The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword

[Bells]

So, what we know and what we feel about this one?

I'm most certainly underwhelmed by what i know of this title. The Hud is fuggly and i REALLY hope they kill it. The more "cartoonish" visual (reminds me of that Aragorn's Quest game) seems ok, but it didn't "pop" to my eyes. Also clashed a bit with the whole "Mature Link" feel a lot of people were hoping for.

I dunno... this Zelda title so far feels more like a "Popular by Brand Name" title to me. The only thing (at all) they showed were the new Gadgets that were made just to Wiimotion plus and nothing else...

Honestly? Zelda just feels really outdated so far...

Maybe this is it? The one Zelda title that might crash and burn badly enough to prompt Nintendo to change it?

Or could it be a huge surprise that will finally make Wiimotion plus to explode?

[BitVyper]

Sword lasers are back. Your argument is invalid.

Edit: In all seriousness, it looks pretty good.

[Kim]

The Hud is fuggly

You can turn it off in the finished product.

Also clashed a bit with the whole "Mature Link" feel a lot of people were hoping for.

Who was hoping for that? Why were they hoping for that? Why would you DO that?

I for one like the art style. Definitely a hell of a lot better than Twilight Princess.

The only thing (at all) they showed were the new Gadgets that were made just to Wiimotion plus and nothing else...

While I'm not really sold on the beetle or the whip right now, I'm going to give them a chance. Aside from that, I don't think it's automatically bad just because it's designed for Motion+.

[Meister]

Didn't they say this would take place before Ocarina of Time? How will they shoehorn in Ganon? :ohdear:

[Kim]

Didn't they say this would take place before Ocarina of Time? How will they shoehorn in Ganon? :ohdear:

I haven't heard anything about the continuity at all. In fact, I think Nintendo, but for the obvious sequels like Majora's Mask or Phantom Hourglass, doesn't have a Zelda continuity. This story is about Link living on an island in the sky, until he finds out there's a world below. He goes down there and it's overrun with monsters.

[BitVyper]

I like that you don't have to be on target with the screen to shoot stuff.

Edit: As far as continuity goes, you can kind of suss one out if you look at various clues. I don't know that Nintendo thinks or cares about it, but both Wind Waker and A Link to the Past definitely suggest that these events have all occurred in the same world with some form of continuity between them.

I have my own personal idea for the order of the main games that has some pretty decent evidence for it, but I don't even bother talking about online anymore because I've learned that internet people are completely incapable of having a civil discussion involving any sort of speculative answers about anything ever.

[Roland]

Didn't they say this would take place before Ocarina of Time? How will they shoehorn in Ganon? :ohdear:

Four Swords Adventures has Ganon, but supposedly takes place before Ganondorf was even born. The explanation given is that Ganon is the King of Evil, and as such is basically evil incarnate and would exist even if Ganondorf never did. Or so I've heard.

So yeah, it doesn't make sense, but at least it's consistent nonsense instead of the messy continuity confuddling kind.

[Bells]

You can turn it off in the finished product.

yeah i saw that... but it just screams "rushed design" to me...

Who was hoping for that? Why were they hoping for that? Why would you DO that?

I for one like the art style. Definitely a hell of a lot better than Twilight Princess.


Mature. Not Gritty.

remember that first Art that was shown?
http://www.geekologie.com/2009/06/05/new%20zelda%20art.jpg
Link with no Sword. Looking somewhat Taller and/or older than he did in Twilight Princess, the colors and the lines giving a more stylized and brushed feel to it...

Now, i'm not against it. It just didn't "click" with me yet. But The visuals took a step towards Okami with a more colorful, cel shaded and bright look. And that really can't be a bad thing. Guess i was just waiting for something else...

While I'm not really sold on the beetle or the whip right now, I'm going to give them a chance. Aside from that, I don't think it's automatically bad just because it's designed for Motion+.

I'm not really a fan of Motion+ ... but i kinda already knew they were going to do this. I just hoped it was going to be optional...

I mean, the series was already a bit stale for my taste. Even TP, which i own, beat and liked, i thought it was hugely Overhyped. Even on the graphics department, since the Gamecube got the exact same game. So, i was kida waiting for the next Zelda to "surpass" the previous one, and for me so far, it has not delivered.

[Kim]

I'm not really a fan of Motion+

Someone has obviously not played Red Steel 2. Rectify this immediately.

[Bells]

I REALLY don't want to buy a Motion+ for just one game... right now i know of Red Steel 2, and there is Tiger Woods 11, which i already think it's awesome but people say it's even better with Motion+. If Zelda or another game comes in, i might just give in and go for it

[BitVyper]

Zelda has always satisfied my urge to roam about and explore very well. As long as they keep doing that, I'll keep enjoying it.

[Kim]

Yeah, but like I mentioned in the other thread, I'm a bit worried. They said they're improving the maps so it's harder to get lost, and when I hear that I imagine the whole game being really linear, and that worries me.

[Bells]

Mind you that TP was already quite Linear. In both Dungeons and world map. That's something that bothered me too.

Also, no sight of Epona anywhere...

Another issue people had with previous Zelda games was that the world felt "empty", but i honestly think that won't change.

[Kim]

One thing I love about the gameplay is how the enemies will change how they're holding their weapons to block your strikes, depending on what direction you're swinging. That's pretty sweet.

[Magus]

It looked almost exactly like Twilight Princess except for a couple of cartoony looking enemies, to be honest...I really don't see the big difference.

Looks fun, I enjoy playing Zelda games, if they changed it too much it probably wouldn't be a Zelda game, it would feel like something else.

[Aldurin]

I just looked at the E3 video AH put on their site, and I have mixed feelings about it.

The "combine Wind Waker and TP art" is a crappy excuse to draw adult Link in low detail. I mean, the original Spyro the Dragon had more detail than this. And that was back when PSX was Sony's pride and joy (or something like that).

The selling point is how it simulates actual swordfighting, so I'm probably gonna buy it at some point. I used the sword fight mode on Wii Sports Resort and I think it's freakin' awesome, so to be able to stab Ganonmacallit and other enemies is cool.

I rate my first impression of it as 6 out of 10, if the sword fighting proves to be as cool as it seems.

EDIT: I take back the Spyro statement as it is slightly better, so I give it a right below Ratchet and Clank/Jak and Daxter quality level in terms of graphics (PS2 mind you).

[Kim]

The "combine Wind Waker and TP art" is a crappy excuse to draw adult Link in low detail.

Not really. The coloring is a lot smoother. It looks pretty nice, and seriously, what the hell guys? Twilight Princess was ugly as fuck. Do I need to post pictures of how fucking ugly the characters in that game were? That's even ignoring the costume design because Jesus Christ Link's starting outfit fuuuuuuuuuuck.

[Grimpond]

Not really. The coloring is a lot smoother. It looks pretty nice, and seriously, what the hell guys? Twilight Princess was ugly as fuck. Do I need to post pictures of how fucking ugly the characters in that game were? That's even ignoring the costume design because Jesus Christ Link's starting outfit fuuuuuuuuuuck.

If you could just throw up some comparison of TP and what we've seen of SS, that'd be supoecool

E: as I was typing 'for my compy reset I don't really remember TP having terrible graphics, so maybe it's just me

[Loyal]

Do I need to post pictures of how fucking ugly the characters in that game were? By all means, do so. Whatever problems I had with the game had nothing to do with the character design.

[Kim]

TP didn't have horrible graphics, but everything about its visual design was ugly as sin. Some of the NPCs have the most hideous faces I have ever seen. Link's starting outfit is incredibly stupid looking, too. The whole game is just plain ugly.

Skyward Sword abandons the "realistic" look of Twilight Princess and is better for it. Blaming it on laziness is ridiculous, as a lot of things in the environment had a good level of detail.

I was going to post pictures of TP's ugly NPCs, but apparently they're so ugly nobody will post them on Google...

http://i49.tinypic.com/349evqv.jpg

But seriously. Look at that outfit. So dumb.

[Marc v4.0]

Costume design can be bad no matter what visual style they go with, so a stronger leg then that might be needed for this whole "It was ugly"* thing

*no u

[Grimpond]

Okay yeah, that is pretty goofy.

[Kim]

Like I said, I tried to find some pics of the really ugly looking NPCs, but apparently they're too ugly for Google Image Search.

[Roland]

Nonsense, Non Con. You just need to know the names of the NPCs in question. All of them have names. Yes, even that one guy you never have to talk to outside of the tutorial section. Y'know, the really ugly one that you eventually steal the wooden shield from? Yes, he has a name too. Granted I can't remember it but still, ugly bastard right there.

There's also the kids. The girl and Colin are passable, but the other three range from annoying looking to downright creepy.

... in fact, pretty much every in the sense that they serve to move the plot forward at all NPC could be summed up as one of the following:
-Girl (Illia? I can't actually remember her name, Midna, Zelda, but not Ashei *shudders*)
-Effeminate Man (The Zora Prince, that one scholar)
-Genuinely Old Person (Auru?(Bazooka Guy) and Impaz)
-Gonk Personified (Everyone else, including Ashei *shudders*)

S'yeah, the new art style comes off as much better so far as far as I care.

[EVILNess]

TP had some of the most disturbing character designs, ever. Oocoo and Evil Baby immediately come to mind.

[Bells]

TP had some of the most disturbing character designs, ever. Oocoo and Evil Baby immediately come to mind.

That's not disturbing, that's japanese.

[Kim]

That's not disturbing, that's japanese.

They are not mutually exclusive.

[phil_]

I liked Evil Baby. In fact, I liked all the weird designs barring Goron rock-nipples. That was creepy.

[Aldurin]

I meant by stupid excuse to draw adult Link in low detail as in we are in the age where we can always do HD with console games. Yes, the HD design for TP was horrific (the two clown guys and Agitha being the most disturbing) but there was possibility for good design that Nintendo never used.

Maybe they admit they suck at HD and are gonna stick with this.

[Marc v4.0]

I meant by stupid excuse to draw adult Link in low detail as in we are in the age where we can always do HD with console games. Yes, the HD design for TP was horrific (the two clown guys and Agitha being the most disturbing) but there was possibility for good design that Nintendo never used.

Maybe they admit they suck at HD and are gonna stick with this.

Man, you just want this to be negative, don't you? The style can't be anything at all but a choice of laziness and ineptitude?

[phil_]

Psst, Evil Earl, HD refers to pixel resolution, not art style. The Wii, being able to output 480p at best, which is equivalent to a 480 by 640 resolution on your computer screen, simply cannot produce anything that could be called High Definition.

Also, you didn't like Agatha? For shame. She's adorable with her little parasol and face stickers and hanging out in the dangers of Hyrule Field looking for bugs.

[Aldurin]

Also, you didn't like Agatha? For shame. She's adorable with her little parasol and face stickers and hanging out in the dangers of Hyrule Field looking for bugs.

She's the most bizarre person/creature in the whole game!! I wouldn't be surprised if she turned into some bug monster you had to fight.

[Loyal]

... in fact, pretty much every plot important (in the sense that they serve to move the plot forward at all) NPC could be summed up as one of the following:
-Girl (Illia? I can't actually remember her name, Midna, Zelda, but not Ashei *shudders*)Seeing as approximately half of our race consists of females, yeah. I don't think I know what you were getting at here.
-Effeminate Man (The Zora Prince, that one scholar)Fuck you, Shad was awesome.
-Genuinely Old Person (Auru?(Bazooka Guy) and Impaz)Age is a limiting factor here? Really?

Also, Auru was pretty great as well. He gets you in contact with someone to shoot you out of a cannon, and as mentioned brings a bazooka to a high fantasy setting. What's not to like?

You also failed to mention Farona and the other spirits, Zant, Ganon, Renado, and possibly a few others.

[Roland]

I'm referring to their physical appearances.

With the exception of girls who were designed to look pretty, men who were designed to look pretty, and a handful of old people, every single plot-important NPC in Twilight Princess rests right in the uncanny valley.

Especially Ashei. Gods, who in their right mind thought fusing an adult Wednesday Adams with a cupie doll could possibly be a good idea?

Also, Ganondorf is not an NPC.

EDIT: On the subject of the spirits: Point. They're just plain creepy instead.

[Krylo]

I'm referring to their physical appearances.

With the exception of girls who were designed to look pretty, men who were designed to look pretty, and a handful of old people, every single plot-important NPC in Twilight Princess rests right in the uncanny valley.

Especially Ashei. Gods, who in their right mind thought fusing an adult Wednesday Adams with a cupie doll could possibly be a good idea?

Also, Ganondorf is not an NPC.

EDIT: On the subject of the spirits: Point. They're just plain creepy instead.

I'm pretty sure that was a design decision and has been in pretty much every Zelda game.

Seriously, have you guys seen the Great Faeries in OoT? Or to be cheap: Tingle and the tingle-ets? How about those fish fuckers in Wind Waker? Not as creepy as the ooccoo or what the hell ever they're called, but still pretty creepy.

Zelda characters are all ABOUT looking weird and creepy.

The art style doesn't really have anything to do with it (cel-shaded, gritty, or whatever) so much as the character design in general across the franchise.