fable"
"Marvel vs. Capcom 2"
"Shenmue II"

DS
"Contact"
"Game & Watch Collection" (JP)
"Kirby Canvas Curse"
"Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis"
"Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney -- Justice For All"
"Pokemon Diamond Version"
"Simpsons Game"
"Star Fox Command"
"Super Princess Peach"
"Tingle's Balloon Fight" (JP)
"Wario: Master of Disguise"
"Yoshi's Island DS"

PSP
"Mega Man Powered Up"

PlayStation 3
"Aquatopia"
"Calling All Cars"
"Everyday Shooter"
"fl0w"
"Locoroco"
"Mesmerize"
"Motorstorm"
"Pixeljunk Monsters"

Wii
"Baseball Stars 2"
"Bubble Bobble"
"Link's Crossbow Training"
"Super Mario Bros. 3"
"Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels"
"Super Mario Galaxy"
"Zack and Wiki"

It's been a great few months for collecting, but not so much for actually playing any of them. Of the 118 games on that list, I have only sat down and played about eight of them. With the majority of my gaming time dedicated to my Xbox 360, there has been a lot of dust collecting in my apartment.

So, for those of you that think that I don’t know what I'm missing, I promise you, I do. It is one of the reasons I'm hoping I can hit 25,000 achievement points with some time to spare before "Smash Bros." comes out. Maybe I can actually get a chance to beat "Super Mario Galaxy."

I hope this offers you, the reader, an insight into my level of dedication, and over-all stick-to-it-iveness that I have for this quest. As meaningless as Achievement points are (and I understand that they mean absolutely nothing) I still feel compelled to collect them. Just like your mom and her Hummel figurines, this is what my life really boils down to -- obsessive collecting.

If you're hoping to see how I'm doing, please check out my Xbox Live profile: jaded cynic, and drop me a line.

[Edit: Removed the duplicate "Star Fox Adventures," and added in "Zack and Wiki"]

This week's update covers a couple of the "Karaoke Revolution" titles (as requested), as well as one of the most unique PS2 rhythm games "Mad Maestro!" We also present your weekly dose of "Rock Band" DLC. If there are any titles that you think are still missing, let us know, and we will do our best to get them added as quickly as possible.

So head over to trackfinder.mtv.com to find the following new content…

Karaoke Revolution Party (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox) 50 Songs Added
Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 (PS2) 37 Songs Added
Mad Maestro! (PS2) 34 Songs Added
Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3) 6 songs added (Oasis’s "Wonderwall," "Don't Look Back In Anger," and "Live Forevever," as well as the OXM Xbox 360 exclusive songs Freezepop's "Sprode," Bang Camaro's "Rock Rebellion," and Count Zero's "Shake.")

The Track Finder will be updated regularly and we’ll be telling you about all new addition via Multiplayer. So keep checking every Monday.

While she may have gotten little out of the experience, I was able to find this great little collection of "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" action figures. I try my best to stay up on Japanese gaming toys as they are released, at least for import, but I hadn't seen these come up at all, so I had to make them mine.

My haul included four 4" posable figures: Link, Princess Zelda, the Usurper King Zant and a Wolf Link/ Midna combo. The set ran me $30 at J1toys.com (the store's name is actually a web address - it's so late 90's). While, they might not the highest quality, they are all really well done. They appear to be officially licensed from Nintendo by Yujin, and are part of the SR Series (the rest of the little booklet that came with the set is in Japanese). As an added bonus, the Link figure can hold his sword and shield in either hand, and you can have the figure represent your preferred version of the game.

They have a high level of detail for all of the characters will look great collecting dust on my shelf with my multitude of other game-related toys and tchotchkes, only to be taken down and played with when I feel like acting out the final GameCube "Zelda" game.

Hit the jump for a full gallery of images of the figures.

(The pixel art toy in the last image is not included in the set, it's just there for a little perspective on how far Link has come.)