Nestled on the nostalgic waters of the early 2000s, the titanic game company Nintendo had a reputation for being unrelentingly extraordinary at events like Space World and E3. Some performances cemented themselves in meme culture (Cue: "My body is ready!") while others carved out a fame in bemusement (let's call to mind the Wii Music debacle). Amidst these stubbornly unforgettable moments also reside the unsung absurdities, obliterated by the ruthless march of time. And one such spectacle was the promotion of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at E3 2000.
Remember, this was pre-Nintendo Direct, when the land of talking hats was still an untamed wilderness. The sequel to Ocarina of Time had been busking in the limelight but had its sights set on releasing in April 2000 in Japan, followed by its American and European debuts. E3, at the time, was a golden opportunity for Nintendo to flaunt its feathered cap before potential western customers.
But what makes this event worth popping along Alice's rabbit hole? Well, Twitter wizard @HyruleJournals has performed an excavation of sorts, unearthed a smorgasbord of footage and images from the event. Summed up: oddity par excellence. Have you ever imagined Shigeru Miyamoto dressed up as a cult member? Neither had we-- until now.
MAJORA'S MASK EVENT?
— The Hyrule Journals (@HyruleJournals) October 10, 2023
During E3 2000, there was some kind of Majora's Mask event where Miyamoto and others dressed up with masks during a conference. These 3 clips are the only pieces of media I can find on the event. pic.twitter.com/ZapwTU2r8f
Certainly, it is nothing short of jarring. Miyamoto once took the stage brandishing the Master Sword and perplexed audiences with his transformation into a puppet. But seeing the man prancing around in a cultist's attire, well – that's something that'll leave even the hardiest gamer raising an eyebrow. But let's not forget, it was all in the name of promoting the quintessentially strange world of Majora's Mask.
It's unfortunately fallen into the murk of forgotten events. However, in its unearthed form, it's serving up a hearty helping of amusement, while giving us a delightful insight into the lengths Nintendo went to promote its blockbuster titles back in the day.
So, the next time you reminisce about your favourite E3 or Space World moment from Nintendo, weave in this peculiar Majora's Mask event and give it a moment of shared amusement it so deserves. After all, beneath the layers of absurdity lies some real charm of a time when game promotion wasn't just about cinematics and press briefings.
Perhaps we need to acknowledge and laugh a little more at the lengths our favourite game developers have gone to ignite our excitement for games in the past. Who knows, those wild promotions may not just be relics of the past; they might just be the triggers to unique promotional strategies for future gaming extravaganzas. Majora's Mask may have its own bizarre nature, but it's clear; it had an equally quirky promotional approach to match.
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