The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword is a bit of a trip and a stumble down memory lane -- simultaneously a nostalgic reminder of how long it's been since you've played a Zelda game with a controller, and a somewhat harsher notice of how far the rest of the industry has come in the meantime. Twilight Princess was criticized by some for not playing enough with the series' long-running tropes, and while Skyward Sword does mix it up in some interesting ways, they feel like drops in the bucket of a mostly-unchanged sea.
Since Ocarina of Time, what we've come to know as a 3D Zelda has evolved aesthetically and narratively, if not so much mechanically; but Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and now Skyward Sword could be (rightly) accused of getting slow and ponderous when Link is in-between dungeons. Traversing the world map to talk to key NPCs, and scouring an outdoor area for hidden items, are all well and good when the mood strikes -- but having to bother with these tasks, just to make the next dungeon open up, can feel unwelcome when you really just want to solve puzzles and fight a boss.
In an era where other games offer high-pitched, nonstop action, or the freedom to tackle objectives in whatever order, this style of slavish linearity just seems antiquated. And so as the required time investment increases and the number of sidequests decreases, I fear that it won't be too many more years before this game structure follows the JRPG and the point-and-click adventure into the realm of "forgotten niche."
Now, all that having been said, Zelda is still a master class in its genre, and given the series' expectations I have yet to be disappointed by it. The intro was a little long, but easily established the naive innocence of its protagonists, and the charming magic of Skyloft. Fi, the computer-like magic spirit that lives in Link's sword - like Navi, but with legs - acts as a welcome straight-man to Link's emotional expressiveness and to the sometimes cartoonish world he's placed in. The villain is still a mystery in large part, but I'm anxious to learn more.
Items and general play mechanics are a straightforward iteration from Twilight Princess, with a few welcome changes: you can invest in wallet-size upgrades from the beginning, radial menus allow you to access Link's entire inventory without pausing, and there's a pretty cool "crafting" system which allows you to turn cash and randomly-dropped or -found materials into equipment upgrades. I haven't gotten anything other than stronger shields so far, but if I had the goods, I would be able to make my slingshot fire scatter-shot, and I can only wonder what further upgrades to more interesting items might do. The stamina meter is another nice touch, and gives new depth to block-pushing and wall-climbing (not to mention sprinting).
My one gripe with the motion controls is that the game sometimes expects you to hold the remote perfectly horizontal, and that this is stupid when you're sitting down. Otherwise, the motion controls work very admirably: using the gyroscope to steer birds and beetles, snapping the remote to throw bombs, and actual 1:1 sword control is in general a real treat. Although there are plenty of gimmicks early on that require distinction between vertical and horizontal strikes, the first boss battle really shows some sophistication in arbitrary sword movement, wherein Link must lead the enemy's attack and effectively parry himself.
The between-dungeon slowness is still sullying my opinion of Skyward Sword a bit, and so I'm not having as easy a time sitting down and turning the game on as I would like. But I think my attitude will change once I get more involved in the game's plot, and/or once more of the sky opens up to explore.
Progress: Just entered the Earth Temple