Confirmed: New Zelda playable with Revolution controller

After he was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government this week, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto gave an interview to the official Nintendo Europe Web site. As one might expect, he was asked about the status of his much-anticipated, often-delayed GameCube project, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. "I would say that we are progressing well with completing it," he said.

The Donkey Kong creator then dropped a comment that sent waves through the international community. "One of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller," he said almost casually. This confirmed rumors from January that said the game would have exactly such functionality with the next-gen console.

Miyamoto's comments sparked a flurry of speculation about how the Revolution controller would work with Twilight Princess. Would the game have extra features allowing players to use the controller's motion-sensing capabilities to hack and slash in a swordfight? Would they be able to use the trigger underneath the controller to aim and fire an in-game bow?

Nintendo has issued comments about Miyamoto's interview in the US and UK that both answered and evaded questions about Twilight Princess' gameplay on the Revolution. "During interviews this week Mr. Miyamoto has confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a GameCube game which can be played on Nintendo Revolution using the Nintendo Revolution controller," a Nintendo of America rep told GameSpot. The rep did not clarify whether or not that meant the game could be played with said controller like Revolution games (with movement and buttons) or like a game with a standard controller (with buttons alone).

Across the Atlantic it was a slightly different story. According to UK magazine MCV, Nintendo of Europe said straight up, "We can confirm that Zelda: The Twilight Princess will indeed have added Revolution functionality whilst remaining a Nintendo GameCube title."

What will this added functionality be? Chances are the world will have to wait until this year's E3 expo in Los Angeles to be sure. However, in his interview, Miyamoto hinted at what gamers can expect from classic franchises like Zelda on the Revolution.

"There is going to be a lot of software that are so-called 'sequels' to the existing type of games," he said. "However, what is going to be the most attractive point about Revolution is the other applications. These kind of applications are going to make Revolution something really important for any ordinary household; more specifically catering for each type of family member in the house."