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[RoadHazard]

I have the feeling that perhaps Nintendo didn't plan on people going to Lanayru first and I feel that may well be the cause of your misfortune. Massive error and one that should never have made it bast QA if my assumption is correct. Perhaps other people can chime in on the order in which they collected

Spoiler

The three parts of the song

Spoiler

I didn't do Lanayru first, I started with Faron. Or do you mean Lanayru before Eldin? Anyway, I can't imagine just the simple act of doing Eldin last causes this glitch (surely that would have been caught during testing - also, the game explicitly tells you (when asking the fortune teller where to go next, I believe) that you can do them in any order you like), it has to be a combination of that and some other unknown factors.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

Where/when will I be able to collect

Spoiler

Hornet Larvae? Also I have seen a sign in the Lumpy Pumpkin saying they are taking applications for Pumpkin collection, but the bartender doesn't mention it, any clues?

 

[The Lamp]

Well, I beat it. I think I'd settle on a 7.5 score, about equal to Spirit Tracks in my mind which I liked, but didn't adore.

I just want to highlight something. Prior to the game, we discussed a sort of Metroidvania type interconnected world where you kept returning to areas with new abilities and then unlocked new areas. I love the idea. But this game has literally three different forms of revisiting the same area, even if one is more constricted than the other, and it just drags on and on and often becomes the BAD type of backtracking.

I'll just use pre-4th dungeon stuff to highlight the difference.

GOOD backtracking:

You got a

Spoiler

Water Scale

! Now you can

Spoiler

swim under the water to access the Deku Tree!

BAD backtracking

You need to

Spoiler

prove yourself in this lame time trial fetch quest! All you do is go around this area you've been to now, like, THREE or FOUR times combing already, where virtually nothing is changed except there are statues that chase you!

GOOD backtracking:

You go back to

Spoiler

the Water Dragon and open up a previously inaccessible dungeon in the Faron area!

BAD backtracking

Holy fuck I have to

Spoiler

go back through the Water Temple, with virtually no differences except new enemies? For a bottle of water? REALLY? This is sub-Corruption quality, sub-shovelware dev levels of padding.

To me, this illustrates the core problem the game has outside of the unreliable controls and handholding issues. They need to cut all the fat wherein you're getting abilities so you could START backtracking, and implement it into the standard traversal the first time. For example, if you complete a dungeon you should GAIN the ability to let you backtrack immediately... through use of your tools, or whatever. You should not have all this needless and frankly unfun fat that is just between me and getting to areas I haven't seen yet. It's one thing if you're going to REALLY mix it up, it's quite another if you're going to be lazy about it and just have the same area with new enemies.



They didn't ditch it; they just provided the illusion they did by calling it "dowsing" and adding a lame extra step to the process. They actually devolved the streamlining.

That's a lot of hyperbole to me. The only nearly offensive backtracking to me was the

Spoiler

going back to Skyview Temple to get the water

but even then I had patience because it was quite short.

The

Spoiler

Silent Realm

sections are fun and focus on speed and parkour over the other aspects of the game that focus on puzzles/combat, so it's a nice break up.

I'm about to get to the 5th dungeon and everything is smooth sailing for me

Spoiler

no pun intended

.

The game is becoming easier to turn off and play in short bursts now that I'm not in any "new" elemental areas, but rather revisiting inaccessible places in old areas, but the game is still pretty great. 4th dungeon was kind of lackluster, though. But the boss, OMG.

 

[jonno394]

Spoiler

I didn't do Lanayru first, I started with Faron. Or do you mean Lanayru before Eldin? Anyway, I can't imagine just the simple act of doing Eldin last causes this glitch (surely that would have been caught during testing?), it has to be a combination of that and some other unknown factors.

I meant

Spoiler

before Eldin

. Really sucks that this has happened to you though, can't think of any other reason why it's broke for you.

 

[Cdammen]

Just cleared the 4th dungeon

Spoiler

I got the first flame to temper my sword and that boss battle against the gold/brass golem was fantastic. I really felt empowered with the whip (heh). Lashing fast, stealing his sword and cutting his legs off was thrilling. Also loved the moment when I realized that I could whip the key off of that enemies belt

This is easily becoming my most liked The Legend of Zelda game.

 

[snesfreak]

That's a lot of hyperbole to me. The only nearly offensive backtracking to me was the

Spoiler

going back to Skyview Temple to get the water

but even then I had patience because it was quite short.

The

Spoiler

Silent Realm

sections are fun and focus on speed and parkour over the other aspects of the game that focus on puzzles/combat, so it's a nice break up.

I'm about to get to the 5th dungeon and everything is smooth sailing for me

Spoiler

no pun intended

.

The game is becoming easier to turn off and play in short bursts now that I'm not in any "new" elemental areas, but rather revisiting inaccessible places in old areas, but the game is still pretty great. 4th dungeon was kind of lackluster, though. But the boss, OMG.

It's Amir0x, 99% of what he posts is hyperbole.

 

[Garcia]

Where/when will I be able to collect

Spoiler

Hornet Larvae? Also I have seen a sign in the Lumpy Pumpkin saying they are taking applications for Pumpkin collection, but the bartender doesn't mention it, any clues?

You can collect them in 2 locations, both are inside

Spoiler

Faron Woods

.

1 - At the beginning of

Spoiler

the last section which leads you to the 1st dungeon

. There's a

Spoiler

Beehive

hanging above that big tree surrounded by lots of grass.

2 - In the middle of the same section where you have to balance yourself on a rope, you have to

Spoiler

use the Beetle to grab the hive and drop it close to you, so you can collect both the comb and catch LOTS of bees.

 

[RagnarokX]

Exactly. That's what this game needs. Instant warps inside and outside previously visited locations. I don't like having to go from A to E in the very same region by reaching the skies, then U-turn just to drop down again and then choose the location I want to go. That's stupid and shouldn't be an issue at all.

As for the sky travel being fun I definitely think the opposite is true; It would be fun if they added optional challenges from time to time during the story progression. To me it just feels monotonous. It was very refreshing for the first couple of dungeons, but then it started to feel empty somehow.

And then you have pleasant surprises: I really thank whoever came with the idea of the

Spoiler

Thunderhead battle against Levias

. Definitely one of my favorite moments in any Zelda game 'til now. It was stellar.

I'm not saying the sky is perfect. It's fairly empty and I wish there was a lot more to it. I just think it's a lot quicker to traverse than Hyrule Field and more interesting due to the novelty and the flying controls. The only region that really feels "empty" to me is

Spoiler

Faron

but maybe that's just because I find that trope least interesting in general.

Spoiler

I didn't do Lanayru first, I started with Faron. Or do you mean Lanayru before Eldin? Anyway, I can't imagine just the simple act of doing Eldin last causes this glitch (surely that would have been caught during testing - also, the game explicitly tells you (when asking the fortune teller where to go next, I believe) that you can do them in any order you like), it has to be a combination of that and some other unknown factors.

You had me worried since

Spoiler

I did Faron last night. I just flew to Eldin and the event was triggered, so the glitch didn't happen to me. Most likely it's because of going to Lanayru before Eldin. Sorry that happened to you. I almost went to Lanayru first because I wanted to check up on that Goron digging in the caves. Glad I didn't.

 

[bsb]

Spoiler

roll a bomb into it

that...IS kind of embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the first time I played through all of Mario Galaxy and forgot Mario had a super long jump ability, and was wondering why Luigi's Purple Coins was giving me problems.

I got stuck in the fourth dungeon for 30 minutes because I completely forgot that Link can

Spoiler

spin jump out of the water

. Oy.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

You can collect them in 2 locations, both are inside

Spoiler

Faron Woods

.

1 - At the beginning of

Spoiler

the last section which leads you to the 1st dungeon

. There's a Beehive hanging above that big tree surrounded by lots of grass.

2 - In the middle of the same section where you have to balance yourself on a rope, you have to

Spoiler

use the Beetle to grab the hive and drop it close to you, so you can collect both the comb and catch LOTS of bees.

Spoiler

So you need the actual hive? I managed to collect lots of Hornets, so I just have to collect it(the Hive) with the beetle & I should get some Larvae?

 

[Papercuts]

Aside from the handholding, the sky in general is my only other big disappointment with the game. It's so barren and dull, even if you can get around quickly. I've been loving everything else, but I can't say I'm ever excited to take to the skies after the initial gamestart.

 

[olimpia84]

Just finished the first dungeon/temple and did a bit of side quests afterwards. I'm having a blast so far, Fi can be a little bit annoying with her explanations but I'm guessing this will start to go away as I progress through the game.

So far I love the story and how much more engaging the NPCs are. The motion controls work well most of the time but sometimes they can get frustrating. Time for a rest and some Battlefield 3 and then back to this.

 

[Dan]

Spoiler

So you need the actual hive? I managed to collect lots of Hornets, so I just have to collect it(the Hive) with the beetle & I should get some Larvae?

Spoiler

You have to knock it down first. The larvae item will emerge after the hive crashes into the ground.

 

[Air]

Finished dungeon 5 a little while ago, and it was great, both the dungeon and pre-dungeon segments. I do like how all of the items get similar use throughout the dungeons. The design seems more focused overall too. I haven't had too many problems with the controls either. The game is pretty fantastic.

 

[Lunar15]

Screw the Ghirahim haters. I thought he was an awesome villain. One of the better ones in the series, if you ask me. I feel like he had a really good rivalry with link, and he came off as really sick, cruel, and twisted. His growing frustration with Link really made it feel like Link was progressing as a warrior.

Spoiler

Plus, the fact that he was actually the Dark Master Sword was an excellent touch. Unlike Zant, you knew he was a minion from the start, yet he still played his role out to the end.

 

[Divvy]

I'm sorry, but that would be this handsome fella.

<-- Nope, it's Link's Gundam.

 

[RoboFu]

ok so what am I doing wrong? I am trying the sword fight the guy the first temple but my sword never does what it is suppose to do and after a few swings it is totally out of alignment.

Am i just screwed and can not coupe with motion plus?

 

[HeresSomeWeapons]

A more fitting title for this game would have been The Legend of Zelda: Repetitive Sword.

Spoiler

I mean, seriously? They spent 5 years working on this? I can't for the life of me figure out where the time went. There are very few places in the game, and after the first 10 hours or so the game pretty much consists of just revisiting those same places over and over again with different gimmicks. And then to fit the theme, it makes you fight the same horribly designed boss over and over again.

:/

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Just want to say that only Fi's icon appeared for me, not Fi herself (unless I pressed the button, of course), during that dungeon puzzle.

I'm replaying the game so once I get back there I'll see if anything's different or if there's something specific that can trigger it.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Sad day. I finally beat the game with 45hours. I hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for another Zelda. :/ The credit music was awesome! Make sure you watch them all, there is a short little scene after. Nothing major though, nor hinting at the next game or anything.

Still I had fun with it, and I will rank it a smidge higher than Twilight Princess. I'm playing hero mode, and I wish you could turn off the skip cinematic icon off, oh well. Can you not start a Hero mode without overwriting your main game? I did, but I was pretty much done with most of it, so no big deal.

 

[zethren]

Just met

Spoiler

Betreaux, the demon

. lol Awesome, didn't expect that after walking in there.

Also, having fun just spending some time flying around in the overworld. Loved just sailing around in Windwaker so this is great for me.

 

[jonno394]

A more fitting title for this game would have been The Legend of Zelda: Repetitive Sword.

Spoiler

I mean, seriously? They spent 5 years working on this? I can't for the life of me figure out where the time went. There are very few places in the game, and after the first 10 hours or so the game pretty much consists of just revisiting those same places over and over again with different gimmicks. And then to fit the theme, it makes you fight the same horribly designed boss over and over again.

:/

You say gimmicks, I say gameplay styles.

 

[snesfreak]

I'm sorry, but that would be this handsome fella.

"Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Huh? Think, McFly. Think!"

 

[Papercuts]

Just want to say that only Fi's icon appeared for me, not Fi herself (unless I pressed the button, of course), during that dungeon puzzle.

I'm replaying the game so once I get back there I'll see if anything's different or if there's something specific that can trigger it.

Leaving/re-entering the room seems like the most likely thing to try. Really sucks if so, because I personally think the 5th dungeon was the best so far, and that impacted what would have been one of the best moments of it.

 

[HeresSomeWeapons]

You say gimmicks, I say gameplay styles.

Whatever you call it, you are on the exact same terrain every single time, and more often than not you are just trying to collect some arbitrary amount of random bullshit. For me, that got old real fast.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I can sorta see why they threw that hint in there, as stupid as it is. It screams, "OoT-Water-Temple-esque part where all the playtesters got stuck because they're dumb."

 

[Lunar15]

Fi never gave me a hint about that puzzle, not that I can remember...

 

[Kard8p3]

Whatever you call it, you are on the exact same terrain every single time, and more often than not you are just trying to collect some arbitrary amount of random bullshit. For me, that got old real fast.

Well their whole thing with this game was to do more with less.

 

[olimpia84]

best NPC in Skyward Sword.

Hehe this dude is funny

 

[jonno394]

Whatever you call it, you are on the exact same terrain every single time, and more often than not you are just trying to collect some arbitrary amount of random bullshit. For me, that got old real fast.

In your previous post you also state that

Spoiler

after the first 10 hours or so the game pretty much consists of just revisiting those same places over and over again with different gimmicks

. Are you just ignoring the fact that

Spoiler

3 new areas and 3 dungeons open up upon revisiting each area?

 

[The Lamp]

Whatever you call it, you are on the exact same terrain every single time, and more often than not you are just trying to collect some arbitrary amount of random bullshit. For me, that got old real fast.

You always collect something to progress in Zelda games. In TP, you collect Fused Shadows and pieces of a mirror. In OoT you collect spiritual stones and free sages. In Majora's Mask you collect boss masks and summon gods. In Wind Waker you collect pearls and restore your sword. In Skyward Sword you

Spoiler

follow Zelda to three places and then forge your sword in 3 locations after she disappears

. I mean, did you like OoT? Because in that game you do nothing but revisit old locations for the majority of the game.

At least the game has an obvious objective, which can't be said for some other games.

 

[Ruas]

i am replaying twilight princess. here's a few things that stick out immediately:

- there is considerably less hand-holding
- the text speed is so much faster, it's not even funny, just look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=muYCDMQNtu0#t=401s
- the general flow of the gameplay is just much better, there are only few interruptions, they are brief and text boxes can be displayed and skipped in their entirety by pressing A.
- clearly, skyward sword's audio-visual presentation is a lot more polished than tp's, i'm mostly talking about menus, ui and sound design in general.
- i don't know how i put up with tp's battle music on my first playthrough. it's honestly the single most distracting and baffling thing in the game. how did ANYONE think this sounded decent or needed to be in the game AT ALL? not only is it an absolutely atrociuos composition, the quality of the samples used makes you wanna rip your hair out. FUCK!
- i'm surprised how much better the camera is in tp. i had to CONSTANTLY re-center it in ss, but that's not the case here. it does a much better job of staying centered behind link.
- tp's opening felt much tighter and more enjoyable to me despite being somewhat longer. the reason for that is a) that, despite not getting into a dungeon as fast as in ss, there is actual adventuring, puzzle solving and fighting enemies here immediately after the initial town segment and b) midna, who keeps everything short and simple and yet is a proper character with actual depth versus fi, who just won't shut up and talks slow as fuck and c) there is generally a lot less talking and the tutorials are much briefer.
- the wiimote speaker is overused in this game and the sounds from it sound just awful and distorted. ugh. glad ss toned this down.
- the music in general wouldn't be so bad, not even the fact that it's all midi, but the quality of the samples is just mindblowingly bad. certainly doesn't hold a candle to skyward sword's mostly orchestrated soundtrack.

Zeldas to cycle

 

[Papercuts]

I can sorta see why they threw that hint in there, as stupid as it is. It screams, "OoT-Water-Temple-esque part where all the playtesters got stuck because they're dumb."

I can see it being a hint when you walk into the obvious visual cue, but forcing it is a no-no, even if that apparently didn't happen to everyone. There's certainly much harder puzzles that the game leaves up to you, this was just a case of a clever thing to figure out being spoiled for no real reason.

Hehe this dude is funny

I love how depressed he gets when you walk away from his store.

 

[Cwarrior]

some strange handholding, fi takes me for retard who can't tell his low on health but yet the same time the game has some pretty challenging puzzles.

done 3 dungeons,beat

Spoiler

the imprisoned

the game went from worst zelda ever to best zelda ever for me, huge improvement in the enemeys and boss(thank god) form the last 2 games.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Well, considering how each Zelda game these days seems to have tons of elements where you can clearly tell that the designers were reacting to negative feedback from the previous game, there's a good chance that Wii U Zelda might have a "Zelda Mode" and "Casual Mode" or whatever marketing phrase they'll use.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

Spoiler

You have to knock it down first. The larvae item will emerge after the hive crashes into the ground.

Thanks, now I can upgrade my

Spoiler

Beetle

 

[The Lamp]

some strange handholding, fi takes me for retard who can't tell his low on health but yet the same time the game has some pretty challenging puzzles.

done 3 dungeons,beat

Spoiler

the imprisoned

the game went from worst zelda ever to best zelda ever for me, huge improvement in the enemeys and boss(thank god) form the last 2 games.

If you want them to make hard puzzles you have to let them throw a bone to the people who have never played a video game before, too.

 

[Ragus]

Wow, 4th dungeon boss was so fucking BOSS

 

[The Lamp]

Wow, 4th dungeon boss was so fucking BOSS

I was kind of bored/unimpressed until the part you know that I'm talking about. Then I was like, oh, I can't believe this is happening.

 

[Reversed]

best NPC in Skyward Sword.

A moody guy, as you can see in nighttime.

Looks like the "Happy" Salesman person from Majora's... Are both a representation of Miyamoto?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Dungeon 5's boss was pretty cool once I figured out what I was doing wrong.

 

[rollingstart]

Well, considering how each Zelda game these days seems to have tons of elements where you can clearly tell that the designers were reacting to negative feedback from the previous game, there's a good chance that Wii U Zelda might have a "Zelda Mode" and "Casual Mode" or whatever marketing phrase they'll use.

That's what surprised me about Skyward Sword's long intro. Everyone complained about the long intro to Twilight Princess and here it was again. It's a minor point because it's just the start of a ~40 hour adventure, but I thought for sure Skyward Sword would put you into the action sooner based on the criticisms of Twilight Princess. Waterfall cave could have been made into a dungeon to teach you the basics like the deku tree.

 

[scitek]

There should be an Indiana Jones game with the Motionplus/Move damn it. I love the whip.

 

[Kai Dracon]

That's what surprised me about Skyward Sword's long intro. Everyone complained about the long intro to Twilight Princess and here it was again. It's a minor point because it's just the start of a ~40 hour adventure, but I thought for sure Skyward Sword would put you into the action sooner based on the criticisms of Twilight Princess. Waterfall cave could have been made into a dungeon to teach you the basics like the deku tree.

The SS intro doesn't drag on as long as TPs. But, more to the point, SS's intro isn't for a starter area that you basically never come back to again for a good reason. It's an introduction to Skyloft itself and everything you see stays relevant.

Plus, if you're counting just the village TP's intro isn't that long. What makes it draaaaag is going straight from the village, to the wolf stuff, the being stuck as a wolf for another set of sequences. Then eventually, some day in future year 20xx, you are actually in the field w/ green tunic and are able to do something significant as Link.

SS doesn't take that long until you're down in Faron, Doin' Thangs as fully functional green hero boy.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

There should be an Indiana Jones game with the Motionplus/Move damn it. I love the whip.

~Iwata laugh......smiles~

 

[The Lamp]

The soundtrack is pretty great (particularly 3rd dungeon's theme) but so far WW's and TP's are far more memorable to me.

I'm listening to the orchestral CD as I type and the jolly melodies of Outset Island bring back great memories ^_^

Then again I haven't had much time to form long-lasting memories with SS yet so we'll see.

I also actually didn't feel very compelled or bothered by Zelda's disappearance in SS compared to that one girl in TP or Aryll in Wind Waker. Maybe I'm just a heartless bastard.

Also with everyone in the game telling me

Spoiler

She's just fine!

compared to the broads from the other game, I feel even less urgent lol

 

[EmCeeGramr]

That's what surprised me about Skyward Sword's long intro. Everyone complained about the long intro to Twilight Princess and here it was again. It's a minor point because it's just the start of a ~40 hour adventure, but I thought for sure Skyward Sword would put you into the action sooner based on the criticisms of Twilight Princess. Waterfall cave could have been made into a dungeon to teach you the basics like the deku tree.

I thought it put you in the action sooner. You're certainly doing things that are more relevant to the game and plot (like learning how to use the controls and fly) than herding goats, fishing, flying a hawk to get a baby basket, or fighting rats and birds as a dog (before going on a stealth section as a dog and then fighting bugs as a dog). THEN you get the tunic, and the ability to use the first real sword and the first shield, right as you're about to enter the first dungeon.

In SS, you're using the sword and shield to solve puzzles, adventure, and fight enemies as soon as you hit Faron Woods, and all the stuff before that (fighting basic enemies, direction sword swipes, flight, shopping, upgrades, and item slots) is stuff that remains relevant throughout the game.

 

[TheExodu5]

"That sword is the only reason you still alive."

Really, Nintendo?

Not a terribly fun fight. Very inconsistent. I spin when he dashes towards me, and it works half the time. When he teleports to me and has his overhead guard ready, I swing horizontally and he still blocks me 50% of the time.

 

[ivysaur12]

Also with everyone in the game telling me

Spoiler

She's just fine!

compared to the broads from the other game, I feel even less urgent lol

The lack of urgency is definitely a huge flaw in the game's narrative.

"That sword is the only reason you still alive."

Really, Nintendo?

The worst part is, you probably wouldn't have caught that error if the text moved faster!

 

[-COOLIO-]

can we talk about how much dolphin adds to the experience?

my gawd. 480p makes you miss out on sooooo much of the art