Skyward Sword & Twilight Princess: First Impressions

[LinkIRL]

So I did end up getting SS and TP for Christmas yesterday, made me super happy!

Anyways, I've never really played either game before, and I'm right before the first dungeons on each game. So I thought I'd give my first impressions on each game. No spoilers please.

TWILIGHT PRINCESS

PROS SO FAR: Okay, I HAVE played this game before, but I didn't get far enough to really think of anything about the game. I have the Wii version of the game, and so far I'm actually really liking the Ordon Village area. I like the art style of the game and I think this game would be pretty freaking awesome if it was upscaled to HD. I love having Epona at the beginning of the game. I like the way Link looks also.

CONS SO FAR: Illia. Worst love interest ever. She's such a brat! Acts like Epona is her horse. Pssh. I also don't like the controls. The swinging of the Wii Remote makes sense and feels more comfortable in Skyward Sword, but with Twilight Princess I have to constantly shake the remote and I find it a little tedious. If there's a way to switch slashing to a button, please tell me how!

SKYWARD SWORD

PROS SO FAR: The cutscenes and animations are really REALLY good. I like how the characters show more emotion in their faces. Plus there's FINALLY some chemistry between Link & Zelda. It's about time. Dashing was a much-needed feature and I am loving it.

CONS SO FAR: FLYING. UGH. I can't stand controlling my Loftwing. It took me 15 minutes or so to get the statuette from the golden bird. I'm sort of getting the hang of it, but the controls still suck. Fi is really annoying and says things that are blatantly obvious. I hope she's more useful further into the game. The game is also really slow right now. The Faron Woods are already getting old. Finding the Kikwis, I thought, was a pointless essential side quest. I'm really hoping things pick up once I enter the first dungeon.

I'm undecided about the sword controls. I like them, but at the same time I don't. Sometimes Link swings a different way than I want him to and I feel like the swinging requires too much precision. Playing a game shouldn't be a hard task in my personal opinion. You play games to relax.

Anyways, those are my first impressions. Please keep in mind that these are my opinions; I do not intend to spark a discussion/argument with them. Plus I haven't beaten the games yet. When I finish both games I'll post my full opinions of them. Despite the cons I'm enjoying both games

 

[JuicieJ]

You want to use button controls in Twilight Princess, get the GameCube version.

The controls of Skyward Sword will take some time to get used to. Nintendo did a pretty poor job illustrating their nuances, as the tutorials are pretty suckish. The game also definitely picks up. I thought it did in the Faron Woods, but meh.

 

[LinkIRL]

You want to use button controls in Twilight Princess, get the GameCube version.

The controls of Skyward Sword will take some time to get used to. Nintendo did a pretty poor job illustrating their nuances, as the tutorials are pretty suckish. The game also definitely picks up. I thought it did in the Faron Woods, but meh.

The newer Wii models don't support GameCube games anymore.

Yeah I have to agree. I'm in Skyview Temple right now and I think I'm getting a little more used to the controls, though.

 

[KawiNinjaZX]

As a person who recently completed completed TP and SS on the Wii, I think you will find SS to be much more awesome than TP once you finish. TP is better in the second half and SS was awesome the whole time. Don't forget to use the Wii remote to flap your wings.

 

[Random Person]

Let me start with you're entitled to your opinion and can play however you feel is best. (Oh boy, when you start a post like that, you know the rest must suck)

1) I would advise playing and finishing TP before getting too deep into SS. The reason being is that SS was meant to be played after TP in a gameplay perspective. TP's controls don't seem too polish when standing next to SS. This can make the player feel like TP is inferior in those areas because SS was meant to improve them specifically.

2) I was gonna put a second thing, but actually, I think I'll wait until you finish the games... or atleast get deeper into them.

 

[Curmudgeon]

There were several things about TP that bugged me here and there, but I had a really good time playing it, which is the first and most important metric of measuring my personal value for a game.

 

[Kirino]

I had a bit of trouble flying and using the sword too at first, but trust me. You get used to them. Flying and diving can be especially difficult at first, but you have to be gentle. Only move the Wii Remote slightly. To me, the game started picking up once you got to the first dungeon.

 

[Tearbender]

I don't know why, but for me most Zelda games I've played are pretty boring until the first dungeon. But the motion controls in SS do take some time to get used to, while I really never had a single problem with the swimming controls, the flying took some time to get used to.

 

[JuicieJ]

1) I would advise playing and finishing TP before getting too deep into SS. The reason being is that SS was meant to be played after TP in a gameplay perspective. TP's controls don't seem too polish when standing next to SS. This can make the player feel like TP is inferior in those areas because SS was meant to improve them specifically.

I don't get how finishing one over the other would determine how someone would judge their quality. As you said, SS was designed to fix all the issues TP had (which it did about 95% of the time), so what would it matter which one he finished first? TP is still the vastly inferior game no matter what.

 

[The Wanderer]

Sounds like you're getting the hang of things. Just bear in mind that Skyward Sword, almost like Majora's Mask, is a much different Zelda experience than you may be used to. If something doesn't quite feel like standard Zelda (motion controls, linear overworld, etc.), it's probably because it really isn't. Even Ventus and Random Person, the two on Zelda Dungeon who famously hate Skyward Sword, seem to dislike it because it doesn't fall into the definition of the Zelda title it "should" have been. If you can push aside how Skyward Sword doesn't feel quite like Zelda "should" be, I think you're in for a heck of a ride. I know I was. (Not accusing Ventus or Random Person of anything, just mentioning what may turn you off about the game.)

Twilight Princess isn't necessarily inferior, according to a lot of people. The motion controls may lack polish, but chances are decent you'll enjoy everything else the game has to offer.

And hey...if Skyward Sword continuously gives you motion control problems, I did write a guide on it on GameFAQs. May give you some pointers if you find yourself constantly having trouble.

 

[Ventus]

Sounds like you're getting the hang of things. Just bear in mind that Skyward Sword, almost like Majora's Mask, is a much different Zelda experience than you may be used to. If something doesn't quite feel like standard Zelda (motion controls, linear overworld, etc.), it's probably because it really isn't. Even Ventus and Random Person, the two on Zelda Dungeon who famously hate Skyward Sword, seem to dislike it because it doesn't fall into the definition of the Zelda title it "should" have been. If you can push aside how Skyward Sword doesn't feel quite like Zelda "should" be, I think you're in for a heck of a ride. I know I was. (Not accusing Ventus or Random Person of anything, just mentioning what may turn you off about the game.)

Twilight Princess isn't necessarily inferior, according to a lot of people. The motion controls may lack polish, but chances are decent you'll enjoy everything else the game has to offer.

And hey...if Skyward Sword continuously gives you motion control problems, I did write a guide on it on GameFAQs. May give you some pointers if you find yourself constantly having trouble.

Well, I wouldn't say that RP hates the game (he's said he doesn't hate the game, just was heavily disappointed with it)...but everything else you have right about me.

@LinkIRL
The motion controls in TP were largely tacked on just to show the Wii's (at the time) revolutionary motion controls. They will pale in comparison to the 1:1.5 that SS has to offer, just saying. SS' feels more natural thanks to WM+, and TP is a waggle-fest in all honesty. Controls, no contest, go to SS even if you're at the first dungeon.

As for everything else, I think you might just enjoy SS more than TP. While I do not enjoy SS or event hink of SS as remotely better than TP, I acknowledge that SS is a very inviting game to many players, veteran or not. Hope you have a great time with both! :yes:

 

[DarkestLink]

Worst love interest ever.

Ilia was a love interest? ...I thought it was...someone else...<.<

I also don't like the controls. The swinging of the Wii Remote makes sense and feels more comfortable in Skyward Sword, but with Twilight Princess I have to constantly shake the remote and I find it a little tedious.

...Told you to get the GC version. <.<

If there's a way to switch slashing to a button, please tell me how!

Praise be the GC version.

Plus there's FINALLY some chemistry between Link & Zelda. It's about time.

Finally? It was even more prevalent in ST. XD

Anyway, my first impressions...

For Twilight Princess, I immediately fell in love with the game, but that might be because I had low expectations for Zelda during this time. I was amazed at the detail and realism over some parts. Little things like Link's hair getting darker after getting wet truly amazed me. I loved the cut-scenes as well and was in awe after the first cutscene with Zelda and Zant.

By the time Skyward Sword came out, I was a video game snob. At first I didn't like the stamina meter because rolling was useless...eventually I wised up and realized this was better anyway. It was annoyed by enemies like chus and keese because they made no use of the motion controls and they were feeling tacked on because of it. Bokoblins were also poor starting enemies because they focused more on blocking than letting players figure out which way to swing. I was overall disapointed by the loftwings and my inability to traverse the world on foot as well as the lack of loftwing combat. I got over this though when I realized how quickly you can get in and out of the sky. It's still weak, but I don't need to put up with it. I was also annoyed with how buggy the combat system seemed. But I eventually learned how to swing the control like the game wanted me to rather than what felt realistic to me and I ended up loving the combat. Oh and I hated the shield meter and still do.

 

[JuicieJ]

It was annoyed by enemies like chus and keese because they made no use of the motion controls and they were feeling tacked on because of it. Bokoblins were also poor starting enemies because they focused more on blocking than letting players figure out which way to swing.

The Chuchus actually will rejoin if you cut them horizontally, so they do take advantage of the motion controls. As for the Bokoblins, blocking and figuring out which way go swing to hand in hand. If you swing the wrong way (or telegraph your attack), they'll block you. If you swing the right way, they won't. That's why the combat flows so smoothly.

 

[2bmc]

TP blew me away in the mood that it set.. it really felt like I was living some otherworldly sort of experience with the most realistic graphics the series has seen yet. SS blew me away with its controls and how it was really the first Zelda game to innovate since OoT.
Overall, I'd say I was more pumped to play TP, was more initially impressed with SS, and in the end was most satisfied with TP.
To me TP was the superior "experience," but SS was the superior "game," if that makes any sense. TP felt like a big movie to me. It drew me into another world. SS felt like I was really playing a video game with the way the world was so closed off/linear and what not.

 

[DarkestLink]

The Chuchus actually will rejoin if you cut them horizontally, so they do take advantage of the motion controls. As for the Bokoblins, blocking and figuring out which way go swing to hand in hand. If you swing the wrong way (or telegraph your attack), they'll block you. If you swing the right way, they won't. That's why the combat flows so smoothly.

1) Chus that small (early game) have nothing to join back together with.

2) If you swing fast enough, it doesn't matter what direction you swing in. You can destroy them before they rejoin. In fact, I prefer this method with electric chus because they are destroyed before they reapply their electric current.

3) After playing this game 7 times, I find swinging randomly to be more effective against Bokoblins than bothering to even try and read their movements. Better yet, stay out of range and knock them down.