Pros:
+ The combat is nice. I have some gripes with the actual enemies, but more on that later.
+ Though I initially hated the prospect of having your sword taken away and being forced to collect Tears of Light, (an amalgam of the lamest parts of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess doesn't exactly sound like a hoot) I quite liked those Silent Realm Challenges,
+ Some good boss fights. Most are still complete pushovers, but it's a step in the right direction.
+ Great dungeons. Lanayru Mining Facility, Ancient Cistern and Sky Keep in particular. I don't usually like dungeons that are as light on combat as Sky Keep, but the design was just ingenious. (And the run down to the Triforce of Courage pretty much makes up for the lack of enemies in the rest of the dungeon anyway)
+ Groose (first friendly NPC in a Zelda game I've actually liked)
Cons:
- Enemies are not nearly aggressive enough. I couldn't get most enemies to go on the offensive if I jammed my thumb up their prostate.
- Though I think flying is marginally less boring than sailing, I still don't like the overworld.
- "Master Link, based on the patterns we have seen so far, I believe the key mentioned on the stone marker is the key required to unlock the door ahead of us."
- Regrettable amounts of filler. Flying to and fro between Skyloft and the Thunderhead is particularly vexing.
- Slow beginning.
- A relatively weak soundtrack.
- Go to Hell, Water Dragon. I don't gotta' prove shit to you.
All in all, I think a solid 8.3 sounds about right.
