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

cajunator said:
Damn. LTTP is schooling these guys on the webcast. 57 deaths just in that game, and counting.
I think I got 64 on the counter my first time through as a kid. Of course saving and quitting count as a death so I don't really know how many times I died.
 
Awesome reviews! I just pre-ordered the UK Limited Edition bundle with the golden wiimote! It was the same price as buying the game and a motion plus add on, so anyone who is planning to get the game and don't have the motion plus add on yet, should consider getting that version as you practically get a wiimote for free!
 
TSA said:
Well, I mean, you might love him in the end and further disagree with what I felt. I actually do want more people to chime in who like Ghirahim because I want to get some more insight into why he clicked with some people.

Well I haven't played it but I can say the reason I like Ghirahim right now is because of his dialogue and animation (I don't have much to go on though.) The role he actually plays in the story could end up being disappointing to me but for now I like him. Plus I felt he was a breath of fresh air for the series. If I liked his dialogue in the E3 demo will I like it throughout the rest of the game?

Oh btw do you know if the GT review is going up today?
 
jarosh said:
there is ENTIRELY TOO MUCH handholding, talking and generally too much interruption in the first segment of the game. just let me plaaaaay. don't re-iterate everything and beat me over the head with the tiniest of inane details about every mechanic or mission. every few steps i'm being told something or i get some WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE hint about really obvious introductory puzzles.
Sounds like they took a page out of Okami's book, sadly it was the worst page to take
 
nluckett said:
Gotta remember though that there are kids for whom this will be their first Zelda game.
"have you played a Zelda game before? y/n"
"would you like to turn off hints? y/n"
 
Bluemercury said:
So people want a gta style experience???heck no....

I never said anything about GTA.

But remember Zelda did this in the 80's...

zelda1.gif


Where do you want to go? Three branching paths immediately and a cave! Explore the world! Use your brain and not the forced hand. Complete respect to the player.

Why NOT have our own experiences in the game be uniquely defined. Why does all of our individual Zelda experiences need to be absolutely identical?
 
The fact that you never really even see Zant is one of the reasons why he's so unmemorable. He doesn't have any great dialog and when he's finally fully "revealed," he's also shown to be a puppet for Ganon.

Sure, he was "bad," but I never really felt like he had a presence in the game because he was kind of boring. I would put him above someone like Chancellor Cole (who was awful), but definitely below some other memorable Zelda "one-off" villains. I'd be tempted to put Onox and Veran above him just because they had more of a role in their respective games.

I wonder if anyplace in LA has broken the street date...
 
Pyrokai said:
I gotta stay out of this thread before other people's opinions start affecting my own. Man.
I'm telling you that Link: The faces of evil is quite possibly the pinnacle of not only Zelda but gaming as a whole, i'm sure you'll agree...
 
Nocturnowl said:
I'm telling you that Link: The faces of evil is quite possibly the pinnacle of not only Zelda but gaming as a whole, i'm sure you'll agree...

Sorry but I'd have to go with the Wand of Gamelon.
 
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/
 
cajunator said:
The problem with that is it is only a superficial commonality with Zelda. The enemy designs, characters, Zelda music, quirky items, and other elements are just not there. If you open a treasure chest you wont hear the little jingle, because that will be seen as non-immersive and unwanted in Skyrims world. Games like Skyrim I'm sure are fun for people who like them, but for me, I see trends developing that I really fear might ruin gaming for me. the move to more dark, realistic games is starting to lose the point. At first it was easy to avoid, but then more and more developers moved on to making those sorts of games, and started to leave out the cute and charming little things that used to make me happy as a gamer. It seems my fears are being realized. I don't think its an irrational fear because it is actually happening. There are fewer and fewer games that appeal to me. Developers that "got it" are starting to die off and be replaced with developers who really dont. Platformers are disappearing and relegated to download only releases outside of the Nintendo consoles. These are trends that I saw coming and really REALLY hated but they are becoming the new mainstream. All I can do is hold on to the few games that still appeal to my taste in gaming and hope for the best.

i agree... which is why i find myself buying arcade titles that still have that charm or classic remakes instantly... while renting and returning these "realistic" titles after playing them
 
jarosh said:
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/

one of the dumbest boss fights in gaming history. yep. I'm a huge defender of Twilight Princess but that shit was atrociously stupid.
 
jarosh said:
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/

Being mysterious and silent doesn't necessarily make you a good villain, especially with his insipid dialog and the overall mediocre story in Twilight Princess. Especially in a game where the story is delivered by text: animation and dialog become incredibly important to build character. Zant didn't excel in either.
 
jarosh said:
nick? wow. blast from the past. didn't know you posted here...

Hey buddy, haha, yeah, I post here from time to time. More so since I bought a humongous tv and have been catching up on years of games I missed out on.
 
solblade00 said:
Sorry but I'd have to go with the Wand of Gamelon.
A fine choice indeed, shame that Ocarina had to follow in the mammoth footsteps of the CDI trio, made the game look even worse than it already was and the less said about the rest the better.
upon typing that I think I felt my brain trying to leap out of my head and my lunch rise up my gullet and with good cause!
 
TreasureHunterG said:
1UP reviews are the least reliable concerning Nintendo games. I don't trust their B+.
YM9Ba.jpg


Brandon F said:
I never said anything about GTA.

But remember Zelda did this in the 80's...

Where do you want to go? Three branching paths immediately and a cave! Explore the world! Use your brain and not the forced hand. Complete respect to the player.

Why NOT have our own experiences in the game be uniquely defined. Why does all of our individual Zelda experiences need to be absolutely identical?
yep. the original has not been topped as far as exploration and challenge is concerned. 3d zelda's have nice dungeons but piss easy difficulty and a host of tedious bullshit.

might get this anyway and do a three heart run. still piss easy, i bet.
 
jarosh said:
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/

Yeah he became AWESOME. I really liked that boss battle, just really stupid in a fun way, even if the character himself got destroyed with the stupid stick
 
ivysaur12 said:
Being mysterious and silent doesn't necessarily make you a good villain, especially with his insipid dialog and the overall mediocre story in Twilight Princess. Especially in a game where the story is delivered by text: animation and dialog become incredibly important to build character. Zant didn't excel in either.

I think he's just saying that he was creepy and mysterious before they jumped the shark with the character near the end.
 
I like that they made him juvenile - I think the transition, or rather how they played him out to be some dark menacing person killed that. Had they shown him to be juvenile as well as dark and menacing, it would have made him a far more interesting character.
 
I think Zant was just what Agahnim would have been had he actually been fleshed out. He served his role, but I'd agree, he was a bit of a letdown.
 
jarosh said:
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/

Personally I liked him better after he snapped. I don't think he had much of a personality before that point. I also felt like you didn't see him enough. Before the end I though he was at his best from the end of the third dungeon until the end of the fourth. I felt like you could feel his presence during that time. After that he disappeared from the story till the end.
 
Brandon F said:
I never said anything about GTA.

But remember Zelda did this in the 80's...

zelda1.gif


Where do you want to go? Three branching paths immediately and a cave! Explore the world! Use your brain and not the forced hand. Complete respect to the player.

Why NOT have our own experiences in the game be uniquely defined. Why does all of our individual Zelda experiences need to be absolutely identical?

This is a point that has been brought up before about the very first Zelda - something to bear in mind is, while it's a good point, only the original Zelda is non-linear to that degree. In part, because the notion of "one tool to a dungeon" hadn't yet been finalized.

By the time we got to Link to the Past, Zelda had pretty much become linear in terms of hitting the primary plot and set piece location beats.

I suppose Majora was the next most non-linear, but it had a very unusual and innovative design, that may not work for a mainline Zelda.

On the other hand, based on what I've read of Skyward Sword so far, there's the suggestion of less linearity in terms of significant side quests and other things to do... I also don't have the reaction that some do, to the notion of the side quests not being critical to the story. That doesn't mean they're not meaningful. One of the biggest problems with Zelda games has been that the side quests are very dry in terms of rewards; usually, it's just hunting for heart pieces, a bigger wallet, and bigger bomb bag. Here, there is supposedly more variety, and upgrading your tools and weapons in a meaty way is quite interesting. Sounds like worthwhile side quests to me.
 
Kard8p3 said:
Well I haven't played it but I can say the reason I like Ghirahim right now is because of his dialogue and animation (I don't have much to go on though.) The role he actually plays in the story could end up being disappointing to me but for now I like him. Plus I felt he was a breath of fresh air for the series. If I liked his dialogue in the E3 demo will I like it throughout the rest of the game?

Oh btw do you know if the GT review is going up today?

If you liked his dialogue then, you're going to love his dialogue later on. I have a feeling you're going to like him a lot more than I did.

I think the GT review might be tomorrow now. I was glad I could even post my impressions in time because I've been swamped with work the last few days.

Kaijima said:
On the other hand, based on what I've read of Skyward Sword so far, there's the suggestion of less linearity in terms of significant side quests and other things to do... I also don't have the reaction that some do, to the notion of the side quests not being critical to the story. That doesn't mean they're not meaningful. One of the biggest problems with Zelda games has been that the side quests are very dry in terms of rewards; usually, it's just hunting for heart pieces, a bigger wallet, and bigger bomb bag. Here, there is supposedly more variety, and upgrading your tools and weapons in a meaty way is quite interesting. Sounds like worthwhile side quests to me.

Then you're going to be quite pleased with the side quests.
 
gondwana said:
yep. the original has not been topped as far as exploration and challenge is concerned. 3d zelda's have nice dungeons but piss easy difficulty and a host of tedious bullshit.

might get this anyway and do a three heart run. still piss easy, i bet.
NG+ sounds like it will fix the issue of challenge.

Also, you can't do a 3 heart run.
 
rhino4evr said:
Oh No don't tell me there is a tutorial. I mean no other game has ever held your hand the first hour....
My problem with Zelda isn't just lengthy tutorials. It's the fact that every collectible gives you a CONGRATULATIONS prompt. Here's your six thousandth red rupee! A red rupee is worth 20 rupees! In case you forgot!


Oh you found a map! Maps are a layout of the area you're in! This is useful information!

MasterShotgun said:
Given that NG+ makes you take double damage, it effectively starts you off with 3 hearts.
Hush you
 
Crunched said:
My problem with Zelda isn't just lengthy tutorials. It's the fact that every collectible gives you a CONGRATULATIONS prompt. Here's your six thousandth red rupee! A red rupee is worth 20 rupees! In case you forgot!
That was seemingly a glitch in Twilight Princess, at least when you walk across rupees.

Does that carry over in to SS?
 
Machinima

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is not only one of the best Zelda games, but one of the best games ever made. It will take you places you’ve never been and show you sights you’ve never seen, so ignoring it just because it’s on the Wii would be a damn shame. I’d recommend Skyward Sword without hesitation to anyone on the planet, which also means I’m recommending it to you. Play it and love it.

9.5/10
 
Crunched said:
My problem with Zelda isn't just lengthy tutorials. It's the fact that every collectible gives you a CONGRATULATIONS prompt. Here's your six thousandth red rupee! A red rupee is worth 20 rupees! In case you forgot!


Oh you found a map! Maps are a layout of the area you're in! This is useful information!


That's not in this game. At least not for the rupees, you only see the prompt the first time you pick up a color, and when you pull it from chests.

Random items you pick up are a bit more annoying. You have to see the congratulations prompt the first time you pick that item up, but it then only goes away till you start the game again (i.e. save at night, play the next morning, you have to see them again).


As for tutorials, they're almost gone in the game. There's a brief bird flying tutorial, and there's the sword trainer (but it's not nearly as time consuming as the guy in Wind Waker). The games method for tutorial is to give you a boss who will kick your ass till you figure it out.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
That was seemingly a glitch in Twilight Princess, at least when you walk across rupees.

Does that carry over in to SS?
It could be my memory playing tricks on me, but I remember rupees in chests giving that message in more than just TP.

DrForester said:
That's not in this game. At least not for the rupees, you only see the prompt the first time you pick up a color, and when you pull it from chests.
Yeah this is what I was talking about.
 
jarosh said:
zant was fantastic BECAUSE he stayed in the background and remained mysterious, vague and dangerous for a long time. he was very memorable, but then, well, we all know what happened then :/
Essentially this is saying that a good villain is one that's barely written, which I'm not sure I agree with.
 
Crunched said:
It could be my memory playing tricks on me, but I remember rupees in chests giving that message in more than just TP.


Yeah this is what I was talking about.
Right, the chests are intentional.

It was the *getting a 20 rupee message when you pick one up* thing that was a glitch. Every time you restarted the game after turning it off, it would think it's the first time you've picked up a non-green rupee.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
Essentially this is saying that a good villain is one that's barely written, which I'm not sure I agree with.
Zant was ominous. Was. When the "reveal" occurs, his entire personality changes. It's not that a good villain is sparse in detail, and I hope that wasn't what jarosh was trying to say. But there is a threat to Zant because we don't know the extent of his power (at one point he sticks you in wolf form while you're in the light, and no one can figure out how he did it). In that case, it works.

It's a case to case thing.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
Essentially this is saying that a good villain is one that's barely written, which I'm not sure I agree with.

Necron is greatest villain in gaming history confirmed!

ShockingAlberto said:
Right, the chests are intentional.

It was the *getting a 20 rupee message when you pick one up* thing that was a glitch. Every time you restarted the game after turning it off, it would think it's the first time you've picked up a non-green rupee.

That's gone for rupees, but still there for random items.
 
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