Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[nickmitch]

(Sorry, I don't know how to use the spoiler tag lol)

Which is why we have a how to guide.

[Caterkiller]

I finally got around to finishing the game last night and I must say, this was, in my eyes, THE best Zelda by far.  I really enjoyed the whole experience from beginning to end.  I was really worried coming into this game too given all the mixed opinions I've read on these and other forums and my waning enthusiasm for the Zelda series.  Now, I've always been a huge Zelda fan and have played them all but after Ocarina of Time, I enjoyed each successive Zelda less and less.  It almost became a point of just playing each new release out of a strange feeling of duty as a Nintendo fan.  I finished most of them but I never felt the drive to actually finish them, the longer the game went on, the more I had to push myself to continue. 

This Zelda really caught me by surprise.  I think what really caught my attention and rejuvenated my enthusiasm was the story and characters.  There is actually a palpable connection between Zelda and Link.  The side characters were memorable and actually funny for once (the repair robot was classic lol).  The main villains in this game really lived up to their roles and personalities.  Their final forms were some of the best looking models I've seen in this series.  The final boss turned out like a major bad ass. SPOILER (Sorry, I don't know how to use the spoiler tag lol) He was a solid mix of Akuma, Goku at Super Saiyan 4, and Ganon. SPOILER As for the other aspects, the game play was solid all around.  I had very little issues with the control and most my deaths and frustrations were a result of me trying to rush through something.  The world provided so much to do and there was very little unused space (with the exception of the sky portions).  I know allot of people complained about all the back tracking but I never minded it.  I think it helped in creating the illusion of a very living world.  Seeing places change made me feel as if time was actually passing. 

All in all, I have very little to complain about with this game.  I think it has really raised the bar for the series and I can't wait to see where the series go especially on the WiiU given the extra horsepower. 

Yay someone else who loved the game! I feel almost exactly the same! Now all I need is voice acting and I am set. Flying needs to be more ingrained staple I think. Maybe not a hub sky world but I would love to see it continued and fleshed out. Beyond that I am super happy with the game.


Iansane, have you played this game yet? I know you did, what did you think?

[Peteychu]

I totally enjoy skyward sword.  I think it is a great game and truly a great experience.  When I reached the point that most people complain about I thought "that wasn't even that bad... It was actually fun". Plus I love the controls.  They felt so satisfying that I can't imaging playing Zelda without them... And I have been play Zelda from the very beginning. 

[lolmonade]

(Sorry, I don't know how to use the spoiler tag lol)
 

To spoiler, you type ["spoiler"] before what you want to type and ["/spoiler"] at the end of what you want to be blacked-out. (Take out the " in the tags, it'll look like this: Congrats! You can spoiler!)

[Mannypon]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.  Since finishing this game, I've been wondering how Nintendo can replicate some of the sword play provided by the wiimote using the tablet.  I was wondering that if they decide to not use the wiimote for the next game in the series, what if they used the right analog stick to replicate the wiimote motions.  You can flick the right stick to the right for a slash to the right, up to slash upwards, and etc... you get the picture.  Basically the right analog stick will control his right hand during combat.  I wonder how that would feel, in my mind it seems to be natural but I'd never know until I actually tried it. 

[Caterkiller]

I want the Wii mote again, with even more fleshed out whip controls. I say use the tablet for a 2nd player playing as a helper that doesn't need sword swings to feel good.

[Mannypon]

I would love that too but if a wiimote isn't bundled with the WiiU then I don't see that being the main control method.  No matter how many people already have wiimotes, if it doesn't come packed in, it'll somewhat split the userbase.  I can see them maybe giving you the option to either play with the wiimote or the setup I described above.  It'll be serviceable but in no way would it equal the wiimote's accuracy though. 
 
It would be nice though if a revised Wiimote was packed in, one that was rechargable.  Onced I switched to a rechargable battery for my wiimote, I can't see me ever returning to batteries again.  I don't know why that wasn't the standard from the start.

[nickmitch]

I dunno, I would think the vast majority of the userbase would have a WiiMote (or several) before buying a WiiU. But a new Zelda is years down the pipeline and Nintendo will probably still be selling WiiMotes since they're compatible. By the time we get a new Zelda, even WiiU owners who never owned a Wii are gonna have one or two.

[Adrock]

Dorkly Bits: Fi Annoys Link

Not sure if anyone else here is a fan of Dorkly. They make videogame based animated shorts. This one is pretty apt.

[Soren]

Finished it moments ago. I have to say overall I loved the game. It had its mixture of good and bad things. Unfortunately most of the bad things are so egriegous that I probably won't be playing this game again. Fight the Imprisioned 3 times? SERIOUSLY? But the good kept me going though.


Good.
-Loved the motion controls. It really made the experience better and I felt like my swordplay was getting better as the game progressed.
-I didn't mind the silent realm areas.
-The Lanayru area was brilliant!
-The story really tied together nicely. In fact it was the only thing that kept me going through the finish
-Sky Keep was excellent as a final dungeon.
-Levias is such a bad ass.


Bad
-Too. Many. Fetch. Quests.
-My god look at all that padding!
-Fi was grating, but at least I was able to tune her out.
-Oh hey you're telling me what an Amber Relic is for the 9098059048598th time.
-The harp was so clunky, I hate it so much.
-Dreaded going into the Sealed Grounds because I thought everytime I went there I'd have to fight the Imprisioned.
-The final two bosses were a huge letdown. I think part of what made them "challenging" was the fact that you'd strike blindly trying to find a specific pattern or way to make damage. Once you figured it out it was so easy.


Overall it's a great game. Sadly it's just one I'm not going to play again.

[Shorty McNostril]

 So this game presumably sets up a sequel or something showing how the   Headmaster becomes the owl?

[TrueNerd]

So I've finally started playing through this game for real. I'm 12 hours in and just finished the third dungeon. I'm loving this game so far. I had no excitement for it beforehand and since its release I've mostly heard about all the padding it has which is why I haven't gotten into it before now, but man, it's been just about perfect thus far. Love the visuals, love most of the controls, but what I really love is how the areas surrounding the dungeons are structured. They're much more involved than overworlds usually are in Zelda games. The Lanayru Desert was amazing. A series highlight, easily. The dungeons themselves have all been great thus far, the boss fights also pretty solid. Yeah. This game is hitting all the right notes for me right now. It's definitely a Zelda game, but it's different enough to justify it's existence. It's definitely good enough.

Of course, the backtracking is about to start. As is, I assume, the padding. And the Silent Realm. The stuff that seems to be controversial. So we'll see how it goes. Right now though, it's going blow for blow with Wind Waker for my favorite Zelda.

[Kytim89]

I have been taking ym time with this game so far. I took a few hours to adjust myself to playing with motion controls. I have just reached the desert and so far the game is absolutely good. If the the game up to this point is indicative of what is ahead then I am excited to put more time into this game.
 
It might be too early to say this, but Skyward Sword might be the new Ocarina of Time in terms of being the best in the series.

[TrueNerd]

Okay. I just revisited a dungeon. That was kind of bullshit. I mean, it wasn't awful, I was only in there for maybe ten minutes, but having to unlock doors I've already unlocked? That's dumb. I've also encountered the Silent Realm. No problem with that first one. It was stressful, but not cheap or unfun.

Still... the way these areas were the first time you went through them was glorious. Returning for a second time has been still good as you're going to new places, but not as satisfying. We'll see how the rest of it goes but thus far I'm thinkin I would have preferred just more areas to visit.

Still loving it though. Just maybe not quite as much as I was after that third area.

[TrueNerd]

This thread has become my own personal Zelda log. I'm okay with that.

Just finished the fourth dungeon and DAMN. What a dungeon. It had a bit of an atypical structure (the way you go through it) and a malleable structure (building) that made it memorable. I really like all the dungeons thus far, but that one's the best. Also the whip is a glorious item. It's like the grappling hook with bonus fun. Hope that's used for the rest of the game. I also must say the bosses have also been delightful thus far. When I looked at the boss for this fourth dungeon, I assumed this one was going to be obvious. Not true. It had like four phases and kept going long past the obvious stopping point.

Thus far in my 17 hours of playing, I have enjoyed to varying degrees all but 15 minutes of it.

[TrueNerd]

I just went through the last few pages of this thread for the first time. Am I really in the vast minority here in enjoying almost everything about this game through the first four dungeons or are the fans just quieter than the naysayers? Have I just not yet gotten to the point where everyone turns on Skyward Sword? Do I just have a higher tolerance for the "bullshit" in this game? OH GOD YOUVE ALL MADE ME DOUBT MYSELF.

[nickmitch]

No, no. Don't worry. The game is great. Just relax and keep enjoying it.

[Caterkiller]

I really loved this game, so I am totally with you.

Wonder what Ian thought of the game?

[Luigi Dude]

I just went through the last few pages of this thread for the first time. Am I really in the vast minority here in enjoying almost everything about this game through the first four dungeons or are the fans just quieter than the naysayers? Have I just not yet gotten to the point where everyone turns on Skyward Sword? Do I just have a higher tolerance for the "bullshit" in this game? OH GOD YOUVE ALL MADE ME DOUBT MYSELF.

You just answered your own question.  Like everything else on the internet, the haters are just more vocal then the supporter so it looks like more people hate something then actually do.

[TrueNerd]

Ah good. I didn't think I was alone in liking Skyward Sword but honestly last night I thought I had somehow gone in the Other M thread based on the amount of complaints I was reading.

This reminds me I still haven't beaten Other M.

[Luigi Dude]

Ah good. I didn't think I was alone in liking Skyward Sword but honestly last night I thought I had somehow gone in the Other M thread based on the amount of complaints I was reading.

This reminds me I still haven't beaten Other M.

Even in the case of Other M, a lot of people here liked that game as well.  It's not exactly loved by it's fans in the same way Skyward Sword fans love their game, but a good number of people found Other M to be a pretty decent game overall.  Not really praised but still considered a game worth playing because while it suffers from certain flaws, still has enough fun gameplay to make an interesting playthrough and has the potential for a great sequel.

[TrueNerd]

I don't disagree on any particular point.

[UncleBob]

I think the problem with OtherM wasn't as much the gameplay, but it was the storyline and how it fit into the overall Metroid universe.  If the game had been tweaked to be an original IP, there probably wouldn't have been much of a complaint on it.

[TrueNerd]

The storytelling is definitely abysmal, but there are gameplay problems also. The lack of energy pellets/missile reflils is annoying. Most everything involving first person is not fun and the controls and lack of movement in those sequences are not good. But still, underneath all of that is Metroid goodness. They just made some questionable/bad decisions with Other M.

Getting this thread back on track, I've finished the second Silent Realm. I like the Silent Realm segments just fine. It's a nice change of pace, it's not nearly as stressful as the presentation suggests, and you get an item when you finish that immediately opens up new areas. Way better than the Wolf Tears or whatever the hell in Twilight Princess.

[nickmitch]

The first person stuff bothered me more than anything. I'm glad they put some personality to Samus, but the plot was way too overly dramatic and kinda made you forget she used to be known as a badass.