After a great deal of consideration, the Nintendo team working on the development of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has asked for a delay in its release date. Originally scheduled for release before Christmas in 2005, Nintendo now says that Zelda will not find its way to the shelves prior to April 1st, 2006. Listed after E3 2005 as one of the most anticipated games of the year, the delay is sure to upset a great number of Zelda fans. The extra delay will be used to improve on the game\'s design, add levels, and generally make a better product, according to Nintendo.

Not only does this take the wind out of the sails of us Zelda fans, but it leaves us wondering: what game is going to be Nintendo\'s big holiday title? Zelda was assumed to be the vanguard in the Nintendo defense against the launch of the Xbox 360; now there\'s a big hole in the line where the evil-fighting guy in green used to stand. On the up side, Nintendo chose to cushion the hype-crash by releasing a slew of new screenshots. Check them out here.

Considering Nintendo\'s long-term track record of producing truly excellent Zelda titles, the delay can be taken as a sign that Nintendo is still committed to quality over deadlines. In a development world that sometimes demands speed over quality, it\'s good to know that Nintendo is sticking to the formula that made them famous.

It sucks, though, that Twilight Princess won\'t be appearing under my Christmas tree.