Apples to oranges. Though I would be interested in seeing different settings, I'm not sure it would work well if they simply leveraged pure Steampunk or pure Science Fiction. That was one of the major draws of Wind Waker and Skyward Sword: the mechanics were familiar, but the settings were very different. Given how strong the Oracle games were, something like that might provide a strong initial lead-in to such a setting.

I realized today that I get way more enjoyment out of handheld Zelda games than the console versions. Phantom Hourglass had so much going for it and no, Ganon doesn't have to be in every game.

hes not

though his dad or grandpa or best friend is

The New York Times on Skyward Sword:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/ar...view.html?_r=1

Do you find this article to be accurate? It's rare to see the NYT talking about video games, let alone review them...

Actually yeah, that review is a pretty solid assessment of the game.

That's actually probably the best review I've read of the game. I'm still only outside of the second dungeon, so I honestly barely have the right to judge, but judging by where I am, that seems pretty accurate. The thing about the graphics is so true, and it bothers me so much I have to mention it again. It looks like a N64 game. Aside from more complex geometry, Majora's Mask was probably more crisp than Skyward Sword is.

I must either be blind or something. I seriously think the graphics are great and don't really notice the aliasing during normal gameplay. Last night my friend saw me playing it and started ripping it for "looking like the graphics in FF7". Why is the aliasing such a huge point of contention for some people? I get the feeling that some people are playing games 2 feet away from the TV in order for something like that to really make a huge difference in gameplay. I normally play about 5-7 feet from the TV and I have to actively start looking for pixels to notice it.

I guess I'm just getting older and don't give a shit about HD graphics, trophies/achievements, sandbox gameplay, or any of these other modern gaming trends that all of these people are saying Zelda is lacking.

So I finally finished the game, and what an amazing ride it was from start to finish.

I can probably say without a doubt that this is my favorite Legend of Zelda by far. Sure, the general structure hasn't changed much since Ocarina of Time and even A Link to The Past, but maybe it's OK to accept that as long as Nintendo does enough around that to breathe some life into it, and I feel that Skyward Sword manages to achieve just that. It feels familiar, but the way you progress through the game, the organic and tightly-developed puzzles that are EVERYWHERE, much more useful items and a very intuitive UI, and of course the excellent motion controls make it feel fresh the whole way through.

One of the largest problems I've had with Legend of Zelda since even the N64 entries has been "travel and game fatigue" in that after a certain point of the game, I'm just sick of having to ride around the overworld or sail around the damned ocean looking for heart pieces or other collectibles, or just travelling from area to area. Not only does this game alleviate that problem by finally allowing us to choose and travel to destinations easily, but with the way the areas are designed, I'm constantly engaged and I never felt that fatigue as well as I can remember through the game's entirety.

It goes without saying that the MO for this game's creation was "make a Zelda game with Wii Motion+ 1 to 1 accuracy and controls", and there are a few stumbles here and there(though it might be related to my wiimote+), but the motion controls really do add a whole new level to the immersion. To me, it didn't feel like my success was dependent on Link's stash of hearts or the gear he had; Link's success felt directly related to my skill and creativity with items as a player. Due to this, every puzzle and combat encounter felt incredibly satisfying. When I was fighting Ghirahim in the first temple, I didn't feel like Link was my avatar, I felt like I was fighting him directly. I don't think traditional controls can offer this type of feeling. Had Wii Motion+ already been integrated into the Wii at launch, and had Skyward Sword been released alongside a Wii Sports, I think people would be thinking about motion controls very differently today. Playing this game really strengthened my belief that motion controls done well can really heighten the level of immersion in a game by far. I think the next generation of videogaming is going to be pretty incredible if they can build on experiences like this.

I think I'll be able to discuss game content like the music and story once I get off this completion high, but I have to say that on a whole, the game just keeps ramping up, getting better and better the further in you go until a very climatic(and awesome) finish.

All this talk of jaggy looking graphics makes me actually fear playing this game on the Wii though. Thank you, Dolphin team for allowing me to experience this game how it was meant to.

Edit - I think the next Zelda should involve Link(or maybe a side story where you play as Zelda or Impa) having a focus on magic. Use the Wiimote to draw different signs to equip different magic, then once equipped, use whatever motion to activate. Fire, Ice, Gravity, Lightning, Earth, etc. In addition to swordplay.

Calpis, look at higher res Dolphin screenshots and compare them with how the game looks on Wii. The difference is pretty huge. Didn't someone post a direct comparison shot in this thread earlier?

I adore the art style for the game (including the "washed out" colors, which I believe was deliberate), but the low resolution is pretty bad. Not N64-bad, no, but definitely obsolete-looking for 2011.

At the end of the day, though, the aliasing does not affect the way I enjoy the gameplay, no matter how noticeable it gets. Other issues like the unnecessary shop/ item dialogue do.

Overall, I feel like the game offers a lot to be enjoyed. I love the exploration puzzles in particular, and what I have seen of the story/ writing so far is my favorite out of the entire Zelda series. It's just that the few small issues it does have are so basic that there's really no excuse for them to be present in today's gaming. Aliasing is understandable given Wii's limitations, but the dialogues??

I understand there's a difference. I'm just saying it gets annoying that every review mentions it when it's not so much a game issue as it's really an issue with the console.

Also, dialogue isn't just a "small issue". Even ignoring the creative direction behind it, the production aspect of including VO in a huge game like Zelda isn't small. You can't say there's "no excuse" for not including it.