For Nintendo Wii and DS owners all across the country, 2007 is shaping up to be a very good year, especially with the release-packed second half now upon us. In August, we’ll get our hands on the latest Metroid Prime game, sometime in September BWii will bring military action to the Wii’s burgeoning online community, and before the year is up we’ve been promised Super Mario Galaxy. While we could have already assumed that the Italian plumber’s latest adventure would hit in November, it is almost certain now that Nintendo has squeezed another big release into the October timeslot. Today, the Big N announced that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Link’s first Nintendo DS title, will be on store shelves October 1^st. And, what’s more, Nintendo has also revealed that players who register their Nintendo DS and Phantom Hourglass game (as well as take a short survey) will receive a special quill-shaped stylus based on an item you’ll find in your adventures. For more information on The Legend of Zelda, as well as the registration bonus, you’ll find the official press release below:

REDMOND, Wash., July 2, 2007 – What do you get when you combine the world's best-selling video game system, the Nintendo DS™, with one of Nintendo's best-loved franchises, Zelda? An epic new adventure that satisfies longtime fans but draws in new players with intuitive touch-screen controls. Launching Oct. 1, The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass, complete with crisp 3-D cartoon graphics and multiplayer battles over Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, marks the debut of the franchise on Nintendo DS™.

"Since 1987 The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold more than 52 million units worldwide," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass stays true to the richness of the console Zelda franchise while introducing new controls that allow veterans and first-time gamers to become fully immersed in the adventure."

The game involves legendary hero Link and Tetra, the leader of a band of pirates, as they discover a ghost ship in dense fog. Link falls into the ocean when Tetra gets into trouble, and he wakes up alone on the shore of a mysterious island. Throughout the game, Link collects sand for his Phantom Hourglass, which allows him to explore deeper and deeper into a time-limited dungeon in his quest to find Tetra.

You can play the entire game with only the Nintendo DS touch screen. Walk up to characters and tap them to start a conversation. Slash your stylus across the touch screen to swing Link's sword. If players touch an enemy with the stylus, Link attacks. Players can even navigate their ship or set a route for their boomerang simply by drawing a path on the touch screen.

The robust single-player adventure will have Zelda veterans and newcomers alike engrossed by the story as they move through the game with the stylus. A special two-player battle mode lets players connect locally or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. One player controls Link as he tries to gather as many Force Gems as possible, while the other player manages the enemies who pursue Link. The replayability of these winner-take-all matches is virtually endless.

In both style and characters, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass echoes the smash-hit The Legend of Zelda®: The Wind Waker™ for Nintendo GameCube™, which sold more than 2.2 million in the United States alone. But the inviting, easy-to-understand story and ease of control will attract casual and younger players who might be new to Zelda games.

As a special bonus for Nintendo's rewards club, My Nintendo members who register the game and their Nintendo DS hardware at MyNintendo.com and fill out a short survey will receive a special Nintendo DS stylus that looks like an old-fashioned quill pen, modeled after an item in the game (subject to availability).

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass follows hot on the heels of another classic Nintendo franchise with amazing new controls. Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption, the third installment of the hit trilogy, launches with motion-sensitive controls exclusively on Wii™ on Aug. 27.