Legend of Zelda Megathread - Adoring Fan Edition

[JedExodus]

I thought I was on page four of this thread, but no, we're actually still arguing about the fucking motion controls.

Also, dohohohohoho.

[DAISHI]

Nintendo had downloadable games using Satellavision.

[Chyron8472]

No one here has mentioned Kotaku's review of Skyward Sword yet, which is a review I almost entirely happen to agree with.

[MusicallyInspired]

I can't read it yet because I haven't even played it. Hopefully someone's giving it to me for Christmas. Until then, I'll have to wait it out...

[Chyron8472]

Kotaku's review isn't very spoilery. Only very barely, maybe.

About 20 hours into playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, one of the Wii's most ambitious games, I shook my head and realized why I was frustrated with a game that I was enjoying.

The new Zelda was fun, I thought, but it was also something else. It was formula. It was the fourth formulaic Zelda I had played in five years, the fourth to establish that it's no longer a fluke or a brief trend but instead a realfity that Nintendo's Zelda series is no longer a head-turner of repeated radical change.

Zeldas have become James Bond movies, I decided, mid-way through Skyward Sword. They have their own version of the gadgets, the girls and the exotic locales. The Zelda formula, followed with near-perfect faithfulness in the last 10 years, requires a new way of getting around the game's vast terrain; a new batch of dungeons spread through the land, one of which should reward the player with bombs, another with the bow and arrow; a new playable musical instrument in each game; and so on.

As I played the new Skyward Sword, my sense that I might be playing the best video game of the year was at war with my feeling about what it seems this Zelda series had become.

Then I played the game for 27 more hours.

[...]

There is much that I find extraordinary about The Legend of Skyward Sword. It is masterful in pleasing the player, in surprising them, in asking them to try new things and in providing in its art and music an aesthetic range of a quality not seen in the series and even rare in the medium. It is also impressive for the most unusual fact that it is good at being long. So many video games are long, but they stretch poorly. Skyward Sword tiptoes toward the sin of forcing players to repeat content to stretch the game's length, but that is minimized in favor of throwing new ideas into the mix even into the game's final few hours. The excellent art direction supports the game's long-playing-time appeal. Its lovely specificity ensures you will notice and remember little curiosities [...] in the early hours of this game and remember them late when they matter or when they're fun to reminisce about in the many mental postcards you'll make playing this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is not a radical game. It is, in its structure, no surprise. It is hard to explain why it is wonderful. From outside, and even sometimes from within, it simply appears to be more of the same. It is not. It is single-player excellence, improved—yes, improved—by motion control, drawn and scored with great artistry and packed with the pleasures of interacting with what amounts to one massive 50-hour hand-crafted puzzle. This is not a game that would convert a Zelda skeptic wary of bows, arrows and treasure chests, but it should thrill anyone who has ever considered being a fan.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be released on Nov. 20 for the Wii. Nintendo provided Kotaku with a copy of the game. Played it for 47 hours, didn't give the kid's love letter to the person in the bathroom who was out of toilet paper. Yes, that's a sidequest.

For the record, I did do that. He was not happy.

[GuruGuru214]

To give you a reference point, I consider this thread slightly too spoilery for my taste, and I haven't even clicked any spoiler tags.

[Chyron8472]

If you want to go into the game completely blind, then more power to you.

I've tried not to give too much away in my posts, thought I admit discussing how many areas there are to explore and of what type they are is indeed somewhat spoilery to talk about for someone who wants to go into the game blind.


EDIT: I'll change the subject then. Has anyone here played Twilight Princess on both GameCube and Wii, and have an opinion about which one they like better? (without further arguing about motion controls on games in general)

I ask because I do have the GCN version, and am considering getting it also for Wii.

[MusicallyInspired]

I own both. I first bought the GC version because I didn't yet have a Wii (I was incredibly upset when it turned out the Wii version came out first). I prefer the controller to the Wii remote. It's just easier and more familiar. Less prone to glitches. The Wii versions isn't too bad, though. I've played through and beaten both of them. The mirrored world kind of threw me off at first lol. Going back and forth between each game is kind of interesting. I only wish that the Wii version also support the GC controller. If it did I'd play the Wii version alone because it's widescreen and the GC version isn't.

[SHODANFreeman]

I am also baffled why anyone cares about spoilers for a Zelda game. They're not exactly known for their story.

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

Funny Shodan. I've never said an actual Nintendo game's controls sucked. Other games on their consoles, hell yeah.

And I guess Shodan's gonna have to buy a 3DS for his Zelda fix for a while. Motion controls are here to stay.

I already have a 3DS. A rehashed version of one of my least favorite Zeldas is not really a replacement for a good new one.

[DAISHI]

Ocarina of Time is one of your least favorite Zeldas?


"Then there is no pleasing you!'

[LuigiHann]

I assume it's less about story spoilers and more about scenario spoilers. There are some pretty interesting concepts in this game that I wouldn't like to know about in advance.

Also I felt like, even if the sword controls in Twilight Princess were a bit blah, it was worth it for the pointer controls for things like the Bow and Arrows, since sniping distant enemies in seconds made me feel like a badass.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by SHODANFreeman

I am also baffled why anyone cares about spoilers for a Zelda game. They're not exactly known for their story.

Because they would like to get the most out of the game by first going into the game as blind as possible. What's wrong with that?

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

Because they would like to get the most out of the game by first going into the game as blind as possible. What's wrong with that?

But people are actually concerned about the story, as if that has ever mattered in Zelda.

Originally Posted by DAISHI

Ocarina of Time is one of your least favorite Zeldas?

"Then there is no pleasing you!'

It's not that bad, but it is near the bottom of my list. Games worse than it include the DS games, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.

[DAISHI]

The only game I would put over Ocarina is Link to the Past.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by SHODANFreeman

But people are actually concerned about the story, as if that has ever mattered in Zelda.

But it does matter.

People don't just play Zelda for the dungeon crawl.

Case in point, I love the 2D Zelda games but I rather dislike The Binding of Isaac.

I even bought The Binding of Isaac from one of the Indie Bundles just so I could have my own opinion of it, and I can say beyond a doubt that dungeon crawling alone is not merely what Zelda is about.

Of course, if you hate the 3D Zelda games, and they are the ones in which story becomes much more apparent, then I can (maybe) see why you might not understand. Although, again I do also like the story in A Link to the Past. If someone had spoilered for me that the girl in the fourth dark world dungeon turned out to be Blind before I had first encountered her, then I would have been annoyed.

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

But it does matter.

People don't just play Zelda for the dungeon crawl.

Case in point, I love the 2D Zelda games but I rather dislike The Binding of Isaac.

I even bought The Binding of Isaac from one of the Indie Bundles just so I could have my own opinion of it, and I can say beyond a doubt that dungeon crawling alone is not merely what Zelda is about.

Of course, if you hate the 3D Zelda games, and they are the ones in which story becomes much more apparent, then I can (maybe) see why you might not understand. Although, again I do also like the story in A Link to the Past. If someone had spoilered for me that the girl in the fourth dark world dungeon turned out to be Blind before I had first encountered her, then I would have been annoyed.

The story always has the depth of a sheet of paper. I don't hate the 3D games, they are usually just inherently inferior to most of the 2D games. Wind Waker is the only one that I have enjoyed more than any of the 2D games.

[Chyron8472]

In 3D Zelda games especially, the story isn't just apparent, it's an integral part to immersing yourself in the game. In Wind Waker, would you like it if I explained beforehand why the boat can talk; how Tetra got her telepathy crystal; which characters are the new sages; or what happens regarding Hyrule at the end? I sure as heck wouldn't like it at all.

The story in Skyward Sword is important to the experience. I've beaten the game. I can say for certain that I know what I'm talking about.

[Shadowknight1]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

In 3D Zelda games especially, the story isn't just apparent, it's an integral part to immersing yourself in the game. In Wind Waker, would you like it if I explained beforehand why the boat can talk; how Tetra got her telepathy crystal; which characters are the new sages; or what happens regarding Hyrule at the end? I sure as heck wouldn't like it at all.

The story in Skyward Sword is important to the experience. I've beaten the game. I can say for certain that I know what I'm talking about.

I agree, but we're not going to convince him of that.

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

In 3D Zelda games especially, the story isn't just apparent, it's an integral part to immersing yourself in the game. In Wind Waker, would you like it if I explained beforehand why the boat can talk; how Tetra got her telepathy crystal; which characters are the new sages; or what happens regarding Hyrule at the end? I sure as heck wouldn't like it at all.

The story in Skyward Sword is important to the experience. I've beaten the game. I can say for certain that I know what I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

I agree, but we're not going to convince him of that.

I don't care about the story, because it's not particularly interesting in any Zelda game. "Stuff happens, there are bad guys, go kill them" is enough storyline.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by SHODANFreeman

I don't care about the story, because it's not particularly interesting in any Zelda game. "Stuff happens, there are bad guys, go kill them" is enough storyline.

Then, if I may say so, you are very shallow indeed.

Don't chastize other people's interest in encountering the story elements first ingame for themselves just because you consider them worthless.

One wonders why you visit an adventure game developer's forum, when you care so little for story.

EDIT: Now, if you don't mind. STOP COMPLAINING so we here can get back to having more interesting conversations about the Zelda franchise.