A+

You need to actually watch the video. Summary: Praise for Uncharted, yawn for Zelda.

I am seeing a bit of a double standard around here.

For one, Uncharted is NOT the model series for "video game evolution". It's just not. I've beaten both Uncharted and it's sequel, and the biggest GAME PLAY difference is it's online mode, which is more of an addition then an actual evolution of the core game play. The biggest change to the core game play is that it's, well, better, Uncharted 2 is a better game then the original because it's better designed. The game felt less like "enemy room, puzzle, enemy room" and more like a dynamic adventure. It was never the less still a cover based shooter with platforming and puzzle solving elements, just like the original. It's just done better.

Secondly, complaining about SS's graphics "not looking as good" as launch Xbox 360 games is silly because, well...THE WII IS LESS POWERFUL then 360. WAY less powerful. So of COURSE it's going to look worse then these games, at least from a pure technical stand point. If this is a even a complaint, what are you doing even owning a Wii to begin with?

Thirdly, the idea that SS is just like Ocarina IS nonsense. To even say it hasn't changed at all from Twilight Princess is nonsense. Zelda has changed more with each game then any of the game series mentioned here, except maybe Skyrim, which looks like it will totally kick Oblivion's ass.

Ocarina: First 3D Zelda game. Highest rated (and probably overrated) game of all time.

Majora's Mask: Completely throws out the Past/Future setting. Puts the player in a constant three day loops, with the only permanent changes happening in the player's inventory. Masks added to give link entirely new powers and attributes, including the ability to transform into entirely new creatures. The game forces the player to constantly reset EVERYTHING in the game every 53 minutes (or every 3 hours, if the player learns how to slow down time). Name me one other game that forces the player to reset their progress constantly in order to avoid dying. Was also the first Zelda game to let you warp around the world.

Wind Waker: Completely threw out the old setting of Hyrule, replacing the "fields" of the last games with a vast ocean that players must use the wind to move around in. Switched out the horse of the last game with a boat that relies on the winds. Completely threw out the old art style in favor of a radically different one. Added improved stealth elements over Ocarina (you could actually sneak). Ocarina removed and replaced with a wand. Old races from the old game removed and replaced with completely new races (aside from the Hylians, obviously).

Twilight Princess: This is where the whole "Zelda never changes" nonsense stems from, What people forget is that it was MEANT to be a throwback to Ocarina. People where DEMANDING a game that had Epona, a realistic atmosphere, and an adult link, just like Ocarina. It's exactly what they got, and that results in TP being the closest game in the franchise to Ocarina. But this was after two big departures, and it had it's own changes. It completely threw out the old art style AGAIN, created the largest land based over world in the history of Zelda, added horse back combat, more cinematic battles and sequences, game play as wolf Link, added completely new items like the Spinner, and made big changes to other items like the hookshot, which allowed you to swing around the Cloud Temple like god damned spider-man.

Name me one other franchises that, with every game, completely up ends the art style, the way you move around the overworld, and the very way time flows, with each and every game. You'll have some difficulties, though I'm sure there are a few. These changes are, at the very least, just as evolutionary as adding online play to a pre-existing formula.

Now, let's go over Skyward Sword:

It replaces the standard three swing combo system that has been in every single game since Ocarina, and replaces it with a dynamic motion control system. You can now do slashes from any angle with extreme accuracy, something not even possible with past entries in the franchise. The game completely changes how you use bombs. Instead of just tossing them around, you can now roll them around like bowling balls, and even put a SPIN on them, again thanks to the motion plus. Epona has now been replaced with a bird that lets you fly around another completely new setting in Sky Loft. They've added an upgrade system where you can now spend rupees making your items better and more advanced. They've added dowsing, which puts you in an alternate world where you must sneak around, defenseless and without a sword, grabbing tear drops without waking up giant sentinels, which will INSTAKILL you in a heart beat.

So this latest game completely changes how you fight, how you get more advanced items, how you spend rupees, how you use bombs, and how you get around. The WORLD ITSELF is now a great big dungeon, which is a huge change from the last games when the overworld was just that, an overworld, with a handful of puzzles needed to complete to unlock new secrets. This is a big change to how the game was paced, and as a result the transition to the actual dungeons are much more seamless. Oh, and they also completely redid the visual asthetic of the world, AGAIN. Oh, and I neglected to mention (though this one has been a long time in coming, so it's nothing to brag about), this is also the first Zelda to feature an orchestral soundtrack.

Does the game still feature dungeons that the player must dive into to get an item? Yes. Is the game still a puzzle centric adventure game? Certainly. This is still a Zelda game. But to say that it's "just Ocarina repackaged", is just laughable and wrong. To say any major Zelda game is like that, except maybe TP (which is meant to basically be a bigger, better Ocarina) is just repackaged Ocarina is just silly.

Keep in mind, I'm not even a huge Zelda fan. I've no Zelda avatar. I only beat Ocarina last month on 3DS. I just enjoy the series. But frankly, it irritates me that people continue to say this nonsense, when so many other games don't even change as much as Zelda has. Does Uncharted 3 completely change the visual design of the game? No. It just looks better technically. Did Uncharted 2 change the way time flows, or the way you get around the world, or the way you shoot your gun or throw grenades? Did it change the way you get new weapons or upgrade old ones? No. It didn't.

But really, it didn't need to. Why fix what isn't broken? Uncharted 2 was really fun. Uncharted 3 will be too. But the Zelda series also isn't broken. Lets hope that the addition of completely new combat doesn't change that.

I am seeing a bit of a double standard around here.

For one, Uncharted is NOT the model series for "video game evolution". It's just not. I've beaten both Uncharted and it's sequel, and the biggest GAME PLAY difference is it's online mode, which is more of an addition then an actual evolution of the core game play. The biggest change to the core game play is that it's, well, better, Uncharted 2 is a better game then the original because it's better designed. The game felt less like "enemy room, puzzle, enemy room" and more like a dynamic adventure. It was never the less still a cover based shooter with platforming and puzzle solving elements, just like the original. It's just done better.

Secondly, complaining about SS's graphics "not looking as good" as launch Xbox 360 games is silly because, well...THE WII IS LESS POWERFUL then 360. WAY less powerful. So of COURSE it's going to look worse then these games, at least from a pure technical stand point. If this is a even a complaint, what are you doing even owning a Wii to begin with?

Thirdly, the idea that SS is just like Ocarina IS nonsense. To even say it hasn't changed at all from Twilight Princess is nonsense. Zelda has changed more with each game then any of the game series mentioned here, except maybe Skyrim, which looks like it will totally kick Oblivion's ass.

Ocarina: First 3D Zelda game. Highest rated (and probably overrated) game of all time.

Majora's Mask: Completely throws out the Past/Future setting. Puts the player in a constant three day loops, with the only permanent changes happening in the player's inventory. Masks added to give link entirely new powers and attributes, including the ability to transform into entirely new creatures. The game forces the player to constantly reset EVERYTHING in the game every 53 minutes (or every 3 hours, if the player learns how to slow down time). Name me one other game that forces the player to reset their progress constantly in order to avoid dying. Was also the first Zelda game to let you warp around the world.

Wind Waker: Completely threw out the old setting of Hyrule, replacing the "fields" of the last games with a vast ocean that players must use the wind to move around in. Switched out the horse of the last game with a boat that relies on the winds. Completely threw out the old art style in favor of a radically different one. Added improved stealth elements over Ocarina (you could actually sneak). Ocarina removed and replaced with a wand. Old races from the old game removed and replaced with completely new races (aside from the Hylians, obviously).

Twilight Princess: This is where the whole "Zelda never changes" nonsense stems from, What people forget is that it was MEANT to be a throwback to Ocarina. People where DEMANDING a game that had Epona, a realistic atmosphere, and an adult link, just like Ocarina. It's exactly what they got, and that results in TP being the closest game in the franchise to Ocarina. But this was after two big departures, and it had it's own changes. It completely threw out the old art style AGAIN, created the largest land based over world in the history of Zelda, added horse back combat, more cinematic battles and sequences, game play as wolf Link, added completely new items like the Spinner, and made big changes to other items like the hookshot, which allowed you to swing around the Cloud Temple like god damned spider-man.

Name me one other franchises that, with every game, completely up ends the art style, the way you move around the overworld, and the very way time flows, with each and every game. You'll have some difficulties, though I'm sure there are a few. These changes are, at the very least, just as evolutionary as adding online play to a pre-existing formula.

Now, let's go over Skyward Sword:

It replaces the standard three swing combo system that has been in every single game since Ocarina, and replaces it with a dynamic motion control system. You can now do slashes from any angle with extreme accuracy, something not even possible with past entries in the franchise. The game completely changes how you use bombs. Instead of just tossing them around, you can now roll them around like bowling balls, and even put a SPIN on them, again thanks to the motion plus. Epona has now been replaced with a bird that lets you fly around another completely new setting in Sky Loft. They've added an upgrade system where you can now spend rupees making your items better and more advanced. They've added dowsing, which puts you in an alternate world where you must sneak around, defenseless and without a sword, grabbing tear drops without waking up giant sentinels, which will INSTAKILL you in a heart beat.

So this latest game completely changes how you fight, how you get more advanced items, how you spend rupees, how you use bombs, and how you get around. The WORLD ITSELF is now a great big dungeon, which is a huge change from the last games when the overworld was just that, an overworld, with a handful of puzzles needed to complete to unlock new secrets. This is a big change to how the game was paced, and as a result the transition to the actual dungeons are much more seamless. Oh, and they also completely redid the visual asthetic of the world, AGAIN. Oh, and I neglected to mention (though this one has been a long time in coming, so it's nothing to brag about), this is also the first Zelda to feature an orchestral soundtrack.

Does the game still feature dungeons that the player must dive into to get an item? Yes. Is the game still a puzzle centric adventure game? Certainly. This is still a Zelda game. But to say that it's "just Ocarina repackaged", is just laughable and wrong. To say any major Zelda game is like that, except maybe TP (which is meant to basically be a bigger, better Ocarina) is just repackaged Ocarina is just silly.

Keep in mind, I'm not even a huge Zelda fan. I've no Zelda avatar. I only beat Ocarina last month on 3DS. I just enjoy the series. But frankly, it irritates me that people continue to say this nonsense, when so many other games don't even change as much as Zelda has. Does Uncharted 3 completely change the visual design of the game? No. It just looks better technically. Did Uncharted 2 change the way time flows, or the way you get around the world, or the way you shoot your gun or throw grenades? Did it change the way you get new weapons or upgrade old ones? No. It didn't.

But really, it didn't need to. Why fix what isn't broken? Uncharted 2 was really fun. Uncharted 3 will be too. But the Zelda series also isn't broken. Lets hope that the addition of completely new combat doesn't change that.

How did Uncharted even make it into this thread? This is about Zelda.

Edit: Just watched the video. I see why Uncharted made a presence in this thread. Don't really understand why G4 compared the two. This is one example of my opinion in the other thread that SS will be generally less well received critically then previous Zelda games.