Nintendo DS exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will be released in North America on October 01, according to a press release distributed today by Nintendo of America.

While we’ve still been left hanging for a European or Australasian release date, the news that the first English-language version of Phantom Hourglass will be available in just under three months is likely to cause a bit of a stampede amongst importers.

In truth, any impatience would be perfectly excusable - we’ve already professed our undying love for the game, and since Famitsu slapped a gigantic 39/40 on it, Nintendo may as well round up our wallets now. Little wonder Link’s DS debut sold 350,000 copies in its first two days on sale in Japan.

Regrettably, because every silver lining comes with a cloud attached, the Wii's Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has slipped a week stateside, meaning Samus will now be with us on August 27, rather than August 20. We’ll survive.