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

Just got the latest Edge and read the glowing review - I don't know that I've ever seen such gushing in an Edge review before. The most noteworthy Zelda-related sentiment for me, though, was on the first page of the issue (apologies if already posted):
"When was the last time you stood in the middle of a game environment entirely unsure about what to do next, and rather than experiencing frustration felt wonder? When was the last time you played a big-budget game that didn't feel like a showy procession, spectacle taking precedence above all else?"

Music to my ears; I hope come away from the game feeling the same way.
 
sphinx said:
you know guys what's the worst part about waiting for this game?

having to rely on this thread to contain the hype and click on it only to see people are talking about all sorts of offtopic shit like the Mario galaxies and the WiiU when all this thread should be containing is reviews, previews and all hype-inducing things leading to the release of Skyward sword.

it's very, very annoying.
Ill take enthustic conversation over bickering over reviews any day of the week.
 
Rez said:
Ill take enthustic conversation over bickering over reviews any day of the week. Except for Sunday, that day's for god and I.

It's fine and I didn't mean to be rude but I wish we tried (sometime myself included) to stay on topic.

It so near yet so far that maybe I am being oversensitive right now.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
That wasn't said, either.
Technically, no, but the context implies that enough. I don't see why he would bother saying that if that's not what he meant. If June is still the target, it would have to enter production around March or so, wouldn't it? If so, the final version would have to be ready in February, I would think. Unless something is shown in January, I have to stick to September being the absolute earliest and November being the most likely.
 
When is the official thread coming? I'm curious to see what Amirox will do, considering he apparently didn't spoil himself much with all the info that was released.
 
Bisnic said:
When is the official thread coming? I'm curious to see what Amirox will do, considering he apparently didn't spoil himself much with all the info that was released.

Between 1 week before release and the day of release.
 
So we aren't scheduled to do it, but I've decided to do a Midnight in my store anyways for this game Saturday the 19th. We have a decent amount of reserves, but like Uncharted I think the company want's to take a breather on midnight's after MW3, Skyrim and Nov. 15th. Zelda is a pretty hardcore crowd though and would love to do that for the game....ah who the fuck am I kidding I'm off Sunday and want to get it for myself at midnight =)
 
Somnia said:
So we aren't scheduled to do it, but I've decided to do a Midnight in my store anyways for this game Saturday the 19th. We have a decent amount of reserves, but like Uncharted I think the company want's to take a breather on midnight's after MW3, Skyrim and Nov. 15th. Zelda is a pretty hardcore crowd though and would love to do that for the game....ah who the fuck am I kidding I'm off Sunday and want to get it for myself at midnight =)

That's cool man, where's your store if I may ask?
 
Lord Ghirahim said:
We'll probably need a spoiler thread by the 16th at the latest.
I'm just avoiding GAF from the time Skyrim comes out til I'm done with Zelda. Too many accidental spoilers
 
zoner said:
I'm just avoiding GAF from the time Skyrim comes out til I'm done with Zelda. Too many accidental spoilers

I know, I clicked the Super Mario 3D Land thread and I immediately saw something that should have been spoiler-tagged. I'm not going back in there now.
 
Lord Ghirahim said:
I know, I clicked the Super Mario 3D Land thread and I immediately saw something that should have been spoiler-tagged. I'm not going back in there now.
oh god no where is safe!

and I gotta surf it up 'till december!
 
Good god I am so fucking excited for this game. Just got done playing through Lttp again, still my most loved Zelda game despite such good memories of Ocarina.
 
Boney said:
Saria's song reversed is Song of Healing, and that shit can reduce a man entirely

It's just a coincidence that the notes are reversed for each other, when you reverse the Song of Healing it only barely sounds like Saria's Song.

But reversing the Ballad of the Goddess... is incredible.
 
Kandinsky said:
That sounds.. bad? I find Galaxy games boring :/
I still play Super Mario 64. I couldn't even bring myself to beat Galaxy 2 once. Not that the Galaxy games are bad, but I find 64 to have much more replayability.
 
stephentotilo Stephen Totilo
19 hours in. Closing in on dungeon 4. I have experienced some all-time great sequences and some series low points all in one game

I wonder if he's talking about SS?
 
I'm really looking forward to Skyward Sword, I have the collector's edition preordered and have found myself lovingly admiring the art assets, especially the various monsters (I'm a creature feature fan). But I don't anticipate this will be anywhere near as magical as the N64 games were back in the day.

For one, I'm an adult, a bit more jaded now than I was as a kid. But also, unlike OoT, which was the cutting edge when it came out in terms of graphics and sound and innovation and scope, and unlike Majora's Mask, which to this day is the only game to feature what I consider true "4D" gameplay (space AND time), Skyward Sword introduces nothing totally new, and is coming out on dated hardware, following the likes of Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, which frankly have an attention to detail this game does not, and that from early appearances feel so much grander. Zelda is a franchise that would truly sing with those kind of production values on that kind of hardware... which is the sole attraction of WiiU at the moment, not its unproven (and at the moment gimmicky) controller.

So what I'm expecting from Skyward Sword is a solid game, not a magical experience. I -do- think there will be some magic in the controls; I remember how amazing it was to control the cursor on the Wii menu for the first time, and I hope wielding Link's sword with true 1:1 precision will be equally enchanting. But as far as the world we're exploring, it could be so much more with the scale and detail density of, say, Arkham City. I know the density of design will be there, in terms of puzzle-laden environments, but I just long for a Zelda world to be the cutting edge in immersion once again...

Some day.
 
Somnia said:
So we aren't scheduled to do it, but I've decided to do a Midnight in my store anyways for this game Saturday the 19th. We have a decent amount of reserves, but like Uncharted I think the company want's to take a breather on midnight's after MW3, Skyrim and Nov. 15th. Zelda is a pretty hardcore crowd though and would love to do that for the game....ah who the fuck am I kidding I'm off Sunday and want to get it for myself at midnight =)
Any chance your store is the Crestwood one? If so PM me.
Somnia said:
I wonder if he's talking about SS?
He is, judging by his previous tweets.
 
Neiteio said:
I'm really looking forward to Skyward Sword, I have the collector's edition preordered and have found myself lovingly admiring the art assets, especially the various monsters (I'm a creature feature fan). But I don't anticipate this will be anywhere near as magical as the N64 games were back in the day.

For one, I'm an adult, a bit more jaded now than I was as a kid. But also, unlike OoT, which was the cutting edge when it came out in terms of graphics and sound and innovation and scope, and unlike Majora's Mask, which to this day is the only game to feature what I consider true "4D" gameplay (space AND time), Skyward Sword introduces nothing totally new, and is coming out on dated hardware, following the likes of Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, which frankly have an attention to detail this game does not, and that from early appearances feel so much grander. Zelda is a franchise that would truly sing with those kind of production values on that kind of hardware... which is the sole attraction of WiiU at the moment, not its unproven (and at the moment gimmicky) controller.

So what I'm expecting from Skyward Sword is a solid game, not a magical experience. I -do- think there will be some magic in the controls; I remember how amazing it was to control the cursor on the Wii menu for the first time, and I hope wielding Link's sword with true 1:1 precision will be equally enchanting. But as far as the world we're exploring, it could be so much more with the scale and detail density of, say, Arkham City. I know the density of design will be there, in terms of puzzle-laden environments, but I just long for a Zelda world to be the cutting edge in immersion once again...

Some day.

Umm this game is seeming to be the most "magical" zelda game in years. Also you must not really be following the game if you think there's nothing new. Seems you just want it on better hardware.
 
IceDoesntHelp said:
I stopped reading at "For one, I'm an adult"
You can tell its going to go downhill from there.
It's essentially, I'm an adult, graphics aren't good enough. The G4 effect.
 
Neiteio said:
I'm really looking forward to Skyward Sword, I have the collector's edition preordered and have found myself lovingly admiring the art assets, especially the various monsters (I'm a creature feature fan). But I don't anticipate this will be anywhere near as magical as the N64 games were back in the day.

For one, I'm an adult, a bit more jaded now than I was as a kid. But also, unlike OoT, which was the cutting edge when it came out in terms of graphics and sound and innovation and scope, and unlike Majora's Mask, which to this day is the only game to feature what I consider true "4D" gameplay (space AND time), Skyward Sword introduces nothing totally new, and is coming out on dated hardware, following the likes of Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, which frankly have an attention to detail this game does not, and that from early appearances feel so much grander. Zelda is a franchise that would truly sing with those kind of production values on that kind of hardware... which is the sole attraction of WiiU at the moment, not its unproven (and at the moment gimmicky) controller.

So what I'm expecting from Skyward Sword is a solid game, not a magical experience. I -do- think there will be some magic in the controls; I remember how amazing it was to control the cursor on the Wii menu for the first time, and I hope wielding Link's sword with true 1:1 precision will be equally enchanting. But as far as the world we're exploring, it could be so much more with the scale and detail density of, say, Arkham City. I know the density of design will be there, in terms of puzzle-laden environments, but I just long for a Zelda world to be the cutting edge in immersion once again...

Some day.

14 more days bro...
 
Skyward Sword introduces mechanics that are new for Zelda (dungeon-ifying the overworld, stamina dashing/climbing, dowsing instead of compass, upgrading items, bomb-rolling, giving unique items earlier, etc), but I mean in terms of gaming in general, there is nothing as monumental in SS as Z-targeting in OoT or 4D gameplay in MM. Plus, besides the way the dated hardware already holds back the scale of the world, the world looks further fragmented by the "zoning" of the overworld; it's been confirmed that the three regions are unconnected and accessed through distinctly gamey holes in the stratosphere. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm still seeing SS as many parts rather than as something more than the sum of its parts. But I reserve final judgment for when I've finally had time to drink in the game at length. In the meanwhile, at this point in time, everything just looks a bit dated, fresh only by Zelda's own conventions, and while I know it will be tightly designed like Galaxy, I just lament the fact the game could've been so much more with the hardware power and budget to match its imagination.

Also, again, I already preordered this game. Majora's Mask in my favorite game of all time. I bought a 3DS for freaking Pilotwings (and loved it). Don't judge me as a shallow gamer just because I find what I've seen of SS to be less than magical so far.
 
Neiteio said:
I'm really looking forward to Skyward Sword, I have the collector's edition preordered and have found myself lovingly admiring the art assets, especially the various monsters (I'm a creature feature fan). But I don't anticipate this will be anywhere near as magical as the N64 games were back in the day.

For one, I'm an adult, a bit more jaded now than I was as a kid. But also, unlike OoT, which was the cutting edge when it came out in terms of graphics and sound and innovation and scope, and unlike Majora's Mask, which to this day is the only game to feature what I consider true "4D" gameplay (space AND time), Skyward Sword introduces nothing totally new, and is coming out on dated hardware, following the likes of Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, which frankly have an attention to detail this game does not, and that from early appearances feel so much grander. Zelda is a franchise that would truly sing with those kind of production values on that kind of hardware... which is the sole attraction of WiiU at the moment, not its unproven (and at the moment gimmicky) controller.

So what I'm expecting from Skyward Sword is a solid game, not a magical experience. I -do- think there will be some magic in the controls; I remember how amazing it was to control the cursor on the Wii menu for the first time, and I hope wielding Link's sword with true 1:1 precision will be equally enchanting. But as far as the world we're exploring, it could be so much more with the scale and detail density of, say, Arkham City. I know the density of design will be there, in terms of puzzle-laden environments, but I just long for a Zelda world to be the cutting edge in immersion once again...

Some day.



I wouldn't call this true.

Uncharted 3 has fantastic details in the graphics, but the game is a linear thrill-ride. Zelda is open world, explorable at will and at the pace of the gamer. It is also probably three times as long, and has a graphical style not seen in two prequels.

Arkham City has a great open world, and although the fighting and weapons are great, I don't think they will hold a candle to what Swkyward Sword builds on with the 1:1 motion controls.

As someone who loved Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, I am excited for what Zelda offers that these games (and quite frankly no game out there) can offer.

Don't let graphical fidelity hinder you my friend. Skyward Sword is the biggest jump in the franchise since OOT.
 
Neiteio said:
Skyward Sword introduces mechanics that are new for Zelda (dungeon-ifying the overworld, stamina dashing/climbing, dowsing instead of compass, upgrading items, bomb-rolling, giving unique items earlier, etc), but I mean in terms of gaming in general, there is nothing as monumental in SS as Z-targeting in OoT or 4D gameplay in MM. Plus, besides the way the dated hardware already holds back the scale of the world, the world looks further fragmented by the "zoning" of the overworld; it's been confirmed that the three regions are unconnected and accessed through distinctly gamey holes in the stratosphere. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm still seeing SS as many parts rather than as something more than the sum of its parts. But I reserve final judgment for when I've finally had time to drink in the game at length. In the meanwhile, at this point in time, everything just looks a bit dated, fresh only by Zelda's own conventions, and while I know it will be tightly designed like Galaxy, I just lament the fact the game could've been so much more with the hardware power and budget to match its imagination.

Also, again, I already preordered this game. Majora's Mask in my favorite game of all time. I bought a 3DS for freaking Pilotwings (and loved it). Don't judge me as a shallow gamer just because I find what I've seen of SS to be less than magical so far.
1:1 swordfighting not as monumental? U must be kidding right??
 
Neiteio said:
I'm really looking forward to Skyward Sword, I have the collector's edition preordered and have found myself lovingly admiring the art assets, especially the various monsters (I'm a creature feature fan). But I don't anticipate this will be anywhere near as magical as the N64 games were back in the day.

For one, I'm an adult, a bit more jaded now than I was as a kid. But also, unlike OoT, which was the cutting edge when it came out in terms of graphics and sound and innovation and scope, and unlike Majora's Mask, which to this day is the only game to feature what I consider true "4D" gameplay (space AND time), Skyward Sword introduces nothing totally new, and is coming out on dated hardware, following the likes of Uncharted 3 and Arkham City, which frankly have an attention to detail this game does not, and that from early appearances feel so much grander. Zelda is a franchise that would truly sing with those kind of production values on that kind of hardware... which is the sole attraction of WiiU at the moment, not its unproven (and at the moment gimmicky) controller.

So what I'm expecting from Skyward Sword is a solid game, not a magical experience. I -do- think there will be some magic in the controls; I remember how amazing it was to control the cursor on the Wii menu for the first time, and I hope wielding Link's sword with true 1:1 precision will be equally enchanting. But as far as the world we're exploring, it could be so much more with the scale and detail density of, say, Arkham City. I know the density of design will be there, in terms of puzzle-laden environments, but I just long for a Zelda world to be the cutting edge in immersion once again...

Some day.
I think we should hold of until we actually play the game. As of right now, I'd say it's very likely that Skyward Sword offers just as much content if not more than Batman Arkham City. I think both Nintendo and Rocksteady have offered a tremendous amount of attention to detail and we really can't assess the things you are complaining about the game until we have it in our hands.

Also there is nothing that the Wii U controller can't do that the 360/PS3 can. So unless they go down a different route so far the controller would only add to the experience. Again, which we will have to wait and see how it will look and play before we start complaining on how a hypothetical Zelda will look and play.

Again as you and others have done, I don't really get the complaint that the game should be on a better platform. You knew from the get go what system it was going to be on, I don't really think it's a valid complaint. I also am not completely sure but I believe members have been banned for such complaints because it deters the conversation.

Umm this game is seeming to be the most "magical" zelda game in years. Also you must not really be following the game if you think there's nothing new.

Could we please refrain from using such terms as "Magical" as a compliment or complaint because there's no real way of measuring it. Also as I said with the other post we haven't played the game yet so we can't make such presemptions. I think when he says there is nothing new he means nothing new to gaming not nothing new to Zelda because there is plenty new to Zelda but the majority of what I've seen so far from Skyward Sword has been done in other games. However, I think there are only a small handful of things that Zelda as a series has done for the first time in Gaming history and most of that is from the original Zelda.

1:1 swordfighting not as monumental? U must be kidding right??
Most of the motion controls have been done before in Wii Sports Resort and Red Steel 2 was the first "hardcore" game to use motionplus extensively.
 
Lord_Byron28 said:
Could we please refrain from using such terms as "Magical" as a compliment or complaint because there's no real way of measuring it. Also as I said with the other post we haven't played the game yet so we can't make such presemptions. I think when he says there is nothing new he means nothing new to gaming not nothing new to Zelda because there is plenty new to Zelda but the majority of what I've seen so far from Skyward Sword has been done in other games. However, I think there are only a small handful of things that Zelda as a series has done for the first time in Gaming history and most of that is from the original Zelda.



I just don't see it. None of the puzzles look similar. There is bird-flying. It is fully motion-controlled. Different system for upgrading. Fighting is completely revamped. Orchestrated soundtrack.

All reviews say the dungeon and puzzles are totally different too. Was there a quote I read that said not a SINGLE block pushing puzzle?
 
Neiteio said:
Skyward Sword introduces mechanics that are new for Zelda (dungeon-ifying the overworld, stamina dashing/climbing, dowsing instead of compass, upgrading items, bomb-rolling, giving unique items earlier, etc), but I mean in terms of gaming in general, there is nothing as monumental in SS as Z-targeting in OoT or 4D gameplay in MM. Plus, besides the way the dated hardware already holds back the scale of the world, the world looks further fragmented by the "zoning" of the overworld; it's been confirmed that the three regions are unconnected and accessed through distinctly gamey holes in the stratosphere. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm still seeing SS as many parts rather than as something more than the sum of its parts. But I reserve final judgment for when I've finally had time to drink in the game at length....

Exactly. And once you do..
ngbbs4bb66939d0afb.jpg


You'll love it.
 
IceDoesntHelp said:
So Neiteio is secretly Morgan Webb. Knew it.
Sigh. I see on the last page you didn't even read my whole post because you thought I was saying I'm "too mature" for Zelda... which is not what I said at all.

First off, I love Pokemon, from which your avatar is derived, and that's a series that's been wrongly stereotyped as kiddy. That alone should prove you misintrepet me. If you read my full post, you'll see I was saying that OoT felt more magical as a kid because the standards of the time were different. Years later, so much has changed in the action-adventure genre that for SS to match the impact of OoT will be a tall order indeed. Perhaps impossible.

And where immersion is concerned, it won't come close to what it could be on a more powerful console. That's speaking for myself and I'm NOT a graphics whore by any means. It's just that the imagination in Zelda games is already pushing the Wii so much it's showing the seams. That's as much a compliment to the strength of Nintendo's vision as a factual acknowledgment of the Wii's glaring limitations.

Also, to the person who said I don't think 1:1 motion control is something new -- reread my post on the last page. I specifically said it's the only one thing I'm expecting to be magical, much like moving the Wii menu cursor for the first time dazzled me during the Christmas of 2006, when I got a Wii.

I'm a lifelong Nintendo fan, guys. I only recently got a PS3 and PC. They really broadened my horizons and showed me there are so many ways Nintendo can improve on a good thing. And knowing what other possibilities are out there has just tempered my enthusiasm for this game somewhat, compared to the N64 days when the N64 was all I knew and cared about.
 
hatchx said:
I just don't see it. None of the puzzles look similar. There is bird-flying. It is fully motion-controlled. Different system for upgrading. Fighting is completely revamped. Orchestrated soundtrack.

All reviews say the dungeon and puzzles are totally different too. Was there a quote I read that said not a SINGLE block pushing puzzle?
Again all of these things have been done before just not by Zelda. Which is what he's talking about. There is plenty of new things for SS but he is technically right that other games have done bird flying, have had an upgrade system, almost all of the motion controls are directly from WSR, etc. Again, I said from what I've seen. Obviously I haven't seen every puzzle also there are a few block pushing segments according to another review.

I'm not on his side of the arguement for being underwhelmed or not being hyped because my hype level is over 9000 but I don't think he should be teared up into bits and pieces when he's not stating anything factually wrong.

And where immersion is concerned, it won't come close to what it could be on a more powerful console. That's speaking for myself and I'm NOT a graphics whore by any means. It's just that the imagination in Zelda games is already pushing the Wii so much it's showing the seams. That's as much a compliment to the strength of Nintendo's vision as a factual acknowledgment of the Wii's glaring limitations.
This is the only problem I have with his rant because the platform was chosen ages ago and this I believe has been a bannable offense in the past; that and he's trying to measure and define what is and isn't magical.
 
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