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[Branduil]

Anyone else still just mainly waggling the sword? I'm finding that except for rare circumstances where specific directional strikes are required (which honestly isn't often), simply waggling produces better results.

Plus it's easier on the wrist.

Some of the simpler enemies that works against but a lot of them it doesn't.

 

[Reknoc]

All motion controlled! And with no camera control, when you narrowly miss something and have to turn around, you slowly tilt the control and Z target a bunch.

No you don't. You use the control stick to turn on the spot.

 

[Papercuts]

No you don't. You use the control stick to turn on the spot.

Veeeery slowly. A lot of the times I was swimming I felt like he should've had a way to quickly turn 180 degrees.

 

[Amir0x]

Just so we're in the clear, your biggest gripe towards the game are the motion controls right?

Hand holding and Motion Controls. If the next Zelda still maintains the extreme hand holding/text vomit (such as the nuisance descriptors popping up after reloading the game), then I'll definitely hold it against the game more than I would have, say, TP or Skyward Sword because Nintendo should learn from past mistakes. This is the most hand-holdy Zelda yet, so to me that says they've moved back.

But certainly, I would enjoy it provided the rest of the core design is peerless, which it usually is in Zelda titles.

I assume you really really loved Twilight Princess? Do you remember your impressions of that game when you first played it? Did you play it on Gamecube?

I tend to also wonder if it's a factor of how one comes into these games now. I was way way Hype Trained for Twilight Princess, but I was 16 at the time... I learned my lesson from that one and I don't mean to give off the impression that it was a horrific game, but certainly the weakest console Zelda in my opinion.

Prior to release, I was "looks amazing." When it was moved to Wii with its gimmicky waggle combat, I dissed that aspect of it. Afterwards, I played it during Wii's launch. It was one of my launch games. I loved it (still fucking adore it - Snowpeak/Arbiter's ftw), but had reservations with the controls... but at least they worked almost all of the time. By comparison that seems positively blissful now lol. I further played it after on Gamecube when it launched (a month or two later? I forget), and I loved it even more for added camera control and such.

But from the time I played it til now, I've always loved it.

Skyward Sword I went in with the same expectations as I did Wind Waker, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, and it simply wore thin because of Nintendo's incessant hand holding and unreliable controls. To me, no sacrifice of reliability is worth whatever 'ends' they think they're trying to meet. Clearly based on this topic others would disagree with me, but it's a fundamental question. Should we sacrifice reliability, efficiency and whatever else in the name of a gimmick which is by default less reliable and also sometimes requires recalibration and re-centering? I personally don't think so. But your mileage with gimmickry might vary, as it does in this topic. Nothing wrong with that, but I definitely think priorities are warped if you can say you'd sacrifice reliability for this.

 

[Reknoc]

Veeeery slowly. A lot of the times I was swimming I felt like he should've had a way to quickly turn 180 degrees.

Felt about the same speed as typical swimming in a game to me. Though a proper 180 turn maneuver would have been nice I agree. Swimming is a very small part of the game though.

 

[thetrin]

I never thought I'd say this, but I cannot agree with Amir0x more right now. I haven't felt a degree of reliability in any aspect of Skyward Sword's controls so far, and I don't expect to feel any razor precision any time soon.

For some reason, the game always thinks I'm slashing up when I'm slashing down, my loftwing never flies straight, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps I let the name Zelda get to me. I should be smarter than this. I've thought for a while that motion control was gimmicky garbage, but I always thought Zelda could transcend all that. It really doesn't. It still feels unreliable, gimmicky, and unfun.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

I love how this is the one Zelda game where you can take a dump and regain health.

good work Nintendo.

edit: I also need to re-calibrate my remote every hour because the still waggilicious combat gets thrown off sometimes.

fuck you Nintendo.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I have decided after much deliberation that...this is not the Zelda for me.

Bring on 'New Legend of Zelda' already, Ninty.

 

[Branduil]

Other than possibly some thrusts, I haven't experienced any mistakes with the sword controls that weren't my own fault.

 

[Rich!]

For some reason, the game always thinks I'm slashing up when I'm slashing down, my loftwing never flies straight, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Finished the game, and I never once had that issue. Ever.

 

[Anth0ny]

I'm sorry but after the vastly superior combat experiences this game provides against Stalfos and Lizalfos I never want to go back to the old controls.

Honestly, they could map horizontal, vertical and diagonal controls to a traditional controller pretty easily.

Might as well post my full impressions of the controls now:

ITEM/GAME MECHANIC SPOILERS

Spoiler

Liked:

-The beetle. I never had a problem controller the beetle ever. Occasionally the controller would desync, but I'd say 90% of the time it worked.

-The whip. Fuck yeah Simon Belmont in this bitch.

-Parrying moves with your sheild. Can easily be mapped to a button, but never felt unresponsive.

-The boss key. Was annoying at first, but once you understand how the controls work, it was pretty cool.

Meh:

-Swordplay in general. On the whole, it's pretty responsive. But there were times that I would swipe to the right and get a diagonal swing. Which resulted in getting electrocuted, or punished by multiple enemies. All in all, I'd take 100% responsive traditional controls over these motion controls any day.

-Bow/Slingshot. Pointer controls are 100x more responsive, and don't require calibration every damn time I point the remote at the screen. Very annoying.

-The bird. The only reason I'm neutral is because you fly with the bird in a clear environment, with no obstacles in the way. The game allows you to make mistakes in this mode. Thank god, because it's blatant waggle, and controls that should have been mapped to the analog stick and a button.

-Tightrope and vines. Again, waggle. Once you get the pattern down, it's pretty easy. But still annoying.

Bad:

-Swimming. Fucking brutal. The combination of waggling the nunchuk to do the spin move and having to steer with the Wii Remote is absolutely horrible, and probably the worst misuse of the motion controls. Especially during the tadpoles part. It makes you wonder... why not just map Link's movement on land to motion controls? Clearly they have a fucking obsession with tacking it on to every possible form of movement in the game.

-Forward thrust. Awful. 1 second delay, AND the vertical spin attack will come out at random. This is especially annoying because there are a ton of enemies that require you to use the forward thrust... so when that other move comes out, you get punished. So bad.

 

[Salmonax]

I haven't felt like throwing a controller since I was a kid, but against the first boss I nearly did just that. I quit there and haven't mustered up the patience to return yet.

It's not that I don't know what to do against the boss - I just can't get Link to do what I want him to do.

 

[Amir0x]

I never thought I'd say this, but I cannot agree with Amir0x more right now. I haven't felt a degree of reliability in any aspect of Skyward Sword's controls so far, and I don't expect to feel any razor precision any time soon.

For some reason, the game always thinks I'm slashing up when I'm slashing down, my loftwing never flies straight, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps I let the name Zelda get to me. I should be smarter than this. I've thought for a while that motion control was gimmicky garbage, but I always thought Zelda could transcend all that. It really doesn't. It still feels unreliable, gimmicky, and unfun.

Yeah. I will say over time you start to learn to compensate for the controls extreme shortcomings, and it starts to fade a bit into the background... but it never completely goes away. Bowling is a chore, and my god @ the swimming. Hoooooly fuck. Dude, wow. Anyone who claims this is good swimming controls automatically degrades their control credentials a bit

I have decided after much deliberation that...this is not the Zelda for me.

Bring on 'New Legend of Zelda' already, Ninty.

I am ready! My body is also ready!

I love how this is the one Zelda game where you can take a dump and regain health.

good work Nintendo.

I found it amusing that they added in a whole bunch of moments where when you sit down, the game's characters comment on it.

Like for example when you

Spoiler

sit down in front of the mirror in that lazy dirty mother's house, she goes "Mirror mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all? That IS what you were thinking, wasn't it?"

I've encountered multiple moments like that. Nice little touch.

 

[thetrin]

Finished the game, and I never once had that issue. Ever.

Good for you. I'm sure your parents are very proud.

 

[Branduil]

I really think the people who can't even fly the Beetle or the bird straight must be having interference issues because that's never even come close to happening to me.

 

[Amir0x]

I will say I have no problem with Beetle 95%-99% of the time. I think that's one of the few really good applications of motion controls.

I can control Loftwing, I just think it's unfun to control him.

 

[thetrin]

I just don't understand why they didn't have the option to turn some of this crap off. Why can't i just control it with the joystick? It's not even being used. Using a joystick is more precise and more fun. Motion control adds literally nothing.

 

[Amir0x]

I just don't understand why they didn't have the option to turn some of this crap off. Why can't i just control it with the joystick? It's not even being used. Using a joystick is more precise and more fun. Motion control adds literally nothing.

It adds directional strategy to the combat engagements, in theory. It just doesn't work all of the time, and therein lies the problem. If it worked all of the time, no one would complain ever. I don't even think the "it gets tiring" folk would really complain that much if the controls always worked.

 

[BY2K]

I am ready! My body is also ready!

You do realize we'll probably going to have to wait another 5 years for Zelda Wii U, right?

Though there's Zelda 3DS on the way, which, if we look at OoT 3D, should be more akin of the console Zeldas than the portable ones.

 

[Branduil]

I just don't understand why they didn't have the option to turn some of this crap off. Why can't i just control it with the joystick? It's not even being used. Using a joystick is more precise and more fun. Motion control adds literally nothing.

I imagine because the game requires Motion plus, they felt the need to use it for more things. I wouldn't complain if things like the bird and swimming went back to analog controls. But I don't want to return to button swordplay and and analog aiming.

 

[Rich!]

Good for you. I'm sure your parents are very proud.

I'm sure they would be, if they were still alive.

Anyway. I enjoyed the game. Had no issues with the controls, and thought the combat was superb.

edit: actually, that comment has pissed me off to no end. fuck you. /ignorelist.

 

[Esiquio]

Since Amirox isn't responding to me anymore, I'll just post my full thoughts on the controls of Skyward Sword:

Controls: Too much has been said about Skyward Sword's controls. The majority of players seem to intuitively understand how to use the controller to manipulate Link's toolset, and have high levels of success. Many others seem utterly frustrated by slight inconsistencies in the controller's performance. There are even the minority who lament that the controls fail to work properly. How is one to know whether the game's fundamental premise - motion - works or not? The truly vexing answer is that you have to try it for yourself. I cannot speak for the gamers in the latter two categories who are frustrated by the controls, but I will attempt to address the issues they express.

My experience with Skyward Sword's controls were joyous. The second I first used my sword, I was flabbergasted that I could accurately chop poles of wood along specific grooves. I had fun doing the most simple things - moving my sword in circles, twisting my wrist, poking wooden signs, motioning for a semi truck to honk its horn, etc. These first moments with the sword solidified our relationship for the rest of the game. We were buddies: she was going to attack stuff, and I was going to command her with added specificity and overzealousness just to show her that I could. Pure joy.

These feelings of rapture extended to most every item in the game. The beetle, for example, became my bitch. I would send her to scout an unknown area, do a quick attack, and then she would always come back to me. The bombs became my minions. Much like pikmin, I threw them overhand and bowled them underhand, too often wasting several just because I could - I can now pluck them from the ground and store them for later. I wish I could tell you about all of my friends, but this review will remain mostly spoiler free. The point is, however, that the fidelity of the controls made me love my items, especially when they were used together.

Indeed, often my beetle and bombs would team up to cause some amazing gameplay combinations. This is true for the entire game. While there are not a huge amount of items, the ones you have are so expertly used over and over in different combinations that I become dizzy trying to think of all the ways I used them. Experimentation also becomes key. Try combining different item effects to see the result. You may be surprised.

For those dissenters, I offer you this: the controls are not nearly perfect. Often, the wiimote will lose track of my movements making my beetle dive-bomb when I was motioning to go further up. There are other items that are worse offenders, but this is what I offer. The fact remains, however, that this game exists in a set of rules that the player must figure out over time. Just like when you found out that "B" in Ocarina of Time uses your sword and not "A", so too must you find out the limits of your motion. Slowly over the course of the game, you learn and learn until you are a master of your craft and can spin dive at your enemy from above using your beetle. Motion may give the illusion of realistic movement, but this is not accurate. Approach it for what it is - a game - and learn how to use the controls.

The game also offers a tutorial, a "down d-pad" quick fix, a manual, and a hint guide for ways to use your items. Learn how to use your resources and act in your best interest to make the game more enjoyable. My experience was amazing, and I'm positive yours can be as well.

Thanks for this post. I have yet to play SS (I just restarted TP for the second time and I want to finish it first!) but I found this very informative and well-written.

 

[Branduil]

It adds directional strategy to the combat engagements, in theory. It just doesn't work all of the time, and therein lies the problem. If it worked all of the time, no one would complain ever. I don't even think the "it gets tiring" folk would really complain that much if the controls always worked.

This is absolutely not true. And as I explained earlier, there's no way to make it work all the time in the sense that you always do what you want to do, because the nature of the controls means that sometimes you will accidentally swing in a way that you don't want to. And that's not the controls' fault if you are physically swinging it the wrong way.

 

[Amir0x]

You do realize we'll probably going to have to wait another 5 years for Zelda Wii U, right?

Though there's Zelda 3DS on the way, which, if we look at OoT 3D, should be more akin of the console Zeldas than the portable ones.

I've been a Zelda fan since I was a kid, I think I know how long I have to expect to wait Probably longer as Nintendo gets used to how much more expensive HD development is and they realize it takes longer too to make a game with as much content as a typical Zelda game with that fidelity.

I imagine because the game requires Motion plus, they felt the need to use it for more things. I wouldn't complain if things like the bird and swimming went back to analog controls. But I don't want to return to button swordplay and and analog aiming.

POINTER aiming would be the one thing I'd miss in Wii U transition. But it's a worthy sacrifice for the gains in losing unreliability for efficiency and always there for you controls

 

[StevieP]

Honestly, they could map horizontal, vertical and diagonal controls to a traditional controller pretty easily.

No, I don't think accel/gyro-based sword controls could be mapped to an analog stick...

Good for you. I'm sure your parents are very proud.

No need to be condescending, when you just admitted that part of the reason why you hate the sword controls are because you don't want to look stupid in front of your friends.

I just don't understand why they didn't have the option to turn some of this crap off. Why can't i just control it with the joystick? It's not even being used. Using a joystick is more precise and more fun. Motion control adds literally nothing.

That's your opinion, and you're welcome to it. But this game was designed around M+ so it can't be played with a regular joystick. Just a question - do you play your FPS titles on the 360 and/or PS3?

 

[Papercuts]

I just don't understand why they didn't have the option to turn some of this crap off. Why can't i just control it with the joystick? It's not even being used. Using a joystick is more precise and more fun. Motion control adds literally nothing.

Yeah, this is what I meant above. Nintendo needs more options with this stuff.

Even if a lot of people are fine with the beetle, it's doing nothing that requires it to be motion. Having an option for both literally does nothing but help everyone. This permeates every single thing in the game, aside from sword combat, which I'll give a pass because even if it's likely possible to map on a controller, it's not a simple change like everything else would be.

 

[thetrin]

Again, maybe I'll go back to it tonight and I'll really enjoy it. I doubt it, though. So far, I'm having zero fun, and not one aspect of the game has made me go "Oh man, this is great. I missed you Zelda".

I'm probably going to stop playing this and go back to Skyrim. I still have plenty to do, and I'm actually having fun playing that game. Maybe when I have nothing to play, I'll touch Skyward Sword again.

So far, though, I feel the slightest bit insane for actually putting down Skyrim to play this.

(And that's coming from a lifetime Zelda fan. This game just doesn't do it for me)

That's your opinion, and you're welcome to it. But this game was designed around M+ so it can't be played with a regular joystick. Just a question - do you play your FPS titles on the 360 and/or PS3?

No. I play my FPS games on PC.

Also, I'm not sure if you noticed, but your nunchuck has a joystick on it.

No need to be condescending, when you just admitted that part of the reason why you hate the sword controls are because you don't want to look stupid in front of your friends.

I was illustrating that his post added literally nothing to the conversation. He had no problems. Good for him. How does that help me?

No, I don't think accel/gyro-based sword controls could be mapped to an analog stick...

Actually they could, but that wasn't the point I was making.

 

[Inferno313]

I've had hardly any problems with motion+. The only gesture I've had issues with is the fatal strike, but once I got used to doing it I haven't had any problems.

This is a damn fine Zelda game, IMO. It feels like a nice balance between things I liked in Wind Waker (The Charming story, characters, music, and art style) with the great dungeons of Twilight Princess, I just wish it had a bit more exploration. I'm personally enjoying the combat a lot.

 

[Caelus]

Continued playing it, still no problems. I bought my Wii last year, so maybe that's why it isn't broken.

 

[Danielsan]

Well I think this game may not be for me. I loved OoT, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (played it on a Gamecube, the way it was meant to be played).

The intro was good. Really dug the Skyloft town and the new Zelda. Then I got to meet Fi, which I already want to nominate for most annoying game character of 2011 (I miss Midna) and the surface world. Hello bland and boring. I just got the slingshot and made it into the deep woods. I'm going to see how it goes when I actually get into the temple, but so far I'm not having fun at all. The controls are aggravating the hell out of me. From having to constantly reset the aiming retecule (why the hell does it de-sync all the time?) to wiimote not interpreting my moves correctly (50% of the time when I do a swing from right to left Link slashes downward). Also balancing the wiimote while walking on tightropes is anything but fun. Especially when the bloody thing can't even recognize that I have it perfectly upright.
Ooh and yeah, the graphics. I don't know what's going on, but the image quality goes from good for a Wii game to flatout horrendous at times. Especially during cut scenes in dark rooms (for instance when you meet Fi) the backgrounds are a blurry muddy mess. I've also noticed weird vertical and horizontal lines running through the screen in certain darker areas.

Totally bummed out right now. I figured this may have had a shot at being my GOTY.

 

[The Lamp]

I just don't understand why text has to move so damn slowly. Even with B + A held down. It's horrific. It was just fine in TP!

 

[Guevara]

I just don't understand why text has to move so damn slowly. Even with B + A held down. It's horrific. It was just fine in TP!

It's almost passive aggressive: you WILL read all the bullshit Fi says.

 

[Nekofrog]

I don't have a HUGE issue with the controls (Loftwing, Beetle, etc).

The only issue is that a LOT of my horizontal swings register as diagonal and it's frustrating the shit out of me.

 

[Garcia]

The swimming in this actually hurts my wrists.

I've also found the swimming to be kinda tiring in a way. I have to sit correctly in order to properly turn my hand in the direction I want him to go.

 

[StevieP]

No. I play my FPS games on PC.

So do I. A lot more people are playing them with an "inferior" control method - the analog stick.

Well I think this game may not be for me. I loved OoT, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (played it on a Gamecube, the way it was meant to be played).

The intro was good. Really dug the Skyloft town and the new Zelda. Then I got to meet Fi, which I already want to nominate for most annoying game character of 2011 (I miss Midna) and the surface world. Hello bland and boring. I just got the slingshot and made it into the deep woods. I'm going to see how it goes when I actually get into the temple, but so far I'm not having fun at all. The controls are aggravating the hell out of me. From having to constantly reset the aiming retecule (why the hell does it de-sync all the time?) to wiimote not interpreting my moves correctly (50% of the time when I do a swing from right to left Link slashes downward). Also balancing the wiimote while walking on tightropes is anything but fun. Especially when the bloody thing can't even recognize that I have it perfectly upright.
Ooh and yeah, the graphics. I don't know what's going on, but the image quality goes from good for a Wii game to flatout horrendous at times. Especially during cut scenes in dark rooms (for instance when you meet Fi) the backgrounds are a blurry muddy mess. I've also noticed weird vertical and horizontal lines running through the screen in certain darker areas.

Totally bummed out right now. I figured this may have had a shot at being my GOTY.

You're playing it on Dolphin.

 

[Danielsan]

Ooh and here, let me present you with this annoying purple glowing C button in the left side corner accompanied by an annoying sound because I demand that you use our useless dousing function rather than go exploring yourself.

So do I. A lot more people are playing them with an "inferior" control method - the analog stick.

You're playing it on Dolphin.

I'm playing it on a Wii. Otherwise I wouldn't be complaining about the shitty image quality.

 

[[Nintex]]

This game is such a mess but it's still so good. Such a weird game in my opinion. You can certainly tell it wasn't directed by Aonuma or Miyamoto for better for worse.

 

[WrenchNinja]

What the fuck

Is this game seriously making me go all the way back into a temple for some fucking water

 

[ivysaur12]

I don't have a HUGE issue with the controls (Loftwing, Beetle, etc).

The only issue is that a LOT of my horizontal swings register as diagonal and it's frustrating the shit out of me.

This is happening to me. If I think about it, they register as horizontal, but in the heat of the moment, they're diagonal. Which may mean that it's me.

 

[Amir0x]

So do I. A lot more people are playing them with an "inferior" control method - the analog stick.

you don't need to put the word inferior in quotes. analog controls are inferior to M+K, factually.

Ooh and here, let me present you with this annoying purple glowing C button in the left side corner accompanied by an annoying sound because I demand that you use our useless dousing function rather than go exploring yourself.

Seriously this drove me up the goddamn wall. I just press the dowsing button and immediately exit to get it to shut the fuck up. Goddamn this game has so many annoyances with design. It's like Nintendo got stuck in game design 101 because they were afraid that the 'radical changes' to the Zelda formula would be too much for some.

Inb4 "Clearly, they were!" LOLOL

What the fuck

Is this game seriously making me go all the way back into a temple for some fucking water

hahah yeah...fucking hell

 

[Gillian Seed]

As a lifelong Nintendo fan, Big N needs to go back to a regular controller like MS and Sony. I love the art style, but i miss the Wind Waker/Twilight Princess Gamecube Controls Big Time!!! Other than Galaxy, the Wii has been a Heartbreaker for myself! :-(...........

 

[Caelus]

Ooh and here, let me present you with this annoying purple glowing C button in the left side corner accompanied by an annoying sound because I demand that you use our useless dousing function rather than go exploring yourself.

"press C"
"press C again"

There, it's gone.

 

[[Nintex]]

hahah yeah...fucking hell

Spoiler

And I luckily stumbled upon the key by accident.

As a lifelong Nintendo fan, Big N needs to go back to a regular controller like MS and Sony. I love the art style, but i miss the Wind Waker/Twilight Princess Gamecube Controls Big Time!!! Other than Galaxy, the Wii has been a Heartbreaker for myself! :-(...........

Talking about Galaxy, even though this soundtrack is orchestrated by Yokota it isn't as good as Super Mario Galaxy's.

 

[Papercuts]

What the fuck

Is this game seriously making me go all the way back into a temple for some fucking water

A small bottle of water somehow fixes everything.

 

[Danielsan]

"press C"
"press C again"

There, it's gone.

It shouldn't be there in the first place. People do have a memory span that goes beyond 5 minutes. Yes you can douse you already told me 20 times, nobody gives a shit. If I want to douse I'll press your C button, leave me alone.

 

[[Nintex]]

A small bottle of water somehow fixes everything.

Even when you throw it on the floor.

To be fair, without dousing you probably couldn't find shit in this game. At least for some stuff I didn't know where to begin looking. They probably implemented it because the designers forgot where they left all that junk lol.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Yeah, I've got absolutely no issues with the controls.

I just find most of this utterly, utterly boring. I'm sure for those who have a lot of patience, this is probably a great game.

 

[Insaniac]

how is dowsing "useless"? Firstly I found it helpful in certain parts, and you aren't forced to use it. secondly, how is it ANY different from a game with an objective marker or something similar that points you TO YOUR OBJECTIVE?

 

[Y2Kev]

I have so much trouble with an upward slash. I actually stand now when playing the game because it increased the M+ accuracy.

 

[Phenomic]

Well I think this game may not be for me. I loved OoT, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (played it on a Gamecube, the way it was meant to be played).

Totally bummed out right now. I figured this may have had a shot at being my GOTY.

I think it's going to end up being mine come voting time. We shall see though still have a ways out to think about it. Dark Souls isn't very far behind either. I gotta go through the giant list though because I never remember what came out in a year before June hits.