The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Solid SOAP]

I think it's funny how often the series completely changes art direction, yet how the game mechanics themselves still manage to be exactly the same, and each game winds up appealing to a completely different audience each time.

[Saint Nathan]

Yeah the constantly changing art style for each game is one of the best parts of Zelda games.

I'd be really sad if they just went off and did just one style.

[JezMM]

DAT REALISM.

Yeah honestly I never understood the complaints about TP's art style...

Edited December 14, 2011 by JezMM

[Conando]

I think the more "realistic" textures makes some of the characters look INCREDIBLY stupid. They're entitled to looking stupid when they're paintings or cartoons, at least. Still, it was quite nice to see them take such a different direction after Wind Waker, then to try merging the two with Skyward Sword.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Kringle Of Fate

[JezMM]

I found TP's look to be rather rich, warm and luxurious. Wind Waker was bright, clean and optimistic.

Skyward Sword is for sure something inbetween, though I think I do actually prefer being at the far ends of the spectrum than in the middle, dunno. I also thought the watercolour blurring effect, while clever and good looking, also ruined any possibilities of vista-esque views that Twilight Princess was awesome at.

Man though, Wind Waker was at sea the whole time, why does it feel like it had more variety in locations than SS though? I still really dislike that they had just 3 regions that were used 3 times each.

Edited December 14, 2011 by JezMM

[-Mark-]

I think the more "realistic" textures makes some of the characters look INCREDIBLY stupid. They're entitled to looking stupid when they're paintings or cartoons, at least. Still, it was quite nice to see them take such a different direction after Wind Waker, then to try merging the two with Skyward Sword.

This, so much.

I mean, Skyward Sword is basically just Twilight Princess with cel-shading, but it makes so much difference. It's more the shading and texture styles than the designs themselves that looked gritty and visually dull. D:

[Detective Shadzter]

Skyward Sword save glitch will be fixed

http://www.computera...-will-be-fixed/

I wonder how they'll do that online patch. I've seen them patch VC games by re-downloading them from the Wii Shop Channel, but I don't recall retail games ever getting a patch online.

[Koopalmier]

So.

Just got the game.

After 5 hours of playing, here's my opinion:

this game is fucking awesome.

I ABSOLTELY LOVE it. Waaaaay better than Ocarina of Time (yes, i just went there). I love how everything is basically a dungeon. Love the controls too. Love the characters and story. Love the graphics. Love the music. Aw yeah.

[speedfreak]

A bit OT but this BETTER come to America.

http://www.nintendo....book/index.html

It's a Zelda art book along with facts about Hyrule and other things to do with the Zelda franchise.

We bought the most copies of Skyward Sword Nintendo! Translate dis shit and bring it over seas!

Edited December 15, 2011 by speedfreak

[Marcello]

Skyward Sword manga:

First thing, there are two links with different clothes there. The one on the top left looks like OOT Link. Wonder what that's about..

Not a fan of the art style. Himekawa's art looked better in the other manga. Don't like how Zelda looks here at all Or maybe that's Hylia. I hope so.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Christmas MaRCELLOF

[lounge]

yuck! I hate it when they make the characters look so unbelievably different from how they're supposed to look. Characters look stupid.

[Marcello]

I think SS Link looks fine. It's just Zelda that irks me. She lost her "cuteness" from the game.

[lounge]

I think the artist made Link too anime-ish / cartoonish in a really generic looking way. Not that it really matters to me. I don't read manga.

[Marcello]

I don't really see that to be honest.

Anyway, the more I look at the picture, the more I'm sure that is Hylia, or at least not Zelda. She looks to old to be Zelda, her hair is much longer, she has more jewelry and she's missing the wristbands.

And the guy on the left doesn't seem to be OOT Link just being there for the picture, but some knight. He has a cape or scarf and he's on the picture on the right. My guess he's guard or close friend of Hylia's, similar to Link and Zelda. Making me think the manga starts with directly telling us about the past instead of as a legend like in the game.

Edit: On a German forum I go to, someone translated some of the sentences and it is Hylia! Hooray!

Edited December 15, 2011 by Christmas MaRCELLOF

[Conando]

Yeah, Link looks pretty ok. Zelda looks completely different and it irks me.

[speedfreak]

Yeah, Link looks pretty ok. Zelda looks completely different and it irks me.

It's not Zelda, It's Hylia. The picture at the top is some past version of Link and the girl is Hylia. The manga's do this extended story stuff sometimes. They did some Fierce Deity origin in the MM manga but it was kinda strange.

Edit: Put it in spoilers considering it is a pretty big spoiler for anyone who didn't finish SS yet.

Edited December 15, 2011 by speedfreak

[Koopalmier]

Mmh. This game definitely hints at past events (ruined temples, stuff before the story, yadda yadda). Also, am I taking this too far or there are many hints at robots and a higher technology than mere medieval stuff ?

I could see a game taking place before SS, in a actually quite technologically advanced Hyrule. It'd star a new protagonist, Hylia and

Demise

and expand on SS' backstory.

Epic bonus points if we learn Hyrule was actually a future Earth before.

I can see a Zelda game with such elements keeping its atmosphere. Just don't make the protagonist a F-Zero racer or someting.

[Ekaje]

I'm not sure how a prequel would work since

Demise talks about how he had never met a human who would stand against him before SS Link.

[SuperStingray]

I really liked how at the end of the game,

Demise said he would return in a new form, implying Ganondorf is him reincarnated.

Epic bonus points if we learn Hyrule was actually a future Earth before.

That would be horrible. The point of fantasy games is to stay as far removed from a realistic and explainable paradigm as possible, and Zelda has spent 25 years trying to create its own universe. Suddenly being revealed that it's a future Earth would add nothing to the universe at large.

Edited December 15, 2011 by SuperStingray

[Melru]

.......

......Hylia, huh? Looks like Zelda? I'm going to take a gander and say that Zelda turns into her, or something. I'm only in the ancient cistern.

Well, thats it. I hope I didn't just spoil the biggest part of the game. =/ Good bye.

[JezMM]

.......

......Hylia, huh? Looks like Zelda? I'm going to take a gander and say that Zelda turns into her, or something. I'm only in the ancient cistern.

Well, thats it. I hope I didn't just spoil the biggest part of the game. =/ Good bye.

[ThatGuyJay]

So I'm done with exams in school so I can finish the game. I have to say, I really enjoyed getting the Fire Dragon's piece of song. I completed the Hero song quest out of order (I did Water, Thunder, then Fire) and I was so paranoid about getting that glitch. Luckily it didn't happen.

[Patticus]

Not sure if posted already, but...

http://vgtribune.com...imeline-reveal/

Apparently the official Zelda timeline is finally going to be revealed in a 25th anniversary collector's book called Hyrule Historia. It hits Japanese stores on the 21st of December.

Will this finally put an end to the heated fanboy debates? Probably not.

[JezMM]

Lol, bet it only includes like the "big" games or something. Oh oh, or it'll have just as many flaws/contradictions as most timeline theories do.

But nah, I kid, not really that pessimistic. I look forward to seeing that.

[Patticus]

Lol, bet it only includes like the "big" games or something. Oh oh, or it'll have just as many flaws/contradictions as most timeline theories do.

I'm less worried about that than I am about the myriad mistranslations - some deliberate and some accidental - that will no doubt be all over the Internet for the month or so following that book's release. Unless it's being released in English too.