Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Not a bad commercial, but I prefer this:

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

10/10 on IGN:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1212220p1.html

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

So freakin' sweet. This game ups the bar on something that was too high already. Dang! I can't wait.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Seems to be an odd divide with this game, where its getting great reviews,but it seems like North American reviewers as a whole dislike it more than European reviewers.

Two more

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/review...acred-cows.ars
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...d-sword-review

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Zelda fever is officially upon us. I cant wait to play this game.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

There is a bit of review inconsistency out there (sites saying the game is too much like other Zeldas, directly after COMPLIMENTING MW3 for staying the same), but overall, Zelda appears to be racking up perfect scores.

The general consensus seems to be that this is the best Zelda ever made.

And since most people regard either Majora, OoT, or LTTP as the best games ever made PERIOD, I'm sure you can do the math...

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

That's the consensus after every new Zelda release. Wind Waker...Twilight Princess...

How can one even make that reflection? OoT was never put on the "best game ever" pedestal until a few years down the road. And it wasn't reviewers who elevated the game to legendary status, it was the thousands of gamers who were blown away by it. I'm always wary of new games that get labeled "best ever" because they are surrounded in hype and haven't had the chance to stand the test of time. Anyone who makes that claim is bandwagoning or doing it for attention.

From just a philosophical standpoint, you really cannot innovate or evolve very far beyond the 3D framework that OoT laid down. That's the reality of going from 2D to 3D and then making 3D sequels. Which is why Majora's Mask was a real winner for being so fucking deviant. I appreciate the game tenfold because I played Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and saw how derivative they are.

I'm excited to get my hands on Skyward Sword, to say the least. But I'm expecting a "classic Zelda experience" as per the Ars Technica review BaBsie linked to. It may be the most polished, most complete, most expansive, or most dressed up Zelda game ever. And on that criteria it might be the best Zelda game. But best Zelda game ever would have to be the game that really changed my life, paved nostalgia, and impacted gaming forever. Right?

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

It's so nice to see other people REALLY liked Majora's Mask a lot. It tried something different and something that has never even been attempted after that. Being able to see how different factor's could change a character's story was amazing. Leaving that goron outside the inn because (for some reason) you have the same name as him and entered the inn in his place was fun. Seeing how Kafei and his fiancé could be reunited before the wedding and finding out every other "what if" scenario in the game was an amazing way of keeping you interested in the story.


Edit: Anyone knows what the limited edition of the strategy guide will bring? It costs $40 and I'm wondering if it has some extra sound track or something that'll be worth the price.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

If its like previous guides it comes in this really nice hardcover binding with gold leaf pages plus maybe a cloth map or something. They look really great, but I wouldn't buy one.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I watched the GameTrailers review of Skyward Sword this morning. For some reason, I couldn't stop drawing parallels between SS and FFXIII (in regard to the stripped down environments and continuous dungeon crawling). It looks as though SS did a better job at implementing this than FFXIII, but one of my favorite parts of past Zelda games, at least in the 3D era, was simply exploring the worlds.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

The Gametrailers review just confused me. They basically tear it apart, have very few good things to say about it, but then they still give it a 9.1

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

That's an issue I have with a lot of their reviews.

Sometimes the content doesn't really match the score they end up giving it.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Even IGN point out some issues and still threw a 10 at the game. Most reviews across the board admit that having to recalibrate the controller is annoying and an issue that you never had to put up with in the past. I don't doubt the awesomeness of this game, but reviewers hand out 10s like hotcakes these days.

Reviewers need to do what Yahtzee does or something...only less meanly. :lol:

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Oh yeah, that I don't get either, but the defense is always that a 10 doesn't mean a game is perfect.

I really think the whole gaming scale is a broken mess.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

That's what I was going to point out, that defense. I think the reviewers have an idea of what they mean by a ten and the audience doesn't even have that. The opinions on what is a ten that I've read from forum users varies considerably.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I noticed how cheap the normal edition of this game is. It will go for €40 and even €35 next Friday. Normally games like that are €50.

So I'm hoping that the collector's edition will also be a bit cheaper... currently my store lists it as €70, but they already said they will drop the price if other stores (Mediamarkt) do it.
€35 extra for just a golden WiiMote+ is a bit much...

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Woah, I can pick up my copy a day early. :D (Edit: that means right now.)


But I have so much to do before I'll have time to play. :(

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Awe, this game is getting me so emotional, more than it should!

Controls are great, flying is great, story is great.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I'm going to have to wait at least two weeks before being able to play it.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Does anyone have any info on being able to get it in the USA a day early? I have it pre-ordered from Gamestop (not some thing I normally do)

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Some scatter that some Wal-marts are selling it today, but not much else.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Wouldnt Nintendo be upset if Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer of them all, starts selling their game a full 3 days before they are suppoused to?

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Well a kmart sold MW3 before the launch date and someone bought it and sold it on ebay for 1,400+. I don't think it was every Kmart, it must have been one Kmart. The same thing could happen to Walmart. One idiot employee or manager doesn't know the release date and puts it on the shelves. That's my two cents.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

If it's supposed to come out on the 20th of this month, the Nintendo World store in New York City is having a special event a day earlier than that where people will be able to buy the game.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Here's another 5/5
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...rd-review.html

And a 7.5 from GameSpot
http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-o...839?metacritic

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Bravo. I know that review is going to divide people and cause a shit-storm, but yeah. Compared to all the perfect scores, that is the most honest review I have seen based on what was written in the review compared to the score given. I mean come on. I've read 4 or 5 reviews that complained about the motion controls and then went on to give the game a perfect score.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I found this comment on reddit and think it is worth posting:

Right now the Zelda subreddit is amiss. People are pissed that Zelda isn't getting a 10 out of 10 from Gamespot. Lots of comments like, "Everyone else gave it a 10/10. So that means Gamespot is broken."

People comparing it to MW3....




Do we put too much weight into game reviews?


Edit: This is why Yahtzee is my favorite reviewer, btw. He doesn't spend time going over the formula, and BELIEVE ME. Everyone is familiar with the Zelda formula. Yahtzee tells you what is wrong with the game, and if it is remotely original. And he is funny. The number system is dumb. A 7.5 out of 10 is a 75%. A 4 out of 5 is an 80%. That's not a huge difference. All in all, the consensus on this Zelda title seems to be wonky controls from time to time, and not an innovative entry: just very polished. And those themes run through many of the reviews giving the game a perfect score. So not sure what you make from that.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I dreamed there was a review in one of those free papers (Metro or so) and they really hated the game. It was like "the game isn't HD, it's released on a dying console, it has cartoon graphics... who would want to play this?"
And in the meantime they posted another article about Skyrim. :p

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

That's the first time I've ever heard such a claim.

Ocarina of Time has been, and always was regarded as the best in the series since it's inception almost 13 years ago.What is your source for THIS information, because it differs drastically from reality.So the DOZENS of perfect scores the game got back then should be ignored?Or, just be a really damn-good Zelda game, in which you've had more fun than any other Zelda.

C'mon guy.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

I'm pleased with these scores. 7.5 is a great score, especially for a game that doesn't really bring anything new to the table, and isn't in HD like other modern games are. I'm still excited as hell for it.

@Angrist: What's with the jab at Skyrim? It's pretty much the most well received game released in the last several years. Pretty much everyone, reviewers and the audience, love it. I haven't seen a game this widely accepted as being good in a long time. Everyone loves it.

I've been playing it since it released, and I can easily say it's the best game I've played all year, and probably in the last several years. It's simply stunning the breadth of content it has...and not only does it have an enormous amount of content, but it's high quality and engaging content. Even the side quests are interesting and full of back story.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Really?

This year alone, I could think of Arkham City as a well received game both critically and commercially.

I will say this, and its kind of a contradictory point.

1) There's no such thing as a perfect game.

2) a 10/10, 5/5, 100% doesn't mean a game is perfect. It means the sum of a game's parts is far greater than any one or two flaws the game may have.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Uhm, who's jabbing at Skyrim? All I said was I had a crazy dream where a newspaper ditched Skyward Sword for another positive article on Skyrim.

I'm actually looking forward to playing Skyrim one day. On a better computer. I'll love exploring the gorgeous world.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Now, let's apply that logic to Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Assassin's Creed, Batman: Arkham City, and The Elder Scrolls V.

Because clearly those games don't have "enough new ideas to separate them from their predecessors".

Seriously, Skyward Sword plays more like METROID now than anything else, and if "being the same" is the major reason the game is being slapped, then the hypocrisy wagon is in order.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Le...ion_and_legacy

Yes, the game was received with warm criticism. It received a ton of awesome reviews, and acclaim. It received way higher scores across the board than this new Zelda title...by far.

But it was described more as innovative and revolutionary when it came out. I didn't see reviewers using hyperbole like "THIS IS THE BEST ZELDA GAME, EVER!" like IGN is doing today for Skyward Sword.

Furthermore, it is clear from the above info that Ocarina of Time has appeared on many "greatest games lists." But look at the dates. OoT came out in 1998. I see 2000....2007...2009...2011. The game wasn't elevated to "best game ever status" until everyone had a chance to play it + a few years down the road.

Which is why it is 100% retarded for a game reviewer to even utter those words. One game review website cannot determine if something is "the best game ever." That is ludicrous. It's not a decision that a game review website can make.

It's a combination of a bunch of reviews, sales, and what the players think. If you told someone back in 1998 that Ocarina of Time would be voted the best Zelda title ever in 2011.....do you think they'd believe you? They might, after beating the game and reflecting on it. That process alone has to push most gamers into the 1999 year.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

This is the problem with the number system. 7.5 is still a good score. You have to factor in that different people reviewed the games.

I can't speak of what score many of the above titles should get. But this is a bad defense. "MW3 got ________ score so Skyward Sword by definition should get __________ score."

Maybe they liked Modern Warfare or Battlefield more because of multiplayer? Who knows? And I heard good things about Uncharted 3.

I'm not sitting here defending Gamespot. I think Gamespot is broken. I think we probably agree when we get to the bottom of this discussion. I want to do away with the loony number system.

I'm just giving some credit to Gamespot.....many people have complained about having to recalibrate controls in Zelda....and then have gone on to give the game a perfect score and call it the best Zelda ever. I don't ever remember OoT or Wind Waker having control issues. That's all I'm saying.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Point number 2 is bullshit. If the game has control issues, no perfect score....

Control issues take you out of the game, even if temporarily. It would be one thing if the complaints about controls were unique to Gamespot, but a number of reviews touched on the controls being mildly distracting.

Why can't we give it an 8? or a 9? or a 9.5? Those are huge, top-of-the-class scores based on percentiles. A 9.5 isn't bashing the game....it's licking the game's asshole while reaching around to give it a handjob. It's a good score!!!!

I just want more honesty from reviews. I read reviews that complain about things...and then BAM: 9/10, 10/10, etc. This happens to AAA titles all the time. Games like GTA, Halo, Call of Duty, MW, etc.

Or do away with the number system. And get rid of the hyperbole. "This is the best game of all time!" Maybe for you, random review guy. For everyone else....test of time.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

And I wasn't talking specifically about Zelda. All I know is nearly every review site, will argue that a perfect score doesn't mean a perfect product.

Having to recalibrate your controller, which is simply pressing down on the D-Pad doesn't seem like a major deal breaker to me.

And how often does it happen? Every 5 mins? Once every play session? That would be more telling than just saying having to recalibrate so controls= broken.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Some random testimony from people on the Zelda subreddit. These are folks sucking down the Zelda kool-aid, so these are folks who pretty much sing only praise:

On the subject of Modern Warfare 3 being a copy-sequel and getting a higher score than Skyward Sword on Gamespot:

Seems like it could just be the Wii. Maybe the hardware isn't quite as evolved yet:


Mind you, the above comments are coming from people on the Zelda subreddit which is full of kool-aid drinking Zelda and Nintendo fans.

There were complaints of controls across numerous reviews: professional reviews and unprofessional reviews.

Add in the subjective factor of originality....and well I don't know what to say.

I'm not trying to knock the game. I'm really not. I'm sure it is a stellar game. I bet you a million dollars it is better than Twilight Princess, and I'm sure it is up there with OoT and WW.

I am trying to knock the review system and the websites that throw perfect scores and hyperbole exaggerations at every triple-A title that comes out. If you write a review...and spend time criticizing the controls and talking about how the game has a "classic Zelda feel," it shouldn't get perfect scores for controls or originality. In sum, the game shouldn't get a 10 out of 10.

Unless we all agree that a perfect score is now a diluted measure.

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Doesn't it also depend on the interscale it uses? I know Eurogamer only gives full numbers. So it was either a 9 or a 10.
IGN could have given a 9.9 and I think nobody would have complained. Unless they also gave Twilight Princess a 9.9 (which would have been stupid), then people would compared the scores...

Re: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
 

Which is why the number system is silly. :p

What's the difference between a 9 and a 10, really? The 10 is more polished, maybe pushes the envelope of originality, etc.

So maybe Skyward Sword is that proverbial 9 with some issues regarding hardware, or originality.

But then, even a 7 or an 8 is a really good score. It means the game is very solid.

It makes much more sense to read the actual review. I would like to see some reviews that are more condensed and have a simpler format. Again, another reason I like Yahtzee. He keeps things short and on point. For what it is worth, this could be the Skyward Sword review:

"Classic Zelda refined, Skyward Sword is a mesh of the art design that made Wind Waker great and the game design that made Twilight Princess great. Skyward Sword flows smoothly from start to finish with gameplay that feels more integrated than previous Zelda titles. Taking a page from Metroid Prime, Skyward Sword has a more unified world with Temples blended into the over world. Although Skyward Sword features wonderful gameplay, the controls can be frustrating at times. This may just be a limitation due to the Wii's hardware, but having to recalibrate your controller in the middle of a high-energy fight does occasionally hinder the flow. Control issues aside, this is another stellar entry in the Zelda series."

See? That takes two minutes to read, is sharp and to the point. And it says a lot more than a stupid number score can. Video game reviewing is big business. If people were less concerned with numbers, IGN and Gamespot would go away. The minute people stop fighting over 7.5 vs. 10 is the day that IGN and Gamespot see a decline of visitors on their website, lose their ad-revenue, and cease to exist. People visit these sites primarily for reviews. So it works in Gamespot or IGN's favor to push the number system. In effect, it creates a very strange game culture.