The long-running Legend of Zelda concert series has added more dates, along with various returning dates in case you missed a show in your town. The "Symphony of the Goddess" concert series is entering what it calls "season 2," which means new pieces from additional chapters of the Zelda franchise, along with the returning standards.

Read more: List of new and returning dates »

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences released its list of nominees for this years Interactive Achievement Awards. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception leads with a dozen nominations, and shares a Game of the Year nod with Portal 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Read more: Uncharted 2 still holds nomination record »

The Legend of Zelda has always been one of my favorite game series. Having said that, I've always been a bit cool towards the idea of motion controls in Zelda games ever since Twilight Princess failed to resonate with me. So I approached The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with caution.

What I walked away with was one of the best Zelda games in recent memory. First and foremost, it's one of the best motion control-based games I've experienced. Link's sword and shield were both incredibly responsive thanks to the Wii's MotionPlus attachment. The motion control required a different approach to tackling old foes, but instead of feeling like a forced feature, it felt like a seamless addition. I was suddenly challenged to tackle enemies in a new way, rather than simply hack and slash like in the old days. Link's inventory was also a lot of fun to use, whether it was the new flying Beetle, the Whip that first debuted in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, or any of Link's normal weaponry.

Read more: Why Skyward Sword made our list »

Missed last year's Legend of Zelda anniversary concert? If you couldn't fly out to Los Angeles, don't fret--Nintendo is continuing the tour in 2012, announcing a number of new venues. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour will feature orchestra performances from across the franchise's 25 year legacy, including Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and Majora's Mask.

Read more: How to save 15% off your tickets »

With the holidays behind us and a new year begun, video game companies can get back to the important work of boasting about how great they are. Reporting a "great holiday season," Nintendo reveals that over 4 million Nintendo 3DS handhelds have now been bought in the US, while Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have raced past the million sales mark to become the fastest-selling titles in their franchises' histories.

Read more: Skyward Sword also gone platinum »

You ignored the warnings. Makes sense--you didn't want to read the spoiler-y way of avoiding the game-ending Skyward Sword glitch. "If the game has been saved after completing the sequence of events, it will no longer be possible to proceed through the game on that save file," a Nintendo representative confirmed last week.

If you've experienced the Song of the Hero glitch, you're not exactly out of luck. Before deleting your save file and starting over, Nintendo is now offering two solutions to fix the problem.

Read more: Mail in a SD card, or wait »

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword wowed critics, including our own Billy Berghammer. However, one of the few marks against it were the motion controls. "Though Nintendo has made great strides in motion tech with the WiiMotion Plus, there were a few times where a required gesture wasn’t accurately tracked," our review noted. "This caused me to make a much more pronounced motion towards the screen, which delivered the desired results despite being slightly more awkward."

While the execution may not have been perfect, it appears Nintendo thinks Skyward Sword represents the future of the series. Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has gone on record saying that motion is the future for the franchise.

Read more: 'These controls will be used in future Zelda titles' »

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword apparently suffers a game-breaking bug if events are done out of sequence, keeping you from progressing further. A reported response to a fan from Nintendo outlines the problem, but unfortunately doesn't offer any solution to players who might be stuck.

"If the game has been saved after completing the sequence of events, it will no longer be possible to proceed through the game on that save file," said a Nintendo representative.

Read more: The sequence that breaks the game »

Nintendo is claiming new sales records for two of its recent holiday launches. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, seen by many as Wii's swan song, has sold 535,000 units since its launch one week ago, making it "the fastest-selling Zelda game ever" according to NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Super Mario 3D Land also performed well for the publisher, with Nintendo claiming it the "fastest selling portable Mario game in company history," selling more than 500,000 units since its launch two weeks ago.

Read more: 3DS sales triple thanks to Mario »

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of the biggest Zelda games to date -- 45+ hours according to our review. That time packs in plenty of dungeons and quest items, and producer Eiji Aonuma has talked about how the process develops between those two elements.

Read more: 'We thought about the function and ability of items' »

Having been in development for roughly five years, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword finally arrived for the Wii, and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed some more interesting insight into its development. The game's creators recently discussed how the game's hub-world was inspired by Mario games, and how director Hidemaro Fujibayashi was given creative license to break away from the traditional Zelda formula.

Read more: Skyward Sword's 'ground-up' development approach »

The Zelda series is known for its sweeping vistas and gigantic worlds to explore, but Skyward Sword takes more of a hub world approach. A new interview with the game's creators reveals that they thought of disconnected "stages" as a starting point, and even considered implementing a stage selection system similar to Mario games before deciding on the Skyloft hub.

Read more: Zelda world doesn't need to be physically joined »

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword maintains some series tropes, but seems to veer away from the series' traditional road map in some significant ways. That was a conscious effort, according to producer Eiji Aonuma, who says he told the game director not to feel beholden to past Zelda titles.

"After we released Twilight Princess, I really started to sit and wonder whether or not we really should move forward by continuing to use sort of the same processes, and the same style," Aonuma said.

Read more: 'Anything in there he felt he needed to change, go ahead' »

It’s hard to believe Nintendo fans had to wait five years for their first true Zelda game on the Wii. Sure, there have been plenty of ways to get a Zelda fix since Twilight Princess, but it’s been a long wait for Link’s console return. While I admit I was a bit apprehensive about this motion-focused Zelda adventure, after my 45+ hour quest, I am pleased to report that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is absolutely well worth the wait, and one of the best Zelda titles to date.

Read more: 'A triumphant achievement' »

Few mysteries in the realm of video game lore get us thinking more than that of Zelda's true timeline. Years ago, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma stated that the true timeline of the series is split into two branches at the point of Ocarina of Time.

In a recent interview, however, Aonuma seemingly contradicted his previous statements, saying that the entire series falls under one timeline.

Read more: Theories thrown away, one secret timeline exists »