'The Legend of Zelda' Wii U release date, latest news: Game is nearly finished, says producer

There have been a few details shared to the fans regarding the planned exclusive release of "The Legend of Zelda" in the Wii U home video game console. It is known that the new Wii U exclusive video game will be created in HD graphics, being the first in the game series to sport this feature. The official release date of the game is expected sometime this year, although the exact launching is not yet revealed. However, a statement from "The Legend of Zelda" game producer may suggest that the fans may not have to wait much longer.

Japanese producer Eiji Aonuma revealed in a Famitsu interview that was translated into English by Kotaku that "The Legend of Zelda" exclusive version for Wii U is almost finished, although he and other persons involved in developing the game did not give an exact date of release.

"When we did Skyward Sword for the Wii, at the end stages of development, I was in charge of the characters' dialogue and the in-game text. And, now as well, it's like it was then. I had to work on text today, too," Aonuma said. If anything, it can be said from his statement that final version of "The Legend of Zelda" Wii U video game may not take too long to be released, although the final word will come from Nintendo.

The reported new contents to be featured in "The Legend of Zelda" Wii U version include a new female avatar, which is a step ahead of the previous games that featured gender-neutral character avatars. Design & Trend noted that gender-neutral avatars have always been used throughout the game series, especially in "Fire Emblem" where the fan's interest was captured.

Tech Times has stated in an article that adding a female Link will offer more choices for the players, and having a discrete protagonist player character such as Link to swap gender will not cause a major setback in the game. After all, the character of Link has seen a lot of changes with every game version of "Zelda."