This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, one of the most memorable and beloved series in all of gaming. To celebrate the occasion, we've devoted 24 pages of our October issue to honoring Zelda's past and looking forward to its future.

Beginning with a look back, we have a 14-page run-down of every major Zelda release up to this point. We've split this retrospective into a series of personal essays explaining why each of these legendary games mattered to us. After this history lesson, you can dig in to a 10-page exclusive hands-on with Skyward Sword, Nintendo's upcoming Wii swan song. We spent six hours playing portions of the game that have never been seen such as the mysterious Silent Realm, experienced brand new gameplay mechanics including flying and dowsing, and spoke with long-time series creator Eiji Aonuma about how Zelda is evolving for the future. All of this info and more awaits in the new issue, and we'll have a whole month of online coverage to back it up, including exclusive videos of Skyward Sword and a ton of fun features paying homage to 25 years of Zelda adventures.

Beyond the Zelda coverage, the October issue is packed with lots more content. Jeff Cork helps you find the right co-op game for almost any situation. We detail Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer and go in-depth on Quantum Conundrum, the exciting new project from Portal designer Kim Swift. We've also got new previews for Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and an intriguing new game from EA. You can also find out how Sony's PS2 classics hold up in HD with our review of the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection.

Check out the full-size images of our Zelda cover below and be sure to keep an eye on our Zelda hub page -- we'll begin stuffing it full of content this week.

Issues will begin arriving in subscriber's homes next week, and Game Informer Digital will go live on Tuesday, September 13th.

Front (click to enlarge):

Full image (click to enlarge):