The Zelda series' treatise on the justification of motion controls comes in at #2.
The more I heard about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the more it seemed like the Zelda game to change up the formula. In a lot of ways, it didn't; Skyward Sword was the same old Zelda experience. It livened up the structure, however, with dungeons almost merging with the areas leading up to them (I didn't realize one area was a dungeon until I fought the boss). The whole experience was cohesive, incredible, and fun (with just a bit of padding, sadly). Skyward Sword is definitely worthy of coming in at No. 2 on our Top 10 First-Party Wii Games list.
While I wasn't always a believer, the controls in Skyward Sword, bolstered by MotionPlus, completely changed the way I view Zelda combat, following the progression from Ocarina of Time's simple sword fighting to Wind Waker and Twilight Princess' increased complexity. Eventually, I was seamlessly switching between sword fighting, throwing bombs, and shooting arrows with deftness and precision I had never felt before in a Zelda game. Skyward Sword is the truest representation of what motion controls can do for adventure games. Sure, some instances, like balancing on the tightrope, were annoying, but when you bowled bombs into the mouths of Deku Babas after having outwitted a Bokoblin in a sword fight, everything clicked.
Even outside of the combat, the MotionPlus controls seeped their way into every familiar aspect of the game, making the experience more immersive and more fun. Playing Skyward Sword reminded me constantly of why I love Zelda games. It had that explorative joy, with each area a brave new world to explore even when you returned to it multiple times. The in-game evolution, as forests flooded and time changed landscapes, seemed natural for a series that had played with light and dark, time travel, and other perception changes over the years.
The well-directed cut scenes and fantastic soundtrack made the story, which was more at the forefront than most Zelda games, fun to follow and hit some sweet, emotional payoffs. It's a video game story, through and through, but as far as an interactive tale, it spins a good yarn.
For the first time I can remember, the bosses don't all slavishly follow Nintendo's rule of three hits to kill. The fights escalate, especially with the continued Ghirahim battles, and raise the bar for epic grandeur in the series' boss encounters. Whether you're shooting the eyes of a sea monster or dueling a multi-armed metal creature, Skyward Sword's bosses are unique and entertaining.
Skyward Sword has flaws (The Imprisoned, a barren sky), but even with those present, it's still an amazing experience, and one of the best games of the Wii’s six years. More so than most games released this generation, I absolutely adored Skyward Sword, without reservation. It continued everything I love about Zelda while improving on the series in key ways, and its quality makes me giddy to see what this team does on the Wii U.