Skyward Sword Skyward Sword is the Best Zelda Game of All Time: Agree or Disagree

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Actually none of those games got as many perfect scores as Skyward Sword did. When you have at least 30 publications giving it a perfect score, that's become a statistically significant number. Not even GTA V got that many.



He wasn't being aggressive, it's just how he comes off :p

Lol yep he just comes off like that, you gotta get used to it, once you get to know Juicej he can be allright.

 

[Vanessa28]

Yeah and let's stay on topic or I'll eat you all

If SS is the best game of all time is a matter of opinion. I will say absolutely NOT. The storyline was good and I had absolutely no troubles with the controls. Motion plus worked perfectly fine for me. The game just didn't do it for me. The biggest flaw was continously flying up and into another beam to get into another part of the world below. They could at least have connected these parts in some way after you cleared the area. That would have made it so much easier. The music I don't even remember except for the Skyloft theme, the fact that you couldn't skip cutscenes (but this is not only in SS).... and Ghirahim. Oh man Ghirahim alone is already reason enough for me to dislike SS. Once finished I never had the I-must-play-it-again mood. With some games I can play the game over and over again but not with this one and not with ALTTP either to be honest. So nope, not my least favorite but absolutely not my favorite either

 

[A Link In Time]

Calling Skyward Sword the "Best Zelda game" is an overstatement because it failed to improve on the shortcomings of its predecessors and failed to deliver on some of its major promises.

The lack of variety in environments was a major turn-off for me. Considering the scope of past game worlds, especially Twilight Princess' Hyrule, being limited to forest, volcano, and desert regions as well as a standard hub felt very constricting. Although Nintendo managed to make each area feel unique by offering unique challenges which succeeded in maintaining some level of excitement upon return visits, some of these designs could have been used in new regions to further enhance each geographic region. For example, many fans have remarked that Skyward Sword should have included an ice region. This would have been a logical fit for the boat sequence in Lanayru and provided more diversity for the Timeshift Stones, a revitalizing yet underused mechanic for the now commonplace time manipulation found in Zelda games.

There were a lot of external factors affecting Skyward Sword's reception too. It had been five years since the release of the last console game, Twilight Princess, and the Wii had no AAA games other than Skyward Sword. Also, with the developers hyping Skyward Sword to be the next leap for the franchise, seemingly minor issues were harped upon by the community. Skyward Sword's motion controls are the most precise the industry has seen to date, but the attention is always towards what wasn't delivered pointing out the motion aren't 1:1 after all even if they come close.

I know the Ocarina of Time talk gets old, yet it was a big deal back then because it did so much right and turned the industry on its head. It was the most ambitious game of the year even amongst the likes of games like the original Half-Life and Metal Gear Solid. Ocarina pushed the N64's graphics more than any game then besides Banjo Kazooie and offered its greatest contribution in the now standard targeting feature found in many shooter games. It was also a straight up fun to play game with hardly any filler compared to the games of today.

Although Skyward Sword was a phenomenal title, it didn't do enough to distinguish itself from 2011's other major hitters, especially the adventure game that did soak up the most acclaim that year, Skyrim. Aonuma realizes that the franchise has played off Ocarina of Time's success for too long and is trying to redefine the series. That change will come eventually, but we're not there yet. Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds are transition titles, adding in several new gameplay mechanics and stretching back to deep series roots, while the true Zelda reboot lies in progress taking note of the successes of the failures of its predecessors and the gaming scene at large.

 

[Snow Queen]

In regards to Skyward Sword, it certainly is not the best Zelda game in my opinion, however it is not the worst. I find it difficult to rank the Zelda games because to me, all but Zelda II are really good.

What I'm trying to say is, no. Zeruda no Densetsu: Sakaiwad Sorudo is not the best Zelda game of all time in my superior opinion, but it is definitely high up on my list. #Sandship

 

[MW7]

My opinion is that Skyward Sword wasn't even the best Zelda game of 2011. I've poured way more time into Ocarina of Time 3d. Skyward Sword had very enjoyable swordplay with the Wii Motionplus, but compared to the rest of the series I don't think it offered much else that made it stand out. For me dungeons are the most important part of Zelda games, and Skyward Sword's were about average with some standouts (Sand Ship, Sky Keep). IMO the only 3d Zelda game that Skyward Sword is superior to in the dungeon department is Wind Waker. Twilight Princess is far from my favorite Zelda game, but I do think TP's dungeons were collectively better than SS's dungeons. When it comes to sidequests Skyward Sword was one of the best in the series, but it didn't quite keep up with Majora's Mask or Wind Waker. Overall Skyward Sword is a top-tier Zelda game, but it certainly isn't my favorite. To put it simply Ocarina and ALttP outdo SS in the dungeon department, Wind Waker outdoes SS outside of dungeons, and Majora's Mask outdoes SS both in and out of dungeons. Skyward Sword is a fantastic game, and Wii Motionplus makes it fun to pick up and play. However, I wouldn't call it the best since I just don't see it as superior to a handful of other games in the series.

 

[CraptainFalcon]

I see now why they call you Craptainfalcon.

Wait what?

My biggest gripe with this game were the stupid motion controls. Incould go on about how motion controls got nowhere last gen but maybe I'll go rant about that on ZU or IGN

 

[JuicieJ]

Wait what?

My biggest gripe with this game were the stupid motion controls. Incould go on about how motion controls got nowhere last gen but maybe I'll go rant about that on ZU or IGN

They got nowhere because the Wii MotionPlus wasn't there since the beginning. Skyward Sword was the first in-house, non-casual game to deliver on that "revolution" promise we were given back in 2006.

 

[RedLink]

The biggest flaw was continously flying up and into another beam to get into another part of the world below. They could at least have connected these parts in some way after you cleared the area. That would have made it so much easier.

This is an argument I really don't understand from the Zelda community. Just b/c different areas are connected by ground doesn't mean they're connected. The expansive fields of OoT and TP are just as bland as the sea in WW and sky in SS. The difference is these offer up a change of pace from the usual blandness of the endless fields.

And so much easier to what, to travel? I agree that some quick travel points would've been better but it's not like it took long to go from A to B. And flying was so damn fun. It was like those ball-rolling levels from SMG/SMG2, except more accurate.

The fact that you couldn't skip cutscenes (but this is not only in SS)....

You could skip the cutscenes in Hero Mode....

and Ghirahim. Oh man Ghirahim alone is already reason enough for me to dislike SS.

One of the few villains to have a personality in the series and that's a sin?

 

[PalaeoJoe]

And so much easier to what, to travel? I agree that some quick travel points would've been better but it's not like it took long to go from A to B. And flying was so damn fun. It was like those ball-rolling levels from SMG/SMG2, except more accurate.

Lot's of people would argue that the fling controls were annoying and not fun. Although I do not share that opinion, the controls them selves are not the only reason to dislike flight in SS. This is because the sky it's self was a rather bland place, making flight boring despite (in my opinion) a nice control scheme.

 

[JuicieJ]

...it failed to improve on the shortcomings of its predecessors

Yes, because precision swinging in the combat alongside dynamic enemies, stepping up the level design, actually having a natural transition between the overworld and the dungeons instead of them just randomly appearing, revitalizing proper resource management (as well as improving upon it), and finally giving us an economy that didn't suck is totally not improving on any shortcomings of previous entries, especially the GameCube titles. /sarcasm

Also, with the developers hyping Skyward Sword to be the next leap for the franchise, seemingly minor issues were harped upon by the community.

Honestly, most of the hype I saw came from the press and fanbase expecting significantly more than we were promised. Aonuma learned from the hype he and crew generated for Twilight Princess, so he let the gameplay footage speak for itself.

Although Skyward Sword was a phenomenal title, it didn't do enough to distinguish itself from 2011's other major hitters

So a unique art style, ground-breaking motion controls, and the introduction of multiple new mechanics for the Zelda series isn't enough to distinguish itself from other great games that didn't do what it did? Oh...

 

[Heroine of Winds]

And so much easier to what, to travel? I agree that some quick travel points would've been better but it's not like it took long to go from A to B. And flying was so damn fun. It was like those ball-rolling levels from SMG/SMG2, except more accurate.

One of the few villains to have a personality in the series and that's a sin?

The flying sections were too boring to me. And Ghirahim wasn't all that great, tbh.

 

[A Link In Time]

Yes, because precision swinging in the combat alongside dynamic enemies, stepping up the level design, actually having a natural transition between the overworld and the dungeons instead of them just randomly appearing, revitalizing proper resource management (as well as improving upon it), and finally giving us an economy that didn't suck is totally not improving on any shortcomings of previous entries, especially the GameCube titles. /sarcasm

It appears you quoted that statement completely out of context without paying heed to the fact that I addressed several of these points in my last post. Additionally, as I noted before, the circumstances surrounding the Zelda franchise and the state of the Wii meant any of Skyward Sword's flaws, even if seemingly trivial, would be nitpicked beyond the point of exhaustion.

Honestly, most of the hype I saw came from the press and fanbase expecting significantly more than we were promised. Aonuma learned from the hype he and crew generated for Twilight Princess, so he let the gameplay footage speak for itself.

The trailers may have been problems in themselves since they revealed large portions of the game, including important story elements. A better analogy would have been that Aonuma learned from the hype heand crew generated from Skyward Sword, so he showed comparatively way less footage for A Link Between Worlds.

So a unique art style, ground-breaking motion controls, and the introduction of multiple new mechanics for the Zelda series isn't enough to distinguish itself from other great games that didn't do what it did? Oh...

2011 was a big year for sequels, trequels, and other continuations of franchises, and among many gamers and gaming sites, the general consensus was the Skyward Sword was a great game, but not on par with the likes of Skyrim, Arkham City, or Portal 2. At the end of the day, it was Skyrim that hailed as the Adventure game of the year and a template for future projects in the genre. Many Zelda fans and even Aonuma himself have drawn more comparisons towards Skyrim during the Zelda Wii U conception phase than Skyward Sword.

 

[Doc]

One of the few villains to have a personality in the series and that's a sin?

It isn't that he lacked personality, it was that he lacked a dynamic one. His character was straightforward and he didn't change at all throughout the game. And as I have stated in a previous post, he wasn't as fearful as the bosses we have seen in Zelda. He literally accomplished nothing until the very end of the game. And it isn't like the fear factor is something Nintendo doesn't know how to do. Twilight Princess's (second) villain, Zant, had possibly the best intro this series has seen. It showed his strength and made him intimidating. He literally had an army that took Hyrule Castle like that!

Ghirahim though...the closest thing we saw to an army with him was the horde. While this was intimidating at first, we could easily slice through, killing an enemy with a single blow. Other than that, he doesn't prove he is a powerful enemy.

 

[JuicieJ]

It isn't that he lacked personality, it was that he lacked a dynamic one. His character was straightforward and he didn't change at all throughout the game.

Untrue. He consistently became more and more flustered with Link upon every encounter until he finally let his fury take over him.

And as I have stated in a previous post, he wasn't as fearful as the bosses we have seen in Zelda. He literally accomplished nothing until the very end of the game. And it isn't like the fear factor is something Nintendo doesn't know how to do. Twilight Princess's (second) villain, Zant, had possibly the best intro this series has seen. It showed his strength and made him intimidating. He literally had an army that took Hyrule Castle like that!

Ghirahim though...the closest thing we saw to an army with him was the horde. While this was intimidating at first, we could easily slice through, killing an enemy with a single blow. Other than that, he doesn't prove he is a powerful enemy.

So you're basically saying that every Zelda villain should be exactly the same? Okay, then...

 

[Random Person]

This is an argument I really don't understand from the Zelda community. Just b/c different areas are connected by ground doesn't mean they're connected. The expansive fields of OoT and TP are just as bland as the sea in WW and sky in SS. The difference is these offer up a change of pace from the usual blandness of the endless fields.

And so much easier to what, to travel? I agree that some quick travel points would've been better but it's not like it took long to go from A to B. And flying was so [...] fun. It was like those ball-rolling levels from SMG/SMG2, except more accurate.

It isn't that the lands below need to feel connected, although that is apart of it. It's moreso that people wanted a quicker way of going back and forth. SS had you continually going back through the portals to the surface, and sometimes you would have to get on your bird just to that and only that. This becomes tedious. Even with the complaint that some have of WW's ocean being too big to sail, it atleast had warp points whereas SS had no faster method of travel whatsoever. You were forced to fly.

If you had fun flying, I'm happy for you. Many, however, found flying to be a novelty item. In that once its novelty warn off, it got old and became a chore, almost padding out the experience.