Topic: Best of the Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[NWR_Neal]

But fairies aren't real. So that artificiality must have really pissed you off in 1998, right? I mean, seriously, Z-targeting? How is that a thing?! Totally not real.

[broodwars]

But fairies aren't real. So that artificiality must have really pissed you off in 1998, right? I mean, seriously, Z-targeting? How is that a thing?! Totally not real.

That's a Straw Man argument, and you know it.  I'm criticizing a mechanical element of the game that's supposed to be "more realistic, more immersive because it's like real sword-fighting!", but which actually isn't because of the artificiality.  You're bringing up fantasy elements that are meant to be fantastic.

[NWR_Neal]

Maybe, but I think it's absurd to be miffed at the way Bokoblins hold their sword in a game that is a video game based on fantastical elements that has any number of similar video game tropes present throughout it.

Once again, I'm sorry that everyone who disliked Skyward Sword doesn't really seem to like fun things. It's nothing personal. I really wish you guys could find as much enjoyment as I did out of that game. Just thinking back to it makes me happy (and then get really frustrated at the Imprisoned for a bit, then get really happy again). I'm sorry you don't have those same fantastic Wii-affirming memories.

EDIT: Z-targeting and flashing enemy weak points are fantastical? Did I miss a Tolkien book about them?


I'll admit I'm being a little flippant with how I'm presenting it by referencing fairies and Deku Babas, only because I think that complaint is based around a misconstrued expectation of what this game is.

[Evan_B]

I think Brood doesn't understand that Zelda games are spaced out a great deal, and to some people, Skyward Sword will be their first experience, while to others, it's their tenth.

Zelda games are formulaic, there's no problem with that. They're not really known for their story, they're known for giving a very consistent and continuously engaging puzzle-and-adventure feeling. That's why the locales rarely change, because every game needs those "fire/water/forest" dungeons as an introductory course of how the game plays. The environmental design of these games is top notch, especially with the varied height in the locales and emphasis on terrain exploration.

Now, I'm not saying Skyward Sword is perfect. But I think everything that it does is polished and fun, and if you don't find it fun, then I think you need to take a step back and play the game again and really identify what it is about it that you don't like. I think it's a great "first Zelda," as in, anyone who plays it as their first Zelda experience will probably love it. But complaining about the artificial nature of how enemies hold their sword is a bit silly- with the combat being the way it is, enemy sword fights had to function a certain way, and I'll be quite honest, I think the swordplay in this game is far more engaging than any of the previous Zelda titles.

Oh, and dat music.

[Fjurbanski]

My favorite part of the game was the second time you fight Girahim. Not because it was tense or anything, but because I completely decimated him. That was the point when I learned how great the combat was. He is technically a more difficult boss than he was the first time you fight him (he has a greater variety of attacks, etc.), but he was no threat to me. During the first battle I was fumbling around, not really sure how to go about attacking him, missing hits, getting my sword caught, etc. During the second battle I was parrying him, deflecting his projectiles, dodging everything, and didn't get my sword caught once.


Adding the second Girahim fight was a brilliant move on Nintendo's part, because it directly shows the player how much progress they've made. I don't know if that was their intention or not, but I noticed it. I had an easier time defeating a more difficult boss because I had greatly improved my own skill. It wasn't some item that made me stronger. I was simply better. I've never gotten "better" at the swordplay in any Zelda game. Because, well, they never required it. I didn't refine any techniques. From beginning to end I simply held my shield up to take hits, and tapped away on the sword button.


So yeah, this isn't my favorite Zelda game. But it's still great in its own unique way. In a way that no other Zelda game has been before.

[pureval]

I really wanted to love the game but the controls absolutely ruined it for me. They simply did not work no matter what I tried. I really felt like I was button mashing instead of having any actual control. I thought Twilight Princess was awesome (and deserved a spot on this list) and have already replayed it. I will probably never replay this game. The only enjoyment I really got out of it was the neat golden Wiimote.

[Kairon]

I want to go on record that Twilight Princess was one of the most disappointing experiences I've ever had playing Zelda games.

Like Neal said, we're all different people.

[Ceric]

I want to go on record that Twilight Princess was one of the most disappointing experiences I've ever had playing Zelda games.

Like Neal said, we're all different people.

Darn it Kairon Node.  Stop peddling False Claims.

[NWR_Neal]

I like how Josh spoils Dark Knight Rises in this.

[NWR_insanolord]

I haven't started this game yet, despite buying it at launch (I do love my gold Wii remote, though; I never use anything else anymore), but this podcast really made me want to go back and do it.

[Sundoulos]

I need to go back and finish this as well.   I kind of gave up around the Water Dragon segment, but that's partially because it's just more difficult for me to find time these days to game via console than it is on a handheld. 

That being said, I think the fetch-quest nature of the tasks prior to the dungeons served to turn me off just a little.  I appreciate what they tried to do with the dense areas on the ground, but I also wish the sky areas felt a little more "alive."  I didn't feel that there were enough different things to explore around up there.  I would have liked to see more ancient buildings/temples or crashed, ancient aircraft in the skies. 

[Mop it up]

I feel Skyward Sword is the best Zelda since Ocarina of Time. It definitely has a few bad moments of filler content in the game, but it seemed like a lot less filler than previous games, which made it more tolerable than games like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. If it weren't for my nostalgia for Ocarina of Time then I wonder if it'd be my favourite 3D Zelda,  but I'll never know.

I'm not sure where the retroactive hatred of Twilight Princess comes from though. I enjoyed the game a lot more than Wind Waker and Majora's Mask.