He's gone from 2-D to 3-D, cell shaded to realistic; there's no mistaking Link, the video game industry's most iconic elf and star of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise. His pointy green hat and matching outfit, those steely eyes, the razor sharp Master Sword; all recognizable traits of Princess Zelda's knight in shining armor, a battle hardened warrior that will, for the third time, battle his fellow Nintendo mascots in the upcoming slugfest, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Join us for a quick look at this beloved character, as well as a peak at what's in store for us when Brawl debuts February 10.

Link's adventures began in 1987 with the release of the NES classic, The Legend of Zelda. Armed with a sword and shield, the young warrior explores the plains and dungeons of Hyrule in the hopes of saving the princess, collecting pieces of a magical item known as the Triforce and killing the evil Ganon. Since his debut, Link's starred in 14 additional video games, most of which feature trademark weapons and unique features. In the critically acclaimed Ocarina of Time, for example, Link explores a vibrant 3-D world on horseback. In the Game Boy Advance offering, The Minish Cap, he uses a magic cap to shrink himself, thus allowing him to experience things from a pint-size perspective. And in the oft-criticized GameCube adventure, The Wind Waker, Link not only sports a cartoon cell-shaded appearance, but gets to sail the high seas aboard a talking boat. Yet despite the new weapons, characters, scenery and the fact that you play as a different Link in each game, the goals remain the same...to fix the Triforce, rescue the princess and save the land from evil. This foundation has carried the franchise for twenty years, while branding Link's image into the minds of gamers the world over.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a "mature" Link, last seen in the Wii launch game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. A handsome and dangerous adversary, he possesses a wide array of maneuvers and weapons to dispatch his foes. Not only does he carry the Master Sword, capable of slicing through his victims, but he also makes use of the Hero's Bow, a powerful weapon that allows him to send arrows into his opponents' hearts. In addition, he also uses the fabled Gale Boomerang, which creates a mini tornado that carries mascots towards him.

Continue...