So I beat this game a few days ago and while I enjoyed it for the most part I can't help but be somewhat letdown.
I really tried to push any negative opinions to the back of my mind because I really wanted to love the game but the whole thing just felt small. Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda and in my mind I hold it to a very high standard and so maybe it's unfair but I kept comparing Skyward Sword to it. Wind Waker has such a vast and open sea to explore with endless amounts of dungeons to explore, minigames to play, characters to meet and so on. When I saw that you would be flying your board through the sky in SS I was totally stoked. Just like Wind Waker! So I was terribly disappointed when I realized most of the things floating in the sky were rocks with one or two enemies on it. The Sky felt lifeless, beautiful but mostly empty. And there is a huge disconnect between the three main areas on land and Skyloft.
As I advanced in the game I kept hoping that the thunderhead would lead to a whole new area with plenty to explore and new land areas to find and then just like I'd guessed there was hardly anything there. Yeah, the three main land areas had more to explore but it just felt samey and linear. Skyward Sword for me lacks greatly in the sense of exploration that Wind Waker and other Zelda games have.
The game is awesome in terms of narrative, design and gameplay but fuck the overworld is lacking. You guys get me?
I can understand those complaints about SS, but man I don't know why the Great Sea's reputation has increased so much recently, I distinctly remember people complaining about its emptiness back in the day and I still think it's one of the weakest overworlds
The only thing I liked about the overworld was Salvatore. Most of it were either filler, towns or dungeons. The fire and ice isles as well as the ghost ship were too little too late. They're no Gerudo's Training Ground.
I don't know why the Great Sea's reputation has increased so much recently, I distinctly remember people complaining about its emptiness back in the day and I still think it's one of the weakest overworlds
I agree. They should probably replay it again and see how empty it really is.
The only thing that really made the Great Sea feel big is that it took forever to get where you wanted to go unless you can warp there. The sky feels smaller because it is much quicker to traverse and get to your destination.
Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
Wind Waker has such a vast and open sea to explore with endless amounts of dungeons to explore, minigames to play, characters to meet and so on.
Er, Skyward Sword has as many dungeons as Wind Waker. Lots more if you use a broader definition of dungeon. I also remember being endlessly disappointed at how empty and uninteresting almost all the islands were in WW.
I agree that the Great Sea gave a better sense of wide-open exploration than the sky. I liked flying a *lot* better than sailing though. And SS's surface world is much much bigger and interesting than the total land area of Wind Waker.
For a while I kept the opinion that the sailing was bad after the first hour, and then I actually replayed it after I started hearing all the nostalgia about WW and it was even worse because I forgot you had to change the goddamn wind
Yah ... that applies to criticism of instruments as well. I didn't have a problem with the harp, but even if you did, at least you get to strum along to background music in the game at your fancy, and if you don't like it you only really have to use it three times. The wind waker was just a pointless timesink and you had to use it all the damn time.
Keep in mind that comparison of Wind Waker to Skyward Sword is basically impossible anyway.
One major reason being that WW has like four towns to SS's one. Outset Island, Kakariko, Dragonroost, and the Great Tree (debatably). The towns are interesting and have varied environments that require some puzzle solving, but they're not monster-filled. Do they count as interesting bits of overworld? I don't know.
There was something really cool and beautiful about sailing towards the horizon as the sun sets and the stars come out. That feeling, not to mention the real-time day/night cycle, is missing from SS.
But I'm sure that approach would require all kinds of technical sacrifices. So I dunno. I'm not sold on SS's surface overworld either, but I'm glad they tried a fresh approach at least.
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Whoever designed the Pumpkin Toss game can kill themselves. Took me 50 tries due to the semi-random nature of Fledge tossing a pumpkin way the fuck out there when I was in the middle of a streak. Finally got it with 730 points, but goddamn that was not fun.
The only thing I liked about the overworld was Salvatore. Most of it were either filler, towns or dungeons. The fire and ice isles as well as the ghost ship were too little too late. They're no Gerudo's Training Ground.
Anyone who does not like the Fishmen should be dragged out into the street and beaten.
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Honestly, while I've been generally enjoying SS, it's very much still true that the whole Zelda 'formula' has stagnated quite a bit. Not to say they aren't still 'above average' games, but they're hardly the top of the heap by any measure.
What I don't get is why they keep some things the same that no one likes - the ass-slow pacing (at times), the finicky auto-jumping off a cliff to your 'death', the constant reminder of what an item - any item - does, the hand holding that feels more like you're being forcibly dragged, etc etc. While I've felt it before, never more so than in SS have I had this feeling of by-the-numbers Zelda-ness.
Basically what I'm saying is the series needs a reboot, badly, and new (at times gimmicky) controls weren't it. Hopefully with a return to a more 'standard' controller in the Wii U, they'll spend less time on swim controls and more on delivering something new.
The only thing I liked about the overworld was Salvatore. Most of it were either filler, towns or dungeons. The fire and ice isles as well as the ghost ship were too little too late. They're no Gerudo's Training Ground.
Anyone who does not like the Fishmen should be dragged out into the street and beaten.
I liked it more in Phantom Hourglass where you had to draw one of the islands on the map. I hope they bring that back on the Wii U. Despite the tower retreading, I freakin' loooooove Phantom Hourglass.
Honestly, while I've been generally enjoying SS, it's very much still true that the whole Zelda 'formula' has stagnated quite a bit. Not to say they aren't still 'above average' games, but they're hardly the top of the heap by any measure.
What I don't get is why they keep some things the same that no one likes - the ass-slow pacing (at times), the finicky auto-jumping off a cliff to your 'death', the constant reminder of what an item - any item - does, the hand holding that feels more like you're being forcibly dragged, etc etc. While I've felt it before, never more so than in SS have I had this feeling of by-the-numbers Zelda-ness.
Basically what I'm saying is the series needs a reboot, badly, and new (at times gimmicky) controls weren't it. Hopefully with a return to a more 'standard' controller in the Wii U, they'll spend less time on swim controls and more on delivering something new.
It would be difficult for me to disagree with a post more. As far as I'm concerned, Skyward Sword is so far beyond quality of any other title I've played this year that it makes comparisons feel forced. This is how the Zelda series has always felt to me, though. No other game, individually or on a broader scope of entire franchises, feels comparable to the collective quality of Zelda.
Saying that this series needs a reboot is just beyond my personal comprehension - the concept doesn't mesh with how I think of the franchise. I've always felt it has been the pinnacle of game design, and remains so with SS. My enjoyment of the motion controls contributes to this opinion greatly, naturally, but the structure of the game is inherently enjoyable to me. What people refer to as the "Zelda formula" has always resonated with me, so much so that I'm usually the one saying, "If they retained this game structure with the same level of quality, I would play Zelda forever." And I would. It probably seems trite or an untenable position to somehow who still thinks the series "needs to change," but I have never got a feeling of uncomfortable familiarity in any Zelda game.
But then again, that's just me.
I think Skyward Sword is a remarkable success in a remarkable franchise, and I am once again left pining for the next Zelda game, no matter the direction is heads.
Graviija on
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
I have nothing against motion controls, they just don't add a whole lot here. They're also not very responsive. As for the rest of your post, I'm not sure what to tell you if you enjoy a series that hasn't evolved in any meaningful way since it went 3D. If you think the last few Zelda games are the pinnacle of quality, I'm not sure what to tell you. Play more games?
I have nothing against motion controls, they just don't add a whole lot here. They're also not very responsive. As for the rest of your post, I'm not sure what to tell you if you enjoy a series that hasn't evolved in any meaningful way since it went 3D. If you think the last few Zelda games are the pinnacle of quality, I'm not sure what to tell you. Play more games?
I play a lot of games. Zelda is still the best. I guess that's all there is to say.
Complaints against auto-jump kinda boggle my mind. I've never had a problem with jumping in Zelda ever and it's rarely required. A button for jump would just be wasted (though I think SS had some to spare so there is that).
New franchise is always more preferable than reboot or drastic re-imagining of an existing one. Yah it does kind of suck that the super-talented people at Nintendo rarely put out a new IP but there are other game makers out there. The closest I'd want any Nintendo franchise to be changed as much as people seem to want is for them to be handed to Retro, they can do no wrong.
Personally I don't see how people consider Zelda to 'never change'. Twilight Princess was pretty much the only one (in my opinion) that got stuck trying to be something else (Ocarina of Time).
As for motion control I want it to stay (in Zelda) forever and ever. There are some improvements that can be made for sure but hopefully nothing that would require new hardware since Wii stuff is going to be compatible with the Wii U.
Dritz on
There I was, 3DS: 2621-2671-9899 (Ekera), Wii U: LostCrescendo
Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
edited December 2011
It's not auto-jump that bugs me, it's that you can auto-jump off things accidentally that you have no excuse to actually jump off. Sure it's 'freedom', but it's pointless and happens all too often when the camera decides it doesn't way to play ball. Not to mention if it happens on Skyloft, you have to sit through a 20s lecture from one of the knights. It's fucking obnoxious.
Like, I'm not saying it's a bad game. It's not. It's a good game, but, it has so many stupid issues that have been around FOREVER that I can't see why people think it's one of the best games in a long time. Like, my favourite series is Silent Hill and I think a lot of the recent games have been rather subpar. I'm not sure why Zelda is such a sacred cow still.
Edit: It honestly sounds like some people just like/love the game forcing its brand of pacing on you. I can't stand it, but hey, to each their own.
I've never heard of that problem, Link doesn't jump off unless you're running so just be more careful around cliffs
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
It mainly happens during those times the camera decides to do a random 180 and I think I'm running towards, say, a monster and instead am running into the clouds. It's not a huge thing, it's just annoying.
The stuff that really bugs me I've already mentioned:
- Forced Pacing
- Annoying controls for many things
- Game treats you like you're stupid
- Several things feel very inefficient - such as buying things (takes much too long to buy things like arrows)
- Story feels like a retread of a retread. I know that's 'Zelda', but.. yeah.
The thing that bugs me the most though is that many of the problems have been around for a long time and not only are they not fixed, but apparently now they're 'features'. At the very least the game lets you skip (some) cutscenes.
What is "forced pacing"? And what story-based, guided action/adventure game doesn't "force" you along at the pace the game designers decided worked best? Obviously an open-world RPG like Skyrim leaves itself open to being played at the pace of the player, but games like Uncharted or Portal 2 all move you along in a particular way. Or is that somehow different to you?
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Well forced pacing only bothers me when the default (and only) setting is 'ridiculously slow'. It just feels like you have to go through so much tedium to do any of the fun stuff. Like the tadtones thing? People actually enjoyed that? Sure, it only took half an hour, but it was one of the most boring half hours I've experienced in gaming. Not to mention why is the Water Dragon still dicking with me? How much more shit do I need to do to 'prove' myself?
I will say the repeated boss fights don't bother me much. Zelda has always gotten bosses down pretty good and I'll be happy to try out the Boss Rush I've heard about once I get to it.
I mean, I get where you're coming from. Change too much and it's not a 'Zelda' game. However, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. I'd love to see what RE4-reimagning of gameplay would do in a series like Zelda. Chances are it won't happen, but I can dream.
Also, I'm only arguing about this cause I actually like the series and want it to grow. I just feel like it hasn't been.
Ah those aren't to bad of complaints. The stuff that kind of annoys me is make it more like X game or make it steam punk.
Those knight guys are annoying. I hate NPCs in games that treat the hero like crap especially in this case where the knights should know I'm doing some important crap and what are they doing with their lives? A smarter auto jump would be a good addition, just not a jump button... though roc's feather/cape in a 3D Zelda might be kind of cool.
There I was, 3DS: 2621-2671-9899 (Ekera), Wii U: LostCrescendo
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Yeah like, I'm fine with the basic tenants of the Zelda game: Overworld, dungeons, special weapons, big bad, and all that. I don't want it to be like any other game, I just think they could stand to drop some of the more annoying things like the whole "THIS ITEM DOES THIS, LET ME TELL YOU 30 MORE TIMES BEFORE THE GAME ENDS" and so on. Hell, just make an option for turning off the various guides or something. They let you change your UI so you don't have a phantom Wiimote on your screen, I'm sure they could make it so the game doesn't keep telling you what shit does.
Well forced pacing only bothers me when the default (and only) setting is 'ridiculously slow'. It just feels like you have to go through so much tedium to do any of the fun stuff. Like the tadtones thing? People actually enjoyed that? Sure, it only took half an hour, but it was one of the most boring half hours I've experienced in gaming. Not to mention why is the Water Dragon still dicking with me? How much more shit do I need to do to 'prove' myself?
I will say the repeated boss fights don't bother me much. Zelda has always gotten bosses down pretty good and I'll be happy to try out the Boss Rush I've heard about once I get to it.
I mean, I get where you're coming from. Change too much and it's not a 'Zelda' game. However, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. I'd love to see what RE4-reimagning of gameplay would do in a series like Zelda. Chances are it won't happen, but I can dream.
Also, I'm only arguing about this cause I actually like the series and want it to grow. I just feel like it hasn't been.
... Twilight Princess_> Skyward Sword has more radical changes to gameplay than RE3->4 I'd say to be honest. The motion controls and emphasis on precision, the lack of pausing when switching items and weapons, the upgrade system and shield health are far more meaningful to me than RE4's "Now we have over the shoulder cam instead of fixed cam. Here are a few Quick Time Events. Also you can aim by locking yourself in place." I mean, it didn't change much if anything in the other areas of the game. Things like inventory, weapons and the like worked almost identically to how they did in old Resident Evils. So I guess I'm not sure what further changes you would want. Could you give an example?
Z0re on
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Also I'm 95% sure the game would be 20% better if Fi would talk 50% less.
I feel like I should point at that I am not at all averse to changes to the structure of the Zelda games, even if they are fairly significant. I know I said earlier that they resonate with me and I could play the same style game forever (and I mean that). But really, it's just that every Zelda game further cements my faith in Nintendo to create incredibly entertaining, compelling games. It so happens that what the Zelda team has been creating for the past 25 years coincides with my particular preference in games, but that opinion was largely ingrained from Zelda games to begin with.
Basically, I'll support Zelda no matter how much it changes - I just don't think series upheaval is a necessity by any measure.
Fi must be pretty bad because people say she is. I'm pretty tolerant of partners in games though (unless escort missions are involved). I like the interaction. However even for me the highlighted text was a little much.
There I was, 3DS: 2621-2671-9899 (Ekera), Wii U: LostCrescendo
I didn't mind Fi, but I almost never really mind characters people find annoying.
I think my biggest problem with her is that she is sort of plot important at the beginning, and there are some places at the end where she should be, but she just never seems to gel into the story and only exists to give you information. Like, I think the reactions to her would be better if she had a character arc or something like Midna, the King of Red Lions, Tatl, and Ghost Zelda. Instead, she's Navi 2.0 with even less meaningful interaction with the player.
Z0re on
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Well forced pacing only bothers me when the default (and only) setting is 'ridiculously slow'. It just feels like you have to go through so much tedium to do any of the fun stuff. Like the tadtones thing? People actually enjoyed that? Sure, it only took half an hour, but it was one of the most boring half hours I've experienced in gaming. Not to mention why is the Water Dragon still dicking with me? How much more shit do I need to do to 'prove' myself?
I will say the repeated boss fights don't bother me much. Zelda has always gotten bosses down pretty good and I'll be happy to try out the Boss Rush I've heard about once I get to it.
I mean, I get where you're coming from. Change too much and it's not a 'Zelda' game. However, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. I'd love to see what RE4-reimagning of gameplay would do in a series like Zelda. Chances are it won't happen, but I can dream.
Also, I'm only arguing about this cause I actually like the series and want it to grow. I just feel like it hasn't been.
... Twilight Princess_> Skyward Sword has more radical changes to gameplay than RE3->4 I'd say to be honest. The motion controls and emphasis on precision, the lack of pausing when switching items and weapons, the upgrade system and shield health are far more meaningful to me than RE4's "Now we have over the shoulder cam instead of fixed cam. Here are a few Quick Time Events. Also you can aim by locking yourself in place." I mean, it didn't change much if anything in the other areas of the game. Things like inventory, weapons and the like worked almost identically to how they did in old Resident Evils. So I guess I'm not sure what further changes you would want. Could you give an example?
RE1-3 to RE4 went from a slow, survival horror based gameplay to a fast and tense action game with upgrading weapons and an emphasis on combat.
What I would like in the next Zelda game:
Make it dark. Not blood and gore dark, but dark. Something akin to OoT future world where everyone is just miserable because the big bad has won or whatnot. The last two sub-villains in Zelda have felt a bit over-the-top and cartoony. I don't mind that, but I would love to see a villain who you would fear more than chuckle at. Perhaps start the game in the future where shit has hit the fan and you're a prisoner/slave and you find out that you can go to the past to fix things.
Focus on making the swordplay better. What they did in SS was nice and I won't complain about it, but Zelda's sword play has always felt rather shallow compared to, say, God of War's combo system. Though I dislike WW immensely, I seem to recall it had a more dynamic/meaty feeling combat system. I wouldn't mind seeing a Link who fought more 'violently' - hobbling someone with a cut to the knee (bloodless, probably) and then a head/neck slash (bloodless, again). Just cause he's the Hero of Time (tm) doesn't mean he has to prance around enemies so much.
Make the shops smarter. Let you buy X amount of arrows/bombs/etc instead of a pre-set bundle. If you want to buy a potion, you just go up, hit A, you have it. No being talked to, no lifting it above your head with an explanation of what it does, just.. boom, in your inventory. Give an option to 'put back' an item in a chest if you're already maxed/near maxed on it. "You have looted 300 rupees.. but you can only hold 19. Hold off?" I don't think I like the whole capacity upgrades/medal thing they have going in SS, but I don't hate it either. I'd kind of prefer medals just be something you have on you rather than taking a limited space.
At the start difficulty settings. Normal and hard would be fine. From what I've read of it, Hero Mode sounds like a decent stab at a harder difficulty. Also, more than 3 save slots. Not, like, 100 but perhaps something like 10.
Out of the main game gameplay. Stuff like a Boss Rush mode, or a theatre, or jukebox, etc. Sometimes I just wanna watch a cutscene, dammit! Also pausing and skippable cutscenes! Also, the ability to blaze through text, even if it requires you've seen it once already.
I'll probably think of more, but that's a good start.
I don't mind Fi. There's no hiding she's some kind of magical automaton, and I've had to ask for hints over and over, and they turned out to be just right. The whole "your health is low" thing however, can go.
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
Fi's biggest annoyance is how she repeats shit you just heard. It's pretty obvious (if small) padding and it's annoying.
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I really tried to push any negative opinions to the back of my mind because I really wanted to love the game but the whole thing just felt small. Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda and in my mind I hold it to a very high standard and so maybe it's unfair but I kept comparing Skyward Sword to it. Wind Waker has such a vast and open sea to explore with endless amounts of dungeons to explore, minigames to play, characters to meet and so on. When I saw that you would be flying your board through the sky in SS I was totally stoked. Just like Wind Waker! So I was terribly disappointed when I realized most of the things floating in the sky were rocks with one or two enemies on it. The Sky felt lifeless, beautiful but mostly empty. And there is a huge disconnect between the three main areas on land and Skyloft.
As I advanced in the game I kept hoping that the thunderhead would lead to a whole new area with plenty to explore and new land areas to find and then just like I'd guessed there was hardly anything there. Yeah, the three main land areas had more to explore but it just felt samey and linear. Skyward Sword for me lacks greatly in the sense of exploration that Wind Waker and other Zelda games have.
The game is awesome in terms of narrative, design and gameplay but fuck the overworld is lacking. You guys get me?
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The only thing that really made the Great Sea feel big is that it took forever to get where you wanted to go unless you can warp there. The sky feels smaller because it is much quicker to traverse and get to your destination.
I agree that the Great Sea gave a better sense of wide-open exploration than the sky. I liked flying a *lot* better than sailing though. And SS's surface world is much much bigger and interesting than the total land area of Wind Waker.
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One major reason being that WW has like four towns to SS's one. Outset Island, Kakariko, Dragonroost, and the Great Tree (debatably). The towns are interesting and have varied environments that require some puzzle solving, but they're not monster-filled. Do they count as interesting bits of overworld? I don't know.
But I'm sure that approach would require all kinds of technical sacrifices. So I dunno. I'm not sold on SS's surface overworld either, but I'm glad they tried a fresh approach at least.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Or even a nunchuck!
Hyeeeeeeey!
Anyone who does not like the Fishmen should be dragged out into the street and beaten.
What I don't get is why they keep some things the same that no one likes - the ass-slow pacing (at times), the finicky auto-jumping off a cliff to your 'death', the constant reminder of what an item - any item - does, the hand holding that feels more like you're being forcibly dragged, etc etc. While I've felt it before, never more so than in SS have I had this feeling of by-the-numbers Zelda-ness.
Basically what I'm saying is the series needs a reboot, badly, and new (at times gimmicky) controls weren't it. Hopefully with a return to a more 'standard' controller in the Wii U, they'll spend less time on swim controls and more on delivering something new.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
I liked it more in Phantom Hourglass where you had to draw one of the islands on the map. I hope they bring that back on the Wii U. Despite the tower retreading, I freakin' loooooove Phantom Hourglass.
Saying that this series needs a reboot is just beyond my personal comprehension - the concept doesn't mesh with how I think of the franchise. I've always felt it has been the pinnacle of game design, and remains so with SS. My enjoyment of the motion controls contributes to this opinion greatly, naturally, but the structure of the game is inherently enjoyable to me. What people refer to as the "Zelda formula" has always resonated with me, so much so that I'm usually the one saying, "If they retained this game structure with the same level of quality, I would play Zelda forever." And I would. It probably seems trite or an untenable position to somehow who still thinks the series "needs to change," but I have never got a feeling of uncomfortable familiarity in any Zelda game.
But then again, that's just me.
I think Skyward Sword is a remarkable success in a remarkable franchise, and I am once again left pining for the next Zelda game, no matter the direction is heads.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
New franchise is always more preferable than reboot or drastic re-imagining of an existing one. Yah it does kind of suck that the super-talented people at Nintendo rarely put out a new IP but there are other game makers out there. The closest I'd want any Nintendo franchise to be changed as much as people seem to want is for them to be handed to Retro, they can do no wrong.
Personally I don't see how people consider Zelda to 'never change'. Twilight Princess was pretty much the only one (in my opinion) that got stuck trying to be something else (Ocarina of Time).
As for motion control I want it to stay (in Zelda) forever and ever. There are some improvements that can be made for sure but hopefully nothing that would require new hardware since Wii stuff is going to be compatible with the Wii U.
Like, I'm not saying it's a bad game. It's not. It's a good game, but, it has so many stupid issues that have been around FOREVER that I can't see why people think it's one of the best games in a long time. Like, my favourite series is Silent Hill and I think a lot of the recent games have been rather subpar. I'm not sure why Zelda is such a sacred cow still.
Edit: It honestly sounds like some people just like/love the game forcing its brand of pacing on you. I can't stand it, but hey, to each their own.
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Spirit Tracks has both my favorite and least favorite dungeons. Least favorite being the tower sections, and favorite being the rest.
The stuff that really bugs me I've already mentioned:
- Forced Pacing
- Annoying controls for many things
- Game treats you like you're stupid
- Several things feel very inefficient - such as buying things (takes much too long to buy things like arrows)
- Story feels like a retread of a retread. I know that's 'Zelda', but.. yeah.
The thing that bugs me the most though is that many of the problems have been around for a long time and not only are they not fixed, but apparently now they're 'features'. At the very least the game lets you skip (some) cutscenes.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
I will say the repeated boss fights don't bother me much. Zelda has always gotten bosses down pretty good and I'll be happy to try out the Boss Rush I've heard about once I get to it.
I mean, I get where you're coming from. Change too much and it's not a 'Zelda' game. However, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. I'd love to see what RE4-reimagning of gameplay would do in a series like Zelda. Chances are it won't happen, but I can dream.
Also, I'm only arguing about this cause I actually like the series and want it to grow. I just feel like it hasn't been.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Those knight guys are annoying. I hate NPCs in games that treat the hero like crap especially in this case where the knights should know I'm doing some important crap and what are they doing with their lives? A smarter auto jump would be a good addition, just not a jump button... though roc's feather/cape in a 3D Zelda might be kind of cool.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
... Twilight Princess_> Skyward Sword has more radical changes to gameplay than RE3->4 I'd say to be honest. The motion controls and emphasis on precision, the lack of pausing when switching items and weapons, the upgrade system and shield health are far more meaningful to me than RE4's "Now we have over the shoulder cam instead of fixed cam. Here are a few Quick Time Events. Also you can aim by locking yourself in place." I mean, it didn't change much if anything in the other areas of the game. Things like inventory, weapons and the like worked almost identically to how they did in old Resident Evils. So I guess I'm not sure what further changes you would want. Could you give an example?
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Basically, I'll support Zelda no matter how much it changes - I just don't think series upheaval is a necessity by any measure.
I think my biggest problem with her is that she is sort of plot important at the beginning, and there are some places at the end where she should be, but she just never seems to gel into the story and only exists to give you information. Like, I think the reactions to her would be better if she had a character arc or something like Midna, the King of Red Lions, Tatl, and Ghost Zelda. Instead, she's Navi 2.0 with even less meaningful interaction with the player.
RE1-3 to RE4 went from a slow, survival horror based gameplay to a fast and tense action game with upgrading weapons and an emphasis on combat.
What I would like in the next Zelda game:
Make it dark. Not blood and gore dark, but dark. Something akin to OoT future world where everyone is just miserable because the big bad has won or whatnot. The last two sub-villains in Zelda have felt a bit over-the-top and cartoony. I don't mind that, but I would love to see a villain who you would fear more than chuckle at. Perhaps start the game in the future where shit has hit the fan and you're a prisoner/slave and you find out that you can go to the past to fix things.
Focus on making the swordplay better. What they did in SS was nice and I won't complain about it, but Zelda's sword play has always felt rather shallow compared to, say, God of War's combo system. Though I dislike WW immensely, I seem to recall it had a more dynamic/meaty feeling combat system. I wouldn't mind seeing a Link who fought more 'violently' - hobbling someone with a cut to the knee (bloodless, probably) and then a head/neck slash (bloodless, again). Just cause he's the Hero of Time (tm) doesn't mean he has to prance around enemies so much.
Make the shops smarter. Let you buy X amount of arrows/bombs/etc instead of a pre-set bundle. If you want to buy a potion, you just go up, hit A, you have it. No being talked to, no lifting it above your head with an explanation of what it does, just.. boom, in your inventory. Give an option to 'put back' an item in a chest if you're already maxed/near maxed on it. "You have looted 300 rupees.. but you can only hold 19. Hold off?" I don't think I like the whole capacity upgrades/medal thing they have going in SS, but I don't hate it either. I'd kind of prefer medals just be something you have on you rather than taking a limited space.
At the start difficulty settings. Normal and hard would be fine. From what I've read of it, Hero Mode sounds like a decent stab at a harder difficulty. Also, more than 3 save slots. Not, like, 100 but perhaps something like 10.
Out of the main game gameplay. Stuff like a Boss Rush mode, or a theatre, or jukebox, etc. Sometimes I just wanna watch a cutscene, dammit! Also pausing and skippable cutscenes! Also, the ability to blaze through text, even if it requires you've seen it once already.
I'll probably think of more, but that's a good start.
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass