(11-30-2011, 09:40 PM)Karth link Wrote: Just beat it, here's my general thoughts"

This is a fantastic Zelda game, without a doubt. The story is as rich as ever and accompanied by great characters (perhaps not a strong as Wind Waker's cast) and a stellar musical score. The controls have been entirely reworked to fit the Wii's Motion Plus and, for the most part, it works great. The art direction is gorgeous, having a water paint filter over distant objects. The bosses and swordfights in the game are a lot of fun, although it means that there are less enemies in favor of more challenging fights. However, the game is still pretty easy on the first run and the game doesn't have enough punishments for dying or failing a puzzle.

The overworld is a bit disappointing. Where Wind Waker had multiple creative islands, Skyward Sword has only a handful of platforms. There also only one town, which is saddening. There are only three different areas, each containing two dungeons centering around that regions climate and style. The dungeons themselves are fairly short, but there are usually pre-dungeon areas that you must go through to reach them. Boss Fights are vastly improved from the last console Zelda and practically ooze creativity.

As I said earlier, the motion controls work well for the most part. That doesn't mean they don't have issues. The pointer needs to be centered a couple dozen times each play session and you'll likely need to re-calibrate the motion plus two or three times. Even then, some swings are easily misread. Thrusts are near-impossible to do when in a combat situation and require the utmost concentration to pull off, which can be excruciatingly frustrating when an enemy requires such a strike. The nunchuk is very sensitive in the game and is used for two functions; Shield Thrusts and the Spin Attack. On more than one occasion I found myself accidently pulling out my shield when trying to scratch my nose or adjust glasses. My complaints are mostly just nit-picking, but it can be really annoying to die due to a misread swing.

Overall, Skyward Sword is totally worth a purchase at any price. The game is lengthy, filled with that Nintendo-style charm and topped off with some of the best music in the entire Zelda franchise. I hope Nintendo can fix some of the issues in the next game and give us one of the best Zelda's yet.



If anyone is up to do a more in-depth review, I'd be happy to set up a podcast for discussion.

(11-30-2011, 09:58 PM)Maxon link Wrote: I'd definitely agree.  My distaste for motion controls aside, they work for the most part (Except for the harp aspect, I hate it worse than the wolf howling in TP).  These bosses are really fantastic so far.  All of them have been pretty challenging and it has me looking forward to each new dungeon.  Even some of the minibosses can be a challenge like Stalfos, the 4 Armed Stalfos, and the Lizards, especially when there is more than one and you need to figure out their weakness.

Small question, was the Ancient Cistern dungeon the actual "Water Dungeon" or is there another? Cause if there isn't, I think this one sorta ends that annoying Water Dungeon cycle for these games.

(11-30-2011, 10:29 PM)Squishy link Wrote: [quote author=Karth link=topic=6027.msg231870#msg231870 date=1322707226]
Just beat it, here's my general thoughts"

This is a fantastic Zelda game, without a doubt. The story is as rich as ever and accompanied by great characters (perhaps not a strong as Wind Waker's cast) and a stellar musical score. The controls have been entirely reworked to fit the Wii's Motion Plus and, for the most part, it works great. The art direction is gorgeous, having a water paint filter over distant objects. The bosses and swordfights in the game are a lot of fun, although it means that there are less enemies in favor of more challenging fights. However, the game is still pretty easy on the first run and the game doesn't have enough punishments for dying or failing a puzzle.

The overworld is a bit disappointing. Where Wind Waker had multiple creative islands, Skyward Sword has only a handful of platforms. There also only one town, which is saddening. There are only three different areas, each containing two dungeons centering around that regions climate and style. The dungeons themselves are fairly short, but there are usually pre-dungeon areas that you must go through to reach them. Boss Fights are vastly improved from the last console Zelda and practically ooze creativity.

As I said earlier, the motion controls work well for the most part. That doesn't mean they don't have issues. The pointer needs to be centered a couple dozen times each play session and you'll likely need to re-calibrate the motion plus two or three times. Even then, some swings are easily misread. Thrusts are near-impossible to do when in a combat situation and require the utmost concentration to pull off, which can be excruciatingly frustrating when an enemy requires such a strike. The nunchuk is very sensitive in the game and is used for two functions; Shield Thrusts and the Spin Attack. On more than one occasion I found myself accidently pulling out my shield when trying to scratch my nose or adjust glasses. My complaints are mostly just nit-picking, but it can be really annoying to die due to a misread swing.

Overall, Skyward Sword is totally worth a purchase at any price. The game is lengthy, filled with that Nintendo-style charm and topped off with some of the best music in the entire Zelda franchise. I hope Nintendo can fix some of the issues in the next game and give us one of the best Zelda's yet.



If anyone is up to do a more in-depth review, I'd be happy to set up a podcast for discussion.

(11-30-2011, 10:48 PM)Karth link Wrote: [quote author=Squishy link=topic=6027.msg231877#msg231877 date=1322710177]
[quote author=Karth link=topic=6027.msg231870#msg231870 date=1322707226]
Just beat it, here's my general thoughts"

This is a fantastic Zelda game, without a doubt. The story is as rich as ever and accompanied by great characters (perhaps not a strong as Wind Waker's cast) and a stellar musical score. The controls have been entirely reworked to fit the Wii's Motion Plus and, for the most part, it works great. The art direction is gorgeous, having a water paint filter over distant objects. The bosses and swordfights in the game are a lot of fun, although it means that there are less enemies in favor of more challenging fights. However, the game is still pretty easy on the first run and the game doesn't have enough punishments for dying or failing a puzzle.

The overworld is a bit disappointing. Where Wind Waker had multiple creative islands, Skyward Sword has only a handful of platforms. There also only one town, which is saddening. There are only three different areas, each containing two dungeons centering around that regions climate and style. The dungeons themselves are fairly short, but there are usually pre-dungeon areas that you must go through to reach them. Boss Fights are vastly improved from the last console Zelda and practically ooze creativity.

As I said earlier, the motion controls work well for the most part. That doesn't mean they don't have issues. The pointer needs to be centered a couple dozen times each play session and you'll likely need to re-calibrate the motion plus two or three times. Even then, some swings are easily misread. Thrusts are near-impossible to do when in a combat situation and require the utmost concentration to pull off, which can be excruciatingly frustrating when an enemy requires such a strike. The nunchuk is very sensitive in the game and is used for two functions; Shield Thrusts and the Spin Attack. On more than one occasion I found myself accidently pulling out my shield when trying to scratch my nose or adjust glasses. My complaints are mostly just nit-picking, but it can be really annoying to die due to a misread swing.

Overall, Skyward Sword is totally worth a purchase at any price. The game is lengthy, filled with that Nintendo-style charm and topped off with some of the best music in the entire Zelda franchise. I hope Nintendo can fix some of the issues in the next game and give us one of the best Zelda's yet.



If anyone is up to do a more in-depth review, I'd be happy to set up a podcast for discussion.