First impressions time? First impressions time.
I honestly don't know how long I've been playing so far, but I've just entered the first area beyond the clouds, so I'm strictly talking about the beginning of the game here.
And what a wondeful beginning it is! It's exactly what I hoped for, maybe even more. Just like Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword takes its time during the "prologue". Who wants to jump into the action staight from minute one, might very well end up disliking it. However, who on the other hand wants to be slowly introduced into a new, charming world is going to be satisfied completely.
Comparing it to Twilight Princess's opening scene -- which I also really liked -- wouldn't be fair, though. That's because for one Skyloft is a much a better designed and more interesting place than the starting village of Twilight Princess. It's not only nice to look at, but also fun to run through and exploring. It's obvious that Nintendo's designer spent much time designing the village, and it shows.
But what really puts it above Twilight Princess, is the story. While Twilight Princess presented some strange characters, most people hardly cared for, Skyward Sword actually shows you a sympathic bunch of characters right from the beginning. Especially Zelda, obviously, is really charming and funny (in a way that seems appropriate fo the series). I don't think there ever was another Zelda game with as much cutscenes during the first hours of the game, but I think it's doing the game good in this case. They are well directed, they are charming, and a pleasure to look at -- it's hard not to be immersed into the game's world after a few minutes.
Are there tutorials that explain you rather obvious things? Oh, yes, there are. But they don't take much time, honestly. I heard someone saying that SS has two hours of tutorials and that is plain wrong. It has two hours of world building, and that is simply awesome -- for everyone who is not only searching for exploring and dungeon solving in a Zelda game, but also for a feeling for the characters of the world, having the impression that one is actually part of the game.
