Welcone to the Official Skyward Sword thread! (Previously Review Thread).

With the game out now, people are beginning to get a feel for the game, so what's yours? If you've got the game, what do you think of it? Would you say it's as good as the reviews are stating? Or is it blown out of proportion? Anyway, on to the meat of the thread...

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Summary

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword shakes up the tried-and-true adventure game formula and marks a turning point for the franchise. The introduction of full motion controls enabled by Wii MotionPlus technology synchronizes player movements with Link's actions while offering the most intuitive play control of any game in the series to date. FEATURES: * The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword boasts the most realistic sword combat of any game to date, turning every encounter into a challenge of both brains and brawn. Wii MotionPlus technology accurately translates the angle of every sword slice, effectively putting Link's blade in the player's hand. Analyzing enemy attack and defense tendencies and counteracting with precise swings of the sword provide a satisfying experience that blends puzzle-solving with a new and distinctly unique combat system. * Explore a massive, multilayered world that seamlessly blends soaring exploration in a sea of clouds with intense ground-based adventuring that blurs the line between the main world and traditional Zelda dungeons. Link soars through the skies on the back of a noble bird and dives beneath the clouds to the continent below in an epic quest that lays the foundation for the events in the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. * Prepare for intense puzzle-solving as only The Legend of Zelda games can deliver. Exploration of the forests, volcanoes and deserts requires players to think on their feet as they solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and escape deadly traps. Once they find their way to each dungeon, they are confronted by even more puzzles guarded by fiendish enemies. * The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword redefines the traditional Zelda framework and introduces an arsenal of items, upgrades and rewards unlike any game in the franchise to date. The adventure guides players into, out of and back to dungeons and areas they've already completed. Along the way, Link gathers a massive inventory of peculiar items and resources that can be used to upgrade many of his weapons and equipment. * Every copy in the initial production of the game will come packaged with a special music CD featuring orchestral arrangements of select songs that will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert. * This version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes packaged with a special Gold Wii Remote Plus controller. You can also purchase a copy of the game without a controller. The game lasts about 45-55 hours on average, with many more if you go for the 100% run. 

The game consists of 7 dungeons, 2 in each province, and 1 in the Sky at the end of the game. The dungeons have both the tried-and-tested Zelda formula, but with many, many new ideas and concepts that you haven't seen in a Nintendo game before. For the above reasons, this Zelda could well be the best yet, and not be one to missed!

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Locations and Dungeons (minor spoilers!)

This Zelda game is a little bit different compared to most Zelda games, in that it has no 'true' overworld, more a Sky area and 3 distinct surface areas, each with 2 dungeons. You will re-visit these locations 3 times throughout the game, the first time to simply find Zelda, the second time to forge the Master Sword, and the third time briefly to create the Song of Heroes.

The first location you shall visit is Faron. This area is a Wooded Area (like most Zelda games!), with a less-than-traditional Sky Temple as the first dungeon. The second dungeon is located in the game's water area, Lake Floria, which is adjoined to Faron Woods. A traditional Water Dungeon with a Shadow Dungeon element in the mix as well.

The second location is Eldin, and is a traditional Fire area, with both dunegons (Earth temple, Fire Sanctuary) not deviating too far from the Zelda formula.

The third location is Lanayru, the biggest and best area in the game. With a gimmick of time-travel present, you'll be travelling through barren wastelands one minute, and through lush green fields full of life the next. Both dungeons (Mining Facility, Sandship) are both not your traditional dungeons, and there's more secrets to find in this area, including a...sea? And you get a boat? What else does this location have to offer?

The rest? Find out for yourself. I wouldn't want to ruin the game for you now would I?

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Reviews

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98%- ONM   (Source)

It's not something we say lightly, but the Zelda series has never been so good.

Best Zelda game ever

10/10- EDGE (Source)

How apt that this ultimate tale of hero making should see Nintendo's hardware becoming the console it was always meant to be.

9/10- GamesTM (Source)

Buffed and polished to a perfect point, ZSS is one in the eye of the naysayers, and a spectacular return to form for its developer; a solemn reminder that, when it comes to crafting worlds, nobody does it quite like Nintendo

93%- GamePro Germany (Source)

Cons -

• Aliasing, low detailed textures
• Sample instead of voices (regarding voice acting, but then, would it be Zelda?)
• No overworld map (although there is ) (Apparantly, it's supposed to be saying the overworld isn't linked togther and is difficult to use, unlike TP and OoT. Thanks for the heads up crissindahouse!)

Pros -

• Epic Story
• A lot of innovation
• User friendly menu
• Superb control
• Huge content
• Zelda flair

97/100- 4News.it (Source)

Even after 25 years, Nintendo never abandons the 'legend'

10/10- IGN  (Source)

Remarkably, this Zelda game manages to reshape its control scheme, design sensibility and pacing all at once while still telling a brilliantly powerful story featuring some very memorable characters. Increasingly Nintendo refuses to compromise cinematic storytelling for gameplay, finding a balance that seems effortless.

5/5- Guardian  (Source)

Whether or not it's the best ever Zelda game is open to debate, but it's certainly up there. However, nobody could argue that it's anything less than a masterclass in the art of crafting video games.

9/10- GamesRadar (Source)

A perfectly balanced mix of innovation and classic Zelda gameplay, Skyward Sword truly lives up to the Zelda legacy of excellence and offers the most variety of any Zelda game to date. Its swordplay and puzzles are some of the best in the series, and seeing Link and Zelda's first story chronologically is a treat for longtime fans.

4.5/5- Joystiq  (Source)

It is a game punctuated by near-constant moments of genuine exhiliration, dishing out a stream of physical and mental satisfaction which moves between taxing and rewarding the player with an almost flawless equipoise. It is, however, a stream that's tragically interrupted by the filler which has reared its ugly head in so many of the series' past iterations.

B+ (83%)- 1UP  (Source)

While the developers made a conscious effort to shake things up with new ideas and implementations, the game falls into a weird middle ground filled with genuine surprises, inessential carry-overs, and copy/paste quest structures. That said, I still believe this to be one of the more admirable chapters of the series, even if at times it feels the developers were unsure of which sacred cows to keep and which to sacrifice.

4/5- GamePro  (Source)

While the developers made a conscious effort to shake things up with new ideas and implementations, the game falls into a weird middle ground filled with genuine surprises, inessential carry-overs, and copy/paste quest structures. That said, I still believe this to be one of the more admirable chapters of the series, even if at times it feels the developers were unsure of which sacred cows to keep and which to sacrifice

4/5- GiantBomb  (Source)

Designer Shigeru Miyamoto once said "the first 30 minutes of a game is the most important," and Skyward Sword fails to pass that test. It takes several hours before you're given any sense of real freedom, which is too bad, as the game manages to merge the sublime openness of the sea from Wind Waker (without the Triforce madness!) with the directed fun of most other games, as it's easy to just keep moving forward without much fuss. And by the time you start seeing what the designers really have in store for you..., you actually don't want it to stop, even if you're able to constantly, cynically predict when the game will ask you to find just One More Thing before it's all over.

5/5- The Escapist  (Source)

Skyward Sword manages to honor 25 years' of gaming history while simultaneously feeling relevant for anyone new to the ways of Zelda - or those who'd perhaps grown a bit tired of hanging out with Link.

10/10- Videogamer  (Source)

Nintendo's most time- and workforce-intensive project yet, and it shows in every hour you spend with it. It's a masterful blend of taut design and boldly non-traditional controls, an adventure liberally studded with memorable moments it would be remiss to spoil. Your favourite Zelda is usually your first. For many, come November 18, that won't be the case any longer.

10/10- Eurogamer  (Source)

Nintendo's most time- and workforce-intensive project yet, and it shows in every hour you spend with it. It's a masterful blend of taut design and boldly non-traditional controls, an adventure liberally studded with memorable moments it would be remiss to spoil. Your favourite Zelda is usually your first. For many, come November 18, that won't be the case any longer.

93%- Gamingtrend  (Source)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is not only one of the best Wii games of the year, it's one of the best games to hit the system ever.

91%- GameTrailers  (Source)

Whilst it may not be the best Zelda game ever, it's still well worth a look for any Wii owner looking for something a bit more adult on the system.

9.5/10- Destructoid  (Source)

My new favorite 3D Zelda title, beating out Majora's Mask and Wind Waker by a substantial margin. It would be hard to go back to any of those games now. All of the gameplay innovations, emotionally involving moments, beautiful little details, and purely blissful experiences in this game have me completely and utterly spoiled.

7.5/10- GameSpot  (Source, but don't waste your time reading it)

The formula is beginning to show its age. There just aren't enough new ideas to separate Skyward Sword from its predecessors, and the few additions come with mixed results. Even with many bright spots, Skyward Sword still feels like a nostalgic retread. Those yearning for something new will be disappointed, but anyone thirsty for another exciting adventure will find plenty to enjoy here.

10/10- NintendoLife   (Source)

A game of stunning creativity: the work of master craftsmen and women, it's a breathtaking technical achievement in many ways, with subtly beautiful visuals and audio blending with rampantly imaginative design. It's as good a Zelda game as we've ever played, and one that fully delivers on the revolution Nintendo promised back in 2005.

9.6/10- 3DJugeos  (Source)

It's impossible to understand the Wii's existence without the launch of Skyward Sword. The last great game for Wii jutifies the creation of the wiimote and, without being the turning point that we would expect, it's definetely a triumphant comeback in the series.

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http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/31573/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review-98-in-onm/ (ONM)

http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/legend-zelda-skyward-sword-review (EDGE)

http://www.grcade.com/viewtopic.php?t=27672&p=2256814#p2256560 (GamesTM)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=32182039&postcount=3041 (GamePro Germany)

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/11/04/a-sneak-preview-of-our-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review.aspx (GameInformer)

http://n4g.com/news/880096/review-the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-4news-it/com (4News.it)

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/121/1212220p1.html (IGN)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/nov/11/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review (Guardian)

http://www.videogameszone.de/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-Sword-Wii-233926/Tests/Zelda-Skyward-Sword-im-Test-fuer-Wii-Episch-elegant-und-extrem-experimentierfreudig-853965/ (videogamezone.de)

http://www.gamesradar.com/legend-zelda-skyward-sword-review/?page=2 (GamesRadar)

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/11/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review/ (Joystiq)

http://www.1up.com/reviews/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-wii (1UP)

http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/224851/review-the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-wii/ (GamePro)

http://www.giantbomb.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/61-26934/reviews/ (GiantBomb)

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/9218-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-Sword-Review (Escapist)

http://www.videogamer.com/wii/the_legend_of_zelda_skyward_sword/review.html (Videogamer)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-11-the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review (Eurogamer)

http://gamingtrend.com/game_reviews/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review/ (Gamingtrends)

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-zelda-skyward/723945? (Gametrailers)

http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-215659.phtml (DToid)

http://uk.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/reviews/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review-6345839?metacritic (GameSpot)

http://wii.nintendolife.com/reviews/2011/11/legend_of_zelda_skyward_sword_wii (NintendoLife)

http://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/analisis/5936/0/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/ (3DJuegos)

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So, what's your thoughts on Skyward Sword? Need any help? Or do you just want to see others opinions on the game? Regardless, sound off in the comments, and most importantly, enjoy what could possibly the greatest story Nintendo has ever told...

I agree, Nintendo seem to have done themselves proud here. The only issue I have is, there's still 29 days to go until it's released! How am I supposed to survive for that long now I know how AWESOME it is???

(Of course, this IS ONM, so they could have overscored it. I doubt it. They didn't with the Galaxies, and so why would they with this?)

Nice! I expect nothing less from Zelda, well except for the CDi games, but let's not open up that can of worms :/

It does look like an excellent game, and I am thrilled they are actually using the motion controls to their full potential this time round.

This is great and I hope it's true but I want to wait for a review from a non Nintendo publication.

Yeah, only Nintendo could make an add-on relevant after 2 years of almost no usage whatsoever with one of the best games of all time

@spurgeonryan- I suppose you're right. They seem rather harsh on a lot of Ninty games nowadays (like the eShop offerings, Wii Play etc.), and the BIG Wii games have been spot on for Wii (Twilight Princess-97%  Super Mario Galaxy 1&2- 97%  Xenoblade Chronicles-  93%  Kirby's Epic Yarn  86%   BRAWL 93%, just a few big Nintendo games for the Wii over the years that Nintendo have scored exactly the same as the Metacritic average). 

So who's saying this won't be the same...or even higher?

We'll see about that

I don't know who that is, but ok.

*reported*










I've noticed that there's a lot less people. This makes me sad. Where's the flame wars nowadays eh? Those were the days.

nevermind this post.

Ms. Cleo was a better psychic.