tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post1059823241369232630..comments2024-01-02T09:55:45.857+01:00Comments on Hyrule Blog - The Zelda Blog: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Review)TourianTouristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-47664215224586161952012-02-01T18:05:33.018+01:002012-02-01T18:05:33.018+01:00oouh, na da hatte ich diesen blog noch nicht entde...oouh, na da hatte ich diesen blog noch nicht entdeckt ;)<br />aber war ja klar, dass ich damit mal wieder hintendrein bin... XDStefynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-20415184627073487642012-01-31T13:32:48.151+01:002012-01-31T13:32:48.151+01:00@Stefy:
Ja, ist bekannt. Ich hatte dazu sogar im M...@Stefy:<br />Ja, ist bekannt. Ich hatte dazu sogar im Mai einen Post:<br />http://touriantourist.blogspot.com/2011/05/skyward-sword-gdc-trailer-song-inverted.htmlTourianTouristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-16432826464462317512012-01-31T10:41:54.738+01:002012-01-31T10:41:54.738+01:00hey, ich wusste nicht, wo ich das sonst reinschrei...hey, ich wusste nicht, wo ich das sonst reinschreiben sollte, aber ich habe soeben etwas herausgefunden, und dachte, das muss ich gleich mit dir teilen! ich weiss nicht, ob du das schon weisst, falls ja, sorry ;)<br />hast du dir schon mal den titelsong von skyward sword rückwärts angehört? das ergibt nämlich zelda's wiegenlied! :D<br />ist doch cool, oder? :D mir hat das gleich gänsehaut eingejagt ôo<br />liebe grüsseStefynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-64433651704270415372012-01-24T03:05:20.043+01:002012-01-24T03:05:20.043+01:00Wow, hell has definitely broken loose here. It see...Wow, hell has definitely broken loose here. It seems like it was a mistake for me to share my sentiments with anyone at all in the first place. I feel somewhat worse now than before =/K2Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-36842484732488146972012-01-23T22:56:19.238+01:002012-01-23T22:56:19.238+01:00@TourianTourist
"This is a bad development. ...@TourianTourist<br /><br />"This is a bad development. Zelda has to return to its origins, the first Zelda games was all about YOU exploring a world on YOUR own. No guide, no directions, just you adventuring. THIS feeling has to return."<br /><br />You're exactly right.<br /><br />I wonder what it would be like to play Skyward Sword without talking.<br /><br />Or, slightly less radical, characters would have no more than one page of dialog at a time, and that dialog simply appears on screen when you stand near someone. So you'd never get locked into "conversation mode". That should be enough to give you essential information, and get on with your quest.<br /><br />When I arrived in Faron woods I was delighted by the environment and wanted to explore, but at every step, that feeling was being strangled by another supposed-to-be-cute NPC character making me stop and listen to it.<br /><br />Seriously … how would the game feel if you could just PLAY IT?<br /><br />It's a secret to everyone.<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-27816921147298570512012-01-23T22:49:00.368+01:002012-01-23T22:49:00.368+01:00@TourianTourist
When you play Super Mario 3D Land...@TourianTourist<br /><br />When you play Super Mario 3D Land, I hope you will write up your impressions.<br /><br />I know what you mean about wanting fast-paced Mario game play, with B-sprinting. This is just a guess, but you may find that 3D Land feels more like that than it looks. The characters are big and bubbly on the screen, so it just doesn't look like the kind of game with quickly moving sprites. But actually, it plays a lot more like that than you would think. In fact, you hold the Y button to run, so it's the first 3D Mario game to bring back B-sprinting!<br /><br />When the big Nintendo franchises went 3D in the N64 generation, they took these "miniature gardens" (as Miyamoto would say) and turned them into great big worlds with distant vanishing points and suns to look into with lens flare effects. The worlds got bigger and bigger, and not really very miniature-feeling at all. The first 3DS games continued that trend. In Pilotwings and Zelda643D, the 3D effect make the background look even more distant. Your hang glider or hero was framed against a vast backdrop.<br /><br />Super Mario 3D Land takes a completely different approach. Instead of making the world look even more expansive, the 3D effect makes nearby objects more rounded and lifelike. The action takes place right before your eyes, in a small local area, not spread out to the distant horizons. The environments are compact, just like Super Mario Bros. 3. It's Nintendo's concept of a video game that is emphatically NOT cinematic, but instead toy-like. It's like a little diorama come to life.<br /><br />You at least have to see it.<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-22531866419334418402012-01-23T22:39:39.695+01:002012-01-23T22:39:39.695+01:00Another comment about VISION:
In the fan translat...Another comment about VISION:<br /><br />In the fan translation of Aonuma's latter to fans in the Hyrule Historia book, if I remember right, there's a part where he talks about what defines Zelda. What makes Zelda Zelda.<br /><br />And he says something like, Zelda is defined by being completely unique.<br /><br />Perhaps I misunderstood him, but it seemed that Aonuma was saying that Zelda is defined by being like Zelda. That Zelda games are not like other games, but only like themselves.<br /><br />A positive way to hear this is that the Zelda series has evolved into a very special form that stands apart from any other genre. It has evolved into something highly specialized and refined and special, and that identity must be preserved.<br /><br />A more worrisome way to hear this is that Aonuma, the man responsible for the series, has access to no deeper source of inspiration than the work he has already done. There's no deeper principle or idea there. It's just about refining what's already been done. As a guiding vision, it's tragically hollow.<br /><br />The royal family of Hyrule, determined to preserve the purity of its blood, has fallen victim to inbreeding. Its offspring cannot match the heroes of its history.<br /><br />Somewhere recently, Aonuma also said that the thing that really motivates him is impressing Miyamoto. Understandable and even touching as this may be, it's not the statement of a creative visionary.<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-6443228130687690222012-01-23T22:24:39.245+01:002012-01-23T22:24:39.245+01:00@ Long Time Reader of Time:
Thanks for all your in...@ Long Time Reader of Time:<br />Thanks for all your input, I really appreciate the comments.<br /><br />I haven't played Super Mario 3D Land yet. I enjoyed New SMB (Wii) and both Galaxy games, so the fact that this is basically a hybrid should engage me, but it doesn't. Something about this game feels wrong. One thing I don't like is the slow pace, Super Mario is a lot cooler if I can B-sprint through the levels...<br /><br />And yeah, the linearity issue (I will talk a lot more about this in the future, because this IS a big problem with the Zelda franchise) comes from developers, who want you to see all the content. Oh, they spent so much time making all these nice environments and dungeons, it would be a shame if the player would miss any of it... so, they make sure that you don't miss it. And even worse... in Skyward Sword they now don't put any efforts in the optional areas. It's just rocks with a chest on it... or just rocks.<br /><br />This is a bad development. Zelda has to return to its origins, the first Zelda games was all about YOU exploring a world on YOUR own. No guide, no directions, just you adventuring. THIS feeling has to return.TourianTouristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-82396730785109012652012-01-23T21:48:32.200+01:002012-01-23T21:48:32.200+01:00Another thought, and sorry for giving you probably...Another thought, and sorry for giving you probably way too much to respond to. If you have the energy for all this, I would love to hear your thoughts.<br /><br />On the subject of over-linearity:<br /><br />Zelda games have been variously linear from game to game, but some element of non-linearity has usually been protected as essential to the identity of Zelda. But something really bad started to happen with Twilight Princess, and it has been continued by Skyward Sword.<br /><br />Let me jump back to Wind Waker. That game was often criticized for being too short. In my view, the problem was not really the length, but the pacing and structure. Fans know that a couple dungeons were cut to release the game by a certain date, and you can kind of tell when you play the game. The expected structure is cut short. For example, you beat a couple dungeons and earn an orb thing after each, but then the third and final orb is just given to you by the big fish guy.<br /><br />I imagine the developers heard the criticism about Wink Waker's length, and said to each other, "but this game has so much content! The sea charts, the extra islands… People aren't counting those things as part of the quest because they're optional! Therefore we must make sure that in the next game, the player is guided to all this great content. Otherwise, why are we creating it, if the player misses it?"<br /><br />The result of this epiphany can be seen and felt in Twilight Princess. I remember having a new feeling while playing that game. It seemed like all the things I had to do were laid out in a very strict line. It starts from the very beginning, with all the chores you have to do in the town. There are other cases of this, which I can't quite remember. I think one had to do with fixing a bridge from Castle Town? There were some tasks in there that felt like they should have been side quests, but instead you HAD to do them before moving on to the next dungeon. I hope my lack of solid examples doesn't defeat my point, I'm just describing my general memory of the game.<br /><br />Ironically, this strictly imposed sequence makes the game feel narrow rather than expansive. An impression of expansiveness is created when the player can wander and then be rewarded by finding something he wouldn't have otherwise. But when everything is lined up for you, you just think about what you're supposed to do next. No matter how broad the environments are, when tasks are lined up like that, the game feels narrow.<br /><br />Skyward Sword suffered from the same thing. In particular, the last section of the game, where you make a final visit to each region, felt like side quest things that should have been rewards for exploring. Instead, they were laid out in a linear fashion. (As you point out, you can shuffle them at risk of a game-breaking glitch, but they are linear insofar as they are grouped together and cannot be attempted at any other time in the game). After the escalating challenge of the dungeons and the new areas you were discovering, these final tasks before Skykeep felt like "winding down". I like the approach to reusing environments, but these tasks just don't feel right at the end of the quest. They would have been wonderful side quests to discover, but laid out in sequence the deflate the excitement of nearing the end of the quest.<br /><br />I would be very happy to play a Zelda game where the core quest – meaning the dungeons and essential over world activity – took about 15 hours, and there was 10 or 15 hours of other things to do on the side.<br /><br />But maybe I am not really Nintendo's audience.<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-74497751443543981212012-01-23T21:32:17.214+01:002012-01-23T21:32:17.214+01:00About Skyward Sword as an origin story – I should ...About Skyward Sword as an origin story – I should give the writers a little more credit.<br /><br />The part that was well done, origin story wise, was the establishment of the Hylia-Demise conflict as the original motivation for all the conflicts that followed. We learn that all Hylians, including Link and Zelda, are decedents in a way of the goddess Hylia. The most clever part is that the reason for Link and Zelda specifically is that Zelda is intentionally a cute girl who Link will be motivated to rescue. The story also shows them to have romantic and sexual interest, for the first time. So we now have confirmation of the implicit romantic dimension between the hero and the princess, and see that their desire to be together is like a little motor that propels them forward, in their mortal way, to be extensions of Hylia's purpose: the guard the Triforce.<br /><br />Maybe it was more a problem of presentation. Prior to the game's release, all the PR talked about how it would be a Master Sword story. And that part of it was not actually very developed. (I forgot to mention in my last post that the Master Sword was also leveled-up from a weaker state in Wind Waker. So the Master Sword creation depicted in Skyward Sword isn't even novel.)<br /><br />I'm old school enough to remember the Master Sword being introduced in Link to the Past. It was a special thing in that game, with a lot of build up and significance in the story. I remember playing Ocarina of Time, and getting into the Temple of Time and finding the Master Sword, and being kind of put off, and disappointed. I didn't expect it to show up again. I thought it was just something special from Link to the Past. But Ocarina of Time was the point where the series started recycling features "just because". Another example is the owl, given a ridiculous name, Kaepora Gaebora. The owl first appeared in Link's Awakening, and was part of the mystery of Koholint. In Ocarina, the owl came back just "because". It's not like the game needed another guide character. There was already Navi, Saria who would give you hints when you played her song, and other characters like Impa. Not to mention the gossip stones. Every time the owl showed up, and gave me a long, rambling message that frequently scrolled by much too fast, it just made me scratch my head. Didn't seem necessary.<br /><br />Anyway. I'm getting back to the problems with the series. They should really stop reusing so many things. A Zelda game shouldn't be a collection of features. It should be a unified vision.<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-36155806575495848042012-01-23T21:19:41.562+01:002012-01-23T21:19:41.562+01:00Thanks for pointing out that as an origin story, S...Thanks for pointing out that as an origin story, Skyward Sword really doesn't deliver. It's surprising, perhaps, that more people haven't noticed this. It was billed as the origin story of the master sword, but it isn't. When I heard that, I thought maybe there would be a blacksmith character and you would have to collect the raw elements to forge the blade from nothing. Your journey would be all about this, taking you to the different regions of Hyrule to collect the materials that would embody the essence of the land. Instead, the sword is already there, and (if I remember correctly) it's even stated that another hero used it before, in the times when Hylia was fighting Demise.<br /><br />In other ways, too, the story writers covered their butts, not quite committing to a true origin story. They can still do another game before this one, with another Link. Sure, Zelda wouldn't be a princess, probably, but she could be there, too. There's no reason why not.<br /><br />That's fine, of course. It's not that I care whether this is truly the first story in the history. It's just that, the story of Skyward Sword would have been stronger if the writers had committed to their chosen theme, and fully explored it.<br /><br />I know Nintendo develops games starting from the interactivity, and fits a story around it. Their prioritization of gameplay is legendary and for good reason. But Zelda is not like Mario. There is actually a story in a Zelda game, and the player spends a fair amount of time listening to exposition and having the story laid out. If that's so, the story and gameplay should be more thoughtfully integrated.<br /><br />For example, this game introduces a new villain, Demise, who's meant to be the original evil for the entire series. But we never learn very much about him. Why not fully explore this character? And I don't mean "telling" through exposition, but by "showing" through gameplay. The last dungeon could have taken Link into Demise's realm, so the player could see where he came from. The design of that space could have provided a lot of information about the character himself.<br /><br />You were also right to point out that nothing spectacular is really done with the flight mechanic. Like the story, it's another case where something is added into the game to create interest or variety, but it's not really integrated with an overall vision.<br /><br />It's a hard subject to talk about, but VISION is really important to art! And I feel that although Skyward Sword made some laudable changes (mainly the great over world design), on the whole it's lacking cohesive vision. The problem is that the Zelda series now has a lot of expectations placed on it, to cohere to a certain formula. Every game needs to tick all the same boxes: time travel, steed or vehicle, etc. Skyward Sword got away from that a little, but only a little. The fan expectations are so elaborate and ingrained that changing it significantly will require a lot of balls.<br /><br />In my opinion, what the Zelda series needs quite badly is game like Super Mario 3D Land. Take the best of the old, best of the new, and simmer. Simplify and hone it down. Make it approachable, and cut out all the talking and hand-holding. Make it more of an action-puzzle game, like the earliest games. Make Hyrule big and continuous but make it easy to jump in and play for half an hour without remembering exactly where you are in the overall quest. I could go on…<br /><br />- Long Time Reader of TimeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-86004142820438625402012-01-23T20:09:52.727+01:002012-01-23T20:09:52.727+01:00"Sometimes I wonder if I'm a better or wo..."Sometimes I wonder if I'm a better or worse fan of the series for appreciating them with their virtues and flaws."<br /><br />Appreciating something despite its flaws is what makes you a fan. Nothing in this world is perfect. For example you will never find the perfect girl, you can only love your girl the way she is. Others might say "hey, what do you want with that girl?", but you shouldn't care, because you love her. It's the same with everything else, even video games. If you like the game, it shouldn't matter what others think. You should be proud of your own opinion, not ashamed.TourianTouristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-51380031374814763012012-01-23T19:59:34.328+01:002012-01-23T19:59:34.328+01:00Not just forum trolls, but friends and family as w...Not just forum trolls, but friends and family as well. I know you have a point, as SS and all video games have flaws. It's just that I had spent an entire life with this mentality of retreating when the negative sentiments from other people get too strong. It's ... probably a social/psychologic disorder I have, but I'm unsure since I never assisted a mental consult, and I'm very phobic towards psychologists.<br /><br />And I am actually playing the game, now that I have it and all. At this moment, I'm on the Sandship. So far it looks very interesting, it being an abandoned ship and all. I felt very depressed when (SPOILERS) I sdaw that picture about the robot seaman's tripulation, all of them now being dead. =,(<br /><br />"Btw I also enjoyed MM a lot when it came out, though it's certainly not perfect."<br /><br />So did I, as well as TWW and TP. But around my whereabouts, I had always seemed to be among the few who enjoyed them. I did't want to get SS because I didn't want to feel excluded or alienated yet again. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a better or worse fan of the series for appreciating them with their virtues and flaws.K2Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-60273147901455103732012-01-23T15:30:57.827+01:002012-01-23T15:30:57.827+01:00@K2L:
It should never matter what other people thi...@K2L:<br />It should never matter what other people think. And you should never be ashamed for enjoying a game. If YOU enjoy the game it should be all that matters.<br /><br />For example I like playing Unreal Tournament 3. I love that game, while all others tell me stuff like "stop playing that crap, play teh Battlefieldz or Call of Dutayy, that's where the skill is, n00b". But I don't care, because as long as I enjoy UT more than any other shooters, I will keep playing it. UT3 is not perfect, it certainly has its flaws, but it's my favorite shooter.<br /><br />And I certainly enjoyed Skyward Sword, there were parts where the game really took me back to the glorious N64 days. And I already played the final boss battle dozens of times, because it's so kick ass (maybe I should add that point to the review). But I'm certainly not ashamed for liking this game. Why should I? Yes, my review focused on many flaws, but that only shows how passionate I am about this game. If I thought it would be a bad game, the review would be a lot shorter. I probably wouldn't have bothered with writing a review at all...<br /><br />Btw I also enjoyed MM a lot when it came out, though it's certainly not perfect.<br /><br />But like I already said, do yourself a favor and insert that disc your brother gave you into your Wii. And if you happen to enjoy it, then that's great. Who gives a shit what some forum trolls think?TourianTouristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-81039692480785713992012-01-23T08:01:35.572+01:002012-01-23T08:01:35.572+01:00I appreciate my brother's intentions, but it&#...I appreciate my brother's intentions, but it's still an unwanted present I got. Since a long time, I was coveting a game that would be embraced by the community as a whole. As overpraised-to-death as MM, TWW and TP all are NOW, at the time of their released they were called disappointments, still deeming OOT as "BEST GAME EVAAAH!!". Fans are only liking them because their hype train had lost steam YEARS after the games were released.<br /><br />So you can imagine how ashamed I was when I first played them. My brother and friends had called me silly for enjoying MM just because "OOT was better". And don't get me started with TWW or even TP. I wanted to avoid this fate by skipping SS and waiting instead for a game that would conquer fans like only OOT did. Instead, what I have in my hands is yet another love-it-or-hate-it game that will hypocritically be called a "great, underrated masterpiece" 15 years in the future. Whenever I play a divisive game, my mind constantly tells me whether it's right or wrong to enjoy or like said game. This is why I no longer bother playing games like Super Mario Bros. 2, Killer7 or Spirit Tracks, much less trying to highlight their strongest points, because my opinions about them feel utterly defeated against the extremely contradicting veredicts from other players towards them.<br /><br />I admit that SS has flaws, but opinions about them have gained such a dementedly strong voice that I can't talk positively about the game without the risk of being bombarded by troll opinions. Playing and enjoying this game is like being a closeted homosexual unable to voice his condition towards the rest of the world. It just doesn't feel right to me.K2Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-68804345439111955032012-01-22T20:53:30.722+01:002012-01-22T20:53:30.722+01:00What TourianTourist said...What TourianTourist said...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-47304919512556413412012-01-22T15:32:48.219+01:002012-01-22T15:32:48.219+01:00@K2L:
Would you just stop it, please? It's a g...@K2L:<br />Would you just stop it, please? It's a good game, in fact it might be the best Wii game. It's a must have.<br /><br />My review is high level criticism from an old Zelda fan. You might even call me picky when it comes to certain flaws. But as a fan you have to be more critical and you have to focus on the flaws, because this is what could make a difference for the future.<br /><br />And despite its flaws I had a lot of fun with this game. So, instead of whining about the awesome christmas present your brother gave you (what a great guy!! I wish I had a brother like that), just play the damn game and have some fun.TourianTouristhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14945660624484202344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203173030404677020.post-34670025270509109252012-01-21T22:21:20.632+01:002012-01-21T22:21:20.632+01:00I wish I had the will to reject this game when my ...I wish I had the will to reject this game when my brother gave it to me, because I never wanted to get it to begin with, not with its bad fan reputation at least. And now with this mixed review, I feel even more embarrased for having it. =/K2Lnoreply@blogger.com