Complaints about Skyward Sword?

[jasonmaivia]

They should give Midna her own game in her imp or original form, and/or put her in the next Super Smash Bros game.

[Gakdudes]

I'd like if they put Fi in Smash Bros so I could beat the crap out of her.

[Ngamer01]

She'd be invincible though and be even worse than Mr. Resetti (Animal Crossing).

"Master, there is a 100% chance using the Control Stick and the B Button will let you use your special moves." <.<

Or "Master, you are precariously hanging off a cliff edge. There is a 90% chance you'll be knocked off unless you climb up, do a counter recovery, or do a defensive recovery." >.>

[Dinosaur Rex]

Damn Fi won't shut up, I know my health is low, I know that my batteries are low.

The final boss is easy, Epic but easy.

But I liked that I felt lost for the first time in years, I didn't know what to do, at that time I was ignoring every thing Fi said to me since she talks like a freaking computer, I didn't know what to do, it felt great. Since dowsing is not mandatory I didn't use it, so exploring felt great, I would've liked a "go to wherever you want, and get your ass kicked" like the first zelda, but this game kicked my ass several times.

[Rock Lobster]

I don't want to get into any arguments, but I figure I'll voice my opinion. I liked the game a lot, and it was definitely one of my 2011 favorites.

The one word that sums up all my qualms with Skyward Sword is repetition. From the missions to the Imprisoned fights to the Siren world tasks, I felt like I was doing the exact same thing frequently. This disappoints me because when the game introduced something new, it did so really well. Had it made each experience the player goes through fresh, then it would have been even more enjoyable.
Oh, and I can't forget my 2 cents on the oft-maligned Fi: her obvious statements and constant reminders did get irritating, but she was loveable in the end. While Navi was just a floating ball of light, Fi had much more character: her appearance, graceful dances, and quirky robotic dialogue made her less generic than some other assistants. I may not like her nearly as much as Midna, but the point is she didn't ruin the game for me.

[DeadPix1119]

I just picked this game up, late I know. So far I really like it. I am about 20 hours in and it is great. The only problem that I am having is that my Wii will freeze during loading screens at least once everytime I play it. Has this happened to anyone else.

[jasonmaivia]

I just picked this game up, late I know. So far I really like it. I am about 20 hours in and it is great. The only problem that I am having is that my Wii will freeze during loading screens at least once everytime I play it. Has this happened to anyone else.

I didn't have any problems with my game. If you just got it, maybe you can exchange it for another one (find your receipt).

[Jerome]

I'm about 12 hours into SS currently, and my impressions so far are that the game is quite impressive from a presentation standpoint, and I'm glad to see a game other than Wii Sports Resort that actually puts Motion Plus to good use, but I find many of the design decisions rather disappointing.

My main gripe with the game is that it progresses SOOOOOO SLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY. The amount of cutscenes and tutorials is pretty overwhelming, and it takes well over an hour to get to the first real level, which IMO is kinda ridiculous. The fetch quests I've had to do so far have been quite tedious and feel very much like unnecessary padding to make the game longer, and apparently there are going to be many more to come (ugh...). Also, from what I've heard, it seems I'll have to re-visit the 3 main areas multiple times each, and that prospect does not excite me. Some of this dragging on comes in with the layout of the game itself, in that you have to travel to and from Skyloft constantly, to place tablets for unlocking levels, visit the apparently one and only(!) shop in the game, and things like that.

Then there is the new "overworld" structure, which I feel was a missed opportunity. In addition to the sky being surprisingly barren, I've found the overworld layout on the surface somewhat disappointing. When I first heard that the overworld/dungeon structure was being overhauled, I didn't realize that meant making it into a linear, pseudo-dungeon. Since that's now the case, the game seems very much one-note to me, lacking the variety of the earlier games in the series. Also, the environments, while nicely rendered, aren't very imaginative or fresh, depending on the forest/desert/fire themes the series has been using for decades.

Finally, the motion controls. I am glad to finally see something besides a minigame collection using Motion Plus, but I have to say I'm disappointed by their implementation here. I mean, they work decently enough (though the aiming controls can easily go wonky), but I just don't enjoy the combat that much. It's somewhat frustrating to engage an enemy and look for an opening, swing your sword accurately, and get instantly blocked repeatedly. It seems the designers have in mind a specific sequence of attacks which are necessary to strike a blow on an enemy, and if you don't do the "right" thing, your attacks won't work. As I don't like the combat being made into a series of puzzles (don't care for lots of puzzles in Zelda anyway), most of the time I end up just waggling the controller until the bad guys are dead. I thought this game was supposed to put an end to that, but given the choice between waggling the Wiimote and playing a Punch-Out clone with every enemy, I'll go with waggle. Sad to say, but I think I prefer the combat in Ocarina or Wind Waker.

From all these gripes, you'd think I thought Skyward Sword was a terrible game, but I don't, I just don't think it's as good as it should have been. It's got some enjoyable elements to it, such as the excellent soundtrack and very pretty, colorful visuals, and the dungeons proper are pretty well done. The series has gotten very bloated over time, though, with endless exposition, tutorials, and cutscenes, a huge focus on menial tasks like puzzles and fetch quests, and has become too stuck in its own traditions and lore to feel very fresh.

[jasonmaivia]

The game doesn't suck, but I definitely don't like everything this game does.

-It seems like you were on a near-endless quest to fetch/collect stuff.
You have to get Item A to get to Place B, but Person C told you that in order to get Item A, you have to go to collect something from Place 1, 2, and 3. ...and you do so, but only after you collect Items D, E, and F (one at a time) to get into Place 1, 2 and 3, but not before more FRICKEN TRIALS!

-There really is too much back-tracking. I was upset having to go from one area back to skyloft, then to the thunderhead, then to another area, back to skyloft, back to the thunderhead, etc..

-The

Spoiler:

Hylian Shield

came waaaaaaay to late in the game. Even though it isn't necessary, by the time you get it, the game is over.

-Like every other Zelda game, it's too easy to earn money. I didn't use any extra medels (only the heart medal in my 2nd playthrough and the cursed medal to see what it does), and by the end of the game, I was freakin' rich, even after buying and upgrading everything for no reason.

-The game is still easy. No need for a shield. There were only a few times where I was low on health, but that was because of my recklessness. I totally forgot to buy potions the first time around, except for a sidequest. I did carry fairies in jars (just in case), but when the game was done, I still had those fairies.

-Repeat bosses. I am always against it. This game just kept throwing them at me with a couple of changes here and there.

-I think the game tells a story better than any previous Zelda game.

-Motion controls. They aren't 100% accurate. I'd like them more if they were, but that's for the future. Having to shake the Nunchuck to pull out/use the shield and to roll? I didn't like that at all. It should have been hold Z button to block, timing the button press to shield bash.

-One thing that I also didn't like much was how the bow was used. I mean, it's used the same way as in Wii Sports resort, but in Zelda, the nunchuck's in your left hand, where in Wii Sports Resort, it's in your Right.
I'm used to drawing the string with my right hand in real life, but Zelda doesn't give you the option to switch controls. Plus, when you're in the middle of a battle, or when you need to use it quickly, or while on the move, you won't have time to switch hands. If both controllers had Motion Plus tech, there wouldn't be any problems.
Well, there's also the option of just holding the A button on the Remote, but I like using motion for things like this.

-Music was pretty good. I still have Nayru's Wisdom stuck in my head, and I can play it already on piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMU9Cihjwo


-I'd love to have more areas to visit in the next game, and if they were more "connected" with a good overworld with lots of secrets and hidden areas.

Jerome
Yes, you do revisit the areas multiple times, but they'll sometimes be different experiences than the first time you went through them, like being able to go to expanded areas that you couldn't have before or having to through an area that have been changed.

[NightsOwl]

Might as well put my two sense in.

Granted that I got 50 hours out of it, (Not even 100%'d though, I may add) The main story sections need to be longer. I like Zelda, but if they were 200 hour games, I'd feel even more connected to the game at the end, if I spent more time in the world and with the characters. I've known Link and the like since I was a kid, but they constantly restart, so it's like meeting an old friend from forever ago, only him being a bit different from what you remember. In good and bad ways.

Lack of exploration in a big open world ON GROUND, I missed. Twilight Princess did it wrong, it was so empty, But I hope in the future a Zelda game can give me a full overworld where it feels like a full course meal instead of a snack, or a filling fatty food.

Refighting the same boss 3 times, was a big no. I want amazing boss fights like most are. They're clever, and fun to play again and again, even if they're easy.

And my last complaint is... Stabbing. It was a pain in the butt. I could get it work when I needed it to. But the only way I could do it, is in a really awkward and annoying jerking motion forward, and even then, it took it a second to register.

[KingBroly]

How about "NO" to a longer Zelda game? The last 4 Zelda games (TP, PH, ST, SS) were all way too long and padded length wise. Twilight Princess was padded early on with the Wolf sections and SS was padded later on with fetch quests. The next Zelda game needs to be...20-30 hours long, not 40-50. The context of the content should matter.

[jasonmaivia]

How about "NO" to a longer Zelda game? The last 4 Zelda games (TP, PH, ST, SS) were all way too long and padded length wise. Twilight Princess was padded early on with the Wolf sections and SS was padded later on with fetch quests. The next Zelda game needs to be...20-30 hours long, not 40-50. The context of the content should matter.

I have to agree. Making Skyward Sword longer with numerous fetch quests just didn't make it more fun. I'm totally fine with a 30-50 hour game, but only if I'm given lots of time to explore on my own, if the game has a great story to tell all the way through to the end, and if the game always gave me new places, puzzles, and bosses to take on.

About half of those fetch missions could have been saved for a second quest, what "Hero Mode" should have been. It'll almost be like the first Zelda game, where the player has much better reasons to continue playing the game after the end.

[bellboy]

How about "NO" to a longer Zelda game? The last 4 Zelda games (TP, PH, ST, SS) were all way too long and padded length wise. Twilight Princess was padded early on with the Wolf sections and SS was padded later on with fetch quests. The next Zelda game needs to be...20-30 hours long, not 40-50. The context of the content should matter.

I have to agree. Making Skyward Sword longer with numerous fetch quests just didn't make it more fun. I'm totally fine with a 30-50 hour game, but only if I'm given lots of time to explore on my own, if the game has a great story to tell all the way through to the end, and if the game always gave me new places, puzzles, and bosses to take on.

About half of those fetch missions could have been saved for a second quest, what "Hero Mode" should have been. It'll almost be like the first Zelda game, where the player has much better reasons to continue playing the game after the end.

I reckon that part of Majora's Mask's popularity may have to do with the fact that most of it (side-quests) was optional and wasn't quite so ridgedly structured. You could beat the game and be done with it or you could delve a little deeper and find so much more to do in Termina. Heck the Bomber's Notebook isn't given to you unless you put the work in!
Skyward Sword's problems are plentiful or bare depending on who you ask but the one thing that I say SS needed were more dungeons. (Majora's Mask didn't need anymore because there was nothing in your way to beating the game after the last dungeon)
I don't believe that SS's fetch quests would have been quite as obnoxious had there been another dungeon or so.
They said on the run-up to SS's release that it was no longer about how many dungeons there were and I agreed at the time. But in hindsight you need dungeons for good structure in my opinion. If you spend a lot of time doing next to nothing you'll notice. The Hero's Song was not engaging at al.

[KingBroly]

Majora's Mask's side quests were a main part of the game though, like Mass Effect 2's loyalty missions. You didn't have to do them to beat the game, but you did them for the best possible ending. MM's side quests were also emotionally rewarding and the people affected were similar to Link's plight at the beginning of the game. So in essence, the beginning of the game is just a side quest.

However, they were also pretty varied and even though they offered the same type of reward by beating them (Masks), each of them were also unique. This is something Skyward Sword, or any other Zelda game for that matter, cannot say. These side quests are the type of side quests people want out of Zelda games. Not a 'go here, do X, come back here to get Star Bits' quest over and over again that Skyward Sword provides.

In reality, Majora's Mask is the type of Zelda game that fans want, but are quickly to shun when it isn't in Ocarina of Time's repetitious scenario.

[Devil_Rising]

I wouldn't say it's fair to state that Majora's Mask is "THE type of Zelda game that fans want". I'd say it's the kind that SOME fans (most likely big fans of MM) want. Me personally, I don't really want another MM. At least not the re-setting time (aka doing s*** over and over) mechanic. Decent game. But OoT/TP were more what I wanted from 3D Zelda. Though SS did have some elements I really liked, and wouldn't mind them using again. (motion controls for everything not being one of them).

[Carbondog]

I was just at a Gamestop the other day and there was a guy who was complaining that there was nothing to play on Wii so he was selling his system back to them. So I asked him if he tried Skyward Sword, he was like "No, I only like the old ones. All the new ones suck and not worth any ones time". Skyward Sword is a high mark in a very highly regarded series. Its just sad that there are people out there that don't even try newer entries because they are not old, they think there is no nostalgia, its not a classic, or just because its on Wii.

[jasonmaivia]

I was just at a Gamestop the other day and there was a guy who was complaining that there was nothing to play on Wii so he was selling his system back to them. So I asked him if he tried Skyward Sword, he was like "No, I only like the old ones. All the new ones suck and not worth any ones time". Skyward Sword is a high mark in a very highly regarded series. Its just sad that there are people out there that don't even try newer entries because they are not old, they think there is no nostalgia, its not a classic, or just because its on Wii.

New Zelda or not, he's right about there not being much to play on Wii.

[Sailing_Day]

I wouldn't say it's fair to state that Majora's Mask is "THE type of Zelda game that fans want". I'd say it's the kind that SOME fans (most likely big fans of MM) want. Me personally, I don't really want another MM. At least not the re-setting time (aka doing s*** over and over) mechanic. Decent game. But OoT/TP were more what I wanted from 3D Zelda. Though SS did have some elements I really liked, and wouldn't mind them using again. (motion controls for everything not being one of them).

I don't think when people say they want "another MM" they mean they want the clock, they mean they want a Zelda game with that Dungeons-to-Side Quest ratio, and I have to agree with that. What is wrong with Skyward Sword is that structurally it is still the same as other Zelda games, no matter how improved the combat is. They tried to change things up by adding even more fluff to the overworld and the afromentioned obnoxious fetching and backtracking portions, all of these which brought the game as a whole down for me. The game is still linear, and there's not that many interesting things to do outside of the storyline. Majora's Mask's sidequests were both plentiful and very well thought out, with their own self contained storylines that felt as meaningful as the main story. Also, having more sidequests not only allows the main story to be more concise and less dragged out, as it has felt in the past few Zelda games, but it allows players to have more unique experiences by giving them more freedom. I feel like that's the direction I want Zelda to move in.

So, I don't know if this bothered anyone else, but having the overworld partitioned like it was took away a lot from the grandeur that used to come with exploring a Zelda overworld. As empty as it was, it felt so great in Twilight Princess to simply gallop around that huge overworld, and that feeling just wasn't there in Skyward Sword. It didn't help that the motion controlled flying was a pain. I don't think Skyward Sword was bad, it did a lot of things right, like the presentation, story and the difficulty curve, but overall it is not at all close to being my favorite Zelda game.