Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

Like everyone else, I was expecting Masuda's announcement to be for Pokemon Gray, which I guessed would have been released on the 3DS. Instead, we get Black 2 and White 2. Hm. I have mixed feelings, as I think it would have been smarter to release these games on the 3DS, and the fact that they are doing another dual set instead of a single, definitive third version (like they have always done), leaves me feeling unsure. Are these games remakes? Or are they going to continue from where Black and White left off? Either way, this is obviously a ploy to make more money (as Pokemon games always are). Now the question is: Which one should I get?

To summarize my thoughts:

White Chicken

Black Chicken

Gray/Blue Chicken

FFUUUSSSSIIIOOOONNNN!!!!!!



= $Profit$

For Zelda

So here I was thinking to myself: What should I blog about? Then I came across this article on Kotaku talking about how every Zelda game after Zelda II has been bad, or at least, downhill in quality, with the latest addition to the series (Skyward Sword) being the worst one of all. This article was interesting, for one, as a lot of people seemed to agree with the authors comments, and a lot of people seem to “like” it on Facebook. Now, seeing as the author is a long-time Zelda fan who has played the first game to death and has even had dreams about it, I have to point out that when you write an article such as this, where you talk about an entire franchise or series in general, it’s better to make it clear that your opinions are your opinions. Don’t get me wrong, the article makes a lot of good points, but it doesn’t make any attempt to acknowledge other people’s opinions or arguments. In order to make a good argument, that is what you have to do. Instead, the article gives a long and overly embellished rundown of a person’s own thoughts within his own bubble. He tries too hard to sound smart, all while jumping to conclusions and never offering any counterarguments. This can be quite obnoxious, especially if a reader doesn’t happen to agree (and I’m sure there are plenty who don’t). Yet, this is how people typically are. They are trapped within their own bubbles, and only like to think and talk within the boundaries of their own limited minds. It is the same with fanboys (or fangirls) who love a series so much, and who would probably hate this article, to the point where they cannot recognize the faults or the things that could be improved upon.

I agree that Zelda games could be more challenging. At the same time, one thing the author of this article doesn’t realize (and many more experienced gamers don’t realize as well) is that difficulty does not always equal fun. For example, Spirit Tracks, which is one of the more difficult Zelda games, is very irritating due its control scheme. The same can be said about the first Zelda game. Skyward Sword's difficulty, which is relatively high for a Zelda game, can be rather annoying when coupled with the game's imperfect and at times impractical controls.

There are a lot of people who play video games just to have fun, and not to have their patience and button-pressing skills tested to the maximum. This author, of course, grew up on the first two Zelda games, where the difficulty levels were fairly high (most older games were in fact, quite difficult compared to more modern games). However, he doesn’t seem to realize that back then, the video game market was very different. Video games were not nearly as common as they are today, nowhere near as popular, and of course, not as profitable. There was no set standard for video games, and most gamers back then were different (in personality, temperament, etc.) from the gamers of today.

Zelda became popular thanks to the later games such as Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, etc. But of course, just because a game is popular doesn’t mean it’s good. Zelda games, however, tend to be very good, whether you’re comparing them to other Zelda games or to other games in general. Most people would agree with this. Does this mean they are perfect? Hell no. But they are a lot more player-friendly and enjoyable compared to the first two games, where you almost always had to figure everything out through random trial and error.

These author’s opinions are very narrow-minded and not all of them necessarily well-supported, though they do offer a refreshing change of pace from what we usually hear/read about Zelda games, especially the more modern ones. Yet, to discredit games like Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, which quite frankly, are the Zelda games that really set the bar as far as quality and depth goes, is ridiculous. Change is good for any video game series, and the changes that Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time brought were the very changes that allowed Zelda to be one of the most successful and popular game franchises of all time. Has the basic formula been reused and recycled far too many times? Maybe, but that has happened with every successful video game series. Look at Final Fantasy, Pokemon, and even Mario. It is always hard for a game to find the right balance between sticking its roots and evolving.

I am sure that a large number of Zelda fans were introduced to the series through games like Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and even Twilight Princess. For me, it was Link’s Awakening, and since then I have played every single Zelda game ever released, including the first two, multiple times. When a lot of people go back and try and play the first Zelda game, many of them are turned off by its difficulty and primitive structure. The sword mechanics, for example, are extremely hard to work with in comparison with later 2-D Zelda games. This is another example of how difficult does not equal to fun. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the first game and what it stands for, along the sense of exploration it offers. However, if you really think that setting bombs or candle fires in random spots and hoping for a secret entrance to show up is fun, then you really are out of touch. And if you think that being trapped in a room with 10 enemies that you can barely hit, and who can kill you within a few seconds is fun for most people, then you are just dumb. Story is important, gameplay is important, and of course change is important. The key is to find the right balance. This author seems to mainly want Zelda to be more like Demon’s Souls, which revolves around hard, unforgiving, and strict action gameplay. I admit, I agree with several of the author’s complaints. I dislike Twilight Princess’s long and dragged on intro, I dislike how open exploration is heavily limited in later Zelda games until you progress to a certain point, and I dislike how most of the environments, as pretty as they are, end up just becoming track courses that you constantly have to jog through. But this author, and the readers who choose to agree with him unquestionably, have established a very high, narrow, and biased set of standards for Zelda games. And this is why they are unhappy with Zelda, which is sad. I love Zelda games, but I know that all of them have their faults, and I could spend hours discussing them. No game is perfect, especially not the first Zelda game. Still, this article has encouraged me to play through the first two games again in order to see of my thoughts on them have changed at all.

To avoid dragging on

Yeah, as if I could do that.

My mother wants to move back in. She's pretty set on it. I'm not concerned about my relationship with my mother. We're cool. I'm concerned about her and my father. They both say they are okay with living with one another again. I don't know. My mother says that we're different now. It's been more than 7 years. It should be fine. My mother has been visiting more often for the past few months. But living together full-time, moving back in, it's still different. I had a long conversation with my mother, about 2 hours, regarding all of our concerns, plans, worries, etc. In all seriousness, things should be fine. My mother is really positive and is trying to stay on the bright side of things. I am too.

For me, deep down there is always that worry. It makes sense that she wants to move back in. It's not surprising at all really. The morning I told my father she was visiting again, and this was before anyone knew she was moving back in, he told me that she might as well just move back in. After talking with my mother, I know that the main reason he agreed was because of money. It would allow both of them (my mother and father) to be more financially secure.

The definition of marriage is financial security, if you were to just use my parents as an example. Marriage is about a lot more, of course. It is about love, companionship, trust, respect, happiness.

And it is also about arguments, stress, anger, hate, violence (emotional and physical), broken holes in the wall, and stepping on the sharp pieces of a broken plate. This is if you were to look at one of the many of marriages (and divorces) that occur. If only things were simpler.

They should have divorced more than 10 years ago, really. The only reason they haven't is because of money. I wonder if this strangeness if because of the fact they are Asian/Chinese. No, not even Asian/Chinese parents are able to put up with what they have put up with. They are/were just crazy.

Things should be simple, to be honest. Even after everything is said and done. Once my mother is moved back in, she will do her thing (she is now retired, and spends most of her time line dancing), and my father will continue to do his thing (which is sit and occasionally move around all day while eating very little and usually finishing all of the leftovers). He should be retiring soon, too. My sister, within the next year or two, should likely (and hopefully, for her sake) move out and live on her own, which is something that everyone agrees would be good.

Everything should be fine. There's no need to over-think things, or to worry excessively about the past. What's done is done, as they say.

But the past always finds ways to manifest itself in the present and future. In the ways we talk, the ways we act, how we behave, what we think about, what we dream about, what hurts us, and what we miss. It's just something we all have to deal with.

She (my mother) wants to bring in all of her furniture. She wants to take my room since she has a queen sized bed, and my room is the only room where it can fit. I liked having the master bedroom, even though it was mostly empty (save for clothes scattered everywhere) while I was sleeping there. I liked having my own bathroom and shower. It shouldn't be a big deal, getting a smaller room. It just feels like such a sudden change.

My mother is worried about getting breast cancer. At the moment, everything looks okay, as long as things stay the way they are. My father's hearing is getting worse, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were to become deaf within the next 10 years. And he still doesn't care to go see a doctor. My sister still argues with him almost everyday.

Everything that happened was nobody's fault. Why is that so hard to believe? Everything will look differently once she's moved back in. I will like that, but it will cause some difficulties. Everyone will do their own thing, just as we have been. I won't be stuck in the middle. I won't have to explain everyone to each other.

Oh wait, yes I do.

Things will be fine. She's happy, he's okay with it, and she finally found a job. Things are looking up. Don't be a pessimist. Being emo is for attention-seeking, MDD/BP faking bastards.

Right now, I need to go eat 800 calories to make up for the 3/6 meals I have skipped.

Weirdest thing that has happened to me lately is that I haven't played video games for almost a week now. Why do I always proofread my vents.

Huh

I have to admit, I'm not in much of a writing/blogging mood, and haven't been for a while. My mind just seems so preoccupied with things, and even when I try not to think about them, I can't help it. Anyways, I still wanted to post something before time swooshed on too far ahead.

My mood + writing

Lately my mood has been, uh, stagnant. Not really sad, but not really happy. Just in the middle. I think about things the normally would make me sad, and they still do, to varying extents, and then I try to think about things that make me happy. I've tried getting back into writing, but it's annoying how every time I write, it ends up being a love confession. Even if its not entirely obvious, and even when I'm trying, maybe a bit too hard, to draw inspiration from elsewhere besides failed/unrequited love, my poetry, in my opinion, always seems to come out bland. I used to take a measure of pride in my writing, now I just kinda look over it and go "Meh." Maybe I just need to wait until my mood is better.

2012 Royal Rumble

I found the Royal Rumble to be kind of underwhelming. It wasn't nearly as exciting as previous years, and that wasn't because the winner was Sheamus over Chris Jericho, it was more of the fact that I'm not really sure they have any plans as to how they want things to play out. Also, on Monday it would have been better if we saw a verbal exchange between Chris Jericho and CM Punk, instead of just having Jericho come out and attack Punk randomly. Whatever. A certain wrestler's "vegan" gimmick is also very annoying. I like vegans, and I would like to be one, but it the gimmick still sucks.

On to better, well, at least more interesting/exciting news. But it could also be disappointing depending on who you are.

Miguel Cotto VS Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Cotto versus Mayweather! Of course, this is because Mayweather is ducking Pacquiao again, and anyone who thinks he isn't is just delusional or confused. After all that trash that he talked, its typical of Floyd to decide to fight someone who he has a higher chance of beating instead of the single guy who everyone wants him to fight, and who he needs to beat if he wants to be considered the best. Mayweather is a horrible person, that much is obvious. But he is an AMAZING fighter. It's just too bad he only takes on fights where he is more likely to win. Lack of confidence perhaps? That, fear, and denial. It's too bad that Mayweather's talent didn't end up with someone who wasn't such a pansy. But still, he is the most talented, and quite possibly the best fighter there is today. He just never takes the right steps to prove it.

Cotto is my favorite boxer, and has been for a while. I honestly thought he was going to retire after Pacquiao beat him, but he made a great comeback against Yuri Foreman and finally redeemed his loss against Margarito. Of course, whether or not Cotto is as good as he used to be, or whether or not he is good enough to beat Mayweather, we will have to wait and see. I really do want Cotto to win, and if he does, I will be very happy.

Unfortunately, for the both of them, I think this fight is more about money and reputation.





I think I'm just lonely.

Whoops

Oh wow it's been more than 2 weeks since I last posted. Ever since school started up again, I've been finding myself busy and not in much of a posting mood. Winter break really made me lazy, just when I thought I couldn't get any lazier, and I could tell during the first week of class that I was heavily lacking in motivation. I think I've gotten back into the gist of things, and time is just passing by quickly as usual. Gamewise, I've managed to finish Assassin's Creed II and in doing so, earn my first platinum trophy (yay!). I've been playing through the first Uncharted game on and off, though I have to say the second one is SO MUCH better. I've also been playing Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, for some reason. I swear, with all of the remakes and ports of FFIV, I must have played through it at least 6-7 times now. If only they (Square Enix, or Squenix) would do a proper remake of FFVI and FFVII.

I saw a bit of UFC Rio, and I have to say, it was nice seeing the main event being focused on the featherweights. When Dana White first announced UFC's addition of the featherweight division, I was afraid that it would become neglected, simply because UFC has traditionally been more focused on the heavier fighters. This, along with the fact that MMA fighters tend to be bigger than boxers and kickboxers, for example. It still makes me sad sometimes how a lot of the fights in UFC end so quickly, but at the same time, that's reality. It only takes a second or two to beat someone, once the opportune moment is seized and the fighter reacts appropriately, efficiently, and quickly. And with smaller fighters, speed becomes even more of a factor in order to make up for their lack of size. Anyways, it makes me happy how far MMA has come.

Tomorrow is the Royal Rumble! For some reason I was more excited about it last week. Maybe it's because I'm pretty sure that Randy Orton is going to win it, seeing as its taking place in his hometown, and he managed to make his return RIGHT BEFORE the pay-per-view. Oh yeah, it was funny seeing how excited/happy the everyone was when Chris Jericho FINALLY TALKED this past Monday. Apparently it's going to be "the end of the world as we know it." Well, that sounds fun. I hope you win Y2J. Who knows, maybe Mick Foley will bust out his 3 personas and enter the Rumble 3 times again (I like Mick, by the way). Too bad he didn't get more screen time on the recent episode of 30 Rock that just aired.

Ending this now before I talk too much about too many random things at once.

This Week's Raw, the Wii U

This Week’s Raw

I think this past week’s Raw was better than last week’s, if only by a little bit. There isn’t much that I would have changed, I suppose, but the controversial finish during the CM Punk vs. Jack Swagger match irked me. Brodus Clay’s debut was very surprising, I mean, we knew he was going to (re)debut, but not like that. We’ll see where things go from there. Again we had Chris Jericho playing with the crowd, but I liked this week’s version better since it wasn’t as time consuming, and seeing him pretending to be crying was amusing. It’s funny how the crowd just keeps eating out of the palms of his hands. I guess that’s what makes Chris Jericho so great.

I was happy to see Edge inducted into the Hall of Fame. At the same time, it does seem rather soon. He definitely deserves it, no one could argue with that, but I think it would have been better if they waited a few more years maybe. The Four Horsemen are finally being inducted as well, but this also complicates things considering that Ric Flair is still working for TNA, and does this make him the first ever 2-time Hall of Famer? Hm. And why the hell haven’t they inducted Macho Man Randy Savage yet?

I’m looking forward to the Royal Rumble. I’m not a betting man, but I’d really like either Christian or Chris Jericho to win it. Though, I don’t think either seems likely. Maybe Kane? I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Some thoughts on the Wii U

Anyone who was expecting Reggie to reveal any new or worthwhile information on the Wii U during his interview with Spike TV earlier today was just setting themselves up for disappointment. It was not all that surprising, really, the fact that Reggie didn’t say anything, other than that the Wii U will be released sometime between E3 and the end of the year (wow, really?). Reggie’s job is to dodge questions, especially when it comes to things that Nintendo hasn’t released yet. Now, I don’t dislike Reggie, but I would never try to ask him a question since I already know its his job to not answer them. Nintendo has always been hush-hush when it came to these kinds of things, whether for better or for worse. One thing that Reggie said that I found interesting was how Nintendo doesn’t care about what their competitors are doing. This has been fairly obvious to me for a while now. Nintendo didn’t care about switching their games to CD format in 1996, and they couldn’t care less for HD graphics in 2006. At the time, these might have seemed like terribly bad choices, but Nintendo has always been successful because they march to the beat of their own drum. I can respect Nintendo for that to an extent, though I may not always agree with their methods or tactics. For example, I don’t agree with them pricing their games at normal price when they have been out for years. Why are games like New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64 DS still $30+? This is why people become pirates.

The Wii U has a lot of potential, but it is also a system that Nintendo has to be very careful with both during and after its launch. As of right now, the 3DS can be considered a fair success, but this is only because of how good the holiday season as been for its sales following the $80 price drop (not to mention the release of Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, and Monster Hunter Tri G in Japan).

A dry selection of games is the main reason the 3DS had such a sluggish start. The Wii U will need make sure not to make the same mistake. Also, something that bothers me is what Reggie said before in an earlier interview about the Wii U most likely having a high price point. What are we talking about, $350? $400? $500!? Nintendo will be incredibly stupid if they price it anywhere above $350. Reggie said something along the lines of the Wii being for people with small-normal incomes, whereas the Wii U will be for people who have an excess amount of cash. How is this smart for Nintendo? If the Nintendo wants to be successful with the Wii U, it has to take the future into consideration, and be very wary of what its competitors are doing. I’m not saying Nintendo has to do things the way Apple, Microsoft, or Sony does them, but it certainly has to pay attention to what they are doing. And seriously, all Nintendo has to do is remember what happened with the PS3’s launch as well as its own 3DS before considering a high price point. After what happened with the 3DS, I think most people are going to be hesitant and wary about buying any new video game console as soon as it launches. And from what I can see, the PS Vita doesn’t seem to be doing all that great following its launch in Japan last month. Too early to say? Perhaps. But something that no one can deny is that gaming has changed, and it has to. It’s the natural way of things. Even if Nintendo “doesn’t care,” it certainly has to pay attention. Especially if they don’t want to end up like Sega.

Zelda Skyward Sword Review

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be reviewing every single Zelda game. I figure it would be something nice to do for Zelda’s recent 25th anniversary, and it will allow me to pay tribute to the series as a whole. These reviews will be in-depth, and they will be coming from someone who has been a huge Zelda fan since his early childhood years. I’m going to start with the latest release, Skyward Sword, and give my overall thoughts concerning the gameplay, story, and other elements. Be warned that there are SPOILERS AHEAD.

Skyward Sword. This is a game that I and many other Zelda fans have been waiting for seemingly ages. I honestly feel that this game should have come out in early 2011, like the developers originally at one point said it would. This game is the sole reason that I bought a Wii at the end of 2010. I have to admit, I have never been a fan of motion controls. I find them gimmicky and frustrating to work with, though some games have utilized motion controls effectively, there are always times when they end up flopping on you. I expected Skyward Sword to have perfect controls (perhaps my expectations were set too high), as the development team made it clear that they aimed to make this Zelda game to the “greatest” one ever. Do I think Skyward Sword is the greatest Zelda game ever? I will answer that question at the end of this review, though the answer will probably be fairly clear half-way through. This is most likely the only game that people would bother purchasing a Wii Motion Plus for. Thankfully the latest Wii bundles automatically come with the Wii Motion Plus, and Skyward Sword offered a limited edition bundle that came with a “golden” Wiimote with the Wii Motion Plus peripheral.

As with most Zelda games, the adventure begins with Link sleeping. I found the opening scenes to be cute, and not nearly as dragged on as the introduction to Twilight Princess was. The introduction still takes some time to go through, but at least this gives players some time to familiarize themselves with Skyloft, as they will be coming back, a lot. I do like what they did with Zelda’s character this time around. My favorite Zelda will still always be Tetra (I will explain why in my Wind Waker review), but Skyward Sword’s Zelda, I feel, has a very upbeat and cute personality that is a nice change from the “dignified princess” that always needs saving and is always telling you what you need to do. SPOILERS WARNING: It was very interesting to have Skyward Sword’s Zelda go on her own journey of sorts in order to fulfill her destiny. I found the story to be good, and the cinematic scenes (such as Ghirahim’s attack on Impa and Zelda on the bridge at the Temple of Time) to be very well done. SPOILERS END.

As many others have pointed out, Skyward Sword is one of the best looking games on the Wii. Despite the system’s limitations, the graphics and art style suit Skyward Sword perfectly. My only complaint is that at certain points in the game, the graphics would suddenly become fuzzy and look terrible, SPOILERS: such as when looking out to the distance on the deck of the Sandship (the fifth dungeon) and when crawling through a tunnel in the Lanaryu Mining Facility (the one in the desert with all of the timeshift stones). There may be some other places that I have missed, but thankfully this tragic phenomenon only occurs in a few spots throughout the entire game. And this game is pretty long.

However, Miyamoto’s claim of the game being 50-100 hours is a little misleading. I think most players can go through the game in about 30-40 hours, depending on how much time they spend gathering ingredients for item upgrades and doing sidequests. The second quest also does NOT include remixed dungeons (like in the original Zelda game and Ocarina of Time 3D/Master Quest) like I had expected. The “Hero Mode,” as it is called, is unlocked after you beat the game once. You have to start it using your completed file (so it would be a good idea to make a back up save right before you encounter the final boss), and the only changes are that Link takes double damage and hearts cannot be found normally. I find this to be strange, as considering how much time the development team had to fine-tune the game and add new content, they seriously could have added new/remixed dungeons to the second quest portion of the game. And considering that this could very well be the most difficult (or at least one of the most difficult) Zelda games of recent memory, I do not think too many players, especially the more casual ones, would care for an even more frustrating and difficult “hard mode.” If you want to explore hell, try beating the entire Boss Rush mode in Hero Mode.

Recent Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess have the reputation of being fairly-very easy, but I never saw this as making the games any less fun. Skyward Sword, however, can be incredibly frustrating at certain points for first-time players. It is mainly during the first encounters with a boss, where Fii (the Navi of the game) is absolutely useless in helping you determine what the boss’s weakness is or what your strategy should be. At least, she never bothered providing me with any helpful advice even when I was flailing away hopelessly with my controller. Nevertheless, I really like Fii’s character. Of course, through trial and error the bosses become a lot easier once you nail down the strategy and timing, as with any other action game. My main concern is that some kids who are playing this game might lose their temper and start losing it when SPOILER: Ghirahim “finger-grabs” their sword for the thousandth time SPOILER END.

Now down to specific gameplay mechanics.

The upgrade system:

I found the upgrade system to be a cool addition to the game. It is a natural progression from the treasure-finding that is found in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. In those games, you can sell the treasures you find for rupees, and in the later, trade them in for customized and thematic train parts. Some of the treasures in Skyward Sword require a lot more time and effort to find/farm than others. Extra treasures can be sold for money, which can be used to by item pouch capacity upgrades and other things at Beedle’s shop. Overall, it is a much better economic system than the ones found in previous Zelda games. Remember in Twilight Princess when you would always find a chest with rupees only to get the message that they won’t fit in your wallet? That’s not something you ever have to worry about in this game. The idea of upgrading potions with bugs is also a nice addition, but I, and I think most other players, would only keep heart potions in their bottles throughout most of the game, save for certain sidequests.

The gameplay and dungeons:

Most of the game takes place beneath the clouds, but Link often has to return to the sky in order to upgrade items, buy potions, and do sidequests. Controlling the Loftwing is easy enough, and besides Skyloft there are many small islands that house treasures chests, which can be activated by finding their corresponding Goddess Cubes down on the surface. The overall design of the sky part of the game is practically the same as Wind Waker – they just replaced the sea with the sky. Instead of treasure charts, you have Goddess Cubes. It is a lot simpler compared to Wind Waker, but at least the player doesn’t have to deal with the long hours of sailing. Getting from place to place is a lot faster, but still tedious at times.

Skyward Sword has 7 main dungeons, including the final one where SPOILERS WARNING: you assemble the Triforce SPOILERS END. I found the dungeons to be well-designed, and the ones that stood out most to me are Lanaryu Mining Facility (because of the timeshift stones) and Ancient Cistern (because of the Buddhist references/design). It pleases me that even after so many years of designing dungeons and making Zelda games, the developers can still come up with ideas that feel fresh and offer challenges. However, it is annoying how in order to enter each dungeon, the player has to through a series of quests which can be very time consuming. Most of these quests involve playing “hide-and-seek” with the Goddess/Master Sword’s dowsing ability and/or fetching an item. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is great that the overworld is more than just a place to run around (as it was in Ocarina of Time, for example), but a lot of times I found these “dungeon entrance trials” to be boring and tedious. For example, the SPOILERS WARNING: tadpole collecting that the Water Dragon has you do after she floods Faron Woods is something I never want to do again (but probably will) SPOILERS END. This design of having the player perform a series of trials/quests before being able to enter a dungeon reminds me of Majora’s Mask. Majora’s Mask, of course, only has 4 dungeons, but the process of entering each dungeon is like a dungeon in itself, spread out over several quests and challenges. Skyward is similar, however, it is fairly obvious to me that Majora’s Mask is a lot more effective in carrying out this design, as that game feels a lot more original, a lot more memorable, and a lot more enjoyable. Trying to enter a dungeon in Skyward Sword, however, feels more like a chore rather than an original, memorable, and enjoyable experience to me.

Another thing I don’t like is how some items become nearly completely useless after finishing the dungeon it was found in. The whip is a perfect example, and it happens to be one of my favorite items. On the other hand, the Clawshots, which aren’t even found in a dungeon (SPOILERS WARNING : but rather, after completing a challenge in the Silent Realm SPOILERS END), feel like they are a constant necessity. A similar issue can be found in Twilight Princess with the Spinner (the spinning top) and Dominion Rod items; they become almost completely useless after a while.

The controls:

Contrary to what the developers have constantly stated, the controls are NOT 1:1. At best, they are .7:1. This can be especially frustrating during certain boss battles, where doing a right-to-left diagonal slash instead of a right-to-left horizontal slash, for example, can result in the player taking a hefty amount of damage. Also, I think most players would end up just flailing the controller left to right when a boss is stunned in order to do as much damage as possible. Of course, trying to do this when a boss/enemy is NOT stunned results in Link losing his precious hearts. If the enemies were truly designed around 1:1 swordplay, then things would be a lot more different. It wouldn’t be such a struggle trying to get the sword to slash in the right direction during high-stress situations when you have very little time to react. Because of how little time you have to react in these scenarios, the sensor for the Wiimote often mistranslates your movements, which results in Link getting his ass handed to him. This is especially the case with not only the sword, but with the bow and arrow when you use its motion-based control scheme (which you most likely would since it shoots a lot faster than simply aiming and pressing A). It seems like the controls are only accurate when you take your time, but the combat is so fast paced that most of the time, especially during certain boss fights, the controls end up fumbling on you whenever you are trying desperately to survive.

I can appreciate the attempt at making combat a lot more strategic, but more often than not I found myself fighting the controls as much as I was fighting the enemy. And this is coming from someone who has studied swordsmanship for almost 9 years now, so I know that at best, the swordplay in this game, and motion controls in general, are just a gimmick that the player is forced to put up with. Also, the Clawshots constantly force the player to re-center the camera, which is not something we had to deal with in the Wii version of Twilight Princess at all. This makes me wonder whether or not it would truly be a good idea to continue making Zelda games revolving around motion controls. Granted, the controls do work fine most of the time, but it’s when they don’t that things become difficult, and not in a good, challenging way, but in an annoying, “this is dumb and not fun” way. Skyward Sword handles better than most motion control games out there, but it still makes it very clear to me that motion controls, at their best, are just a gimmick and an unpreferred way for real gamers to play their games.

The musical score:

Okay, I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I found Skyward Sword’s soundtrack to be underwhelming. This, along with everything else I have criticized, is most likely because of the incredibly high standards I (and I think most people) have set for Zelda games. Don’t get me wrong; there are some good-great music tracks that can be found in Skyward Sword. I cannot deny how beautiful the Goddess theme sounds, and I also found some tracks such as the Faron Woods and Eldin Volcano themes to be catchy as well. But for a soundtrack that is supposedly completely orchestrated, I expected a lot more. I really don’t think the harp is utilized as well or as much as it could have been, and most of the tunes you learn just sound annoying rather than lovely. I only like the last harp tune, the Hero Melody, which is a throwback to the original Hyrule theme. But the harp is incredibly limited in usage, and pales in comparison to the Ocarina in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. I mean, I understand that because Koji Kondo is not the main composer (in fact, it seems like he had very little to do with this game’s soundtrack), that the music would sound different from what we’re used to. But when I recall how amazing Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2’s soundtracks are, I cannot help but feel that Skyward Sword’s soundtrack is weak and underwhelming. It sounds nowhere near as good or memorable as the Super Mario Galaxy soundtracks or even the soundtracks found in Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, which is pretty sad considering that Skyward Sword is the first Zelda game to have a fully orchestrated soundtrack. I just don’t hear/feel it.

Final comments:

Did Skyward Sword live up to the hype? I would say both yes and no. Is it the greatest Zelda game ever made? Certainly not. I still consider Ocarina of Time to be the greatest Zelda game, simply because of the bar it set and how every 3D Zelda game after it has used it as a model. I did enjoy Skyward Sword a lot, but the longer I played, the more noticed all of its imperfections and shortcomings. For a game that took 6 years to make, it feels like the developers didn’t use that time as efficiently as they could have. And of course, we cannot forget about what happens if you seek out the Desert Dragon first when putting together the Hero Melody. I mean, how can they overlook a game-breaking glitch that prevents a player from finishing the game? The fact that this glitch happens near the end of the game makes it even worse. Still, Skyward Sword is a great game, and it shows how Zelda, even after 25 years, still has a lot to offer.

The reason I point out all of these flaws is because if it weren’t for them, the game could have very well been perfect. I think if the developers paid more attention to these shortcomings, then Skyward Sword could have possibly been the best Zelda game ever made. If I had to give it a score, I would give it a 92/100, which is very good considering all of my criticism. The reason for this is because despite all of my complaints, I still found the game to be very fun and enjoyable.