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The
Legend of Zelda has
taken some odd turns
over the past few
years and the past
few games. There’s
no doubt that games
like
The
Legend of Zelda: The
Windwalker
and
The
Legend of Zelda:
Twilight Princess
have been good games
but there’s also no
doubt that those
games failed to live
up to the epic
The
Legend of Zelda:
Ocarnia of Time.
That was two, count
‘em, two systems
ago. The series’
elite game and one
of the greatest
games of all time
has finally met it’s
match though with
the latest Zelda
title,
The
Legend of Zelda:
Skyward Sword.
Skyward Sword
is brilliant like
Ocarnia of Time
because it’s a
complete experience-
a great story, great
gameplay, and some
of the best game
design that’s ever
been done.
It’s
better than
Ocarnia of Time
because it takes
advantage of the Wii
Motion Plus like no
game has before.
There’s always a
story with Zelda
games even though
it’s basically
impossible to link
the stories of the
games together. In
this particular
Zelda,
Skyward Sword,
Link or whatever you
decide to name him
is the character you
control. Instead of
living on the
surface of a planet,
Link lives on a
floating island in
the sky. The people
that have lived
there have lived a
sheltered life with
little to no
knowledge of what’s
going on below them.
After
a ceremony where
Zelda and Link
establish an intense
bond, Zelda is
snatched out of the
sky by an evil
creature. This
creature takes her
down to the surface
and that begins an
intense chase where
Link has to save
Zelda before she’s
recaptured by the
dark entity that
snatched her out of
the sky in the first
place.
The
story sounds simpler
than it is. Truth is
there are many
twists and turns in
a plotline that will
have you hurrying to
get from area to
area to figure out
what happens next.
Speaking of getting
from area to area
that’s a huge thing
that
Skyward Sword
has going for it.
Outside of its
intuitive controls,
the level/area
navigation is its
greatest asset.
Instead of taking a
ton of time walking
or riding a horse
from area to area
you transfer
yourself from the
surface to the sky
using a statue and
you fly through the
sky to the different
areas on the surface
by flying on your
giant bird. Then
when you need to
revisit a level, you
can choose an area
of the level you
want to visit.
As
cool as it is to go
from area to area
the best part of
Skyward Sword
is all of the motion
controls that are
implemented with the
Wii Remote, the Wii
Motion Plus, and the
Nunchuk. You get to
control your sword
with the Wii Remote
like it’s a sword,
you raise your
shield with the
nunchuk controller.
You balance on tight
ropes with the Wii
remote. You turn it
upside down to roll
a bomb. You can go
on-and-on about how
cool this game is
because of its use
of all of the motion
controls. There are
plenty of them and
it uses the Wii
Remote and the Wii
Motion Plus better
than any game has
done. It’s a
one-of-a-kind gaming
experience…
something that
Nintendo has always
prided itself on.
There
are tons of things
to rant and rave
about with this
game. The game
design and the level
and character design
are all top-notch,
the accessibility of
all of the areas in
the game are fun
and/or easy to
navigate and the
motion controls are
something that every
game on any motion
gaming system should
strive to match with
ingenuity and
effectiveness.
The
Legend of Zelda:
Skyward Sword
is a must own for
the millions out
there who already
own Wiis. It’s the
best game for the
system and easily
the best game that
was released this
holiday season.
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