The overworld complaints here are curious. People really care about moving from the FIRE AREA to the DESERT through a loading screen that involves walking through a corridor versus one that involves dropping from the sky? They're still as interconnected as ever, in practice. Especially when I think back on, say, MM or WW and most of OOT. Hell, even TP was fairly separated. What TP gained in small moments of interconnectivity it lost in density of design.
Very true. UP till Skyword Sword, the areas preceding dungeons were merely a means to get TO the dungeons. they werent really that challenging on their own accord. It was always just an area to traverse to get to the good parts. Now the area you have to travel is pretty interesting as well.
When do you get the Hyrule Shield in this game? I would rather have that epic shield than all the others from the Bazaar. Hopefully it repair itself and has huge durability so i can stop worrying about that.
It seemed like an awesome idea to really change the landscape of a place you already visited. They could have used lake floria, but the fact that it's the same place we have been to multiple times makes it even more awesome. Also, I love the fact that you are swimming and searching underwater, they aren't a means to and end, They are the end. You weren't swimming to solve a puzzle, you were just searching.
Honestly I think I must be blind or something because I just can't relate to 90% of the complaints (felt the same way about TP and WW BTW).
Also, man, as I was playing through the fourth dungeon, I had so many moments of "wow, this game looks so nice". I was so skeptical of its look back when it was first shown at E3.
Her character doesn't bother me, it is how she is used as a tutorial and advise mechanism that does. Past Zelda games, even with the likes of Navi and the owl, have done a pretty good job of keeping the player always in control, and creatively hinting at where they should go next, what lies beyond, and how to solve puzzles through visual cues and evolving mechanics that never take the player out of control of Link.
I'm really loving Skyward Sword, but there's no denying Fi delivers an abundance of useless advice all too frequently. She's not like Navi who can often be ignored. She is a triggered conversation point that reminds you of simplistic concepts several dungeons into the game, forcibly directs the player to play a certain way and steers them towards specific objectives. At her worst it is almost as if she is narrating what the player does and should do, to the point of spelling out to the obvious.
For me personally this completely breaks the flow of the game, and as slow as the start is I still enjoyed it, though at no thanks to Fi. Every time she opens her mouth I know she's going to say something I'm already well aware of and never asked for. For at least the first four dungeons worth of game (not just the dungeons themselves) she has some commentary on nearly, if not, every puzzle and quest objective. She is a constant reminder of what you need to do, when you already know what to do and never asked, even when what you need to do can be as simple as something like "Walk up to that door".
So yeah, it just breaks the flow of the game for me, in a really serious and intrusive manner. It wrecks a lot of the player driven discovery and mystery that other Zelda games do very well, because everything is spelled out. I don't feel I'm in total control, but instead dreading for Fi's inevitable directive and useless advice to pop up around every goddamn corner.
When do you get the Hyrule Shield in this game? I would rather have that epic shield than all the others from the Bazaar. Hopefully it repair itself and has huge durability so i can stop worrying about that.
Also, man, as I was playing through the fourth dungeon, I had so many moments of "wow, this game looks so nice". I was so skeptical of its look back when it was first shown at E3.
Fourth dungeon, the item, the puzzles, the graphics, and the final boss fight is my favourite in the game, and potentially in my top five Zelda dungeons. The whole experience is basically perfect and incredibly enjoyable.
It seemed like an awesome idea to really change the landscape of a place you already visited. They could have used lake floria, but the fact that it's the same place we have been to multiple times makes it even more awesome. Also, I love the fact that you are swimming and searching underwater, they aren't a means to and end, They are the end. You weren't swimming to solve a puzzle, you were just searching.
Honestly I think I must be blind or something because I just can't relate to 90% of the complaints (felt the same way about TP and WW BTW).
This is one of those parts of the games that I was really excited to experience once I saw what was going on, but didn't enjoy the experience itself. It was one big collect-a-thon and I felt that they had poorly used (and stretched out too long) an otherwise awesome concept and change to a familiar environment.
It seemed like an awesome idea to really change the landscape of a place you already visited. They could have used lake floria, but the fact that it's the same place we have been to multiple times makes it even more awesome. Also, I love the fact that you are swimming and searching underwater, they aren't a means to and end, They are the end. You weren't swimming to solve a puzzle, you were just searching.
Honestly I think I must be blind or something because I just can't relate to 90% of the complaints (felt the same way about TP and WW BTW).
When do you get the Hyrule Shield in this game? I would rather have that epic shield than all the others from the Bazaar. Hopefully it repair itself and has huge durability so i can stop worrying about that.
Her character doesn't bother me, it is how she is used as a tutorial and advise mechanism that does. Past Zelda games, even with the likes of Navi and the owl, have done a pretty good job of keeping the player always in control, and creatively hinting at where they should go next, what lies beyond, and how to solve puzzles through visual cues and evolving mechanics that never take the player out of control of Link.
I'm really loving Skyward Sword, but there's no denying Fi delivers an abundance of useless advice all too frequently. She's not like Navi who can often be ignored. She is a triggered conversation point that reminds you of simplistic concepts several dungeons into the game, forcibly directs the player to play a certain way and steers them towards specific objectives. At her worst it is almost as if she is narrating what the player does and should do, to the point of spelling out to the obvious.
For me personally this completely breaks the flow of the game, and as slow as the start is I still enjoyed it, though at no thanks to Fi. Every time she opens her mouth I know she's going to say something I'm already well aware of and never asked for. For at least the first four dungeons worth of game (not just the dungeons themselves) she has some commentary on nearly, if not, every puzzle and quest objective. She is a constant reminder of what you need to do, when you already know what to do and never asked, even when what you need to do can be as simple as something like "Walk up to that door".
So yeah, it just breaks the flow of the game for me, in a really serious and intrusive manner. It wrecks a lot of the player driven discovery and mystery that other Zelda games do very well, because everything is spelled out. I don't feel I'm in total control, but instead dreading for Fi's inevitable directive and useless advice to pop up around every goddamn corner.
Late in the game.
Fourth dungeon, the item, the puzzles, the graphics, and the final boss fight is my favourite in the game, and potentially in my top five Zelda dungeons. The whole experience is basically perfect and incredibly enjoyable.
This is one of those parts of the games that I was really excited to experience once I saw what was going on, but didn't enjoy the experience itself. It was one big collect-a-thon and I felt that they had poorly used (and stretched out too long) an otherwise awesome concept and change to a familiar environment.
This sounds at odds with my experience. At most, Fi has just been quickly summarizing my objective at the end of a conversation. She has spoilt one puzzle for me post-first dungeon (in the first trip to the desert). I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I'm managing to skip Fi moments, or something.
(Granted, I think she's a really boring character that adds nothing to the story, so far. It's just that she isn't spoiling the actual act of playing the game. She's just... there.)
The overworld complaints here are curious. People really care about moving from the FIRE AREA to the DESERT through a loading screen that involves walking through a corridor versus one that involves dropping from the sky? They're still as interconnected as ever, in practice. Especially when I think back on, say, MM or WW and most of OOT. Hell, even TP was fairly separated. What TP gained in small moments of interconnectivity it lost in density of design.
The way I see it it's different and pretty good, but I still would have liked an open overworld to explore as well, seeing as the lead up to the dungeons in this game feel like a part of the dungeon anyway I feel like they could have easily done that. Not a complaint though, just a thought.
And EatChildren I agree with you on Fi, I ignore her for the most part when it comes to stuff I can ignore. But it really is annoying that sometimes she shows up right after something happened just to tell me that it happened. Also the probability percentage is, well its just weird.
This sounds at odds with my experience. At most, Fi has just been quickly summarizing my objective at the end of a conversation. She has spoilt one puzzle for me post-first dungeon (in the first trip to the desert). I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I'm managing to skip Fi moments, or something.
Fi Actually didn't spoil anything for me so far. In the pre-dungeon 3 area
I'd already reaised the layout of the conduits would need to be represented on the main device
and in DUngeon 5
I'd already realised that the timestone on top of the mast would be integral and there would be a lot of shifting back and forth puzzles when I first saw it unlocked
I personally really like the character. Her robotic nature just makes her all the more better for me, and her interactions or lack therof with other NPCS is quite funny especially the way (post 3 spoiler)
the pick up robot basically worships her yet hates you
I really don't mind Fi either.
I only hate one thing in this game and it is that goddamned cat demon fucking thing that runs around Skyloft at night. that little shit can go back to the hell it came from.
Her character doesn't bother me, it is how she is used as a tutorial and advise mechanism that does. Past Zelda games, even with the likes of Navi and the owl, have done a pretty good job of keeping the player always in control, and creatively hinting at where they should go next, what lies beyond, and how to solve puzzles through visual cues and evolving mechanics that never take the player out of control of Link.
I'm really loving Skyward Sword, but there's no denying Fi delivers an abundance of useless advice all too frequently. She's not like Navi who can often be ignored. She is a triggered conversation point that reminds you of simplistic concepts several dungeons into the game, forcibly directs the player to play a certain way and steers them towards specific objectives. At her worst it is almost as if she is narrating what the player does and should do, to the point of spelling out to the obvious.
For me personally this completely breaks the flow of the game, and as slow as the start is I still enjoyed it, though at no thanks to Fi. Every time she opens her mouth I know she's going to say something I'm already well aware of and never asked for. For at least the first four dungeons worth of game (not just the dungeons themselves) she has some commentary on nearly, if not, every puzzle and quest objective. She is a constant reminder of what you need to do, when you already know what to do and never asked, even when what you need to do can be as simple as something like "Walk up to that door".
So yeah, it just breaks the flow of the game for me, in a really serious and intrusive manner. It wrecks a lot of the player driven discovery and mystery that other Zelda games do very well, because everything is spelled out. I don't feel I'm in total control, but instead dreading for Fi's inevitable directive and useless advice to pop up around every goddamn corner.
Completely agree with your sentiments about Fi. I felt like she was a total detraction from the gameplay and I really wish you could've had the option to just turn her off. I understand having that kind of role and functionality in a game like this since newbies and bad gamers will need that so I hope next time Nintendo includes a 'Pro' option where hints and obvious, overly blatant solutions can be turned off from the start. Out of all the 3D game helpers I think Fi is the worst with Midna being the best.
Picked up the game on Sunday, and have gotten to the entrance of the second dungeon.
Controls
The sword controls work most of the time. Swinging the sword has more meaning and forces you to pay attention to how you are swinging. The shield controls are much better compared to twilight princess. I have no trouble with the shield bash and I love how the shield durability doesn't let you hide behind your shield indefinitely. The dashing and stamina mechanics are nice and make exploring the world more interesting.
Flight
Flying around in the sky is fun. The problem being, like others mentioned, is the emptiness of the sky. Probably the only part of the game I am disappointed with at the moment.
I haven't seen enough to comment on the dungeon design and the surface areas yet. I like the characters and how link actually has a personally motivation for this quest.
This is one of those parts of the games that I was really excited to experience once I saw what was going on, but didn't enjoy the experience itself. It was one big collect-a-thon and I felt that they had poorly used (and stretched out too long) an otherwise awesome concept and change to a familiar environment.
Awesome, thanks man. I saw the ads that said "This was how it all began" or whatever, and thought it was an important prequel to OoT or something.
Knowing this, I can't wait to jump into Skyward Sword! That said I definitely want play OoT whenever I inevitably pick up a 3DS.
Awesome, thanks man. I saw the ads that said "This was how it all began" or whatever, and thought it was an important prequel to OoT or something.
Knowing this, I can't wait to jump into Skyward Sword! That said I definitely want play OoT whenever I inevitably pick up a 3DS.
See it more as this is how the 'Zelda franchise begin'. There will be a few nods specifically towards OoT(but again it doesn't really require intensive OoT knowledge to get them), as there are towards other games in the franchise. But mainly it's about the start of a franchise story staples.
It really doesn't reference future Zelda games at all, but you get a very strong sense that this is how it all began, if indeed there is a beginning, which there pretty much isn't.
the best part about flying around skyloft is not using the parachute when you land.
people weren't kidding about it being empty. it's really, really fucking empty. on the plus side, it's not as gigantic as tww's overworld, and a lot faster to get around in. makes the sidequests not much of a hassle to complete and a good break between dungeon segments.
i think a lot of my initial disappointment came from the huge amount of setup at the start of the game. i don't actually care about the text speed, but there was a shitload of dialogue in the first hour or two. could have been trimmed down a bit. i also thought i was supposed to use dowsing, although after pre-1 i realized it's just there as a super guide feature thing.
overall, i'm enjoying the game so far. i think a lot of it has to do with going in with very low expectations. a lot of the problems i had with it earlier or thought i would have with it have either disappeared or not shown up at all. i think it helps that i'm fortunate in the sense that i'm finding combat not a struggle.
Not even the in-game characters seem to have confidence in him. Jabun keeps asking the boat if he's sure this is the one, and the boat answers, "ehhh I dunno but he's the best we've got."
In other news, running into other Skyloftians while flying around is awesome. Would've been so cool if in Wind Waker you crossed paths with other boats.
Flying around on that bird is so damn fun. The controls are flawless in the sky. But are Skyloft and that pumpkin place REALLY the only inhabited islands in the whole place? I would have thought there'd be at least 1 or 2 extra towns/villages to explore... this could have been my favourite Zelda overworld ever.
I just got Skyward Sword and I have to say the graphics look horrible on my HDTV. There's annoying scan lines everywhere, the colors don't look as vibrant as they should, the DOF effect is hideous and annoying. To me all of these things are a big distraction from the game play and I'm not enjoying the experience because of this. On the other hand Mario Galaxy 2's graphics look great on my TV, so I think the problem is on the filters Nintendo used on the game itself.
Pouch slot, by far. The bug medal only shows blue dots on the map where bugs are located, but doesn't tell you which ones are there. The pouch is far more useful, you can always buy the medal near the endgame once you're out of more useful stuff to buy.
Pouch slot, by far. The bug medal only shows blue dots on the map where bugs are located, but doesn't tell you which ones are there. The pouch is far more useful, you can always buy the medal near the endgame once you're out of more useful stuff to buy.
I'm near the beginning of Eldin. It's great that it's shaping up to be a fairly long game so far. I'm also enjoying some of the side quests too, like the Lumpy Pumpkin stuff (which was hilarious as well)
I feel like Skyward Sword has a lot more personality and legitimate humour - It's actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times in the short amount of time that I've played it. I'm already enjoying the game more than Twilight Princess as a whole, although TP was still a good game it had pacing issues and felt overall boring to me. Skyward Sword is more refreshing and exciting so far.
Well I'm taking a break for Thanksgiving weekend, I'll probably start up with Dungeon 4 on Sunday night. I'm really resisting passing "judgement" on the game so far, but I don't see how it could radically change my perceptions of the overall game.
Well I'm taking a break for Thanksgiving weekend, I'll probably start up with Dungeon 4 on Sunday night. I'm really resisting passing "judgement" on the game so far, but I don't see how it could radically change my perceptions of the overall game.
I'm near the beginning of Eldin. It's great that it's shaping up to be a fairly long game so far. I'm also enjoying some of the side quests too, like the Lumpy Pumpkin stuff (which was hilarious as well)
I feel like Skyward Sword has a lot more personality and legitimate humour - It's actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times in the short amount of time that I've played it. I'm already enjoying the game more than Twilight Princess as a whole, although TP was still a good game it had pacing issues and felt overall boring to me. Skyward Sword is more refreshing and exciting so far.
The main reward for nearly every single sidequest in the game is gratitude crystals, and only by completing every single sidequest can you make him human, so yes it is fairly lengthy.
That said I definitely want play OoT whenever I inevitably pick up a 3DS.