Do You Think Skyward Sword Lived Up to the Hype, the Reviews, and Your Expectations?

[nayruslove]

I haven't beaten it yet, but I'm really enjoying it and it definitely is living up to my expectations! I tried to avoid spoilers as much as I possibly could until I got my hands on it, though, so I guess that might have something to do with it.

 

[Cuju]

HELLO! I'm back! I got my game a week late because of shipping, but i'm at the sand sea on my first playthrough, and this is my favorite Zelda game!

 

[TriforceHunter]

Im halfway through the game and so far I'm loving every second of it. It's everything I love and hate from every Zelda game combined into one awesome pack. For example: I hated the tear hunting in TP and they made it fun in this game by combining it with the Phantom chases from PH/ST. Which I also wasn't a big fan of.

Anyways, I dont think the one Item thing was that bad, great throwback to the old 2-D games but they made it all more fast paced. I didnt mind the Shield bar, wish it was a magic bar though.

One thing Im noticing it's that the music isnt that memorable. And I wish you the world was connected or at least that you could fast travel whenever you wanted. Minor details though.

Either way, it's a good game and Im loving it.

 

[ENA-three!]

idk, with how long ive been waiting for this game, i mean not including the ds games it was 5 years since the last zelda. youd think they wouldve done something a bit more.....better. TO ME it didnt have the zelda feel to it and while playing it i couldnt help but feel dissapointed. the characters you interact with didnt seem all the much lively. i mean, compare it to other games. just last night, my gf stayed th enight, and she was watching me play ss, she had this funny smirk the entire time because how "kiddy" it looked. then she starts playing uncharted 3, and as im wathing her play, im wondering, why couldnt the new zelda look like that? how awesome would it be to play it and feel like it was a movie or real life.so when i play it again, im looking at all landscape and everything seems so......kiddy. so i for one am extrremely let down by skyward sword. too kiddy, didnt have that zelda feel nor could i explore freely, idk, i hope i dont have to wait another 5 years for a new zelda because with all the hype i had for this one, im dissapointed.

 

[LnktheWolf]

alright, who's being teh xbox and put "wait, this isn't a skyrim expansion"

 

[MW7]

I voted for the top option on your poll, but I still felt that Skyward Sword didn't meet my expectations. I was hoping it would be my favorite game ever, but it hasn't surpassed Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time in my eyes (at least yet since the game is still really new). Having said that, Skyward Sword was easily my GOTY. I don't even know if I played another game that was released this year anyway so SS wins by default for me.

 

[Bastian]

It surpasses the hype.

Why?

The characters are full of life; each person in Skyloft has their own story/agenda/arc.
The gameplay is addicting; how will I ever go back to pressing a button to swing a sword again? And the Beetle is so much fun to control.
The music is enchanting; so many wonderful new themes (Fi's is my fav).
The graphics are gorgeous; it feels like playing the instruction manual art from AoL/ALttP/LA/OoT/etc come to life. The vibrant colors and the details feel more like "Zelda" to me than any game since ALttP.

 

[Rikku9314]

I will be honest. I was excited...but I didn't expect much. I really did not like the look of the animation in the trailers, it looked like they were trying to combine the animations of WW and TP. That being said...it's in my top 3 favorite Zelda games now that I've finished it. I got into it and couldn't stop playing (work kept getting in the way though)....and I definitely teared up in a couple of the cutscenes...In the end loved it.

 

[sfitz]

SS Review

Rated: 7/10

did it live up to my expectations?

In terms of using the Wii remote, yes it was fluid however as I'm sure you've noticed the controls got a bit disorientated.
fighting was fun with this control system, however the monsters were too easy, on my first run through I didn't have a shield until I had got the 2nd flame.

I wanted it to relate to OOT at least...however there were no Zoras and one Goron...wtf, Fi was annoying she reiterated everything after a cut scene...god it was frustrating.

Story and gameplay
story was okay...it was obvious the old lady was impa due to her hair...I made the connection on my way to eldin volcano, the fact the temple of time served no purpose what so ever was a big let down for me, the idea that zelda was behind the door where impa was watching guard the whole way through (you can look through the crack in the door the first time you visit the area) means that at no point did you have free will in the game, you were always going to get the master sword, were always going to go back and see zelda (Hylia) as she froze herself, the final boss was an utter disgrace, the fact that Ghiriam was just a sword was lame. The idea that Demise has cursed the generations of links and Zelda's etc is just stupid.

its basically AoL (zelda in suspended animation behind a door) but you get the master sword and Ganon isn't in it but some random new bad guy which is killed about 5 hours after you first hear about them, the fact that you had to fight him in (beast form) 3 times was repetitive and boring.

However I did enjoy the flying, the new swimming technique was okay, the items were good and the puzzles were alright.
Hated there was no true exploration, after 5 years of waiting (since TP) you would think it was going to be better ( I loved how TP was still Hyrule field THE hyrule field from OOT just a lot larger.

Just FYI if you look at starting map of TP and starting map of OOT theres a gap about midway where kokiri forest would be in TP (oh yeah awesomeness)

The fact of future Zelda games

When TP came out it was a dark game, it had grown with the original fan base of OOT, but then the parents said it was too dark for the young children etc...so now we got left with this SS which is aimed at 10 year olds with repetitive puzzles, simplistic fighting system, easy bosses, pudgy monsters that wouldn't make a 5 year old scared (back in OOT the undeads etc used to freak me out...I was 10)

What I'm trying to say is don't hold your breathe for anymore good Zelda games they are all now aimed at children, the franchise in my opinion is now just ruined, however I will let my children (when I have them) play my original OOT because it was something that really sticks with you.

Overall I'm really disappointed with this game I just found myself wanting to finish it as quickly as possible. I don't feel I will get excited for the next one.

I had to put on a fake this is awesome face since it was a gift from my Girlfriend when she watched me play it lol, so now I'm going to rummage around for TP and show her that on the Wii so she can understand the comparisons I'm making and the maybe dig around for OOT and make her fall in love with it as I did.

 

[Garo]

Late to the party, but Skyward Sword is probably my second favorite Zelda game of all time and my second favorite game this year - Portal 2 takes the crown of my favorite this year. I very much loved Skyward Sword, but it didn't live up to Majora's Mask as fully as it could have. I blame this mostly due to the sectionalized nature of the Overworld and the mostly barren Sky - MM felt a bit more engaging because of the great degree of exploration involved. I feel like Skyward Sword focused on puzzle solving and story more than other Zelda games, particularly the 3D Zeldas which appear to each focus on different aspects (e.g., OoT was an all-in-one sort of deal, MM focused on sidequests, WW focused on exploration, TP focused on story, and SS focused on puzzles and story). I much preferred the darker atmosphere and sidequests of MM, but nevertheless SS is one of my favorites because of how incredibly polished it is.

 

[Heroofwolves]

When TP came out it was a dark game, it had grown with the original fan base of OOT, but then the parents said it was too dark for the young children etc...so now we got left with this SS which is aimed at 10 year olds with repetitive puzzles, simplistic fighting system, easy bosses, pudgy monsters that wouldn't make a 5 year old scared (back in OOT the undeads etc used to freak me out...I was 10)

What I'm trying to say is don't hold your breathe for anymore good Zelda games they are all now aimed at children, the franchise in my opinion is now just ruined, however I will let my children (when I have them) play my original OOT because it was something that really sticks with you.

Overall I'm really disappointed with this game I just found myself wanting to finish it as quickly as possible. I don't feel I will get excited for the next one.

I had to put on a fake this is awesome face since it was a gift from my Girlfriend when she watched me play it lol, so now I'm going to rummage around for TP and show her that on the Wii so she can understand the comparisons I'm making and the maybe dig around for OOT and make her fall in love with it as I did.

i cant tell of this is sarcastic or not, but why is the fatc that it is aimed at children a bad thing. I also very much doubt that it had anything to do with the parents complaining about TP that made nintendo choose this games art style, Zelda has always really been a cartoony series. I feel that this zelda to me feels what zelda is supposed to feel like. I also enjoy its refreshign art style as most games are very gritty and realistic. Both styles have a place, but I just like cartoon game smore, it reminds me of my childhood, it goves me solace, and I remember why I play games the most when I pick those ones up. I also dont get why demise being cursed is "Stupid", to me it was sort of a no brainer. I also have to disagree with the field statement. I was glad that this game did not try to emulate Oot( though some argue that it did), and I have and continue to defend why I think TP is a legitimately good video game. But one must admit that the series needed a breath of fresh air, and for me it mroe than delivered. I realize that this game is noit for everyine, bu no game is. I was thouroly happy with this game, and am very gratefult to have played it. I would give it a FUN/FUN!

 

[shogun_zidane]

I would just like to say I just purchased the game yesterday with VERY high expectations and to tell you the truth.... It blew my mind! I barely know the story because I have been avoiding spoilers since its release, which I usually never do .lol I am about 11 hours in just got the goddesses harp and the 1:1 motion controls are still blowing my mind....(i know I said that twice). What I dont see, and I guess other people do is the lack of exploration... I feel that Skyward Sword is HUGE! and I have only done 1 sidequest. I was SOOO happy to get stuck in Lanayru Mines..... AH it took be back to the good ole days. Its the B E S T!

 

[blubb]

I didn't have any sky-high expectations to start with. TBH as soon as I saw the E3 2010 demo I thought "Great, another Zelda game aimed at 10-year-olds" but yet the game turned out pretty well and didn't disappoint! Sure, there were some things that could've been handled a bit better (Fi's mandatory interruptions, treasure message boxes, small sky) but those are rather small things that didn't distract from the great gameplay.

 

[Deku-Jack]

Indeed. It was one of the greatest experience in my life as a video game player. It didn't top Majora's Mask for me, but that's because topping that game is nearly impossible, haha.

Amazing game. Absolutely incredible.

 

[Nicole]

I'm going to quote a recent post of mine and use it as a reference:

I'm going to be quite honest: I almost completely agree with this reviewer. Skyward Sword was such a tedious game for me, and what sticks out most is the motion controls. The Wii's motion sensors and controls are by no means refined, and requiring the player to perform certain maneuvers with a system that lacks an accurate sensor is just ridiculous. That was the biggest gripe I had with the gameplay itself, and that's one of the reasons I've failed to complete Skyward Sword. I made it to the final boss fight with Ghirahim. I fought Ghirahim for approximately 20 minutes with very little progress once I got him off those floating platforms. I honestly just wanted to destroy my television during that battle.

As far as the music, I also agree. My favorite theme is the Dragons' Theme, which I am quite fond of. I've heard people call SS the best Zelda in terms of music, and that totally bewilders me. The Dragons' Theme is literally the only theme I ever halted my progress just to listen to. I did also enjoy the Ancient Harbor theme. I was going through a particularly rough patch irl at the same time I was playing through this portion, and I really identified with that tune. Save for those two songs, literally no other themes stood out to me.

The story was okay at best. It was nothing to get worked up over, nothing unique. Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker contained my favorite Zelda stories, and both were pulled off fantastically (for the most part). I love TP's introduction of the Twili and how they affected the story. The Wind Waker had a classic story involving a villain doing the wrong things, perhaps, for the right reasons. It gave depth to certain aspects, mostly to Hyrule, Ganondorf's character, and the Triforce. One reason TP's story was my favorite is because I had so much time to theorize about it. I was not a good gamer at all when I played TP, and I got stuck often. I had plenty of time to just speculate about the story and other parts of the game. Skyward Sword just played through so quickly for me that the story never really stuck. Zelda was a likable character, sure, but I never felt that connection with her that most other fans here probably did.

The graphics were fine to me. If a game tries to pull of realism and fails, that's bad. If a game tries to pull of cartoony graphics and fails, that's bad. Skyward Sword tried to pull off an artistic watercolor feel, and I think it did that quite well. I don't favor the graphic choice for SS; I would have much preferred TP's style. However, I think the graphics were still very pleasing to the eye in most cases. There were times when the backgrounds blended, but that didn't quite bother me too much.

As a whole, I really do tend to agree with the reviewer. I wouldn't have rated the game as low, though I do agree with the ideals behind the ratings. My ratings would be as such:

Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 3/10
Gameplay: 2/10
Story: 5/10
Replay value: 2/10

And that would average out to a verdict of 4/10. I don't really feel like Skyward Sword was a 4/10, but I would not rate it higher than a 6.5.

Did Skyward Sword live up to the hype?

Definitely and utterly, no. It did not, to me. Skyward Sword was an okay game. It was average. I was excited to play it in the beginning, but that excitement later wore off. I still haven't finished it. It was not a horrible game overall; I did enjoy most parts of it. It didn't blow me away like most people expected it to/said it would. Nothing really stood out to me. As I said in my post quoted above, only a select couple of songs stood out to me. The story was average at best and not very unique. It's been done before. The graphics were pleasing to the eye, not quite beautiful but pulled off nicely. The media, naturally, does its best to hype up games in order to boost sales. In my opinion, Skyward Sword fell way short of that hype.

Did Skyward Sword live up to the reviews?

That depends on which reviews you're referring to. I believe it lived up to this review, which was a rather negative one, though I do agree with it. I do not believe Skyward Sword lived up to all the reviews that hailed it as the best Zelda game ever, nor the ones that praised it as "the beginning to a new era in gaming," for reasons listed above.

Did Skyward Sword live up to my expectations?

I honestly had very few expectations for this game. I did not want to get so worked up over it that I would be disappointed if it fell short. I really didn't pay attention to all the press it got, either. I stayed away from most Spoilers and just kept my eyes away from all the articles hyping SS. In the end, I think what I really had was hope for another Twilight Princess, my favorite Zelda game to this date. I had hoped for a game that would thoroughly engross me from the start, and SS was not a game that did so. Here is one excerpt that explains why I feel TP beats out SS:

The story was okay at best. It was nothing to get worked up over, nothing unique. Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker contained my favorite Zelda stories, and both were pulled off fantastically (for the most part). I love TP's introduction of the Twili and how they affected the story. The Wind Waker had a classic story involving a villain doing the wrong things, perhaps, for the right reasons. It gave depth to certain aspects, mostly to Hyrule, Ganondorf's character, and the Triforce. One reason TP's story was my favorite is because I had so much time to theorize about it. I was not a good gamer at all when I played TP, and I got stuck often. I had plenty of time to just speculate about the story and other parts of the game. Skyward Sword just played through so quickly for me that the story never really stuck. Zelda was a likable character, sure, but I never felt that connection with her that most other fans here probably did.

Story is one of the biggest aspects in a game to me. My favorite game ever, Okami, has a fantastic, amazing story but has gameplay that leaves something to be desired. I'm honestly not sure which game was worse motions controls, Okami or Skyward Sword. However, Okami fully compensated for the shoddy controls with gorgeous locales, beautiful music, and a fantastic story with so many twists and turns and speculations, ups and downs and emotional moments, and comedy and liveliness. To me, Skyward Sword was not bad. But it was not fantastic, not like Okami or Twilight Princess. It was fun to play, but I won't spend a lot of time replaying it. I'm not sure when I'll even finish it, if ever.