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Skyward Sword HD: Review Thread

mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
I'll make a quick review thread because nobody else seems to have yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

Take to the skies, draw your sword, and experience the earliest story in the Legend of Zelda series. Join Link in his high-flying quest to save Zelda, a childhood friend who must confront her destiny. Soar between floating islands and descend to the treacherous surface world in this updated HD...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
Currently stands at 82 on Metacritic

Some review quotes:

Gamesradar 80%

Skyward Sword HD gives one of the most misunderstood Legend of Zelda games a second chance. It's an under-appreciated gem, one that finds the space to really breathe with a more reliable and relaxing method of control embedded within it. Skyward Sword has its fair share of problems, but it makes up for many of them in moments of true brilliance and defiance against established series conventions. Say what you will about Skyward Sword, but it's good to be out on an authored adventure with Link again – saving Hyrule one inventive dungeon and challenging boss battle at a time.
Click to expand...

NintendoLife 90%
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD introduces a raft of technical improvements and quality of life updates that reinvigorate and revitalise this ten-year-old game. With motion controls more precise than ever before, an alternate button control scheme that totally works, crisp HD graphics, smooth 60fps gameplay and a bothersome sidekick who's been streamlined into something altogether more useful, this really does feel like Skyward Sword as it was meant to be experienced. Yes, the locking off of instant travel behind the official amiibo is a misstep, but beyond this one issue what's here is a sublime experience, a technical triumph and an absolute must-play for Switch owners and Zelda fans.
Click to expand...
 
mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
SantaC said:
I found that weird as well. Lots of reviewers say it fixes the originals problem and yet it have a 93 at MC. No one except gerstmann dared to give Zelda under a 9.

82 sounds more reasonable.
Click to expand...
www.ign.com

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review - IGN

Nintendo's latest epic adventure is finally here. But can The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword top Ocarina of Time? Our full review is here!
www.ign.com www.ign.com



This is probably the most dishonest review ever.

10/10

and they weren't alone either.
 
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mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
SantaC said:
Well it is IGN, they were known to inflate AAA franchise review scores. Especially in the old days.
Click to expand...
I think to be fair they have improved a little on that front, I haven't seen anything that embarassing for some time. I find their scores mostly fair these days. I could be proven wrong though I haven't paid that much attention to them.
 
SantaC

SantaC

Member
mcjmetroid said:
I think to be fair they have improved a little on that front, I haven't seen anything that embarassing for some time. I find their scores mostly fair these days. I could be proven wrong though I haven't paid that much attention to them.
Click to expand...
Thats why i said in the old days. I dont read them anymore. Their scoring is probably better today.
 
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mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
Tschumi said:
Gaming moves on, subsequent Zelda games always supercede the previous ones, there was a time when SS was "cutting edge", so it's gameplay is hella dated now.. the same could be said about many superceded games
Click to expand...
hmmm I don't know, I'm gonna try not to get into a Twilight Princess vs Skyward Sword debate here but well. Almost everything was done better in Twilight Princess in my opinion. The big one for me is pacing which is a good chuck better in Twilight which I can understand in a review situation where you are rushing a game you don't get to appreciate this aspect of a game.
A lot of Skyward Swords issues were non issues in older Zelda games before it.

Now if the conditions were perfect and I mean perfect then Skyward Sword has a big combat advantage over Twilight Princess with the motion controls. I actually liked the motion controls in the game. Ya they weren't perfect but the game was designed around them and it made Skyward unique.

I think the issue here is ... well Ign didn't finish the game, because Skyward Sword makes a very good first impression ( besides the intro) and is very good for a while but then you get hit hard with fetch quests and obvious padding and it sags hard in the middle somewhere. It's a very hard game to finish overall.
 
Saber

Saber

Gold Member
mcjmetroid said:
I think to be fair they have improved a little on that front, I haven't seen anything that embarassing for some time. I find their scores mostly fair these days. I could be proven wrong though I haven't paid that much attention to them.
Click to expand...

Pokemon Sword score were mostly flawless as well and the reviewer hide herself in a stream unknown to anyone so she could avoid any form criticism(she called people ignorant and didn't adress any bad points of her review).

I already knew beforefront this game would receive great praise for basically almost nothing, no surprises here.
 
Marvel14

Marvel14

Banned
mcjmetroid said:
I'll make a quick review thread because nobody else seems to have yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

Take to the skies, draw your sword, and experience the earliest story in the Legend of Zelda series. Join Link in his high-flying quest to save Zelda, a childhood friend who must confront her destiny. Soar between floating islands and descend to the treacherous surface world in this updated HD...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
Currently stands at 82 on Metacritic

Some review quotes:

Gamesradar 80%



NintendoLife 90%
Click to expand...


Anyone catch the "we're not trying to curry favour with Nintendo at all" Nintendo Life video where they claim added camera control is " a massive new feature" and "a complete game changer"?



Many LOLz.
 
kretos

kretos

Banned
mcjmetroid said:
That's pretty much the review situation with
NIntendo, Rockstar and Sony's first party games.
Click to expand...

with Nintendo yeah but Sony?

you mean like the undeserved hate Days Gone had and the 71 meta?

source.gif
 
Fake

Fake

Member
As I mention before, I saw zero effort to do better justice to the textures. Twilight Princess for Wii U on the other hand get a good work.
 
Marvel14

Marvel14

Banned
Nevan said:
I'm waiting for all the BOTW shills to show up and try to claim some gotcha on SS fans. It's happened several times already on a few other sites I visit. Talos forbid people enjoy other Zelda games more, right? Only BOTW is allowed to be called someone's personal 10/10.
Click to expand...
Hate to spoil your narrative but I bought it 10 years ago excited by the 10/10 that IGN gave it and super angry at Gamestops 7/10 review. When I finished it I was more angry with IGN than with Gamestop. Its a solid 8.5 but far too flawed to be a 10.
 
Daymos

Daymos

Member
I beat it on wii and hated the motion controls, I'm looking forward to giving it a try with the weird stick-snapping controls. I have the soundtrack, the game is featured in hyrule historia, I have zelda art books with a ton of SS stuff in them and it's always been SO depressing to look at cuz honestly I really really hated swinging the sword.

The game doesn't have to control well, theres only so much I expect them to do with mapping motion controls, just has to be passable. I'll get something out of it.
 
bender

bender

What time is it?
Daymos said:
I beat it on wii and hated the motion controls, I'm looking forward to giving it a try with the weird stick-snapping controls. I have the soundtrack, the game is featured in hyrule historia, I have zelda art books with a ton of SS stuff in them and it's always been SO depressing to look at cuz honestly I really really hated swinging the sword.

The game doesn't have to control well, theres only so much I expect them to do with mapping motion controls, just has to be passable. I'll get something out of it.
Click to expand...

That is my biggest concern. Taking motion control (why I skipped the game in the first place) and then shoehorning that into analogue stick gestures just doesn't sound great.
 
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Dynasty8

Dynasty8

Member
This is the first Zelda game I quit half way into it. I just couldn't do it.... The over excessive hand holding, extremely slow and repetitive dialogue, the motion controls, and the game just felt easy.

I don't usually like comparing games, but this came out in 2011... I played Dark Souls for the first time right before this. Imagine that experience and then moving onto Skyward Sword. It was just a big miss IMHO.

I started looking at reviews mich differently after this game.
 
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S

Saint Boot

Banned
Marvel14 said:
Hate to spoil your narrative but I bought it 10 years ago excited by the 10/10 that IGN gave it and super angry at Gamestops 7/10 review. When I finished it I was more angry with IGN than with Gamestop. Its a solid 8.5 but far too flawed to be a 10.
Click to expand...
It's not a "narrative" if I have seen it today already multiple times. Believe and enjoy whatever you want.
 
Dr Bass

Dr Bass

Member
mcjmetroid said:
www.ign.com

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review - IGN

Nintendo's latest epic adventure is finally here. But can The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword top Ocarina of Time? Our full review is here!
www.ign.com www.ign.com



This is probably the most dishonest review ever.

10/10

and they weren't alone either.
Click to expand...

I thought it was a 10 when I played it. The actual sword fighting in a game was a childhood dream come true. I had zero problems with the motion controls.

🤷‍♂️
 
mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
kretos said:
with Nintendo yeah but Sony?

you mean like the undeserved hate Days Gone had and the 71 meta?

source.gif
Click to expand...
I don't want to turn this into a Sony game thread so I won't mention the names of the games I'm picking on but I have seen some suspect ones lately and definetly before.

There are some games that look like they deserve a high score like Ratchet and Clank though. I cannot verify because I don't own a PS5 but sometimes though in reviews you can smell the bullshit
 
Golgo 13

Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
Dr Bass said:
I thought it was a 10 when I played it. The actual sword fighting in a game was a childhood dream come true. I had zero problems with the motion controls.

🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
Speaking of which, I'm guessing you can use motion controls with the joy-con in docked mode? I also didn't have problems with the controls at the time (I remember it required some advanced Wii-mote attachment).
 
mcjmetroid

mcjmetroid

Member
Golgo 13 said:
Thanks for this mcjmetroid mcjmetroid . I’ve already completed this game on Wii (liked it but didn’t love it), yet somehow I’m tempted to get this game. Maybe for the nostalgia? I can’t explain it honestly.
Click to expand...
No problem.
I've criticised this game plenty before it's release. I've somewhat softened on it a little upon reflection. It does seem like they have put... Some effort into this remaster.. not much but for Nintendo.. a lot. It does look nice in motion.

See the thjng with Skyward Sword is.. it's complicated. When it's good it's very good.
Has some amazing highs but unfortunately some lows.

Personally I think the reviews for this version sound too high. I think its a great buy for 30 dollars or half price. But at full price oof I don't know.
 
Quasicat

Quasicat

Member
I was super excited about this a couple of weeks ago with all of the quality of life stuff being added. Then I saw the reviews and saw this comparison video:



Now I just can’t be bothered by it. It looks better, but the idea of dropping $60 on it when I’m not truly convinced I’m going to like it after I fell off hard last time after the first or second dungeon. I was sitting on the fence, but now I will wait for a sale in a couple of years.
 
S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
As a comparison:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

A dark force, shrouded in twilight, has invaded the vast land of Hyrule. To restore light to the world, team up with the mysterious creature Midna and embrace the darkness to transform into a divine wolf. Fight through labyrinthine dungeons, survive puzzling traps in this legendary Zelda...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com


The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

As the purported definitive version of the game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is remastered and presented in 1080p graphics. Gamers can experience high-definition cell-shaded presentation on their TVs or entirely on the Wii U GamePad controller. The streamlined interface lets gamers...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
 
Tschumi

Tschumi

Member
Quasicat said:
I was super excited about this a couple of weeks ago with all of the quality of life stuff being added. Then I saw the reviews and saw this comparison video:



Now I just can’t be bothered by it. It looks better, but the idea of dropping $60 on it when I’m not truly convinced I’m going to like it after I fell off hard last time after the first or second dungeon. I was sitting on the fence, but now I will wait for a sale in a couple of years.
Click to expand...

i think you're confused, i think they're both the same version... i don't blame you it seems like the video has a weird title... maybe i'm the one who's wrong... but it appears that both of them are "HD"...

regardless, i can promise you, i tried to play vanilla SS on my Wii U vWii and it looked far worse than this

EDIT: I was the wrong one, they are different games, but yes I think the difference is HD will look far far better on HD, full size TVs than vanilla does.
 
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fart town usa

fart town usa

Gold Member
If you go into this game expecting a 7/10 you will not be disappointed.

Anyone heaping praise on this game is setting you up for failure.

It's not a bad game by any means but just know you're gonna get frustrated at points. Breathe, step away for a bit and come back when you're chill.

Tschumi said:
i think you're confused, i think they're both the same version... i don't blame you it seems like the video has a weird title... maybe i'm the one who's wrong... but it appears that both of them are "HD"...

regardless, i can promise you, i tried to play vanilla SS on my Wii U vWii and it looked far worse than this
Click to expand...

Depends really, if you played SS exclusively on the Wii U gamepad you'd see the game as it was meant to be presented. That small 480p screen makes the game absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately it also requires the gamepad stand but in an ideal world SS on the gamepad with headphones is a fantastic experience.
 
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KungFucius

KungFucius

King Snowflake
Yoboman said:
Somehow this game originally got a 93 and only now reviewers are being honest with its faults
Click to expand...
Why would a 10 year old game with a resolution bump be expected to score the same as it did 10 years ago? The game is dated and also has to "compete" with BoTW. I'd argue the 93 would scale to maybe a 78 just based on the fact that games have evolved.

A remaster of TOOT shouldn't score anywhere near the high 9s unless it was a remake. I tried playing Mario 64 too and it was a bit painful, though in 1996 it was amazing.

It's less likely some conspiracy, and more likely that the Zelda fans that reviewed the game back in 2011 really liked it.
 
S

SpongebobSquaredance

Unconfirmed Member
KungFucius said:
A remaster of TOOT shouldn't score anywhere near the high 9s unless it was a remake.
Click to expand...
except it did:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D takes the best-reviewed game of all time for a brand-new experience. Now in 3D all of the graphic textures and colors have been vastly improved, taking advantage of the considerable graphic power of the Nintendo 3DS system. This game tells the epic story...
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com

okay to be fair, it was a little more than just a resolution bump with a few QOL changes, but still I wouldn't consider it a full remake.
 
Quasicat

Quasicat

Member
Tschumi said:
i think you're confused, i think they're both the same version... i don't blame you it seems like the video has a weird title... maybe i'm the one who's wrong... but it appears that both of them are "HD"...

regardless, i can promise you, i tried to play vanilla SS on my Wii U vWii and it looked far worse than this

EDIT: I was the wrong one, they are different games, but yes I think the difference is HD will look far far better on HD, full size TVs than vanilla does.
Click to expand...
I understand what you’re saying. I still have my Wii U and original Skyward Sword and I’m just going to add it to my list of games I will pick up when my Wii U dies. As I’ve gotten older, I’m finding that I really need to stop wasting my money on games I’ve already bought.
 
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