Weak story and character development. Although the game is playable, there was no drive for me to continue due to a lack of incentive to do so. I forced myself to beat the game because I beat every Zelda game before this one.

Balancing the trolls. This game is a masterpiece in its own right. The franchise is the best at what it does: create a fun, intuitive adventure for children of any age.

This "grafix sux, same formula" crap is just a showcase of the kinds of people who would give this game a zero.

Guess what? Games don't need the most updated graphics to be fun. A lot of 8 bit games are still fun. As for the same formula? Why reinvent the wheel. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.… Expand

There is almost zero exploration in this game. Having a big open world with multiple towns, tons of sidequests, and tons of things to find and do has been a zelda tradition since the begining. Skyward Sword throws all that out in favor of a singular town, which acts as a hubworld to take you to the dungeon areas. Before you can enter each dungeon though you have to perform a dowsing fetch quest which is boring and only serves to prolong the game. If you want to know what it's like playing Skyward Sword then just imagine what Ocarina of Time would be like if you took away everything but the dungeons, and added in some annoying fetch quests to prolong the game.… Expand

I'd say I'm about half way through the game at this stage. What I have played so far, however, is leading me to believe that I am playing the best game I have ever played, ever. The graphics are the first thing that stuck out for me, this is a Wii game so clearly it's going to be missing out on pixel count and model detail/texture sizes and post processing etc. but you know what, none of that seems to matter. This is by far in large of of the best looking games I have played this generation, Character models, expressions and animation are of a quality only normally seen in a Pixar movie, extremely emotive.

At first I thought the game play was a little clunky, being used to previous Zelda titles, but after realising the character moves more at a walking pace in doors and got out into the one world the controls are much more tight. Motion controls are very tight and having the option to reset the motion sensor with the d-pad makes the whole process super smooth. A lot of the fights difficulty does come from being able to swipe the correct way at the correct time but having just spent close to 50 hours in DarkSouls this is actually very similar to blocking an attack, rolling out of the way and then striking in a particular way at a specific moment. The motion controls simple add a heightened level of involvement and massively increased accuracy when aiming special items.

As far as pacing is concerned It is very well thought out. No dungeon so far has been too long or short and returning to old locations does not drag out like it did in Phantom Hour Glass. The closest experience I can think of is the way Metroid/Castlevania games pan out when finding new areas in old locations or better yet the way A Link to the Past did.

Zelda games weakest point for me in the past has been a lack of continuous story telling. This is actually one of Skyward Sword's best point's as the story is regularly and effectively updated and evolved as the game progresses. No longer are you simply told to go collect the 3 things and get absolutely no story updates until you have.

The cute scenes are of an exceptional quality that Dreamworks would be lucky to achieve - without the use of overpaid acting talent!

The game also has a fairly robust, if not a little simple, item upgrade system that adds another level of depth to game progression - money now feels useful for something other than absolutely necessary purchases.

So on the whole Zelda Skyward Sword is shaping up to be essentially the greatest game I've ever laid by hands on. What I have experienced thus far is certainly 10/10 but I'll update that should the latter half of the game make me change my mind. I somehow doubt that will be the case.… Expand

This game nears perfection. The impressionistic-style graphics, the epic orchestrated music, the tear-jerking story, the smooth-as-silk controls, everything in this game is nothing less than ART. Unfortunately, it's got some tiny little flaws that will be used to drag it down by the critics, but they're not really THAT important. This is not a game to be played, but a game to be appreciated.

Espectacular! desprende magia por todos sus pixeles, el gameplay es perfecto.... un juego envolvente, divertido desde el primer minuto. El mejor juego de esta generación sin lugar a dudas.

Perfecto

Twilight Princess for me; I've been forcing myself to play skyward sword, it's the first Zelda game i dislike. I brought all the Zelda games on there launch dates; I'm so surprisingly shocked at my hate for this game..........(MY OPINION ONLY) it feels like a dumbed down Dark cloud 2 (visuals and gameplay wise) with bad music, and link seems to be weaker than previous versions. Oh; and why are the puzzles so easy? Poor Pacing; repetive objectives, and ugly characters. on the upside i did get a gold wii remote out of it :)… Expand

I am astounded at the positive reviews for this game. I am a lifelong gamer and a longtime Zelda fan, so I've been trying very hard to like it, but I finally reached my limit and had to quit playing altogether. It would be a fine Zelda game if not for the Motion Plus controls. I love the concept of 1-to1 sword fighting, but it just is not responsive enough to be a satisfying experience for me. A good one in three strikes is misinterpreted, if not more. Sometimes, much, much more! I can't fathom how so many people can actually enjoy that experience. I have tried multiple controllers, I have replaced the batteries over and over, thinking it was a problem with my controllers, but the result is always the same. Overall it's okay...sometimes it's terrible, and sometimes it is rather engaging. It doesn't break the game, but it's far from the groundbreaking experience that many people are claiming. If that was all they used the motion plus for, it would probably be a great addition.

As far as the Zelda-ness of it, it's an excellent Zelda game. The classic game elements are all as good as ever, the dungeons are huge and smart, the puzzles are fun and well designed. For all my frustration, I've pushed through so I could get to more of that stuff, the stuff I love about Zelda. Finally, on a very late level in the game (after you get the bow), I died over and over on the boss because my shield kept popping up when I was supposed to prepare a skyward strike. The battle required the same mechanic earlier on, and I didn't have this problem, so it might be a bug...still, it was the last straw. By the time I managed to unequip my shield, I had used all my potions and I died soon after. Aside from that, I found the use of the motion controls -- outside of sword fights -- to be just as intrusive and silly as in Twilight Princess, if not even more so. Virtually every menial task you have to perform requires some use of the motion plus. Swinging on vines, balancing on ropes, aiming and throwing projectiles, etc. It was tedious the first time I had to do it...and made worse by the fact that it actually expects some level of precision. I preferred TP's controls because they were just translated button presses, and you didn't have to worry about holding the stupid controller at the right stupid angle to do something stupid. That's not fun or immersive or meaningful, it's stupid! The one thing other than sword fighting that was actually fun was shooting the bow. The pull-back mechanic was really satisfying for some reason. Anyway, it's hard not to recommend this for Zelda fans, because it's more Zelda. It's definitely a Zelda game. If you're a Zelda fan and you're dying for a fix, it's probably worth picking up right now. If you're curious but you aren't convinced, I'd definitely recommend waiting for it to go on sale. It's worth trying, if you like Zelda. The controls are a real mixed bag, and for me they make it more frustrating than fun. At the same time, everything else is there to make it a great game. The world is gigantic and filled with stuff to do. The dungeons are enormous, the new gadgets are fun, the puzzles are as good as ever. Argh, I'm so frustrated because I want to play it so badly but it's just no fun!… Expand

This is a fantastic Zelda game, without a doubt. The story is as rich as ever and accompanied by great characters (perhaps not a strong as Wind Waker's cast) and a stellar musical score. The controls have been entirely reworked to fit the Wii's Motion Plus and, for the most part, it works great. The art direction is gorgeous, having a water paint filter over distant objects. The bosses and swordfights in the game are a lot of fun, although it means that there are less enemies in favor of more challenging fights. However, the game is still pretty easy on the first run and the game doesn't have enough punishments for dying or failing a puzzle.

The overworld is a bit disappointing. Where Wind Waker had multiple creative islands, Skyward Sword has only a handful of platforms. There also only one town, which is saddening. There are only three different areas, each containing two dungeons centering around that regions climate and style. The dungeons themselves are fairly short, but there are usually pre-dungeon areas that you must go through to reach them. Boss Fights are vastly improved from the last console Zelda and practically ooze creativity.

As I said earlier, the motion controls work well for the most part. That doesn't mean they don't have issues. The pointer needs to be centered a couple dozen times each play session and you'll likely need to re-calibrate the motion plus two or three times. Even then, some swings are easily misread. Thrusts are near-impossible to do when in a combat situation and require the utmost concentration to pull off, which can be excruciatingly frustrating when an enemy requires such a strike. The nunchuk is very sensitive in the game and is used for two functions; Shield Thrusts and the Spin Attack. On more than one occasion I found myself accidently pulling out my shield when trying to scratch my nose or adjust glasses. My complaints are mostly just nit-picking, but it can be really annoying to die due to a misread swing.

Overall, Skyward Sword is totally worth a purchase at any price. The game is lengthy, filled with that Nintendo-style charm and topped off with some of the best music in the entire Zelda franchise. I hope Nintendo can fix some of the issues in the next game and give us one of the best Zelda's yet.… Expand

All of you absolute morons rating this a 0 need to stop being jealous that your PS3 and 360's cannot play this masterpiece. You're a cancer to gaming and I hope you all rot with your generic first-person shooters that you defend to the death, and yet bash real innovation like this game with its FLAWLESS controls, design, orchestrated music and 50-100 hours of gameplay. Long live Zelda and this game will sell MILLIONS thank god.… Expand

I love this game! The best Zelda game in history! The motion controls couldn't have been more perfect then they are now. The story is engaging and the music is top notch. Buy this ASAP!

Skyward Sword is the longest Zelda game. After the 6th Dungeon I thought the game was near the end In actuality you are going to solve additional quests beyond that. 3 dragon quests then a triforce quest a total of 4 spirit leaf missions 3 imprisoned boss fights. completion time, 61. hrs WARNING!!!! Make sure to copy the quest before the last fight. An Alternative story mode will save over your progress.

Skyward Sword is like a semester of school
first you solve a puzzle, then you are given that same puzzle with different variations.
You are given chapters with weapons that solve these puzzles in a specific manner.
You will then have to memorize these puzzles because you will be given a test to solve them again during the later levels. If you fail, you can look in the back of the book a la stone guide.

This is a game that works both your senses and your reflexes. Not too many games require this kind of skill. This game will be remembered far more than recent Zelda titles. It brings back the old spirit that was left behind during the snes days. Best of all, they brought back the beam that fires from the sword. This is the first 3d Zelda to include this mechanic.… Expand

5 years in waiting for a console Legend of Zelda and by god, it is very satisfying to play a brand new Zelda game on the big screen. I have been playing for 18 hours since Friday so this is a good amount of time to finally do a review. Even though Skyward Sword has the Zelda name, it feels like a complete departure from the other games and I felt like I was playing a newly realized Zelda. Dungeons are still here but the only difference is that the whole world map is a big fat dungeon and I think it's an interesting take on Zelda tradition. The main selling point of the game is its fully implemented motion controls and while it works really well, it's not perfect as it can get frustrating at times, especially when you're in combat, aiming a long range weapon or playing your musical instruments, all requiring motion based gameplay but you will get used to it and in time, it becomes second to nature as the controls has a tight learning curve. The layout scheme itself has also changed (for the better) as the item menu is pretty much at your firsthand disposal instead of pausing into the menu and picking the item then un-pausing, leading to a more fast paced gameplay. The story is the most cinematic I have ever seen in a Zelda game and the visual and graphical style is jaw dropping gorgeous to look at and while I should be half way to through the story, it's pacing is slower compared to the other games but its memorable characters, emotional attachments and atmosphere makes it worthwhile. In conclusion, this is the best game I have played this year alone and the best Wii game because it completely realize and utilizes what the console can do. Albeit not being perfect, the motion controls does its job easing you in the game's mechanics so well that the frustration is forgotten in seconds and the visual style makes Skyward Sword the best looking Zelda game since Windwaker and the best looking game on the Wii overall. If you have a Wii, you have to buy this game as sadly, this is might be the Wii's final swansong in its six year lifespan and by god, what a way to go.… Expand

Best Story of any Zelda Ever. Best controls of any Zelda Ever. Best looking Zelda Ever. Suffice to say, Best Zelda Ever! A Modern Masterpiece! The second best game ever made (right behind Mario Galaxy 2). If you have a Wii - BUY THIS GAME! If you don't have a Wii then, first buy a Wii then... BUY THIS GAME! You have not lived until you play this!

My favorite Zelda since Link to the Past. Possibly even better because it is challenging but not frustrating. Motion Plus adds to the gameplay, and rewards thoughtful swordplay over random bashing; For instance, to kill a 3-headed snake you have to hit all the heads at once, requiring timing and angle.

One of the best zelda experiences ever. Dont believe the crap few people say, the controls are fine! music is awesome, gameplay and story are deep an involving.... on par with ocarina of time!

VERY overrated game. I don't know why people are even thinking of comparing this ill handled turd to Ocarina of Time. The controls SUCK. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Please don't listen to the people who are rating the game negative. They are simply Nintendo haters who are plainly jealous that a non HD system is out performing their precious "hardcore" games. Skyward Sword is a excellent game as evident from the critic reviews. If you're a Zelda fan you simply owe it to yourself to play this game.

The best Zelda ever. I have been playing 19 hours from now and the dungeons are the best of the series. The graphics are the best wii can get. The gameplay with the wii controller is superb

This is the worst entry in the entire Zelda series that I have played. While they did try to do a few things to mix things up a bit, ultimately the game is utterly formulaic in the worst ways possible, and many of its innovations fail to actually be FUN.

The incorporation of motion controls into the game seems like a good idea, but unfortunately in practice they are extremely clunky. Flying around and swimming both use the motion controls, and while flying works decently (not great, but not horribly), swimming does not - the only good news is that you will hardly be swimming in the game, but the few times you do have to swim it becomes a bit frustrating. You can manage, but it just doesn't feel right. Fortunately, running around in 2D works just fine, but sadly your sword, too, uses the motion controls. This seems like a neat idea at first, but unfortunately it fails to deliver. While it works fine for the slashing and spin cuts, unfortunately stabbing doesn't work very well at all, doubly so when your shield is out, oftentimes coming out as the wrong kind of attack. This is deeply frustrating when you need for it to work. The only motion control that works well is your shield, which works completely flawlessly.

Your bow, oddly, does not take a cue from Wii Sports Resort (which actually did bow controls RIGHT as a minigame, and a fun one at that!) and sadly uses just the standard old point with the wiimote - this works alright, but is disappointing. Ultimately, the fact that most of your items use some weird mixture of motion controls and the IR sensor results in a very inconsistent feeling about the game, and it doesn't make you feel good - the motion controls constantly break immersion, which sucks. As the capstone of the Wii, this game tried to show that motion controls were a good idea, but failed utterly.

The rest of the game is also flawed. The enemies are very repetitive - there are very few types of enemies, and only a few of them are particularly interesting to fight. By about a third of the way through the game, you will have seen every enemy the game has to offer, and sadly (and more than a little bizzarely) the game repeats bosses incessantly - one of the bosses (Ghirahim) is fought three times, and really four times because the final boss (Demise) is very similar to Ghirahim, and actually probably more boring than him. The Imprisoned is a boss you fight three times, and the fights are simply not different enough to matter or to be very fun. At one point you fight him twice, back to back, and it is quite boring. While there are some fun enemies (Lizardfos are actually quite fun to fight, as are the skeleton enemies) overall the game repeats monsters far too much and by the end you are very tired of fighting the same old things for the upteenth time, bosses and normal baddies alike.

The story is also bad. Most people don't even know that the world is in trouble, let alone that you're saving it, and there is nothing about the story which is very gripping. The fact that you live on floating islands is pretty much entirely incidental to the plot - it is just the Hyrule Field of this game, and it is no more interesting. The flying hardly matters at all - at only one point in the entire game do you actually use your bird to fight a bad guy - and really was an idea which was utterly wasted on this game.

The only good thing about the game is the dungeons and the leadup to them; the Lanyru desert is actually fairly enjoyable and has some interesting ideas, and the beetle allows for some interesting puzzles. Sadly, they failed to exploit the beetle as well as they could and should have, and many of the new items (the blower and the whip) feel very pointless. Unfortunately, the hookshot (or should I say, the clawshot) is feeling increasingly this way as well - once a really neat piece of equipment, the heavily sanitized targeting (targets and vines) results in it feeling much less versatile, interesting, and useful. Thus you're left with the bow and the beetle as the cool items that you can do lots of stuff with - a disappointingly small list

The ultimate problem, though, is that Zelda has failed to evolve, learn, and grow. Darksiders is basically a Zelda game, but its combat was much better and the game was thus much more fun. But the real tragedy is that Batman: Arkham Asylum is a Zelda game - just think about it. Batman has many of the same items as link does (a hookshot/grapnel, bombs, he even has a boomerang!), and he runs around solving puzzles to progress through dungeons, but unlike Link he isn't groundbound, he is very mobile, the combat is interesting, and the gameplay overall is much better. When you realize just how far behind Zelda has fallen, you wonder why you'd ever play a game like Skyward Sword in the first place. And the answer is - you wouldn't.… Expand

One of the best games ever and the best Zelda game in history. Good graphics and excelent gameplay, history and sound. The best wii game ever.
I have played nearly all Zelda games and I can easily say that this is the way to go for the franchise. Sad that this is the last Zelda game for the Wii. Buy it!

This game is great but not perfect, there's a little backtracking but the beautiful gmeplay and story usually makes up for it. A sold A- nintendo, thanks again

Skyward Sword is the Wii game people have been dreaming about ever since the console was announced. The use of motion control is intuitive and interesting, and makes this one of the most unique and legitimately groundbreaking (if not, THE most) Game of the Year candidate of 2011. It's another wonderful entry in a legendary franchise with some actual challenge on the table as well.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of the best games of all time. It is also the best motion-controlled game of all time. It does for motion gaming what Super Mario Bros. did for platformers, what GTA 3 did for Sandbox games, what Halo did for shooters. It revolutionizes motion gaming and shows the rest of the industry how it`s done. The controls are the most real feeling in the Zelda series, if you`ve swung a sword or shot a bow in real life your skills will be applied here. The gameplay in general is also the best of the series, far surpassing Ocarina of Time and stepping all over Twilight Princess, with the best overworld, dungeons, and bosses ever. Simply amazing, the definition of a must-play.… Expand

This game is great, and in my mind re-legitimatizes the Wii. The main thing I was happy with in this game was the controls, they are wonderful! The story great, and predictable of course, and winding your way through settings is super fun. This game can get frustrating, but no matter what your having fun.

I'm doing something a little different (admitting this might not be 'right'), but I'm scoring this game with-respect to my expectations. And explaining it that way, this is the most disappointing game of my 30 years of videogaming, and therefor deserves the lowest score possible. Everything about this game is average at best, and the motion controls (even though apparently great by many reviewers) are just, well, beyond terrible. The stuff that works are nothing we haven't seen before 1000 times and the stuff that is 'revolutionary' is just, well, beyond terrible. The exploration is a chore. The dungeons range boring to acceptable. The boss battles are alright. The graphics and sound are alright. The amount of BOREDOM is really REALLY impressive. Like I said I'm scoring this according to my expectations, and that may be wrong but it feels right for me. And the most disappointing game of all time deserves a -10 if I could. I'm glad I got this using my Shoppers points because spending actual cash on this would have been a tradegy.… Collapse

Been playing this series since the first one on the NES, and this is a fairly solid entry to the Zelda series, but there are some problems. For one thing, I'm pretty sick of the motion controls for the sword, I'd like an option for classic zelda style controls. In heated combat the motion controls feel unresponsive, and many enemies require precision strikes to defeat. The shields feel utterly useless, they take up a space in your 'adventure pouch' a separate inventory from your normal gear and have a durability meter. The shield is made even more useless by the fact that extreme aggression is usually the method required to defeat enemies, rarely you will encounter an enemy who requires you use the shield. An MMO style grinding mechanic has been introduced: acquire treasures to upgrade your items, most of these come from monster drops, which are randomized, so be ready to grind out some keese in a zelda game to make your shield slightly better. The first boss is very un-zelda-y and feels out of place, you don't even get a chance to use your first dungeon item against it. Instead, it will serve to emphasize how off the controls feel, as you try to move your sword to strike from another angle, only to have it counted as a swing, and get damaged for it. Additionally the "Navi"-like entity accompanying you somehow feels less helpful than Navi ever did. Most enemies you encounter will only have very barebones descriptions which can leave you guessing what you're doing wrong while you get pummeled and struggle against them and the controls. Some of the enemies such as the "Armos" can stunlock you for a good 3-4 hearts in a row, making you very frustrated. This is possibly the first zelda game where I've ever been stunlocked by an enemy that just camps my knocked down body and gets free hits in taking half my hearts. The boomerang appears to be missing, and replaced by a slow flying beetle robot, which has a much different functionality. The beetle is less of a in-combat weapon and more of an out of combat seeker missile/bomber/puzzle tool. All in all, it isn't a bad zelda game, but it really needs more options to allow you to fine tune the controls or completely disable the combat motion controls in favor of standard controller play. With the option to disable motion controls I would have no pressing complaints about this title, but sadly this is not the case.… Expand

Perfect control's, brilliant story, unique gameplay and a fantastic story come together to create a masterpiece. If you own a Wii, you have no reason NOT to own this!

The game is just majestic ! It needs some time to get used to gyroscopic aiming, but you can recenter it anytime you want using a button ... Yes it's storytelling at the start of the adventure, but it's not that bad. Combat moves with the motion controller are just GREAT, and i had no specific problem at all in 40h+ gameplay ... The difficulty is easy to medium most of the time but some challenges and boss are more tricky :)… Expand

While being a Zelda game makes this a fun game it is left far behind than the rest of the series. The storyline is good and all the characters are in line with what you'd expect from a Zelda game. The game however feels like it's centered around promoting motion plus. It's not so much that the controls are awful as I've read in other reviews rather than they are too much. There are no simple actions in Skyward Sword you always have to make these weird movements to achieve it. Furthermore it is the first game of the series where I found many items useless. For example the whip is only good for riddles in some dungeons, useless after that. The beetle is not usable in combat. As for the shield most times you are better off avoiding an attack rather than blocking it with your fragile shield. In many cases you'd even be better off whacking like crazy at the enemy until you accidentally hit. All in all if you are a Zelda fan you should play this game although you'll probably find it inferior. If you've never played a Zelda game you should play another game of the series first an only come back to this one if you find yourself hooked.… Expand

Game is utter disapointment. Controls are awful, graphics are mushy, soundtrack is disapointing and there are hardly any new innovations or features when compared to previous titles. The Legend of Zelda serie is really starting to show its age and nintendo really have to start putting more efforts to these games in future.

The Wii was built for this. The motion controls are completely unmatched by any other game, and graphically the game uses all of the Wii's graphical power. The gameplay is amazing, and it's a real change from previous Zelda's. This is the game the Zelda 25th anniversary is deserving of!

Okay, let me start off with this: Skyward Sword has problems, several problems. I had to recalibrate every so often, though unlike most, it happened like, 3 times in the roughly 30 hours it took me to complete the main story. The music seemed more centered around creating an atmosphere than giving you memorable tunes much of the time. Lastly, the game's textures are generally poor. Before you get your panties in a bunch, let me finish this statement: I've found it to be one of the greatest Zelda games ever. The controls work like a charm. Other than the times they temporarily wigged out (again, happened thrice for me), they were spot on. Every so often, it screwed up with the stabbing motion, but I rarely noted that occurring. If you or a reviewer is claiming the controls aren't spot on, check out the controls demonstrations here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_aGjL1bwN0), otherwise it's due to interference or something. The enemies clearly show how they're supposed to be attacked with your, thanks to the exaggerated art style and you'll probably get wrecked trying to waggle constantly to win. The other weapons worked well too, though I myself was rather bad with the whip. I found some of the puzzle rather intriguing, but being a seasoned Zelda player, I never really found myself stumped. Some of the other puzzles-- some of which introduce an awesome mechanic-- were good fun. The graphics and art style are quite good as well and definitely draw inspiration from impressionist art. More distant objects take on an almost water color appearance. The fact that the textures aren't the greatest seems like an odd thing to complain about since the art style definitely draws from the Wind Waker. I didn't find some of the music to be as memorable as some past games in the series, though quite a few of them-- such as Zelda's and Faore's themes-- stuck with me. As I mentioned previously, several of them seem geared more so to evoke an atmosphere like the Metroid series, rather than providing tunes you can hum to. Though, the fact that most of the tracks are orchestrated (maybe all, or nearly so) makes them sound so beautiful and soothing, and in other cases, up-beat and have a nice tempo. There are some other cool musical effects in the game; the theme shifting music of Skyloft's Bazaar comes to mind. I found the plot to be quite fun to watch, mainly the references to future points in the timeline. And at last, we see a little Zelda and Link love connection. We all knew it had to happen eventually...wait, this game is the furthest back in the timeline, so it already happened? Time confusion? Song of Time? Hell, my mind just boggled itself. @_@ Skyward Sword is a game with problems and is imperfect. Said imperfections are mostly small and insignificant. I found it to be a great adventure, with tons of side quests, optional upgrades and some great characterization that made me long for voice acting for all characters, barring Link and is "Hiyaaaa!!"s. In spite of these problems, Skyward Sword manages to provide an amazing experience with many memorable moments, and the combination of a beautiful soundtrack and eye-soothing visuals was something that I would just sit down, listen to and watch for a little while. For years now, I have never been able to decide which Zelda game I liked most, never advancing past Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time as my favorites. Well that....hasn't changed, but Skyward Sword has joined their ranks. Please do not miss out on this game. Not only is it one of the Wii's best games--I hold it as high as I do Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2--, it's one of the best games I've played in quite some time. I'd like to give it a 9.5, but alas, I'm restricted to whole numbers.… Expand

How **** stupid do you have to be to rant about how this title is more of the same. Last time I checked Zelda games have consistently been awesome. So has Metroid and most Mario games... If it ain't broke don't fix it. Great game though the intro was a bit prolonged.

How can I start this review the best I can? Hmmm... how about that this is one of the best games I have ever played in my entire life? I am not just saying that because Zelda is my all time favorite franchise. I am saying this out of confidence that this game is a true masterpiece, and trust me when I say that it is. Skyward Sword isn't just a high quality game. It's a revolution. To think that I would actually prefer motion controls over traditional controls. I've always been interested in the idea of motion in gaming, but still always chose traditional controls over it any day. Until now! When Skyward Sword was announced to rely heavily on 1:1 motion, it really caught my attention to think that this could be the game to show everyone what motion controls can do to improve your game. As it turns out, I was not only right about that, but my expectations were far exceeded. Everything you do in this game uses motion controls specifically in very unique ways at every turn. Skyward Sword is a game that can never be done with a regular controller. This game has officially gone from button mashing to swinging your arm, and absolutely everything in this game takes advantage of it. The puzzles, the bosses, the dungeons, everything relies on the direction you swing your sword. One of the boss battles actually requires you to swing upward in its weak spot, and if you swing from any other direction, your attack is blocked and doesn't do a thing. You'll come across enemies that will block from certain angles, but are left open to attack on the other, although it isn't as easy as swinging from that direction, because enemies will follow your movements specifically to block you. You have to try and trick your enemies into thinking you will swing from one direction, but then come at them from another. it requires great observation and strategy, and makes you victory far more satisfying. It works beautifully, I've never been so sucked into a game like this, I actually feel like Links sword is in my hand, I actually feel like the hero. The way this game uses 1:1 motion is proof that non traditional controls can really change the way we want to play games. Now that I've played this game, I actually want to play more games like it. I want more 1:1 motion games, I want to use it now more than my dualshock controller now. It has opened great opportunity to new kinds of gameplay, and Skyward Sword shows it done right. The story is the best Zelda has ever had. We finally see a romantic bond between Zelda and Link, and it strengthens the urge to find her when she goes missing. There are tons of twists that will make your head spin, and lots of great characters and moments that you will remember for ages. Although this game once again denies voice acting, it's actually an amazing cinematic experience. Character animations, in addition to the outstanding orchestrated soundtrack are stunning and great to witness. This game quite possibly has the best soundtrack a Zelda game has ever had. Right after you turn the game on, you are immediately greeted with the text narrated backstory, which plays the most epic war music you'll ever hear. The game is fully orchestrated for the first time in Zelda history, meaning the music is THAT much better. Never has Zelda music been so beautiful, and remember that we're talking about a franchise that is known for it's high quality and very memorable music. You will likely pause the game very often just because you want to listen to the music, the soundtrack is THAT good. The most debatable thing about this game, however, is the graphics. Many think that the graphics are bad quality due to not meeting todays standards of being HD, and to be honest, it doesn't matter. Because this game, in my opinion, is more beautiful than many HD games out there. Skyward Sword is a prime example that games don't need to be realistic and HD to be beautiful. It uses a fantastic and very original art style that embodies the Zelda universe perfectly, and will likely never look outdated due to its uniqueness. Do not let the absence of HD fool you, this game is actually the best looking Zelda yet. Skyward Sword has also replaced the open world with puzzle filled areas that you will revisit on numerous occasions. You won't be repeating too much, as you'll reveal secret areas that you never knew were there, creating a great sense of discovery. Although, this game has an overworld in the sky that you will be flying around using your awesome new companion. A giant bird. Epic with a capital E. And of course, on top of all this, it takes an amazing fresh approach to that awesome Zelda formula we've come to know for 25 years. It's like we always now it, but different. Zelda has shown once again why it's so critically acclaimed, and is without a doubt one of the franchises best games. Nicely done Nintendo! 10/10… Expand

An amazing addition to the Legend of Zelda series; beautiful art style, great characters, and fun game play. My only (minor) gripe, is that sometimes the controls feel a little wonky, e.g. the sword will lose sync with the Wii-mote, but it doesn't take much to get it back on track. In all, if you're looking for another fantastic adventure in the Zelda universe then Skyward Sword is defiantly down your aisle.… Expand

Look, I haven't even completed the game yet but I'm just going to give my review: Brilliant,amazing and excellent. Why Nintendo gave it to us so late in the Wii's lifetime nobody knows, but what a great way to say goodbye to the Wii with such a fantastic game. Sure, some aspects of the game are infuriating (Silent Realms anyone?) but they are all very minor. I will never forget the experience I have had with this game and as Fi would say, "I predict 100% chance of this being the finest Legend of Zelda game ever" Happy 25th birthday Legend of Zelda and goodbye to you Nintendo Wii. It's been a good one.… Expand

Excellent story and characters, the items are very good too, there is no item that you stop using throughout the game. And the controls are simply amazing, it is 100% accurate and is probably going to shape future games!

Easily the second best 3D Zelda. It has the most focus on puzzles throughout the entire game than any other Zelda. The Wii m otion plus is actually pretty decent, and provides an interesting combat system that we haven't seen before, and actually, one that I would really like to see again, if they could do it in a unique way. The only problem people seem to have is that trying to stab sometimes doesn't work very well. If you stab a little bit more slowly you can usually get it to work consistently, but that's easy to say when I'm not in the heat of combat. But other than that the slicing motions are very responsive and they do exactly what you intend them to do. It also does not have any kind of filler material to the degree some of the other Zelda games had, such as Wind Waker's long sailing distances. There are some slightly long flight distances but honestly it only takes about two minutes or so if I were to guess to fly from one side of the map to the other. So we're not talking anywhere NEAR in the range of Wind Waker's sailing distances. This Zelda game also focused on side quests more than most Zelda games, but still nowhere near the amount of side quests Majora's Mask had. I would like to see another Zelda with Majora's Mask level side quests and non-linearity. The reason I can't give this game a perfect 10 is, well, it's not perfect. The problems I have are very minor, such as the stabbing problem, Fi talking too much and spoiling some puzzles, having to recalibrate the motion plus occasionally, the long intro that the game has, etc. but I wouldn't even be comfortable giving this game a 9.5 if I could.… Expand

so many things were changed, and upgraded in this game, i love the story, BUT. why it didn't get a perfect score, the controls are a pain sometimes. now not complaining i love the challenge of actually controlling a sword to kill your foes. unfortunately its very upsetting sometimes when it doesn't do what you wanted it to do

This game is a 10/10 in my eyes it is the best game of this year, I own most of the hot games that have just came out like skyrim,cod mw3,dark souls,batman arkham city, ect ect. the storyline/plot is AMAZING the soundtrack is fantastic,the gameplay is verrry good the graphic to my opinion utilize the wii's potental power yeaa yea it is not HD and it has more of a cartoony feel but not all games have to be battlefield/skyrim graphics this will prob go down as one of my fav zeldas ever right there with link to the past and ocarina of time the others yeaa there oh k but this one really tops it...if you own a wii BUY IT if you do not own a wii buy a wii because there cheap now and then buy the game. the 37 people that gave this game negative comments dont listen to them there nothing they dont know what real video games are ... there also prob from ages 11-15 and there stuck on COD...play the game for yourself yea iam a zelda fan but i do love lots of other games I also was verryy displeased with twilight princes it is 20 bucks now and I still dont own it... that should explain it all.… Expand

Best zelda to date. Most fun that the crap that the put out there right now like COD, BF3, and even skyrim. The gameplay is amazing, graphics are beastly (on dolphin) and the cinematic storyline is mind boggling. I havent felt so excited about a zelda game since ocarina of time. This is the new standard for a zelda game and it will only get better knowing nintendo. To the haters, go back to playing your non cinematic skyrim. Just because a game has voice acting, doesnt make it any better, a perfect example of this is Dragon Age , where they literally killed the saga by adding voice acting along wiht many other flaws. Some argue nintendo is living in the past, but the past is doing a hell lot better than the present and this game is a masterpiece.… Expand

This game definitely deserves a 10/10 the story is amazing the graphics and art are creative (YOU DO NOT NEED TOP OF THE LINE GRAPHICS TO MAKE A GOOD GAME) it has very cute and witty scenes but still keeping the serious moments in place and meaningful.The characters are just as good as the others i find my self liking just the common skyloft folk.as for the controls they need some getting used to also they take practice,(but god forbid anyone needing to practice in a video game) but after you get used to it the controls are fun and challenging,When Im fighting monsters I find my self having to think before i swing (which might be a burden for some stupid people) and actually having to fake out the monsters. all said and done its for a select few if you don't like challenges don't get it,if you only like gun totting super soldier Michael bay explosion games don't get it,this is also not for people with a short attention span its a Legend of Zelda game its praised on its challenges and its long story's and quests. This may not be for everyone and if you start sucking at it just watch the info video about it.… Expand

The intention of this review is to counter the obscene number of haters who rated the game 0 but didn't write up a review. Fanboism is despicable. I'm all for freedom of speech, but there's no denying the fact that you are a coward and a disgrace to your family and humanity if you leave a 0 score and don't have the balls to attach your handle and explain yourself.

Fi: Thank you.
Me in tears: No, Fi, thank you for everything.

The most equally beautiful and saddest moment in any game I've ever played.
This game is a work of art and the absolute pinnacle of Nintendo.

I'm leaving this review to counter all the idiots that give stupidly low reviews. I'm sure none of them have even touched Skyward Sword. The graphics are beautiful, and anyone saying they aren't because they aren't realistic is just a complete idiot. The controls work perfectly. If you think they don't you're probably a retard that has bright lights around while you're playing the game. The game is amazing and anyone with a Wii needs to get it. If you don't have a Wii, find one and get this game.… Expand

I don't know what's up with people's controllers, because the motionm plus works fine. If it starts glitching, it's a one button fix. Also, the graphics are fine, like a painting. There is no lag, and almost no load times. And the one to one motion control is used great, especially past the first Ghirahim fight. This game does everything right, and the five years of development gave us a masterpiece. Haters stop hating, laggers get a better Wii because yours is broken, but don't take anything away from the game because of your **** hardware.… Expand

Skyward sword has it all. Good old zelda game play, memorable characters and a interesting world to explore. Even if your new to the zelda series i would still highly reccomend this game looking for a epic lengthy adventure. Skyward sword is one of he most colorful and best looking games on wii. The game also works great with wii motion plus. This game is simply a masterpiece that should be experienced by anyone who likes games in general.… Expand

The game is good. But i do have to question how many 10's you all are giving it. This is far from a 10 as Zelda games go. Skyward Sword is one giant fetch quest with some dungeons peppered in. Twilight Princess was that perfect refinement of the Zelda series up to its point in time. For Skyward Sword to feel like a true departure, they would have needed to do more than add motion controls and strip out the exploration of an overworld (a KEY hallmark of the series). Understandably, the developers still needed SS to feel like a Zelda game - which it still very much does - but they would have been wise to completely revolutionize the series with this entry instead of the next one on Wii-U. Nintendo needs a big shot in the arm right now to remind fans that they are capable of pushing the envelope with ALL of its series, as they proved so gracefully with Mario Galaxy. It really does seem to me that all the perfect scores dolled out to Skyward Sword may be the result of advertising deals, rose tinted glasses, or just pure hype. This Zelda is ultimately a disappointment and I am not excited to play it again in all it's tedium and tacked on fetch quests which extend to length of the game. I do agree that the positives far outweigh the negatives, as usual, but there are enough negatives this time around that the game feels like a chore 50% of the time. This is perhaps the Worst Best game i have ever played. (8.5)… Expand

FULL REVIEW HERE: http://richardharo.tumblr.com/post/12969000003/50-hours-of-skyward-sword-later-here-are-my-final#notes

Skyward Sword has many great puzzles, some amazing boss fights (the six armed Buddha and the fabulous Ghirahim spring to mind) and some of the most memorable locations in Zelda history, such as the pirate ship dungeon. It doesnâ

This is the greatest Zelda game ever created.

It is doubtful that the game will win over new converts, but for series faithfuls, this game represents the apotheosis of the series' style. Everything that makes a Zelda game a Zelda game is in perfect form in this wonderful game.

The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, with an art style reminiscent of both the whimsical Wind Waker and the darker Twilight Princess - it looks as if ripped straight from an oil painting. The combat is seamless - it feels incredibly fluid and natural. The story has a brilliant mythical quality that gives the entire series a sort of origin myth all its own.

If you have ever loved a Zelda game, this is a must play.… Expand

While I wouldn't say Twilight Princess was a bad game, I think everybody could agree that it was very similar to Ocarina of Time when looking at the details (Zora's been frozen, a demon troubling Death Mountain etc.). I was really hoping Skyward Sword would bring something new to the franchise and what I got was beyong my wildest dreams. Skyward Sword is an entirely new game; the puzzles are new, the characters are new, the world is new and even the story is new. Everything feels very fresh and rich, like the first time we touched upon Ocarina of Time in 1998.

Not everything is perfect, so a full 10 is out of the question. The controls are a bit clunky and the Wii Motion Plus only adds painful muscles to the experience, the new companion is also rather annoying and feels like a copy of GlaDos from portal.

However, the faults are too small to actually ruin the game for me and Skyward Sword makes the franchise fresh for another 25 years.… Expand

this is one of the most creative and beatiful games off all time with some of the most unique graphics to date, this game has the best motion controls of all the games this gen, a 50 to 100 or more hours of adventure with a amazing story, lots of side quests, and great cut scenes this is a long game worth your time and money, this is best game ever

I'll start this review by saying that, while I've enjoyed a number of games in the series, I wouldn't generally consider myself to be a huge Zelda fan. Having heard virtually nothing but positive reviews for this title since its release however I purchased Skyward Sword hoping it would top all the previous games. This may not be the popular opinion but I was left bitterly disappointed as a number of issues meant I failed to garner much enjoyment from the game.

Chief amongst these issues is the tedious opening three to four hours in which the majority of the time is spent listening to characters explain the world in far more detail than is necessary rather than just letting the player explore for themselves. I've never played a game where I found myself wishing that NPCs would just stop talking and let me get on with things quite as much. During this time it also becomes clear just how important HD has become to a games visuals. I'm not someone who is usually too fussed about how a game looks but Skyward Sword looks particularly ugly in places, especially when compared to the gorgeous cel-shaded graphics of The Wind Waker. The much hyped motion-controls, while better than the majority of Wii titles, are also as frustrating as ever in places. There are of course plenty of examples of the usual Nintendo magic to be found throughout the game and Zelda fans will likely be pleased with what they find but this won… Expand

Zelda: Skyward Sword is the first game I've really played in long time since I've been a fan of the series since I was a kid. However, it does not really live up to the innovations of previous Zelda games. Rather there are some new aspects here and there, but it really just copies off of the formula of past Zelda game, along with using all the same ingredients that were once innovations of the previous Zelda games.

Flaws of Zelda: Skyward Sword
â… Expand

I put this very simply, what a Masterpiece of a Game, one of my top favorite of all time. I highly recommend this game to anyone, no matter the age or the tastes. Do not worry about Skyrim this are very different games, i had them both and i could not be more happy. just play the game, before complaining

Great game controls are a masterpeice and I have never played any motion controls. Awesome gameplay best Zelda game ever game ever. The way link moves, his body language and the way he interacts with other characters and the worlds environment. The in game mechanics and customization allows you to develop link in a,way u have never playee with him before. Best game this gen

Before you write me off my review is based on the australian pal version of the game and its terrible. huge black borders (letterboxing) which cuts half the screen, why???!!?? nintendo never gave a rats arse about australian releases (they have done the same thing since the snes days) you can change the settings on the wii but it just stretches the crap out of the game. also have to mention, why does windwakers and twilights graphics seem more solid and crisp? the actual game itself is okay but your pointer just goes nuts sometimes and flying the bird feels awkward.… Expand

A great Zelda game, worthy of the time it takes to complete. Not as good as Ocarina of Time, but up there. That being said, there are a number of shortcomings. (1) It's too childish throughout. The cartoonish pastel color art direction, the dialogue, the Fun Fun clown/mime abomination, and worst of all: the Tentalus boss that looks like a Whoopi Goldberg Cabbage Patch Doll. (2) It's too linear. There is a much more limited array of exploration here than in past games. It is simply not difficult or challenging to find most items. (3) The fetch quests are painful and pointless at times. (4) Gratitude crystals. Worst Zelda idea ever. (5) Hero mode offers little replay value. Hardly anything is different.… Expand

My first Zelda game was Twilight Princess and I have some really fond memories from that adventure! So that's the Zelda game I can compare this too, but generally I have been playing video games for over 20 years. Skyward Sword is a mixed bag...graphics range from pretty to blurry mess..story is typical fairy tale no one really cares about...gameplay is great..motion controls work most of the time but are far from perfect...difficulty level is just right...I love: the sense of adventure, the music, the dungeons, the anime style animations and jokes...I hate: repetitive tasks, limited areas, fetch quests, unskippable dialogs that go on forever, no voice acting, annoying sound when hearts are low... Really, this game is worth a playthrough but Nintendo really need to modernize this franchise...the way this game is presented, it's only saved from being mediocre by the Zelda name...if this was the first Zelda ever, compared to other modern games..it would be a failure..please Nintendo don't let Zelda die like this...bring it into the 21st century!… Expand

It's literally the best game on the Wii and one of the greatest games ever made. It doesn't quite have the same open world feel that Twilight Princess had, but then again it doesn't really need it. The graphics are, by far, the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen in a game simply for their impressionist quality - if you notice, the farther you get away from something the objects, or buildings, or whatever it is you're far from become more like paint daubs which is really awesome. The scenes are amazing, and though some people are still bummed out about and/or trolling about how the characters still don't talk, this really, I feel, is better than if they were to include lame voice acting. The music is perfectly fitting for each area you're in and changes depending on what situation your in within an area - for example the Marketplace offers various versions of the same song for each different shop you approach. This game has hours upon hours of amazing gameplay and despite what others say, the controls are wonderful. The only thing I've had difficulty with was swimming, but besides that everything else works perfectly. This is the first Wii game I've played that doesn't rely solely on the sensors, but the position your Wii-mote is in - and if your aimer says it's in a different direction than it should be you can simply readjust it with a push of a button to be back where it should be (so really those who complain about the controls don't know what they're talking about/are trolls - the latter being more likely). The replayability is insanely high for this game, there is so much to do and so many areas you can explore around and it's one of those stories that, I at least, fell in love with right away. It's seriously one amazing experience.… Expand

Conclusion: THE BEST GAME ON WII. The Legend Zelda: Skyward Sword mix RPG system with the fabulous classical system of Zelda. This game is a masterpiece.

First of all, this is a great game.

It still has room for improvement and one can only notice that it was probably going to be bigger but was cut short... On the plus side, the stuff that made into the game was mostly well done and very polished in typical Nintendo fashion.

I had mixed results with the motion controls: they take some time to get used to but once you do, they worked well to some extent and there are parts where it's truly satisfying to slash, stab, parry, spin and finalize most enemies... other times i was frustrated by how sensitive the controls are as i very often saw changing the position of the sword read as a slash or a slash turning into two slashes when returning the remote to the center, or having a stab turn to a spin attack due to the slightest hint of the nunchuck moving when doing the stab gesture, especially since the combat is very particular in how it let's you deal damage to enemies, the misread gestures make for some infuriating moments in the heat of tense fights that demand precision, sadly subtracting enjoyment in some of them.

The story was fine yet some of the changes I disliked, especially for Zelda, who i think should have played a more active role in this quest as hinted in the beginning and sometimes her actions don't make sense. It'd have been great to see some part where she joins the fight, I mean, she's a student of the knight academy, yet she's the most fragile and delicate I've seen her except for Zelda II where she sleeps the entire game, or maybe have her do the spiritual parts since she's a "Spirit" maiden and those parts didn't involve combat but stealth... instead we get the tired old "sorry, but the princess is in another castle" routine, they paint Zelda and Link's missions as of the utmost importance yet you don't get to see or play any part of what Zelda does which is not much anyways (sorry Zelda, but it's true, i think it's funny my 5 y.o. calls the game "Link")

The Dungeons, Puzzles, and Boss Fights are as great as ever, except when they make you fight the same drawn out boss battle three times... reeks of lengthening the play time through a silly trick and I absolutely hated that. The sky thing and flying on a bird is nowhere near as great as wind waker's sailing was, but it doesn't get in the way either, and the skydiving is pretty cool.

Music's great, especially considering they also used some pieces from Wind Waker which has the best music in a Zelda game, IMO. Fits the mood perfectly, well done guys. It's a shame Nintendo still doesn't want to take the risk to add voice to their Zelda games.

For graphics, all i can add is that the framerate is rock solid... the painting style looks very well and hides muddy textures very well, as long as you keep your expectations in reality... the look of the game won't disappoint.

Thanks for Reading.… Expand

Skyward Sword was meant for the Wii. Motion controls for this game have been perfected and the game-play is among the best in the entire series. Though the story of Skyward Sword doesn't compare to that of Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess, to me it held its own with the new dungeon system requiring the completion of puzzles leading up to the dungeon as well as in the dungeon itself. I also really enjoyed the ability to collect resources to upgrade weapons and equipment. I would highly recommend this game to anyone wanting a good game for the Wii and definitely to fans of the Legend of Zelda series.… Expand

This game has me addicted. The amount of dislike is boggling my mind, maybe it is people who have never experienced the series or people who just can not get their head around the controls. But I love it. My favorite of the series was Twilight Princess for the Wii, I also loved Ocarina of Time on both the N64 and 3DS, and LTTP on SNES. However this is very quickly becoming my favorite. The setting of the story is one of the best of any game ever, it is brilliant. The freedom of the skies is more interesting and more beautiful than Hyrule Fields which we all have known and loved for the last 10 games pretty much. The loftwing and its brilliant controls make me want to say "Goodbye Epona!" The story of the game is absolutely sensational as well, a backstory to Ocarina of Time? Amazing! Some little tidbits of the game do get a bit frustrating as well, the dialogue does go a bit slower in this one, but that is just a nuisance, nothing game breaking. The really sad part about this game is your guardian. She is really lifeless and boring, Midna is really a hard character to beat, with her sassy attitude, her cool looks, and her backstory. However they are just side characters so it isn't gamebreaking, however I would like to see Midna return in the next game somehow. At least as a side mission or shown in a background story. The controls are actually surprisingly good, if you got the gold Wii remote which looks amazing, the Wii Motion Plus will be no bother to you, and swinging should not get you tired. The swordplay is a bit off most of the time, doing jabs proves to be pretty hard in intense situations, but it gives a bit more of a challenge. The design of the game is pretty amazing, I have walked around Skyloft quite a few times and just marveled at how amazing it looks and how alive it really feels. Through three temples it does feel kind of repetitive, you collect like 3 or 5 of an item, get in the temple and do your business. But the temples really amazing, especially the Earth Temple I loved its design, the lava, the rolling eye, the boss battle was incredible, that short Indiana Jones moment. Everything was just amazingly fun. The graphics are awesome, everyone got their dark Zelda with Twilight Princess and also got toony with Wind Waker. This is a mash up of the two. It looks like Twilight Princess painted with water colors. The graphics are really fantastic for a Wii game. There are no parts that look really gross in terms of graphics.

For all these reasons I say pick this game up without thinking about it. This maybe the last big game for the Wii, and I must say, what a way to go out!… Expand

it looks like the critics are even trying to sabotage this game, this game is everything i wanted and more well done Nintendo! the graphics are 10 for artistic merit, motion controls 10 for evolving the Zelda franchise, story is the most dramatic so far in the series, sorry but this is getting a 10.

I had my doubts about this game, seeing as how disappointing the last few Zeldas were (especially Spirit Tracks). But this game... wow... simply amazing. The visuals look great but the Wii's hardware limitations are all too apparent here. This game would have looked so much nicer on an actual HD console. The music is aural bliss and probably some of the best in the series. The story is very good and the dungeons/puzzles are some of the best in the series. Motion+ controls work well for combat and really add a new layer to battles, but for everything else, Motion+ is only put to novel use and bares a number of nuisances (constantly needing to re-center, inability to differentiate movement speeds, inaccurate movement detection). Also, the game treats the player as inept. The first few hours of hand-holding become unbearable and the constantly repeating and unskippable text will test you nerves. There are a number of problems with this game, which do add up to a significant amount, but even with that said I truly enjoyed the game and am rejuvenated on the series. Not only is this one of the best Zeldas ever, but it's also one of the best games of this generation.… Expand

I've played every Zelda game since 1987, so I was pretty pumped for Skyward Sword. The first warning sign was when the game required WiiMotionPlus to function. With the imminent release of the Wii U, and no other major first party games to be released on the Wii, Im left believing that the sole purpose for this is to add a secret $40 to the price tag. It certainty didn't add to any game play. Many times during the game, it demanded a vertical swing. Simple enough, right? swing the remote in a verticle slice. WRONG! THAT WASNT FLAT, THERE WAS A SLIGHT ANGLE! TRY AGAIN!....after 30 more attempts, finally Link decides to throw me a bone and hit the target. 30 hours in, I still had to pray my wrist wouldn't snap in half from trying to direct the Possibly Polio-ridden Link to dive, or throw a bomb: both actions that we're perfect 20 years ago by the innovation of an 'A' button. If you can get past the needless, frustrating and sadistic controls, then you'll find creative dungeons, compelling-ish story (Still dont really know the justification for the first half of the game) and some good adventuring. Im just skeptical of any game where the boss can be defeated (not joking here) by flailing my limbs around for 2 minutes… Expand

-sigh- IGN, you prefered a female peter pan running around punching at stuff over Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? This game or this series is too repetitive, overrated, and has poor graphics. The controls are your typical Wii game, so pretty lame. The game itself is very fun, but it's been evened out with how typical these games are, it's not quite on the 50 dollar price tag. That's when IGNorance comes by and gives this game a 10.… Expand

If you're a fan of the Zelda series, check this out for the wii motion plus control system, adds an entire new element to the combat system. If you're not a fan of the Zelda series, what rock have you been hiding under, buy a wii, buy this game, save Zelda, be a hero. I've read a couple of bad reviews saying motion lag, and that the controls don't work properly (e.g. you can't control which direction you swing the sword from), personally I have no idea what they're talking about, I can only assume they have the wii sensor bar buried underneath a mountain of junk, or that they don't know their left from their right, if you can't control THIS game, it's not the game, you as a gamer just have very bad coordination reminiscent of 12 year olds that tantrum when people won't let them win whilst playing HALO online....
Overall, this is a fantastic game, typical of Nintendo, graphics are polished, although my one criticism is that of the console, this game would've looked fantastic in 1080p, but oh well. Musical score is fantastic. Controls are brilliant. The puzzles have been well thought out and really challenge you even if you're used to Zelda style puzzles. The major thing that blew me away however, was the story, I found myself wanting to save Zelda, wanting to help people, wanting to find out the dark past of the land. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.… Expand

I was so excited for this game but overall it kind of left me disappointed. It is not the best game for the wii (Mario Galaxy) and there is no way it is the best game in the series although it would probably be in the top 5 for both. (My top Zeldas btw in order are: Link to the past, Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Link's Awakening THEN skyward). Even the wii game of the year I would have to give to Xenoblade over Skyward Sword and it was a pretty rough year for the wii. Here are my reasons for a 7.5.
Pros:
It's Zelda
Motion controls done as they should be and work most the time
Impressive puzzle design
Loved how Link was more athletic
Loved the "time capsule" levels

Cons:
First NO over world to explore. I loved the twilight princess world and was hoping for expansion.
Only 3 worlds that you return to like 4 times
Time for voice acting (ok to leave Link out)
No hidden faries for upgrades
Fight same bosses up to 3x
Pick a graphic style and stick to it: Skyward sword and Twilight both looked great don't need to fuse them rather improve them.
Motion controls often need resetting
Weak side quests
The shadow realms: one or two is enough!
Kept feeling like something big was coming but nothing did.
Repetitive

The game does lay a nice foundation to build upon for the Wii U which will be able to bring a more powerful experience in areas other than just control. That I am excited for!… Expand

What I hate about most mainstream reviews on this game is that they seem to drive on the fact that everyone is SUPPOSE to like Zelda. They seem to forget that the controls only work 35% of the time, lots of time you'll find yourself throwing more slashes than you wants which sometimes means game over, lots of times Link will swing the opposite way you actually swing which can cost you a heart, they seem to forget the fact that you have to constantly recalibrate, I don't care that it is easy to calibrate, the damage is still there, you still have to take time out of the action constantly just to calibrate the remote, they seem to forget that the new stamina bar is more limiting than it is strategic, they seem to forget the long unnecessary loading times between areas, and they seem to forget the fact that Link can't make clear turns which constantly cause you to mess up in the dungeons. BUT WHAT THEY DO SEEM TO REMEMBER IS the cleverly designed graphics, the focus on story, the innovative new way of the world map, and the cool new tools in Link's arsenal. The Good: graphics, story, innovations in world map and tools, and a few cool utilizations with the Wiimote. The Bad: the wiimote can't handle the game, too many loading screens, unresponsive moving controls, and the stale stamina bar. I LOVE Zelda games just as much as everyone else, i even loved Twilight Princess, seeing the main developer of Zelda show off the tech behind this and seeing that the game was even messing up for him in front of a live audience made the game look embarrassing. I'm glad to report that the game is controlled better than the time of the tech demonstration that I just mentioned, and the 35% of the time that it works, it works beautifully. It's hard not to imagine the possibilities of this game if it was hosted on the Kinect or Move, it's not just the Wiimote that can't handle the game... its the Wii in general. Most of the flaws in the game is not the games fault, it is the Wii's... the game is utterly and drastically limited by the Wii's tech. Maybe and hopefully this game will be much better on the WiiU. In the End... this is a good game: FOR THE WII, but on the scale of what most games can do now, it falls flat… Expand

Awesome gameplay, the only blemish is the lack of voice acting, but its one of the best in the series so far!
I wonder why some sites complain about it being similar to other zelda games and give a higher score to MW3 LOL such biased losers

Oh and stop **** about the damn controls... You **** are probably just swinging your Wiimotes wildly like jackass 4 yr olds... Take your time and play like you are actually holding a sword. The realness of gameplay is there if you do this. People can not even swing a full size sword like you can with a controller. Why is Link any different??

I waited to play this game due to mixed fan reviews. Eventually I was convinced, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The MotionPlus controls are a blast and not as finicky as everyone claims; in fact, they just add to the overall experience. The "backtracking" isn't as repetitive as people claim either; each area is revamped and changed with all new challenges. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, and the story line is simply fantastic and perfect in every right. By the end of the game I was in tears; because I had beaten my first every Skyward Sword experience, and because the touching story line was concluded expertly. Touches of humor and a nice difficulty level are also good embellishments. This is the best game I have ever played, and everyone else should have the bliss of playing it at least once.… Expand

All the Zelda magic but with a fantastic new control system. It's hard to imagine a better implementation of the Wii motion controller. I've played every Zelda game since Link to the Past and this is a another superb entry to the series. A tighter, less open game structure than Twilight Princess is the only downside. Still one of the best games in existence.

An amazing game in all ways. The graphics are pretty, the storyline is engaging, and this game sets all other zelda games up by being set before the others. The bosses are cinematic and never get old.

This game is amazing, I'm not sure what the people who are complaining about the controls are talking about, they work fine for me. Definately a GOTY contender.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Note: This review contains COMPLETE honesty. I will give praise the the parts to ONLY deserve praise. I will hate on the parts that deserve hate. After hearing all the praise for this game and the perfect scores, I got really excited to play this, and expected the best Zelda game ever. Sadly, that is not what happened, I ended up completely agreeing with GameSpot's review. First I would like to say the graphics are absolutely beautiful. The makers of this game took advantages of the Wii's limited abilities, by creating a beautiful painterly-like landscape. On the bad side though, the blurs in the background really hurt my eyes, and could have been either removed or less blurred. The music in the game is absolutely gorgeous!! I found myself listening to a lot of the music on youtube. However, the sounds people make are a bit awkward and could have been removed or improved on. The story was probably the most disappointing part of the game. The story is VERY obvious. (Have you ever realized that the white dress Zelda wears is the same as the the one the goddess statue wears? Have you noticed the silhouette of the goddess in the prologue looks exactly like Zelda?) There are other spoilers in the game itself, but I'm not going to point them out. It's like the makers of the game were trying to give away the entire story to us! Not to mention this game was supposed to touch upon Ganon's creation, but it felt as if they slipped it in at the end. I was expecting to be like "WHOA THAT'S HOW GANON WAS CREATED? Mind=Blown," but instead I was like "oh." And I must complain, Demise is probably the most unimaginative name EVER. Not to mention his design kind of looks like a rip-off of something you'd see in a M rated game. And the final boss with Demise felt rushed and also a rip-off of Ganondorf's final battle in Twilight Princess. What I do not understand the most is Ghirahim. Yes, he flamboyant, yes he is fabulous, but why do the fan-girls go crazy over him? There have been plenty of feminine insane bloodthurst villains in animes and movies, so WHY? I also noticed that the fans try to make Ghirahim more "deeper" and "fleshed out" than he really is, which pisses me off. I understand the makers of the game were trying to make him the complete opposite of Ganondorf but this just doesn't cut it. As for Fi, I thought I would really like this character, but I just couldn't. She constantly telling us the obvious ( Personally I think she's worse than Navi), and I'm not afraid to say I was happy when she had to leave at the end. And Zelda, when I first saw her in the E3 2011 trailer, I hated her. I hated her design, and after playing the game, it doesn't change my opinion about her. She seems like a cliche "kawaii desu" anime girl, who seems to giggle at every little thing. Not to mention it seems a little pointless for Hylia to reincarnate herself as a human for reasons relating to Demise, but then she is used to resurrect him? Seems a little pointless to me. Game play was alright. The controls either work for you, or they don't. Which is a problem. In the nest Zelda game, I hope they make sure the controls work 100%, so we don't have to complain. All in all, this game could have done better, I wouldn't have minded waiting another year for this game, maybe they would have been able to make this game better than it already is.… Expand

Skyward Sword deserves to be thought of just as highly as Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, two of my favorite games for their respective systems. There's no question that Skyward Sword will be one of the top games in the Wii's lifetime. The change in controls gives new perspective on how gamers can play a Zelda game, let alone an adventure game, and makes it more than just another iteration of what I consider to be one of Nintendo's top-tier series. The new setting is full of winks and nods to the games that preceded it and an avid Zelda fan like myself can't help but light up when a reference is noticed. I've played a lot of great games this year, but no other game has made me feel so good about enjoying my time with it. Skyward Sword is engaging, accessible and highly capable of being considered a classic by many in this gaming generation.… Expand

I can see a problem and It's that this game is the greatest Zelda game, so ,the greatest game of the history, and this is the reason why the trolls or haters were giving bad notes, and it's fine, but in their interior they know that this Zelda is a Masterpiece, the controls, the gameplay, the story, all in this game is fantastic.

Those of you giving The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword low scores have clearly had trouble playing the game. Here's the rager's patterns : Play Skyward Sword. Fail. Think "Ok, I'll try again". Fail again. Rage. Throw control at wall/door/television/family member/cat. Go on Metacritic. Type in "The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword", hands shaking in rage. Type in a common rage comment. "THIS GAME IS AWFUL. THE CONTROLS SUCK. THEY MADE ME FALL OFF A LEDGE 40 TIMES. GAMEPLAY IS NOT FUN." I mean, come on people. When you comment on lack of voice acting, it's so clear that you're commenting on something trivial becuase you couldn't think of much else. Skyward Sword is a brilliant game. The composing is amazing, the graphics are very attractive. The gameplay is hours of brilliant fun which can never get boring to me. Hell, I've not actually finished Skyward Sword. I'm at the last boss battle. (You know, the guy with the fire hair.) I failed but didn't rage. I camly put down my controler and say to myself "i'll do it another time." The fact that I've dragged out this game for months (since christmas, actually.) added to my enjoyment. It's the longest game I've ever played. And I usually finish games within 1-6 hours of getting them. So, a word to everyone - drag out the gameplay. It's really worth it.… Expand

Best Zelda game and best Wii game I've ever played. I beat the game with 100% completion and I was clocked in at 65 hours of gameplay. Huge game for the Wii. Nintendo did an amazing job with this one and it's worth buying a Wii just for this game! If you are even kind of a Zelda fan, BUY IT!

First and foremost, you can discount any the individuals who scored this game a ZERO, few games (if any) deserve such a non-score. Now lets get onto the people who have actually played the game and as such are fairly marking what so far they have encountered...

I'm roughly 10 hours in and thus far can find nothing in which to fault. Stunning vistas, bold characters, innovative and faultless motion controls AND a beautiful orchestral score. In the last couple of month I have purchased Arkham City and Uncharted 3, both are good BUT both leave me feeling cold, Skyward Sword is another of those Nintendo games which is polished to perfection and given the added ingredient other "rival" developers cant ever replicate...that magic.… Expand

A good game but a bad Zelda game. Zelda is held to higher standards than other franchises and this is just a step backwards. The variety in enemies is low, the combat is boring and consists of waggling your wiimote for most enemies, the dungeons are short and easy, it's extremely linear, and there is too much back tracking.

Gameplay wise the best Zelda I've played so far. The upgrading system, shield gauge and ability to sprint add to the depth of the game without making it less Zelda-like, I already find it hard to imagine a Zelda game without sprinting. The motion plus controls work really well and remain fun until the very end. I wonder what people who rate this game low expected from it. Of course it's not in HD, it does not have spoken cut-scenes, the characters do not look spectacularly realistic, and pretty much all you do is run around between and in dungeons. But it's Zelda, what do you expect?… Expand

Absolutely brilliant. Played the Oot all the way through and this other entry in the zelda series plays great. The dialouge between characters is hilarious, the gameplay is smooth, solid and extremely enjoyable. Well worth a play

Best Zelda game so far. Beautiful graphics, great orchestral music and perfect controls. After Skyward Sword you never ever want to play a action-adventure with a game-pad again.

The only disappointment is the missing voice acting.

Have been playing this for 30 hours now, completing the sixth dungeon. It is very difficult to state this is the best Zelda ever. You can observe it in two ways; is it the best Zelda gameplaywise and technically? Yes, it is. It has the gameplay of all the Zelda games and has the best graphics and power. Some dungeondesigns are pretty good. I am pleased they attempted to use more dungeonthemes than just the standard earthelements like forest, water, fire. This time you will use more creative elements like timeshiftstones and pirates. Also the motion controls adds more feel to the game. This is easily the best motion game out there, because it works. the swordfighting is very responsive and I always get an exciting feeling when approaching an enemy, even after 30 hours. You fight only because it's fun while you can just run away. Only Nintendo is able to do this in this video game generation. The graphics are the best in a Zeldagame yet. It combines Windwaker with Twilight Princess and adds a waterpainting feeling to it when watching in the distance. The closer you are to an object, the sharper it gets. although, sometimes it is just a pixelmess.


And then there is another way to review this game. Nintendo already knew fans wanted some changes in the Zeldaformula. You can see they tried with this game. But the things they tried, like returning to already done dungeons, an upgradesystem for your items like shields, potions and the beetle, adding a staminameter, collecting upgradeitems, are not the most creative elements out there in the game. This has already done many times before, therefore it adds no new feeling to it really. It feels like a combination of some old gameplaymechanics with the Zelda-formula (Darksiders gave me the same feeling, combines Zelda with god of war). the changes didn't really stunned me in a way the older Zeldagames did when they were new. It is often predictable what to do when you're stuck, like looking to the ceiling or use the new item you get, because you recognize the situation, it feels very familiar. Of course, some people will only appreciate this nostalgia-feeling. But I already thought Zelda TP felt to familiar and therefore the puzzels were easy. This Zelda has gone some changes in the original formula, but not enough. Don't ask me what is necessary to give a Zelda game a whole new feeling to it but at the same time also feels like a Zelda-game, that is for Nintendo to find out. This is CERTAINLY not a bad game! Gameplaywise it is still one of the best games this game-moviegeneration. But is doesn't stunned me like Mario Galaxy did compared to other Mario-games. Galaxy felt VERY creative, did many things new and still felt like a Mario-game. It is time for the next Zelda to do the same. I heard Miyamoto is leading the first Zelda HD. I can't wait to see what they will do with this one.… Expand

Very underwhelming. The only really good thing about the game is the story. I don't mean that it's particularly well written or anything, it's as childish as ever, but somehow it convinced me and drew me in to the fairytale, so no complaints there. Other than that... The graphics are colorful but horrendous, seriously they look like late PS1/early PS2 graphics. No idea why they screwed that up, Twilight Princess looked amazing compared to this. The dungeons are entertaining but the game overuses some of the designs and they get repetitive. The motion controls are miserable and the game is extremely focused on them, instead of using them for optional "flair" like TP. All those people who wrote about perfect controls obviously have a different controller from the future, because both of my remote+nunchuk+plus sets behaved the same way, the game urges you to be precise, which is impossible because the cursor sometimes goes all over the place or disappears, the sword works in mysterious ways and does whatever it wants and everything else like bird flying or using the parachute etc is downright depressing in its randomness. Also, the game's too easy and never forces you to use the combat in-depth, but I guess considering the state of the controls that's a good thing. I remember Miyamoto trying to demonstrate the game at some E3 a couple years ago and he failed hardcore because the controls didn't work and he (jokingly?) asked people in the audience to turn off their cellphones because they cause interference, and we were all like "aww, it's just an early version of the game, they'll fix that". Well, they didn't do a really good job. Overall, ok game, it has its moments, but for a major Nintendo franchise that celebrates its 25th year, it's inexcusable for it to have so many problems.… Expand

Best Zelda game ever! Hands down. Great graphics gameplay characters and puzzles. Very original. The wii motion plus is very well done and certainly adds to the experience.

zelda is the best franchise ever existed alongside mario and metroid...... Nintendo are gods, sony and msoft try to compensate this with money and technology but they cant ...............this game is the living proof that nintendo are the best at gamecrafting and overall videogame desing and innovations......... haters go fawk your mother

Skyward Sword is definitely one of the best Zelda games released in a while! With Zelda's signature way of using new graphic styles, the use of the Motion Plus (which, unlike the Wii version of Twilight Princess, is NOT a gimmick), and memorable characters and dungeons, Skyward Sword could easily give most Zelda games a run for their money- maybe even Ocarina of Time! The "painterly" graphics make this adventure stunning, while also shrouding the fact that the Wii's visual ability isn't that great. The Motion Plus makes this a game where you must think before you act. No more frantically shaking the controller to defeat enemies! No, you have to plan out each strike before it happens, otherwise it will be blocked and somehow turn on you. Each dungeon utilizes all of your items, not just the one you recieved thirty seconds ago. There are only a few downsides to this game- for starters, there's no main world map. You fly to a certain spot in the sky and then descend onto the surface area, close to the dungeon. The music instrument of this game- the harp- is also a useless attempt to keep an instrument in the game. If you see butterflies, you randomly strum the harp to get a pedestal to appear, then you strum in time with a pulsing light. Learning new songs is pointless, because playing one song is no different from playing another.
However, despite these minor setbacks, Skyward Sword is still an amazing game. With the new flight system, new motion controls, new upgrade systems, and new items, this installment is no "Nintendo re-hash". A lot of things in this game are new and exciting, and definitely worth getting.
Skyward Sword, I will never forget you.… Expand

Just wanted to throw another 10 this game's way (because 7.7 as an average user score is ridiculous) and add: GAME OF THE YEAR. Sorry "Uncharted 3."

Motion controlls lag, camera seems to go off into its own little world so you cant even see whats infront of you. Story is average. Gameplay is fun though. The motion controlls are scripted, and they tend to do something completely different then what you wanted it to do. Theres no voice acting, like wtf Nintendo?

****

This Zelda is one of the best Zelda game ever. First of all the gameplay is great, with the wiimote plus everything you do will be recognized and its really impressive. But because it uses the gyro instead of using the sensor bar you will often of to recenter the wiimote while using items like the slingshot. Graphics are really wonderfull, its are the best you can find on wii, but take care, while playing on an HD TV you might have a lot of aliasing. Classical Story but with tons of surprises in the second part of the game. You will certainly find the beginning of the game to slow and not really impressive, but the second part of the game is really really cool. A must own.… Expand

Just an amazing games. Don't mind these trolls who are marking this game down for no reason. Buy this! It's worth the time and money. Controls are just fine, graphics are probably the best the wii has to offer, and it's just an all-around enjoyable experience.