Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Herr Schatten]

Is anyone playing this?

Right now, I'm a couple of hours into the game. So far, I found it to be a bit of a slow starter, especially compared to its direct predecessor, Twilight Princess. I haven't even visited the first dungeon yet. (I was standing at the entrance, but I decided to go back to the cloud city to buy a butterfly net.)

Overall, the game seems fine, though. The visuals appear a bit dated, with slightly smudgy textures and a rather low polygon count, but they strike a nice middle ground between the super-stylized Wind Waker and the more 'realistic' Zeldas like OoT or TP. I find the bright colours quite charming, actually. There's a lot to see and a ton of secrets to discover. Best of all is the fighting. The motion plus controls work marvelously, and are pretty much what everyone always expected from Zelda on the Wii. You really have to react to the behaviour of your enemies, and it really makes a different from where and how you strike your blows.

Apart from the tame pace, the only thing I find questionable is that your shield gets damaged everytime you use until it eventually breaks. This gives little incentive to use it at all, which is a pity, because advanced shield techniques add quite a bit to the fighting. I'd have preferred it if your shield only got damaged to penalize a failed parry.

[Jockel]

Second dungeon reporting in, great game so far. But I hear that the game gets better as you progress.

[Siren2011]

Best of all is the fighting. The motion plus controls work marvelously, and are pretty much what everyone always expected from Zelda on the Wii. You really have to react to the behaviour of your enemies, and it really makes a different from where and how you strike your blows.

Technically, tapping A whenever the "A!" signal came up in Windwaker and Twilight Princess was "reacting to enemy behavior," because said signal only came up when the enemy was getting their weapon ready for an attack. Not necessarily an addition, that. But I'd be worried if this feature was supposed to be a big deal about this game. It's like praising Dai Fukkatsu for having main shot...they've been appearing in STGs since the beginning.

I'm curious to hear how this game differs from its predecessors as far as combat goes, because to be honest I think I'm one out of fifteen people alive who is unimpressed and unsatisfied with this series. But that's just me.

Does it make a difference where you strike the enemies? Because those spiders in Ocarina of Time would be vulnerable only with their bellies exposed. It would at least be interesting to know that each enemy has a weak point, and that half the fun is trying to expose and strike it with full motion controls. I am sorry, but I am unfamiliar with the specifics of Motion Plus.

[BulletMagnet]

I'm very tempted to snag this, but I have somewhat limited space to work with, and can only play my Wii sitting or lying down...does one really need to be able to swing his arms very freely for the sword controls to register, or are smaller gestures adequate?

[Elixir]

Nintendo apparently don't want me to play this game at all. It has forced widescreen, eliminating the possibility of using my JP Wii and beautiful 29 inch CRT in the living room, and forces motion controls with the lack of Gamecube and CCP support, eliminating my possibility to use an emulator.

I could simply buy a Bluetooth adapter and use the motion controls with emulation. After all, the Wii emulator out-performs the console itself. But no, I would rather miss out entirely. I would rather miss out entirely as opposed to being forced to use motion controls. Also I'm hearing it suffers from inaccurate controls, but I'm not really surprised.

I also like how the IGN review disregarded the integrity of all third-part attempts at utilizing motion controls, in their effort to give Skyward a 10/10. It just proves to me that only Nintendo are able to work with what they create. I'm not sure how Nintendo perceived its audience in playing this game. 480p stretched widescreen? Get real.

I think I'll just watch someone stream the game sometime. My interest in Nintendo stuff is buried in a closet now, along with my American SNES, Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, and some other things.

[NZA]

I ordered the deluxe edition (love that gold controller), wont be here till Wednesday. It looks like a great swan song for this controversial console.

[Paradigm]

Best of all is the fighting. The motion plus controls work marvelously, and are pretty much what everyone always expected from Zelda on the Wii. You really have to react to the behaviour of your enemies, and it really makes a different from where and how you strike your blows.

Technically, tapping A whenever the "A!" signal came up in Windwaker and Twilight Princess was "reacting to enemy behavior," because said signal only came up when the enemy was getting their weapon ready for an attack.

That's just being pedantic, they're not the same thing. In Skyward Sword, you react to where the enemy is guarding and attack their weak point, it's not a QTE.

It's like praising Dai Fukkatsu for having main shot...they've been appearing in STGs since the beginning.

No, it's absolutely nothing like that.

I'm curious to hear how this game differs from its predecessors as far as combat goes

Well it doesn't sound like you're curious, because that bit you quoted at the top of your post explained it to you and you disregarded it completely.

because to be honest I think I'm one out of fifteen people alive who is unimpressed and unsatisfied with this series. But that's just me.

And presumably the other 14, no?

Does it make a difference where you strike the enemies? Because those spiders in Ocarina of Time would be vulnerable only with their bellies exposed. It would at least be interesting to know that each enemy has a weak point, and that half the fun is trying to expose and strike it with full motion controls.

See, this paragraph just shows how clueless your first one was. Obviously it makes a difference where you strike the enemies.

From the bit you quoted in your own post:

You really have to react to the behaviour of your enemies, and it really makes a different from where and how you strike your blows.

I am sorry, but I am unfamiliar with the specifics of Motion Plus.

Why not do a bit of reading up then before you start mindlessly ragging on the game?

[ryu]

I'm very tempted to snag this, but I have somewhat limited space to work with, and can only play my Wii sitting or lying down...does one really need to be able to swing his arms very freely for the sword controls to register, or are smaller gestures adequate?

it works both ways

It has forced widescreen, eliminating the possibility of using my JP Wii and beautiful 29 inch CRT in the living room, and forces motion controls with the lack of Gamecube and CCP support, eliminating my possibility to use an emulator.

yeah the forced widescreen sucks, but still plays just fine. i'm playing it on a 27" crt and still manage to have a lot of fun with it.
from what i understand, if you've got a wiimote with motion plus and a sensor bar you can play it on dolphin.

[szycag]

Just how much better does it get? The gameplay feels so linear and dated. I think the DS ones just turned me off of this series altogether.

[Gus]

Wow, forced widescreen is a fucking terrible idea especially for a console that doesn't even support HD. Shmups have really weaned me off RPG type games like Zelda but now there's no way I'm checking the game out.

[Moniker]

Just how much better does it get? The gameplay feels so linear and dated. I think the DS ones just turned me off of this series altogether.

You didn't like Spirit Tracks?!

Anyway, got it earlier today and played up till the first forest. The little romance b/w link & zelda in the beginning was really very sweet and well-done, imo. I didn't care for Twilight Princess, but I can already tell this has a lot of the personality its predecessor lacked. I'm hoping the combat stays interesting, or at the very least challenging. I find myself more and more nostalgic for the NES zeldas, which had the greatest emphasis on combat rather than puzzle solving.

PS. I really did love Spirit Tracks.

[Herr Schatten]

I'm curious to hear how this game differs from its predecessors as far as combat goes [...] Does it make a difference where you strike the enemies?

It does. I'll give you two examples.

Very early on in the game, you encounter the familiar carnivorous plants. Their vulnerable spot is their mouth. You have to slice right through it in order to kill the plant. If it's closed or if you hit the outside of the plant's "head", no damage is dealt. However, sometimes the plants open their mouths vertically, sometimes horizontally. You have to swing your sword accordingly, or your effort will be wasted. Or you can hit the attacking plant with a jab of your shield. This will stun it for a few seconds, which in turn allows you to cut the head off the stem.

Another example are the little red goblin-like enemies armed with what looks like a butcher's cleaver. If your first sword strike hits them from the right, they will move their weapon there to parry your next attack, so you have to look for an opening, and either attack from the left or swing your sword diagonally.

Your on-screen sword mimicks the very motions of your wiimote, so you can influence the combat quite directly.

I'm very tempted to snag this, but I have somewhat limited space to work with, and can only play my Wii sitting or lying down...does one really need to be able to swing his arms very freely for the sword controls to register, or are smaller gestures adequate?

I'm playing the game lazily sitting on the sofa. I found that little flicks of my wrist are quite sufficient for the motion plus controls, so I wouldn't worry there. I'm sure it will work out just fine for you.

In related news, this gave me a chuckle: http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20111121

[BulletMagnet]

I'm playing the game lazily sitting on the sofa. I found that little flicks of my wrist are quite sufficient for the motion plus controls, so I wouldn't worry there. I'm sure it will work out just fine for you.

Thanks to both you and the previous poster who mentioned this. One other thing I'm hearing, though, is that eventually you get an item that you have to "roll" like a bowling ball, and need ample room to mimic the gesture - have any of you experienced that one yet?

[ryu]

I'm playing the game lazily sitting on the sofa. I found that little flicks of my wrist are quite sufficient for the motion plus controls, so I wouldn't worry there. I'm sure it will work out just fine for you.

Thanks to both you and the previous poster who mentioned this. One other thing I'm hearing, though, is that eventually you get an item that you have to "roll" like a bowling ball, and need ample room to mimic the gesture - have any of you experienced that one yet?

what? no, that's not true. i play the game while sitting/lying down too and i have no trouble rolling stuff. just need to point your wiimote downwards and give it a little flick.

[evil_ash_xero]

I've read some great reviews of this....but what's with Gamespot's 7.5? Any merit to this, or are they just "out there"?

[Ebbo]

I've read some great reviews of this....but what's with Gamespot's 7.5? Any merit to this, or are they just "out there"?

I actually thought the review was suprisingly positive despite "low" score. It just seemed the reviewer wasn't much of a fan of Zelda-formula and I can see that as valid opinion. He did however make some incorrect statements about the controls.

My game arrived today... But I'm still waiting for my Motion Plus controller. Oh well, I'm sure Xenoblade keeps me occupied for few more days.

[ryu]

I've read some great reviews of this....but what's with Gamespot's 7.5? Any merit to this, or are they just "out there"?

it's what happens when you can't bother to take the controls seriously and just waggle your way through. i had a friend play my copy yesterday and he really just waggled, and when that didn't work he used the skyward strike. so when he was at ghirahim he obviously sucked at the using the controls in a proper way and blamed the game for him failing.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Much like IGN's vomit-inducing gushing 10, I take Gamespot's 7.5 with a pinch of salt. The reviewer's complaints centred on the game sticking to convention and his inability to use the controls properly. I play Red Steel 2 and Virtua Tennis 2009 with Motion Plus and have never had issues with it failing calibration or not doing what I want it to (unless I start the next swing while it's finishing the animation for the previous one)... but then, I sit still on my sofa so it's always got the same base reference point. My experience with Motion Plus has only been positive, so I'm pretty excited about this game (although I do need to wait until xmas).

I also like his comment that:

"Recent entries in the series got into the predictable habit of introducing a new item in each dungeon that you would subsequently use to solve most of the puzzles and defeat the boss"

... A Link To The Past is recent then?

[eebrozgi]

the only thing I find questionable is that your shield gets damaged everytime you use until it eventually breaks. This gives little incentive to use it at all, which is a pity, because advanced shield techniques add quite a bit to the fighting. I'd have preferred it if your shield only got damaged to penalize a failed parry.

It actually does work that way! I was quite happy to notice that too.

Right now I'm almost in the 4th dungeon, I believe. I swore to myself to stay far away from every SS conversation before I've made it very far in the game (beaten), but thankfully you guys are cool and don't shout spoilers out loud.

[szycag]

Zelda convention really does need revising. I won't speak for everyone but I'm sick of each game having it's own little mode of transportation like that's a game changer. For a real sense of exploration stuff like Skyrim just kills it, and I know I'll piss people off comparing them, but I can stand for outdated graphics just not outdated gameplay. Especially when the first Zelda on NES was so open in it's day, this feels like someone's holding my hand the whole way, and like I've done it all before with a few tweaks.

also FUCK TRADING SEQUENCES AND FETCH QUESTS.

[Moniker]

Zelda convention really does need revising. I won't speak for everyone but I'm sick of each game having it's own little mode of transportation like that's a game changer. For a real sense of exploration stuff like Skyrim just kills it, and I know I'll piss people off comparing them, but I can stand for outdated graphics just not outdated gameplay. Especially when the first Zelda on NES was so open in it's day, this feels like someone's holding my hand the whole way, and like I've done it all before with a few tweaks.

With a heavy heart, I have to agree with this. Exploration has been shifted from open world to heart-piece hunts. It's really been that way since LttP but it seems to get more and more pronounced. Although to be fair, Majora's Mask gave you many more options on where to go when (I still haven't made it through the sob, though).

For the most part, linearity has been mitigated by metroidvania-style backtracking, which is fine. But I do wonder what a completely open 3D zelda would be like. A shift, perhaps, from item-dependent puzzles to item-enhanced combat/shortcuts so you can play dungeons out of order again.

All that said, I still really dig the series despite having strayed from its roots. But the only ones I replay are the NES ones. And a perennial reattempt at actually finishing Majora.

[Barrakketh]

But the only ones I replay are the NES ones. And a perennial reattempt at actually finishing Majora.

I play through MM periodically, as well as LTTP. I personally like Majora's Mask more than OoT, and I rather enjoyed using the three day cycle and figuring out the patterns of Clock Town's inhabitants and their associated sidequests. Your mileage may vary.

[Paradigm]

Zelda convention really does need revising. I won't speak for everyone but I'm sick of each game having it's own little mode of transportation like that's a game changer. For a real sense of exploration stuff like Skyrim just kills it, and I know I'll piss people off comparing them, but I can stand for outdated graphics just not outdated gameplay. Especially when the first Zelda on NES was so open in it's day, this feels like someone's holding my hand the whole way, and like I've done it all before with a few tweaks.

also FUCK TRADING SEQUENCES AND FETCH QUESTS.

While I agree the 3D Zelda template definitely needs freshening up, comparing it to Skyrim of all things is just silly. I shouldn't need to explain why. I also don't see why you think the gameplay is outdated, unless you just mean in terms of linear design, which I personally don't mind one bit. The game itself plays fantastically well and the Motion Plus adds something new to the combat, it's just the familiarity of the design template that's starting to wear thin, for me.

[BryanM]

... A Link To The Past is recent then?

You could still pretty much sword everything to death in that one.

Zelda 64 began to make the dungeon's item mandatory to kill the boss; sometimes only in token manner.

....god, must be getting old to think 13 years wasn't that long ago...

[Gus]

While I agree the 3D Zelda template definitely needs freshening up, comparing it to Skyrim of all things is just silly. I shouldn't need to explain why. I also don't see why you think the gameplay is outdated, unless you just mean in terms of linear design, which I personally don't mind one bit. The game itself plays fantastically well and the Motion Plus adds something new to the combat, it's just the familiarity of the design template that's starting to wear thin, for me.

My problem with Zelda isn't linear. In fact I think it's ridiculous to argue linearity is a bad thing. Rather, my problem is with things like back-tracking and dungeons that basically force you to pull up a guide as well as combat that's made to feel like an easy break between the damn puzzles. To me Okami is far better than any Zelda game every made as it focused on the things that sell the games like big worlds, good graphics, and music while fixing the annoying bullshit.

[Drum]

To me Okami is far better than any Zelda game every made as it focused on the things that sell the games like big worlds, good graphics, and music while fixing the annoying bullshit.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh well, at least it looked awesome.

[Obiwanshinobi]

If you want a Zelda game where you can get lost, Ōkami very much is one. Not my favourite aspect of it, but it's there.

[Shelcoof]

Got this last night via aimazon.ca and I'm trying to find a cheap wii motion plus to start playing.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Good thing is, my first Wii I just bought came bundled with Motion Plus (and Mario Kart Wii, and the wheel thingy). Still not going to but Skyward Sword at the full price (bought Metroid: other M cheap and S&P2 is on its way to me, and I barely have time to play games), but it's convenient.

[NZA]

Just got mine a few minutes ago, will be playing ASAP...