It's that time again! Another piece of collectible tie-in memorabilia for a beloved Nintendo series, and another Mariobilia article to show off the goods. It seems surprising that in this, the Year of Luigi and the 30th anniversary of Super Mario, that we continue to get awesome Zelda stuff where there's been nary a stache-hair to be seen regarding any limited Mario art books. At least there was that E3 coin...

But I digress. Game guide gurus Prima have come out with this gigantic collector's boxed set of strategy guides for the six most recent Zelda games: Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time 3D and The Wind Waker HD.

Insert your own perverted comment about "Zelda's nice chest" here.

Or perhaps a dirty joke about the large size of said chest.

The box is fashioned to look like a treasure chest. The lid is secured in place with a strong magnetic clasp, and the box is made from thick and sturdy card. It's about as tall as a Wii when docked in the upright position and really quite heavy. Needless to say, care should be taken to avoid dropping it, not only to protect it from damage but to prevent any broken feet. The whole surface is glossy and vibrant, it looks really neat even as a decorative item on its own.

The books all slot in snugly, with a strap to help lift them out.

The collection.

Looking inside, the books are of great quality. The choice of colors for the covers may be a little gaudy (only the green and brown really look Zelda-esque in my humble opinion), but each features a reflective gold logo and a border featuring pictography that matches the game it's representing. This printing of the books features gilded page edges, much like the limited edition of Hyrule Historia. However, and it may simply be a product of the manufacturing/packaging process, the gilded pages tend to stick together until you first open each book, and they must be "cracked" apart in order to read them. It's not a difficult thing to do and the books don't suffer any damage, but it's advisable to flip the pages of each book like a deck of cards in order to break the seal before attempting to turn individual pages, just in case any of them tear.

Gilded edges are a nice touch.

The books are full of artwork, screenshots and maps.

These books make a great companion to Hyrule Historia.

Inside the books, they're identical to the previous individual releases of the Prima guides with a few noteworthy exceptions. The Ocarina of Time 3D guide previously wasn't available in a hardcover format, and the Skyward Sword guide is longer than the initial release. Additionally, the Wind Waker guide is tailored to the new HD version, not the GameCube version as was advertised at the time this set was announced. It's a nice upgrade. Unfortunately, none of the pack-in bonuses from the books' original releases are included. I never owned any of the original printings, so it's a little sad not to get the maps and posters I've heard about.

So shiny...

Worthy of the Hyrule Royal Family.

This set also comes with two exclusive new goodies. The first is a gorgeous metallic bookmark with the Zelda logo on one side and the Hylian emblem on the other, which has a special storage sleeve on the inside of the lid. The edges feel slightly sharp and I'd be wary to actually use it for fear of scratching the pages of the books, but it's just so dang shiny that I can't fathom any fault against it.

So, "The next Zelda will be a good game"? Next he'll tell us that Link wears green!

The other bonus is a certificate of authenticity with a message to Zelda fans from series director Eiji Aonuma, his signature stamped in gold foil onto the sheet, and the print number. Mine was no. 28,302 of 50,000.

The only thing that could have made the set any more complete was if the box had enough extra space to slot in the hardcover guide to A Link Betwen Worlds, which was released at the same time as this collection. Or even put the new guide in there as an extra bonus. C'est la vie. It's clear that this set was intended more as a decorative collector's item than as a practical resource of game knowledge, but it serves both purposes quite well for what it's worth.