02-22-2019, 03:23 PM
The Legend Of Zelda And Famicom Disk System Are 33 Years Old Today
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Zelda Fds" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/zelda-fds.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/zelda-fds.900x.jpg" alt="Zelda Fds" /></a></figure>
<p>As time marches on inexorably – week after week, <em>year after year</em> – it should come as no surprise that <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/legend_of_zelda">The Legend of Zelda</a></strong> is 33 years old today. No, not the cartridge version – that wouldn’t make an appearance until July ’87 in North America – we’re talking about the Famicom Disk System original.</p>
<p>The game also shares a birthday with the Famicom Disk System itself, the Japan-only console that plugged into the original cartridge-based Famicom and offered an improved experience over the base console. <em>That</em> console launched with The Legend of Zelda and a disk version of <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/super_mario_bros">Super Mario Bros.</a></strong> – quite the one-two punch, wouldn’t you agree?</p>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Nintendo Famicom Disk System" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/13f7d72745d81/nintendo-famicom-disk-system.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/13f7d72745d81/nintendo-famicom-disk-system.original.jpg" alt="Nintendo Famicom Disk System" /></a></figure>
<aside class="picture embed right img-" />
<p>There are lots of things you can do to celebrate this fine day. If you’re stuck in front of a computer screen or sitting on the bus with your phone, why not head over to <a href="https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda/Console_Differences">The Cutting Room Floor</a> for a comprehensive examination of the differences between the disc and cartridge versions of the game.</p>
<p>Or perhaps <a href="https://legendsoflocalization.com/a-look-at-nintendos-recent-changes-to-zelda-1/">Legends of Localization’s analysis</a> on how Nintendo has continually modified the game over its 33-year life would be more to your liking.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could settle down with a nice Zelda tome like the <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/01/book_review_the_legend_of_zelda_hyrule_historia">Hyrule Historia</a> or something of that ilk, or enjoy some of Nintendo’s original design documents for the game <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/12/nintendo_shares_original_design_documents_from_the_legend_of_zelda">in this very short video</a>.</p>
<p>We’d argue, though, that the <em>best</em> option would be to fire up your nearest Nintendo console and dive into the classic game for an hour or two. The Switch version is convenient if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, and save states make the game vastly more user-friendly than it used to be.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to seek out help if you need it, either – there’s no shame in a little helping hand, especially if you’d otherwise chuck in the towel and miss out on a true gaming classic.</p>
<p><em>Have you gone back to this classic recently? Making you feel old, is it? Us to – feel free to commiserate in the comments.</em></p>
</div>
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Zelda Fds" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/zelda-fds.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/9361f94b9f880/zelda-fds.900x.jpg" alt="Zelda Fds" /></a></figure>
<p>As time marches on inexorably – week after week, <em>year after year</em> – it should come as no surprise that <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/legend_of_zelda">The Legend of Zelda</a></strong> is 33 years old today. No, not the cartridge version – that wouldn’t make an appearance until July ’87 in North America – we’re talking about the Famicom Disk System original.</p>
<p>The game also shares a birthday with the Famicom Disk System itself, the Japan-only console that plugged into the original cartridge-based Famicom and offered an improved experience over the base console. <em>That</em> console launched with The Legend of Zelda and a disk version of <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/super_mario_bros">Super Mario Bros.</a></strong> – quite the one-two punch, wouldn’t you agree?</p>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Nintendo Famicom Disk System" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/13f7d72745d81/nintendo-famicom-disk-system.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/13f7d72745d81/nintendo-famicom-disk-system.original.jpg" alt="Nintendo Famicom Disk System" /></a></figure>
<aside class="picture embed right img-" />
<p>There are lots of things you can do to celebrate this fine day. If you’re stuck in front of a computer screen or sitting on the bus with your phone, why not head over to <a href="https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda/Console_Differences">The Cutting Room Floor</a> for a comprehensive examination of the differences between the disc and cartridge versions of the game.</p>
<p>Or perhaps <a href="https://legendsoflocalization.com/a-look-at-nintendos-recent-changes-to-zelda-1/">Legends of Localization’s analysis</a> on how Nintendo has continually modified the game over its 33-year life would be more to your liking.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could settle down with a nice Zelda tome like the <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/01/book_review_the_legend_of_zelda_hyrule_historia">Hyrule Historia</a> or something of that ilk, or enjoy some of Nintendo’s original design documents for the game <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/12/nintendo_shares_original_design_documents_from_the_legend_of_zelda">in this very short video</a>.</p>
<p>We’d argue, though, that the <em>best</em> option would be to fire up your nearest Nintendo console and dive into the classic game for an hour or two. The Switch version is convenient if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, and save states make the game vastly more user-friendly than it used to be.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to seek out help if you need it, either – there’s no shame in a little helping hand, especially if you’d otherwise chuck in the towel and miss out on a true gaming classic.</p>
<p><em>Have you gone back to this classic recently? Making you feel old, is it? Us to – feel free to commiserate in the comments.</em></p>
</div>