If you didn't prepurchase your copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you may be sitting on your hands a couple weeks after the game's Nov. 24 arrival in stores - unless you're ready to really hunt down a copy. We confirmed today with local and national retailers that many locations are no longer guaranteeing you'll get your game on the release date if you prepurchase today.

　　A Nintendo spokesperson said that the company knows it has a very important hit title on its hands, and that new shipments will be steady. Initially it recognizes that there may be some stores selling out of the title, but that supplies will be replenished quickly.

　　An EB sales associate told GameSpot News Wednesday that they are guaranteeing prepurchases made now will be filled by December 24 (this goes for EB's online store as well) but are not giving specific dates as for when copies will be available. Babbage's has currently sold out of its stock of gold cartridges and is already taking preorders at many locations for the gray cartridges, which are hoped will be in stores about a week apart from the initial shipment.

　　FuncoLand told us a similar story, that all the copies in the first shipment (gold cartridges) have sold out already, and that they have started taking deposits/names for the second shipment, which isn't expected until early December (and those are the gray carts).

　　A local Toys "R" Us told us today that they have completely sold out of the gold cartridges and are currently taking preorders for the gray copies, which, according to the person we spoke to, will be in-store next Tuesday.

　　In fact, the only way you may be able to snag a copy of the most-anticipated video game of all time is to wait in line at one of the stores that doesn't have a prepurchase program next Tuesday.