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

This conversation is giving me weird urges...
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TheGreatMightyPoo said:
Charm, personality, etc...

It all is part of a package and makes a game much more intriguing and alive.

At least it does for me.
Yes but those two things are completely subjective and there is no real way to quanitfy them at all.

Like a good amount of people would say that TWW is full of charm and personality and then others would say they hate the look and how the world is presented.
 
TruePrime said:
Yes but those two things are completely subjective and there is no real way to quanitfy them at all.

Like a good amount of people would say that TWW is full of charm and personality and then others would say they hate the look and how the world is presented.

How can you quantify something like music then???

Everything is according to the one person's take on it really.

In reviews, it's mostly the perception and impression of the person reviewing the game.
 
Crunched said:
That's how it's looked in all Wii media.

One of the reviews so far even explicitly lists aliasing as a complaint.

It never looked that bad. Maybe it's the resolution. Everything is jaggy, even parts of the HUD.
 
TheGreatMightyPoo said:
How can you quantify something like music then???

Everything is according to the one person's take on it really.

In reviews, it's mostly the perception and impression of the person reviewing the game.
Well personally I would argue that you can't really do it with music.

It's something that talks to a person, we could argue sound quality, recording and all that but just simply the pieces of music you can't really argue it beyond what you feel.
 
Crunched said:
How to Train Your Dragon is like the Dreamworks apex. But then you've got Wall-E on the Pixar side, which is superior by orders of magnitude.
Ok, you're my new internet soulmate.
Exactly my opinion there. But it's also worth noting that such DW's apex (lovely, lovely!) is orders or magnitude better than all their other stuff.
It's like The Iron Giant for WB (where's my bluray release, damnit!)
 
BY2K said:
It never looked that bad. Maybe it's the resolution. Everything is jaggy, even parts of the HUD.
That's probably just due to the stream quality.

Dash Kappei said:
Ok, you're my new internet soulmate.
Exactly my opinion there. But it's also worth noting that such DW's apex (lovely, lovely!) is orders or magnitude better than all their other stuff.
It's like The Iron Giant for WB (where's my bluray release, damnit!)
Absolutely, yes. HTTYD is the only essential Dreamworks film, it is actually very good. I mean, Pixar has done some shit. Cars and Cars 2 were both mediocre to awful, and A Bug's Life doesn't stand nearly as tall as the rest of their output. But the rest of their catalog is excellent.

The first 40 minutes of Wall-E is my favorite film sequence ever.
 
ViewtifulJC said:
Let me guess: "charm", right?

Whatever that means

Even if people use that as short-hand for something they can't quite touch on or explain, it doesn't devalue their point. Someone posted the dictionary definition of charm for you a page or so back.

I'm starting to notice a trend with your posting btw. You seem really really bitter, angry and contrarian in some of these threads. Where did they touch you? ...or rather, why don't you relax a little.
 
radioheadrule83 said:
I'm starting to notice a trend with your posting btw. You seem really really bitter, angry and contrarian in some of these threads. Where did they touch you?

I'm just filling in for Amirox, I suppose, trying to spark some discussion outside OMG MAI BODY IS READY Nintendo circlejerk we usually get.

Does that make you feel uncomfortable?
 
ViewtifulJC said:
I'm just filling in for Amirox, I suppose, trying to spark some discussion outside OMG MAI BODY IS READY Nintendo circlejerk we usually get.

Does that make you feel uncomfortable?
Oh dear god no.
 
TheGreatMightyPoo said:
Of course it exists.

See Ocarina of Time and its non-technically advanced characters.

Why are they more memorable than most characters in other games???

Those characters have backstories that helped flesh out the game's universe and designs that really set them apart from one another (especially some of them that have exaggerated traits). Some characters are even tied to the music which was significant in the gameplay itself. Not to mention, Majora's Mask re-used the models and put a new spin on most of said characters, while still keeping them related to their original counterparts somehow. It's no wonder they didn't end up being forgettable.
 
Man. And here I was thinking during the day "Man. Between Skyrim and Skyward Sword... I just don't know."

But that 25th Anniversary Soundtrack... I must have it.
In an official capacity for car commuting purposes, of course.
 
ViewtifulJC said:
I'mma have to get used to all those damn jaggies :/

also, no more rolling around everywhere :((((((
Shake nunchuk while sprinting :D EDIT: ah, just saw the vid and what you meant

Also, I have 2 TV's that I tried the SS demo on. The larger one had a few jaggies, but not too bad, but the smaller one (which is still a decent size) had virtually none. I mean, of course they're there, but there must be something in the way the TV works that it smooths them out to the eye. All my Wii games look jaggie-free, actually. It's not the same as having anti-aliasing, but it's still damn good.

So I'm happy in that regard.
 
Souldriver said:
Lol. If something is really good, you should be able to pinpoint why. If it is a general feeling, you can still say something like "everything fits: the music, the art style, the gameplay, the story".

I agree that the "charm" argument isn't one at all. Especially if you get to write a few page review to elaborate your opinion, you should be more specific.
No, because this describes Uncharted games for the most part and they don't have half the charm of the best Zelda games. It's something else entirely. This isn't a case of black and white, or even shades of gray. It is the reason why some songs are memorable and some just aren't. Developers like RARE used to have it. Sega still kind of does.
I'll try to sum up a bit of what I mean. The little nuances of how characters react. The little jingles that accompany every action and reaction. The music snippets that will live forever. The unforgettable environments and events. The wa gamers eyes light up when they hear the name. That's charm. It isn't easily quantified or duplicated. It just IS.
 
Divvy said:
Oh man, those spider web threads!
Yes, happened in the demo as well. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that.

Also, about the rupoor speculation:
It appears black rupees in SS count for 100.
 
Caelus said:
I like how:

-the song that was reversed is relevant to the main plot
-while the previous song represents Zelda, the new one represents Link
-it's reversed, but composed in a way so that it sounds like two different songs

It was a great idea, and sounds gorgeous too.

That's because the melody is the only thing reversed. The others elements of the music are new.

The CD is glorious. I can't stop listening to it!
 
Holy Order Sol said:
Those characters have backstories that helped flesh out the game's universe and designs that really set them apart from one another (especially some of them that have exaggerated traits).

Without knowing anything about their story, they are charming to me.

Example: Wind Waker kid with snot hanging from his nose.

Example: Windmill dude in Ocarina.

They instantly hit you(or me) as memorable without having much to them.
 
cajunator said:
No, because this describes Uncharted games for the most part and they don't have half the charm of the best Zelda games. It's something else entirely. This isn't a case of black and white, or even shades of gray. It is the reason why some songs are memorable and some just aren't. Developers like RARE used to have it. Sega still kind of does.
I'll try to sum up a bit of what I mean. The little nuances of how characters react. The little jingles that accompany every action and reaction. The music snippets that will live forever. The unforgettable environments and events. The wa gamers eyes light up when they hear the name. That's charm. It isn't easily quantified or duplicated. It just IS.


It's like I said earlier.
It's the attention to detail. The little things. It's like Nintendo has sever OCD when it comes to making games.
It's why a game like Metroid Prime still looks amazing all these years later.
Why people can still pick up Super Mario Bros. 3 and be engaged for hours.
 
ViewtifulJC said:
I'm just filling in for Amirox, I suppose, trying to spark some discussion outside OMG MAI BODY IS READY Nintendo circlejerk we usually get.

Does that make you feel uncomfortable?

Heh - fair enough, have at it man
 
I bristled at the bingo card, so I replaced the word "soaring" with another word. I now only hit one square on the card. Suck it, Bingo!

Edit: Okay two with free space
 
Mistle said:
Only watched the start as I don't want spoilers, but wow, there is virtually no lag with the motionplus for him. When he moves, Link moves.

Also, good to see some Nintendo Australia representatives.
That's how the demo was for me. Didn't notice any lag that was out of the ordinary.
 
Ironically, ViewtfiulJC's namesake has a lot of charm in it as well so he really should understand what we are getting at here.
Clover games were great because they fully understood this.
 
TheGreatMightyPoo said:
Without knowing anything about their story, they are charming to me.

Example: Wind Waker kid with snot hanging from his nose.

Example: Windmill dude in Ocarina.

They instantly hit you(or me) as memorable without having much to them.

I remember the Wind Waker kid because... well, snot kinda stands out.
I remember the windmill guy because of the music and because that angry face freaked me out back then.

When you asked what made those characters memorable earlier, even if I had been unable to point out any reason, then I would have said just that. I'd rather admit that I can't figure out why something appeals to me than resort to that kind of thing.
 
Holy Order Sol said:
I remember the Wind Waker kid because... well, snot kinda stands out.
I remember the windmill guy because of the music and because that angry face freaked me out back then.

When you asked what made those characters memorable earlier, even if I had been unable to point out any reason, then I would have said just that. I'd rather admit that I can't figure out why something appeals to me than resort to that kind of thing.

What about the "worker" that runs(or skips) around the village town with his chest sticking out???

NO ONE can describe why he is so awesome but he is.
 
Karish said:
Ugh. I'm so hyped for more zelda but holy crap thats a blurry jaggy mess. Why can't Nintendo have released a WiiU that up-reses by now!?
It's not that bad, I can definitely live with it (obviously I didn't watch the whole video, just the first 20 seconds. Media blackout!)
 
cajunator said:
No, because this describes Uncharted games for the most part and they don't have half the charm of the best Zelda games. It's something else entirely. This isn't a case of black and white, or even shades of gray. It is the reason why some songs are memorable and some just aren't. Developers like RARE used to have it. Sega still kind of does.
I'll try to sum up a bit of what I mean. The little nuances of how characters react. The little jingles that accompany every action and reaction. The music snippets that will live forever. The unforgettable environments and events. The wa gamers eyes light up when they hear the name. That's charm. It isn't easily quantified or duplicated. It just IS.

See, I respect you for trying to define and articulate those things and quantities you enjoy. So often we just take criticism and wordplay at face value, without really understanding why or what they really are, until they become cliche and just lose any real meaning. I think its important to actually define our likes and dislikes in tangible forms, if nothing else, for better communication between fellow gamers, and we can find a connection between each other.

When I was younger, I tried to find out what it was that made me like Super Mario Bros 3 more then a dozen other platformers, and it was really so simple as pressing a button. Its FUN to jump in Super Mario Bros 3. The sound as you lift off the ground, the control you have over your direction once in the air, how long holding a button can change the height and length of a jump from a short hop to a Michael Jordan-esque leap. You feel completely and utterly in control at all moments during the gameplay, and it makes going through each level a rhythmic joy. All boiling down from the simple act of jumping. Very few platformers have nailed down the great "feel" of jumping like Super Mario so effortlessly does(the best example I can think of outside Nintendo games would be the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy. Even Warrior Within is rendered playable because its built on an incredible 3d platforming engine, where even the most mundane looking challenges are a joy to simply play through).

And that's what I like to do, actually talk about games, and why this works and that doesn't. I feel just throwing around vague descriptors like "charm" just hinders that.
 
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