Zelda Watch - Sunday

Looking for Zelda on sale? Well, the weekend has come and gone and nowhere in the US can you walk into a store (even if you pre-purchased) and buy a copy of Zelda. Makes you wonder why Nintendo releases games at the beginning of the week, instead of the end. Wouldn't it make sense to release on Friday so we all can have the weekend to play? At least that's how its done in Japan.

So far we've received plenty of tips of places that are still taking preorders, but none of the tips we've received have yielded a retailer actually selling copies (to pre-purchasers or the general public) yet. None of the places we've contacted have even received copies of Zelda.

There have been wildly conflicting reports as to when stores will be receiving their shipments. Some have already cleared shelf space for the game (Target) while others have received only one demo copy for their in-store N64 kiosks. Either way, most stores should have Zelda by the 25th, so most people will be enjoying some Zelda and turkey next weekend.

We have also received reports claiming that stores will be selling copies as early as tomorrow morning. However, we haven't been able to substantiate any of those reports at press time on Sunday. Your best bet is to phone first before going out to the store to avoid being disappointed. Stores may begin calling pre-purchasers early to notify them exactly when the store will have their copy in.

Our neighbors to the North have had more than a few chances to play it early. Word has it that the event at the Toronto-area Toys R Us store was successful, and that a few walked away with copies of Zelda 64 (although winners and purchasers had to return on Sunday to actually receive their copy of Zelda). But in Vancouver, Nintendo of Canada sponsored a Zelda-thon from Friday to Sunday at noon, non-stop. Teams of contestants able to hold out for the full 42-hours (or complete the game first) won CAN$2,000 and free movies for a year at a local theater.

Keep those reports coming to zeldatips@hotmail.com! We'll bring you updates tomorrow as well, as soon as we find out which retailers have received their copies. No one has won the Zelda Grab Bag yet.