Creating obsessively elaborate models of things is a major draw of Minecraft. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that a mod group is working towards completing an entire reconstruction of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in the popular mining and crafting game. The project, aptly called Hyrulecraft, has just completed the entire above-ground portion of the game and is now open for testing. And that’s only the beginning for this ambitious project.

There is really nothing to argue about here. Even if you are the most devoted of Nintendo fans, someone that purchases every major release they come out with, you have to admit that 2011 has been a rather dry spell for an already mixed history of software releases on the Nintendo Wii. The impending release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword might be hailed by some as a reason to pardon Nintendo’s lack of titles but, it doesn’t change facts.

Jude Buffum, apparently a big Zelda fan, put together this chart tracing the evolutionary roots of 200 of the most prominent species in the Zelda franchise. Entitled, “Magna Arbor Vitae Deku,” it not only traces each species back to the Deku tree, but also lists their corresponding binomial Latin names at the bottom. I don’t know what might inspire you to make something like this, or if it could possibly serve any sort of useful purpose, but man does it ever look cool. Zelda fans are intense.

Larger version after the jump.

If you like DIY projects, arcade cabinets, Zelda, the NES and mashing up your interests into one item that is available for sale on eBay, you should check out Dave2k2‘s DIY Zelda arcade cabinet for sale on eBay. Although this little cab prominently features Zelda, it will also play most of your other NES games, if you’re into that. If you want to bid, or just see how much it costs at the moment, you can check that out here ($399.99 at the moment, and free shipping!), or by clicking any other link in this story. If you want to see some more pictures of this cabinet, you can check those out after the jump.

In the far and distant past, we here at Geekosytem compiled a list of the 21 most amazing creations in Minecraft. Since then, much has changed. The game has entered Beta, and numerous updates have added new dimensions to the game that we could have only dreamed of back then. In honor of the impending 1.8 Adventure Update, we’ve assembled a bold slate of champions. Behold, 21 More Amazing Minecraft Creations!

At this year’s Game Developers Conference, Nintendo showed off a trailer for the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. YouTube user FPawesome1 found an amazing little easter egg hidden in the trailer: If played backwards, the music may just drown you in a fangasm of nostalgia. I’ll wait while you listen to the trailer, then the audio extract.

All done? How awesome was that? For those scratching their heads, first off, for shame. Secondly, that was Zelda’s Lullaby from Ocarina of Time, one of the most iconic pieces of music in video game history. Thirdly, for shame.

(via GoNintendo, thanks James Bishop)

You know that little tune that plays when you open a chest in Zelda games and how it trained you to get the feeling that something good is about to happen to you whenever you hear it, even if you listen to it outside of the game? Well, sculptor Zachariah Perry Cruse understood that Pavlovian feeling and built a real life chest that, when opened, plays the tune. Being the good guy that he is, Cruse posted instructions so anyone could go ahead and build their own Pavlovian box that will provide an immediate uplift in spirits, because, you know, you’re about to get the Hookshot or compass, but in real life.

Cruse used plywood to build the chest, poster board and nails to get the details down, painted the chest with wood stain, used a sharpie to pen in the details and used glue to hold the box together. Opening the chest’s lid triggers a switch connected to the MP3 player that plays the tune, and he suggests the tune be the only MP3 on the player in order to avoid other songs playing whenever the chest is opened.

(Instructables via The Escapist)

YouTube user olilord, gives us all a New Year’s treat, playing the Korobeiniki, otherwise known as the Tetris theme song, on Link’s ocarina in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The creepy look on his face probably stems from him reading the button combination to play the song, and not from being possessed by a Poe.

(via reddit)

Completely Theoretical But Awesome Plot for a New Zelda Game (Reddit)

A Visual History of Daft Punk Helmets (Agent RayBans)

The Pulp Firefly Novel That Never Was (Kyohazard)

Probably the Last Set Images from The Green Hornet (Collider)

Grand Theft Auto IV, With No Killing (Destructoid)

Pirate Gambit. ‘Nuff Said (Kalman Andrasofszky)

Archie Sues Bollywood (Bleeding Cool)

(Happy birthday Isaac Asimov! Pic via Rowena Art.)

Rising from the ether(net), as magical findings on the Internet so often do, a supposedly official Nintendo prototype build of the original The Legend of Zelda has been making the rounds, and is actually available for download over at The Cutting Room Floor (download links at the bottom of the linked page). As shown in the above comparison, the prototype build (left) is significantly easier than the final build (right), with a larger concentration of more difficult enemies. Check past the break for another screen comparison and a list of a few significant changes between the builds.