Skyward Sword review thread [Newest Reviews - Cubed3 10/10, GC: A, AusGamers: 7/10]

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| One Block Puzzle Too Many.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| Out of Work Torch Puzzles
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| Not so lost Lost Woods
 
WiiredShawn said:
Some people in countries outside America wonder why adult Americans drink so much milk, believing that milk is primarily a child's drink. So part of the answer is sociological: what constitutes an "adult" in a particular culture ripples out to various activities. In American culture, notions of being an 'adult' are deeply ingrained in the imagination vs. reality dichotomy, and in an emphasis on eschewing play for work.

So, games as an idea are already fighting an uphill battle: they are typically imaginative, fictional, and in some cases like Zelda, colorful. Adults often associate these qualities with cartoons, which are "for children" (although some shows like Family Guy and South Park have managed to reverse that idea). Video games as a medium are also not as old as movies or books, and history tells that people tend to immediately think old = credible.

Of course, we have various double standards, such as sports. All sports are essentially a game that people watch or participate in for enjoyment, but the amount of money and social standing wrapped up in sports allows people to justify them differently. But on a related note, sports are often thought of as "socially productive," bringing people together, whereas games still carry (in some people's minds) the classic D&D image of a bunch of social outcasts engaging in a "dark" imaginative act that most people don't understand. You could read a little bit of witch fear into that, which might make for an interesting research topic.

Games that seem "closer to reality" or endorse certain social conventions (men fight, girls cook, etc.), such as Madden or Call of Duty, are generally seen in a more positive light because of their "social productivity": people are often socially engaged, learning social customs and participating in acts that are socially validated. In a way, it's about sticking to what's safe and understandable - but that might only be part of the picture.

In any case, I play Zelda because it's fun - just like I drink milk because I like the flavor. I did play Zelda and drink milk as a child, and I can do them as an adult, with an adult mindset and adult tastes. In some ways, playing Zelda as a kid was more magical, but as an adult, I can appreciate the nuances of the games so much more keenly. In that sense, playing Zelda as an adult is more respectful to the hard work of the developers, who deserve recognition for their adult professionalism.
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I agree with much of what you say, but I don't know, I think much of the problem is within the gaming community itself rather than social conventions.

Most people I know who are not into games at all find the obsession with games like GTA, Call of Duty, sports games etc far stranger than games like Zelda or Mario.

Infact they quite often see the worth in the latter games (even if they don't play them themselves) as they are imaginitive and creative.
But they can't understand why adults would want to lose themselves in a virtual world like GTA.

"Core" gamers on the other hand seem to think the GTAs of the world are mature.

It may be different in the US though. I live in the UK :)
Your analysis is certainly food for thought and well written.
 
radioheadrule83 said:
I know a guy who is a huge Zelda fan but bailed out on the Wii a few years ago -- he hasn't played any of the great games like SMG2, Other M etc and he won't play this new game, because he flat out refuses to play anything that isn't HD. More fool him, I say... he's actually hoping that Wii-U will upscale it or that a HD edition will be released. He's just going to miss a good game. There will be a lot of people with that mindset.
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One of my friends is a big gamer, his game of the gen is Demon's Souls, and we agree on many topics, but he has a pretty a keen hatred for Nintendo whom he believes sold out core gamers for the casual crowd. I can respect that sentiment because it is frustrating to not have access to a constant stream of games like the HD twins, but it pretty much taints his opinion of Nintendo titles and the Wii in general. One of his favorite games this gen is also Xenoblades and I called him out on it, and he said, "I'm a fair guy, if something is good, I have no problem admitting it."

I just hope he gives SS a shot, cause he's championing UC3. I'm a fan of both franchises, but I think we can all acknowledge that Zelda is likely going to be a fresher experience and push more boundaries than UC3, which seems to be a refined take on that franchise's formula. (for the record, I'm one of the guys who agrees with Jaffe's and Eurogamers critiques of UC) So yeah, it sucks that people miss out on great games cause of their parochial mindset.
 
Wait, it isn't a donkey? Next you'll be telling me that Anihawk's old avatar with the dude with the white hair and the bandanna was really an ostrich or something.
 
Damn. I went to the place that sells Edge, and it's still the Batman cover. I'm guessing last month. When do the news stands usually get the next month magazine? I know it said the 25th, I'm sure that is when its shipped out?
 
RPGCrazied said:
Damn. I went to the place that sells Edge, and it's still the Batman cover. I'm guessing last month. When do the news stands usually get the next month magazine? I know it said the 25th, I'm sure that is when its shipped out?
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Where do you live? I bought mine yesterday, it's definitely out.
 
The honeymoon is over. It will get a couple more 9s after this, then its all downhill until it hits the 2s.
 
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| A Legendary Tale of Zelda, Link and a Master's Sword that can send one Skyward

clearly the most concise title
 
8.8 it's the sweet spot to begin the outrage and meltdowns

Also,

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| My Sword is Skyward
 
I don't think the game will get lower than a 9 on the metric. But I don't care, it could get 2's from all the review sites. I'll still be getting it. It's just a review.
 
That 9 score is on a Zelda scale of 1-10. See you have normal scales, and then the Zelda scale. How it works is that a Zelda scale 0/10 is a normal scale 10/10. A 9/10 on the Zelda scale means that it's just that damn high compared to other Zelda titles. It's not the same as say Batman: Arkham City getting a 9/10. That's just a 9/10 on the normal scale.
 
EatChildren said:
The honeymoon is over. It will get a couple more 9s after this, then its all downhill until it hits the 2s.
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And so it begins...

I wonder what G4 will give it? I'd pay money to get a Munn/Webb combo to do the video review.
 
EatChildren said:
The honeymoon is over. It will get a couple more 9s after this, then its all downhill until it hits the 2s.
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FWNRr.gif
 
discocaine said:
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword |OT| Even now in Skyward Sword, Link will still push blocks.

I think this is a great title. It's a quote from Shigeru Miyamoto off the 25th Anniversary Symphony program.

*Also, I tried to buy EDGE today at WHSmith and found it was sold out. So pissed. :(
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Change it to "BLOCK" singular and we might have a good one.

There apparently is only one block puzzle.
 
krYlon said:
I agree with much of what you say, but I don't know, I think much of the problem is within the gaming community itself rather than social conventions.

Most people I know who are not into games at all find the obsession with games like GTA, Call of Duty, sports games etc far stranger than games like Zelda or Mario.

Infact they quite often see the worth in the latter games (even if they don't play them themselves) as they are imaginitive and creative.
But they can't understand why adults would want to lose themselves in a virtual world like GTA.

"Core" gamers on the other hand seem to think the GTAs of the world are mature.

It may be different in the US though. I live in the UK :)
Your analysis is certainly food for thought and well written.
Click to expand...
I remember my own mother, who knows very little about games but still supported my enjoyment of them growing up, mentioned that she appreciated games like Mario and Zelda for the same reasons you mentioned: they are imaginative and creative. Although I would add that they are non-threatening, especially in a family setting. Nothing about them challenges the status quo or the social conventions that we keep like whispers in our hearts. I don't have to explain anything about them to justify their content - unlike games like GTA or Call of Duty, in which justifying them involves an uncomfortable discussion about what is valued by gamers and the larger society.

Personally, I feel that people obsessed with Call of Duty aren't any different than people obsessed by D&D, aside from possibly their number of Facebook friends (which, of course, is meaningless by itself): they are lost in a fictional environment that allows them the identity they seek. In some ways, I'm more wary of Call of Duty superfans, because the sense of underlying machismo can leak into more serious social problems, like war, aggressive behavior, and even rape justification (not that all Call of Duty players are meat-headed assault machines, of course).

GTA is a funny example, though. I played GTA 4 with my fiancee (who enjoyed it more than me, but she is more amused by violence), and the parody of Western values could not be more apparent. The game makes fun of gangs, rich people, machismo, drug wars, jocks - you name it. Whether the social satire is good is a matter of critical debate, but its presence is undeniable. Yet gamers focus so heavily on whether it's fun to kill hookers, explode cars and murder NPCs with helicopters. I admit that the game is amusing sometimes, but the disparity between what the game tries to 'say' versus what gamers reap from the experience is really curious to me.

In short, though, I might say that gamers who are obsessed with "gritty" games want just as much escapism as someone who plays Zelda, perhaps even more so, but they want their hobby justified by a surface-level connection to reality. Or perhaps they are men who want to fit their prescribed role of "edginess," "darkness" and "powerful." Or perhaps they enjoy that the games are unapproachable by anyone accept their peers, thus creating an in-group. There's a lot of potential reasons, all more interesting than what FOX and CNN have to offer.

...oh, and thank God Skyward Sword is less than a month away! Bring it on!
 
Chinner said:
this is going to be uncharted 3 all over again, but with zelda.
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I hope it's not but if it is than there better be two specific posters in here doing the something that they were in the Uncharted 3 reviews thread.
 
I doubt that the same kind of controversy that happeaned in the Uncharted 3 thread will happen here. People are going to keep making it more obvious that they are joking this time since a lot of jokes were taken seriously in the U3 thread. I also doubt there will be anyone collecting comments and begging for attention here either.
 
Dr.Hadji said:
38/40 - Famitsu
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... That's a 9.5! Awww yeah!


SykoTech said:
I doubt that the same kind of controversy that happeaned in the Uncharted 3 thread will happen here. People are going to keep making it more obvious that they are joking this time since a lot of jokes were taken seriously in the U3 thread. I also doubt there will be anyone collecting comments and begging for attention here either.
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A lot of people weren't joking in that thread though, whereas I imagine most people WILL be joking in this thread.
 
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