Little-seen Zelda sequel finds new life on Wii U Virtual Console

By Danny Cowan Published May 12, 2016

Nintendo’s latest cross-platform digital lineup marks the return of a classic game in The Legend of Zelda series that, until this week, remained exclusive to legacy Nintendo DS consoles.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, originally released in 2007, is now available for a new generation of Nintendo fans via the Wii U’s Virtual Console service.

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Phantom Hourglass follows up on 2003’s The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, casting toon-shaded protagonist Link on a new journey. Unlike previous games in the series, Phantom Hourglass features a touch-driven control scheme, requiring players to make ample use of the DS stylus and microphone throughout.

The new Wii U Virtual Console version of Phantom Hourglass renders the formerly dual-screen game via the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen, and the controller’s included microphone allows for a fully featured port that retains all gameplay mechanics featured in the original DS game.

Also on the Wii U eShop this week is a long-awaited port of Team Meat’s indie platformer Super Meat Boy. First released via Xbox Live Arcade in 2010, Super Meat Boy makes the jump to Wii U with all of its original content intact, save for a revised soundtrack courtesy of music group Ridiculon.

Minecraft: Wii U Edition players can also look forward to the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, which introduces a lineup of new playable characters along with Mario-themed music and item textures.

Over on the 3DS eShop, Nintendo has rolled out a new Disney-themed version of its instructional app Art Academy. Disney Art Academy includes more than 80 tutorials designed to help players learn how to draw classic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, along with newcomers from recent animated films like Frozen and Inside Out.

Other newly released eShop games include the retro arcade adventure 8-Bit Hero, puzzle-platformer sequel Color Symphony 2, twin-stick shooter Tachyon Project, match-three puzzle game Queens Garden, and word puzzler Wordsup Academy.

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Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

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Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. goes multiplatform with crossplay and more

Kage kicks Jeffry in Virtua Fighter 5: R.E.V.O.

Sunday's Virtua Fighter Spring Direct revealed a load of new information about upcoming games, including the as-yet-untitled Virtua Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. The biggest news? R.E.V.O. is coming to Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2, with full cross-play support and rollback netcode, although the team stayed quiet on exactly when it will release.

According to Siji Aoki, the lead for legacy Virtua Fighter projects, "I know we've kept you waiting, but our Steam release, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., is finally coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2!" This is something fans have requested since the game first launched. "To make your gameplay experience even smoother, the rollback functionality used in the Steam version will be supported on all platforms."

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NYT Crossword: answers for Monday, May 12

The New York Times has plenty of word games on its roster today — with Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword, there's something for everyone — but the newspaper's standard crossword puzzle still reigns supreme. The daily crossword is full of interesting trivia, helps improve mental flexibility and, of course, gives you some bragging rights if you manage to finish it every day.

While the NYT puzzle might feel like an impossible task some days, solving a crossword is a skill and it takes practice — don't get discouraged if you can't get every single word in a puzzle.

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Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for May 12

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on May 12, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.

This is just one of the great NYT games you can play daily, so let us help you solve Connections, Strands, Crossword, and the Mini Crossword too!
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "DOWEL." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.