The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Thread starter Amasov
- Start date
I won't be picking it up day one, but I am interested in this. Twilight Princess left a bitter taste in my mouth, so I'm hoping this game will be a return to Zelda greatness. The motion controls make me a little leery, but Nintendo usually knows what they're doing.
It may be a little while before I pick this one up. I'm currently deep into Skyrim, and that's gonna take a good long while. Plus, I'll need to pick up a new Wiimote too, since mine are all the old style.
I'm picking this up for my mother, she is a dedicated rpg gamer and is really excited for this. I was hoping it would show up in a Wii bundle before Xmas (she gave her last one away after playing through TP,) but I haven't heard anything yet. I stick with the 2D Zelda games myself, but I've heard positive things about this being a solid Zelda experience that has a large sandbox to play in while still sticking to the traditional format.
RPG gamer? Then why would she be interested in Zelda?
Pre-ordered it a few months ago and Best Buy sent me an email on Friday saying it was shipped out.
Me too.
I was so tempted to pick it up today and flip my other one on kijiji or something when it arrives . . . but patience won the day.
I'm playing through it. Just took down the first temple. It was easier than I thought it would be, but as we all know, the temples and puzzles will get more challenging the farther I go. So far, I like the game a lot. It's much too early for me to judge where it stands with the rest of the games. There was a moment where I thought I knew who the boss was going to be, but the game threw a curve ball at me and I turned out to be dead wrong.
This wasn't the case back when I played Twilight Princess. As much as I loved the game, I was able to predict certain things just based on the items I got or the areas I had to explore. So far with Skyward Sword, this is not the case.
Unrelated, but I was thinking about this today -- did A Link to the Past ever have a limited time gold cartridge? It's one of the few Zelda games that I don't have as a gold.
This wasn't the case back when I played Twilight Princess. As much as I loved the game, I was able to predict certain things just based on the items I got or the areas I had to explore. So far with Skyward Sword, this is not the case.
Unrelated, but I was thinking about this today -- did A Link to the Past ever have a limited time gold cartridge? It's one of the few Zelda games that I don't have as a gold.
Just started Faron woods. I feel like I need a walk through in case I missed something or an upgrade.
Definitely need more items to upgrade my shield.
Definitely need more items to upgrade my shield.
I don't believe it did. Which is weird since it is one of the most popular.
Hm. Well. I might have to remove the casing and spray-paint it gold. Not only that, but the Skyward Sword disc even in gold, but the bonus CD soundtrack it came with is. WTF, Nintendo?
I'd pick this up but I don't have the Motion Control plus. Wasn't planning on buying it either. Don't think I will for one game, even though I love my Zelda.
Only if you pre-ordered.
I'm about 25 hours in, and having mostly a blast. The dungeons and puzzles are fantastic, and I'm just now starting to really get the feel for the sword controls. The new items are really cool, and new mechanics for simple things like bombs are great too.
One huge complaint I have is the CONSTANT "Hey Master, GO DO THIS!" when you already know exactly what you're supposed to do. Fi is like Navi on steroids, making the game feel extremely linear (which it is, obviously, but they didn't need to make it so blatant.)
Overall though, great game! I almost wish they wouldn't have put Twilight Princess out on the Wii, then I wouldn't be waggling the Wiimote like an idiot so much. They should have saved motion controls for a game designed for them.
One huge complaint I have is the CONSTANT "Hey Master, GO DO THIS!" when you already know exactly what you're supposed to do. Fi is like Navi on steroids, making the game feel extremely linear (which it is, obviously, but they didn't need to make it so blatant.)
Overall though, great game! I almost wish they wouldn't have put Twilight Princess out on the Wii, then I wouldn't be waggling the Wiimote like an idiot so much. They should have saved motion controls for a game designed for them.
What annoys me and this isn't about Skyward Sword, but it seems every time when a new Zelda game is released, it's followed by two questions: Is it the best Zelda ever? Is it better than Ocarina of Time?
Ocarina of Time is my favorite game ever, but even I'll admit it's overrated. It seems to have cast a long shadow on the series and every game that has come out since its release in 1998 has been unfairly put up against it.
Right now, I don't think Skyward Sword is better than Ocarina nor do I think it's the best Zelda ever. But I'm also not 25 hours in. The thing about Zelda games that I've always noticed is that it takes a few paces for it to really kick into high gear.
I loved the game when it first came out, but I think it has aged horribly which is not something that I can say for the other Zeldas. Even the NES games are still fantastic to this day.
Zelda: OOT is bland. Hyrule Field -- the huge barren wasteland that it is -- is the perfect metaphor for the gameplay. The gameplay is slow, the combat is poor (even if it was revolutionary for the time), and the puzzles are lacking. The dungeons are unremarkable -- I've played through the game twice and I can't remember a single detail about the dungeons beyond their appearance. Just compare the dungeons from Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask or Twilight Princess to see how badly OOT holds up. It’s just empty room after empty room completely lacking in the unique gameplay features that made the later 3D Zeldas such great games.
It wouldn't even be so bad if Ocarina of Time had something to do outside the dungeons like the GBC titles, but it doesn't. You just run through one empty landscape to another, fighting enemies that are more annoying than challenging until you come across the next tedious dungeon. Ocarina of Time needed more set pieces like the Gerudo Fortress or sneaking into Hyrule Castle to spice up the gameplay.
I think Ocarina of Time is a fantastic set of blueprints for the 3D Zeldas, but the game itself doesn’t innovate beyond its amazing and revolutionary engine. That was more than enough back in 1998, but after Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess went so far beyond Ocarina of Time it’s impossible to go back.
Zelda: OOT is bland. Hyrule Field -- the huge barren wasteland that it is -- is the perfect metaphor for the gameplay. The gameplay is slow, the combat is poor (even if it was revolutionary for the time), and the puzzles are lacking. The dungeons are unremarkable -- I've played through the game twice and I can't remember a single detail about the dungeons beyond their appearance. Just compare the dungeons from Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask or Twilight Princess to see how badly OOT holds up. It’s just empty room after empty room completely lacking in the unique gameplay features that made the later 3D Zeldas such great games.
It wouldn't even be so bad if Ocarina of Time had something to do outside the dungeons like the GBC titles, but it doesn't. You just run through one empty landscape to another, fighting enemies that are more annoying than challenging until you come across the next tedious dungeon. Ocarina of Time needed more set pieces like the Gerudo Fortress or sneaking into Hyrule Castle to spice up the gameplay.
I think Ocarina of Time is a fantastic set of blueprints for the 3D Zeldas, but the game itself doesn’t innovate beyond its amazing and revolutionary engine. That was more than enough back in 1998, but after Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess went so far beyond Ocarina of Time it’s impossible to go back.
All excellent points. There are some parts of it that I think haven't aged well, but overall I think it holds up pretty nicely. The reason why I love it so much was I had never been so invested in a game before or after it. The initial experience that I had playing Ocarina of Time has never been matched with any video game since. Some have come close, though.
I'm replaying it on the 3DS and I do agree with the Hyrule Field point you brought up. One thing about it that I don't like (and even other Zeldas) is that Hyrule is a very lonely place. You almost never saw anybody anywhere -- especially in the field. The only person you'd run into was that jogger who you traded the rabbit ears to.
I remember when I played Twilight Princess and visited Hyrule Marketplace. I was floored. It was a bustling bazaar with people all over the place. From a technical standpoint, I can see how it would not have been possible to achieve that on the N64, but show me that there are people in Hyrule other than me.
