Gay mag "Hot" for Link

The Legend of Zelda series has won numerous awards in its near two-decade run, but one magazine is calling out the game's hero, the boyish elf Link, as a perfect 10. The June issue of Out, a magazine focusing on gay and lesbian culture, named the green-leotard-wearing hero as the Hottest Video Game Character in its "What's Hot Now" section for his role in the upcoming GameCube and Wii release, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

From the mag: "When darkness enshrouds the land, Nintendo's sexy farm-boy-turned-wolf sets out to save the day in this upcoming game. His weapons: a sword, a bow, arrows, and kick-ass grooming skills."

This isn't the first time Link has been associated with gay culture--he was the inspiration for Xandir P. Wifflebottom, the homosexual video game character in Comedy Central's Drawn Together.

Gay characters have largely been passed over by game designers, with many leading men and ladies being the prototypical alpha male or buxom sexpot. The Sims, Fable, and a few others allow same-sex marriages, but most games fail to even broach the issue. For more on the history of homosexuality in gaming, check out a past edition of GameSpotting.