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

3 hours into the game. That's long enough for me to realize that anyone who had serious issues with the controls is a certified artard.

Still waiting to see how this fits into the Zelda pantheon rankings, but it's definitely the freshest Zelda since OoT.

Whilst I'm not going to be quite as forthright as you, the accuracy with which the gestures work for me confirms that many of the complainees have either a broken controller or are simply performing them incorrectly; I imagine many with an inbuilt aversion to motion control are getting easily flustered and not noticing their inaccuracy, which causes a build up of stress and even more aimless flailing followed by endless whining.
 
So far for me this game is vastly superior to Twilight Princess.

I'm loving every moment of it.

It's great. Really abstruse for a Zelda game in places (just getting to the dungeons really requires a bit of head scratching I find) which is an oftentimes stressful yet welcome surprise. Brilliant.
 

sphinx

the piano man
Whilst I'm not going to be quite as forthright as you, the accuracy with which the gestures work for me confirms that many of the complainees have either a broken controller or are simply performing them incorrectly; I imagine many with an inbuilt aversion to motion control are getting easily flustered and not noticing their inaccuracy, which causes a build up of stress and even more aimless flailing followed by endless whining.

but there HAS to be a youtube video or something where it is shown how the controls actually work.

All the whining in this thread, most of it comes from veteran gamers/neogaffers ...

shouldn't they know better and have done their research before condeming the game???
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
but there HAS to be a youtube video or something where it is shown how the controls actually work.

All the whining in this thread, most of it comes from veteran gamers/neogaffers ...

shouldn't they know better and have done their research before condeming the game???
There is, it's been posted before, as silly as the expectation is. The controls work better for me than in the video even, perhaps because I don't play sitting, but I'm not gonna film myself, I don't care that much, much like those who say they're broken don't do the same because they also don't care that much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEge_2Vuft0&t=27s

Don't watch before that mark and past 56 seconds if you were on media blackout and aren't far in the game. At most you see slight lag for thrusts.

Avoid looking @ the related vids too, just in case.
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
There is, it's been posted before, as silly as the expectation is. The controls work better for me than in the video even, perhaps because I don't play sitting, but I'm not gonna film myself, I don't care that much, much like those who say they're broken don't do the same because they also don't care that much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEge_2Vuft0&t=27s

Don't watch before that mark and past 56 seconds if you were on media blackout and aren't far in the game. At most you see slight lag for thrusts.

Avoid looking @ the related vids too, just in case.
Actually as long as I don't see a video of a 40% accuracy experience, I call it a lie, or an inaptitude at best.
 

spekkeh

Banned
While the controls work fine in terms of recognizing my movements, I am kind of annoyed that the game thinks my tv is six meters wide; i.e. I have to point all the way to another wall for the reticule to reach the edge of my screen. This occasionally frustrates me, because in the waggle days of yesteryear, a quick flick would be enough, but I now have to move my arm about. Does anyone know if there's a way to make it more sensitive? Otherwise I would consider it slightly galling that they're not using the wiimote's pointer.
 

mclem

Member
So nobody is "right or wrong" here. I'd like to think people having issues with the motions aren't lying, and it can be very frustrating when you are performing a thrust fine, the game just won't recognize it, you make a post about it and just get "you must suck". There's a lot of factors involved here, and while the game surely performs fine for many, there's also a fraction where the controls don't work nearly as effectively for a ton of potential reasons.

Oh, I wouldn't say they're lying; you're right that that'd be unfair. I'm actually one of those people who's never been any good at shoryukens, I just fundamentally don't understand how you go from forward to down without going through down/forward. I input the controls wrong, I recognise that I input the controls wrong, and therefore I don't blame the controls.

What I want to understand - and crucially, none of these reviews have managed to inform me - is if these reviewers are blaming the controls for inputting the controls wrong, if there is a problem with their setup, or if motionplus controllers break silently after a period of use. The latter in particular is potentially distressing!

I was doing the same exact motions, so I wasn't doing anything "wrong", it just was getting messed up by something. The lamp? Actually, no. I turned it off, moved back where I was, did the same inputs and swimming was still acting messed up. I don't know why.

I don't know if people are aware that you can do this, but buried in the Wii control panel is a sensitivity option for the cameras on the controller. While that's generally used to control the sensitivity (obviously!), you can also use it to detect extra IR sources which may cause problems with the controller; crank the sensibility up to full, point the controller at the screen and you should see dots corresponding to every rogue IR source. I find it very useful over Christmas, where my parent's TV is right next to the christmas tree (with christmas lights)!
 

mclem

Member
There are a few ways. You can raise your shield, which blocks their line of sight. Then just attack where their club isn't, and they won't block you like they normally would.

Otherwise, you can try attacking left, right, left, right quickly. Eventually they'll go down.

That's the way I do it. Have the first attack parried, but you recover more rapidly than they do which means the attack in the opposite direction should be open and unblocked. Once you've got one successful attack in, keep going rhythmically slashing and they won't get a chance to block again.

Wasn't aware of hiding your movements behind your shield, that's a nice idea. SPOILER FOR THIRD DUNGEON:
Particularly in light of the, er, difficulties with my current tactic with the latest developments.
 

mclem

Member
Think of it more like a puzzle; once you crack the code, combat becomes much less cumbersome. The only enemies you can really waggle at are the small stuff like bats. Once you figure out the larger enemies they go down pretty quickly.

Better still: Think of it more like Punch Out with a sword.

I felt the same way at first, but it clicked after a few hours. The fighting became a lot of fun and engaging. Really feels like you're duking it out which I can't say too much about previous Zeldas.
I think the third dungeon was where I had a real 'ah-ha!' moment for the combat. There's quite a lot of enemies in there which are just plain *interesting* to fight with the new sword system.
 

cloudyy

Member
While the controls work fine in terms of recognizing my movements, I am kind of annoyed that the game thinks my tv is six meters wide; i.e. I have to point all the way to another wall for the reticule to reach the edge of my screen. This occasionally frustrates me, because in the waggle days of yesteryear, a quick flick would be enough, but I now have to move my arm about. Does anyone know if there's a way to make it more sensitive? Otherwise I would consider it slightly galling that they're not using the wiimote's pointer.

I don't move my arm for pointing, only my wrist.
 

spekkeh

Banned
I don't move my arm for pointing, only my wrist.

I find that if I only use my wrist, I have to move it slightly too far for it to be comfortable. Into the RSI area. I have very small hands, may be the reason. That or it has to do with the distance to the tv.
But I remember from long ago (my Wii was collecting dust and I lent it out to my sis in law) that you could calibrate the size of your screen by pointing at the four corners... or was this only for Wii Play?
 

jesusraz

Member
While I don't always agree with Adam's (Cubed3) scores, his review texts are always some of the best.
I have been accused of being overly generous at times...but thank you for the compliment regarding the actual text :) I think sometimes people focus too much on the end score breakdown section rather than the actual review content, so it's always pleasing to hear from someone who bothers to read it properly.

For the record, TLoZ: SS started off as a 9/10 when I played through the first few hours - great game, but lacked that magical spark to nudge it higher. However, by the end I was left loving it far more than TP and WW on consoles, and ST on DS. It's definitely the first home console edition to have me hooked since Oot and MM.
 

krYlon

Member
AusGamers 7/10

"Skyward Sword holds dear to a lot of things we love about the series, but quite frankly just doesn’t do enough to move things forward, leaving us with a merely good game that should have been great."
 

Mlatador

Banned
Certainly not the case for me. I think this is possibly the fourth Wii game to get a full score from me, with Xenoblade, SMG2 and Sin & Punishment 2 being the others. There are some amazing titles for the system and far too many reviewers seem to ignore that fact.


 

Chao

Member
Finished the game and I don't think it deserves the 10s. The game has many flaws although it's a change for the best most of the time. 8/10 is more accurate in my opinion.
 

guek

Banned
A big detrimental effect of all this discussion about reviews and which ones are credible is that I think a lot of people are going into this game thinking to themselves "so, is this really a 10? A 7? How would I rate it up to now? What about now?"

There have been people who finished the first dungeon and feel compelled to post whether or not all the 10/10s are accurate. How could you possibly know only a few sparse hours into the game? I wonder if that overly critical mentality might have ruined an experience for some people that would have otherwise been more enjoyable. When you're actively looking for flaws, I think they tend to stand out more.
 

Domstercool

Member
While I'm not a professional reviewer, I did have a go at reviewing Skyward Sword on DarkZero, a site made up of people who game for a hobby (have other jobs/things).

Owner likes to try keep the reviews shortish, so I did my best to highlight the important parts.

Metacritic quote :D

10/10
What Nintendo has done to celebrate 25 years of the franchise is make one of the best games ever.

http://darkzero.co.uk/game-reviews/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-wii/
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
Blast | A+
When Nintendo introduced the Wii, and motion control to the world, it made some hefty promises. Now, nearly six years later, with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, those promises have been delivered on. This isn’t just the best Zelda game or the best Wii game, it’s also the first game that makes motion controls make sense. With its incredible production values, new gameplay ideas and most importantly heart, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is simply one of the best games I’ve ever played.


Vooks.net | 9.5
All in all, Skyward Sword succeeds in many ways where previous Zelda games wouldn’t dare to even go. The best thing about Skyward Sword isn’t the fact that it’s a prequel nor that it’s a commemoration of what makes the series so great, but the fact that it’s a very huge step forward and it feels like a “new” game rather than being just another “cookie cutter” Zelda installment. Skyward Sword is great but I couldn’t ignore a few frustrating flaws, and these flaws were non-existent in previous Zelda games. You were almost there for me, Nintendo, almost. A nearly perfect Zelda experience.
 

MoGamesXNA

Unconfirmed Member
I just thought I'd drop in quickly and give my thoughts after completing the first dungeon.

Background: This is my first Zelda game. I picked up a Wii specifically for this last week because I was instantly sold on the artstyle and got caught up in the hype prior to release.

After ten hours or so of gameplay, I'm of the opinion that SS is a complete masterstroke of game design. The characterisation is impeccable. The story is great. The music composition and game world are both amazingly well crafted. It's just a complete joy to play.

I'm now considering picking up a Zelda 3DS for Christmas. I was going to hold off for the redesign but I'm completely hooked on the Zelda universe at the moment.

I'd always assumed the Zelda titles were just watered down RPG's for the masses. Damn my jaded PC gamer heritage. Anyway, I'm glad to be on-board with the Zelda bandwagon. Feels good man.
 

HunkyDory

Neo Member
What I find interesting is that I had no problems with the controls at all, yet others are grumbling about them. Who is right and who is wrong? Could it simply be that certain folk just aren't able to get used to the sensitivity of MotionPlus?

EDIT:


Certainly not the case for me. I think this is possibly the fourth Wii game to get a full score from me, with Xenoblade, SMG2 and Sin & Punishment 2 being the others. There are some amazing titles for the system and far too many reviewers seem to ignore that fact.

That's not a fact though, it's just an opinion. I wouldn't say that Xenoblade or Sin and Punishment are "amazing" by any stretch of the imagination - they both bored me silly.

It is possible to dislike these games without having an irrational dislike of the system itself. I'm sure that there are some people out there who decide that they don't like a game by virtue of the fact that it's on Wii, but there are just as many people who hype up pretty tedious experiences simply because they are on the Wii. I have to believe that both groups are a minority though.
 

Rezbit

Member
I find it quite funny seeing the reviews that are saying "this is a great leap forward for Zelda" and others that are saying "it doesn't do enough different."

Here're my thoughts, anyway (from the first 3 temples). It's different, and better than Twilight Princess. The game controls beautifully, and the only gesture I've found a bit picky is the forward jab. I haven't had to recalibrate, and pressing d-pad down to reset the pointer works well enough. The game just flows so well. The blurring of dungeon and overworld is great. The whole 3rd area I was just sitting there going "wow that's cool." The biggest complaint I have is with the fanfare of getting the items. I get it, receiving an amber relic for the first time each time I start my console is amazing.

Also, don't get the waggle comments, this game is pretty much anti-waggle. With some of the shit enemies you can get away with it, but I almost freakin' died against an electric sword bokoblin! The more I got frustrated and waggled, the worse I did. I had to wait, compose myself, and bam, mission accomplished with one heart remaining lol.

(Sorry, maybe not the right thread for it but just had to post it somewhere!)
 

cajunator

Banned
A big detrimental effect of all this discussion about reviews and which ones are credible is that I think a lot of people are going into this game thinking to themselves "so, is this really a 10? A 7? How would I rate it up to now? What about now?"

There have been people who finished the first dungeon and feel compelled to post whether or not all the 10/10s are accurate. How could you possibly know only a few sparse hours into the game? I wonder if that overly critical mentality might have ruined an experience for some people that would have otherwise been more enjoyable. When you're actively looking for flaws, I think they tend to stand out more.

This is so true. I didn't really worry about flaws up to the point I am at now. I was having way too much fun with the game. I may have even overlooked a few flaws and missed control problems but didn't really register it as a problem because it works well enough not to get my ass beat. I might have lost a couple hearts because of control problems over the course of the 25 hours I have played it so far, but not enough to say the control system is really flawed. It hasn't led to cheap deaths or frustration. If anything, it has just been an incredibly addicting feeling being able to attack and take down enemies in those ways. So satisfying. I really don't ever want to go back to just button attacks.
 

AniHawk

Member
I just thought I'd drop in quickly and give my thoughts after completing the first dungeon.

Background: This is my first Zelda game. I picked up a Wii specifically for this last week because I was instantly sold on the artstyle and got caught up in the hype prior to release.

After ten hours or so of gameplay, I'm of the opinion that SS is a complete masterstroke of game design. The characterisation is impeccable. The story is great. The music composition and game world are both amazingly well crafted. It's just a complete joy to play.

I'm now considering picking up a Zelda 3DS for Christmas. I was going to hold off for the redesign but I'm completely hooked on the Zelda universe at the moment.

I'd always assumed the Zelda titles were just watered down RPG's for the masses. Damn my jaded PC gamer heritage. Anyway, I'm glad to be on-board with the Zelda bandwagon. Feels good man.

they're not even rpgs. they're action-adventure games. rpg elements never happen in the series except for the second nes title.

oot's going to be really, really dated by the time you get to it, but i guess it's kind of essential playing. probably better to start there and then move on to twilight princess and majora's mask (and wind waker, i guess).

link's awakening dx is on the 3ds too iirc. i recommend playing that over oot3d even if you get the bundle.
 

edeo

Member
I'd give this game an 7.5/10.

It's pretty fun, but all the critics are overlooking the inherent flaws. Moving Link around can feel like a chore and the camera is outright awful. I found myself accidentally running into enemies or off cliffs far too often.

I guess this is more the fault of the shitty control stick on the nunchuk. The nunchuk has always felt way too small for anyone with a normal sized hand over the age of twelve. And the lack of a second control stick is a problem. Snapping the camera to attention with Z never works as well as I want. My only other option is sllloooowwwwwlly swiveling the camera in first person mode.

And all the art direction in the world can't hide the PS2 level graphics. Yet again, it's not really the game's fault. But it's an issue too quickly skirted by the critics. The Mario games somehow get away with being SD yet looking beautiful. I never really notice limitations with Mario Galaxy. But with Zelda, it's too obvious. Like the trees that are made of a few flat sheets of leaf texture. Even in Twilight Princess, I don't remember ever thinking "wow, this really looks bad...."
 

cajunator

Banned
I'd give this game an 7.5/10.

It's pretty fun, but all the critics are overlooking the inherent flaws. Moving Link around can feel like a chore and the camera is outright awful. I found myself accidentally running into enemies or off cliffs far too often.

I guess this is more the fault of the shitty control stick on the nunchuk. The nunchuk has always felt way too small for anyone with a normal sized hand over the age of twelve. And the lack of a second control stick is a problem. Snapping the camera to attention with Z never works as well as I want. My only other option is sllloooowwwwwlly swiveling the camera in first person mode.

And all the art direction in the world can't hide the PS2 level graphics. Yet again, it's not really the game's fault. But it's an issue too quickly skirted by the critics. The Mario games somehow get away with being SD yet looking beautiful. I never really notice limitations with Mario Galaxy. But with Zelda, it's too obvious. Like the trees that are made of a few flat sheets of leaf texture. Even in Twilight Princess, I don't remember ever thinking "wow, this really looks bad...."

What? I have rather large hands and using the nunchuk has never been an issue. The only thing is I get a sore thumb after prolonged use.
 

edeo

Member
I've never felt like I've gotten a good grip on the nunchuk. It always seems to disappear into the palm of my hand and then shift out of place during gameplay with lots of action. It never feels as though it slips naturally into place like a modern PS or Xbox controller does.

It's especially bad when the game has you use the C and Z buttons a lot.
 

MoGamesXNA

Unconfirmed Member
they're not even rpgs. they're action-adventure games. rpg elements never happen in the series except for the second nes title.

oot's going to be really, really dated by the time you get to it, but i guess it's kind of essential playing. probably better to start there and then move on to twilight princess and majora's mask (and wind waker, i guess).

link's awakening dx is on the 3ds too iirc. i recommend playing that over oot3d even if you get the bundle.

Yeah I'm not sure where I got the impression that the series was in the RPG genre. OOT is on the next-to-play list. I still play Mario 64 and Wave Race, so the fact that it's dated a bit really isn't an issue for me. I'm one of the few people that love the blurry, low-poly N64 era 3D. Nintendo really knew how to make that work for their triple-A titles in the 32 bit gen. I'm kind of sad that I've left OOT off of my N64 collection for all this time due to a misconception really.

Thanks for the heads-up regarding Link's Awakening DX as well
 

JimboJones

Member
I've never felt like I've gotten a good grip on the nunchuk. It always seems to disappear into the palm of my hand and then shift out of place during gameplay with lots of action. It never feels as though it slips naturally into place like a modern PS or Xbox controller does.

It's especially bad when the game has you use the C and Z buttons a lot.

Weird, the nunchuk is the only analoge stick where the middle of my thumb actually stays on top of the stick, any other controller my thumb sort of ends up pushing the bottom edges of the stick.
 

dwu8991

Banned
they're not even rpgs. they're action-adventure games. rpg elements never happen in the series except for the second nes title.

oot's going to be really, really dated by the time you get to it, but i guess it's kind of essential playing. probably better to start there and then move on to twilight princess and majora's mask (and wind waker, i guess).

link's awakening dx is on the 3ds too iirc. i recommend playing that over oot3d even if you get the bundle.

Zelda's always had RPG elements. Like when you first begin the game, you can change the characters name Link to your own name. Expect to see more off it in the future.
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
TheGamersHub | 4/5
In the end Skyward Sword feels very much like an entry level Zelda adventure. While not entirely a bad thing, the games reluctance to let you think for yourself make it easy and predictable. The controls are a blast and bring combat to a new level but long-time fans may begin to miss the thought of never really having to think about their actions in puzzles. Veterans will blitz through Skyward Sword without breaking a sweat leaving only Hyrule’s tale of origin compelling them to continue along with the countless hours of side-quests, whereas new comers will find a lot of the formula millions of us fell in love with originally minus a few necessities for which we urge those to see this game as a reason to go back and play the earlier titles. While all the classic gameplay is here it ultimately feels toned down. Twilight Princess was very well received at launch but recently seems to be surrounded by negativity, a fate we feel Skyward Sword will surely follow.
 

SpiffyG

Member
I'd give this game an 7.5/10.

It's pretty fun, but all the critics are overlooking the inherent flaws. Moving Link around can feel like a chore and the camera is outright awful. I found myself accidentally running into enemies or off cliffs far too often.

I guess this is more the fault of the shitty control stick on the nunchuk. The nunchuk has always felt way too small for anyone with a normal sized hand over the age of twelve. And the lack of a second control stick is a problem. Snapping the camera to attention with Z never works as well as I want. My only other option is sllloooowwwwwlly swiveling the camera in first person mode.

And all the art direction in the world can't hide the PS2 level graphics. Yet again, it's not really the game's fault. But it's an issue too quickly skirted by the critics. The Mario games somehow get away with being SD yet looking beautiful. I never really notice limitations with Mario Galaxy. But with Zelda, it's too obvious. Like the trees that are made of a few flat sheets of leaf texture. Even in Twilight Princess, I don't remember ever thinking "wow, this really looks bad...."
Moving Link never feels like a chore to me. I've ran off a cliff maybe once or twice. The camera isn't the best. Having to press Z a few times to get it where you want can be a bit tedious, but it never really bothers me. I have big hands and don't have any problems with the nunchuk.

That big tree in Faron Woods really does look awful. Everything else looks great.

edit: Twilight Princess bored me to tears, but I'm really enjoying this one so far.
 

cajunator

Banned
I ran off a cliff exactly once, and it was chasing after a heart that dropped from an enemy.
How are you guys walking off cliffs? Sometimes I think I must be better at games than I thought because I don't experience these basic issues like character control and solving simple puzzles.
 
The trees really are incredibly bad. Going around the big tree in the woods and looking down at all the smaller trees makes me wince.

The style of the fluids in the in the game is absolutely flawless, though. The way the look close-up and from a distance is amazing.
 
So it looks pretty comfortable at 95 on Metacritic. I guess all the panicking earlier on was unnecessary.

Edit: Oops, 94. I should have checked before I said that...
 
I ran off a cliff exactly once, and it was chasing after a heart that dropped from an enemy.
How are you guys walking off cliffs? Sometimes I think I must be better at games than I thought because I don't experience these basic issues like character control and solving simple puzzles.
In my case it has been Links auto-jump up fence that has caused it. The fence would have prevented but no you had to jump over it.
 

guek

Banned
In my case it has been Links auto-jump up fence that has caused it. The fence would have prevented but no you had to jump over it.

Haha, this happened to me in the first 30 minutes of the game. I ran to pick up the stamina fruit at the base of the stairs leading up to the goddess statue and just vaulted the fence :p

I don't really have any problem with the control or camera though. So I have to recenter with Z...so what? If I need to see anything, I can just first-person view it easily. If I auto-jump off an edge, it's almost certainly my fault, since Link wont auto-jump unless you're full-tilt. I've never felt like I needed a jump button in zelda, and if anything, it'd make some of the free running tedious.
 

cacildo

Member
Can believe people having trouble with the camera.

Its the same thing as every 3d zelda. Press Z to center the camera behind you.

If you really NEED a second analog to have complete control over the camera and you just keep "running into enemies or off cliffs far too often" because of the lack of it.... man, you´re not really a good gamer, eh?
 
This game is great, but it's still wrapped in the most insulting "Videogames for Dummies" interface in existance. Pro Mode removes the giant buttons from the normal HUD, but they're still there every time you use an item, change views, run, dive, or whatever. And the game still thinks you don't know what an item is, or that your hearts are low, or that your battery is low. Frustrating. If I were a reviewer, I'd take off a full point for that easily.

The other major flaw is the non-IR pointer. What a terrible decision. It's under-sensitive, drifty, inaccurate, non-adjustable, and its one advantage - that you don't have to see the "point at the screen" prompt - is completely trumped by the opposite problem of going into aiming mode before (or in the process of) aiming up to the screen and having the aim be completely off. IR aiming wouldn't require a dedicated button to keep the aiming on-target. I've re-centered my aim at least a couple hundred times by now, and I'm only in the 3rd surface area. I admit that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to this, but hey - I'm spoiled by IR aiming, what can I say? This is so bad, I'd kill for a control stick to aim with instead. At least you can use the stick in some of the menus.
 

Red

Member
Can believe people having trouble with the camera.

Its the same thing as every 3d zelda. Press Z to center the camera behind you.

If you really NEED a second analog to have complete control over the camera and you just keep "running into enemies or off cliffs far too often" because of the lack of it.... man, you´re not really a good gamer, eh?
Wind Waker and Twilight Princess both featured manual cameras.
 
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