I've been a lifetime lover of Zelda. Beaten almost every game in the series, handhelds included, and I have to say, Skyward Sword is one of the most middle of the road Zelda games made thus far.

On one hand, Skyward Sword has some of the most inventive and creative puzzles yet devised. Most puzzles and stages feel unique and challenging, allowing you to stretch your brain for a solution quite frequently. This was by no means an easy game, and the newness of the puzzle design really was fantastic. I applaud these ideas.

On the other hand, Skyward Sword is marred by pacing issues and (at least for me) serious control problems. Skyward Sword can't ever seem to get out of its own way in the storyline department. Whenever you think the story is about to progress or you are about to figure something out, some kind of quest jumps up and blocks you progress. At every turn, the game asks you to do yet another arduous task in order to move on (and probably breaks that task up into multiple portions). The frequency with which I repeated the same tasks was similarly frustrating. Fighting two different bosses on three different occasions with minor tweaks is NOT ENJOYABLE. Nor is repeatedly doing the same difficult task to open up key locations ("silent" areas). I just wanted the game to be over by the time the credits rolled.

Then there are the controls. I know this is an area of contention for a lot of people, but frankly, I think any argument claiming Skyward Sword somehow legitimizes the wiimote as a reasonable control scheme is hyperbole at best. Countless times during my experience my controls either refused to respond, or seemed too imprecise for the action the game demanded of me. The difference between a horizontal slash and an angular slash is obvious on screen, but I'll be damned if I could make the controller understand the difference with any consistency. Match this with an IR targeting system that I needed to recenter after almost every use and a nunchuck that would only periodically understand that I was trying to block, and it's safe to say that in all but the most leisurely enemy combat I found the controls infuriating. This is of course to say nothing of the bad camera system or poor hit detection on ledges and other surfaces that require a near perpendicular connection for Link to grab the edge. I really feel like the majority of my frustrations with the game were derived from controls which simply couldn't deliver on what the designers envisioned.

So please, someone argue with me. Show me where I'm wrong, because I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game.

Opinions.. how do they work?

@CL60 said:

Opinions.. how do they work?

If you would have read it, very few of the issues are opinions.

@CL60 said:

Opinions.. how do they work?

No doubt. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the opinions seem to be positive. I'm a Zelda fan. I've no doubt about that either. So what is it that I'm missing. That's what I'm trying to understand.

I agree that the gimmicky motion controls were frustrating. I would have played this game with a standard controller if it was an option. My biggest issue with this game was the pacing. It took me nearly 4 hours to reach the first dungeon. I may have wasted a lot of time but that forest section was too long. Much later in the game that asshole water dragon gives you a fetch quest where you have to swim. I wanted to quit playing after receiving that fetch quest but I was already 20+ hours into the game at that point.

@BrockNRolla said:

I've been a lifetime lover of Zelda. Beaten almost every game in the series, handhelds included, and I have to say, Skyward Sword is one of the most middle of the road Zelda games made thus far.

On one hand, Skyward Sword has some of the most inventive and creative puzzles yet devised. Most puzzles and stages feel unique and challenging, allowing you to stretch your brain for a solution quite frequently. This was by no means an easy game, and the newness of the puzzle design really was fantastic. I applaud these ideas.

On the other hand, Skyward Sword is marred by pacing issues and (at least for me) serious control problems. Skyward Sword can't ever seem to get out of its own way in the storyline department. Whenever you think the story is about to progress or you are about to figure something out, some kind of quest jumps up and blocks you progress. At every turn, the game asks you to do yet another arduous task in order to move on (and probably breaks that task up into multiple portions). The frequency with which I repeated the same tasks was similarly frustrating. Fighting two different bosses on three different occasions with minor tweaks is NOT ENJOYABLE. Nor is repeatedly doing the same difficult task to open up key locations ("silent" areas). I just wanted the game to be over by the time the credits rolled.

Then there are the controls. I know this is an area of contention for a lot of people, but frankly, I think any argument claiming Skyward Sword somehow legitimizes the wiimote as a reasonable control scheme is hyperbole at best. Countless times during my experience my controls either refused to respond, or seemed too imprecise for the action the game demanded of me. The difference between a horizontal slash and an angular slash is obvious on screen, but I'll be damned if I could make the controller understand the difference with any consistency. Match this with an IR targeting system that I needed to recenter after almost every use and a nunchuck that would only periodically understand that I was trying to block, and it's safe to say that in all but the most leisurely enemy combat I found the controls infuriating. This is of course to say nothing of the bad camera system or poor hit detection on ledges and other surfaces that require a near perpendicular connection for Link to grab the edge. I really feel like the majority of my frustrations with the game were derived from controls which simply couldn't deliver on what the designers envisioned.

So please, someone argue with me. Show me where I'm wrong, because I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game.

First of all, let me say that I agree with almost every point you made but, before everyone else does, I should correct you about the aiming. It does not use IR. Like every other aspect of the game, it's all in the gyros. When you recalibrate, it is merely choosing a new 'neutral' position and not actually locating the IR signal. As such, you can hold the wiimote like a bow or slingshot and not actually have to hold the pointer aimed at the screen.

Now that's out of the way, let me add that holding the wiimote like a bow or slingshot is far, far worse than just aiming the damned thing at the screen, which I do. The reason why? It's easier to fine tune your aim with small flicks of the wrist than it is to move your whole hand as if you were holding a bow. The new aiming system is broken due to how often it needs recalibration (which, regardless of how easy it is with a simple button press, is not something that should be happening at all) and the fact that, if you use it as if it were IR, it works better and with a higher degree of fidelity than what is intended and, more importantly, never explained by the game. But then again, for how much hand holding the game does, it also forgets to explain basic concepts.

Did you know you could roll the bombs like bowling balls? I didn't. Either I missed that tutorial or the game actually expects you to read the manual. Did you know you had to flap the wiimote up and down while flying otherwise you'll eventually lose momentum? Me neither, as the game describes the boost mechanics and the diving ones but failed to mention that. Very disappointed with this Zelda I have to say, despite the stellar dungeon design. Which, incidentally, might actually be too much as now even the outdoor areas are built like dungeons in terms of puzzles before you even get to the dungeons. There's no plateau in the level design apart from when you go back to Skyloft. It's just a constant barrage of puzzles which, to be honest, I found a little too much at times. I need valleys, peaks and variation in my game design. But if you keep things at 11 the whole time, it's going to wear thin. I missed the fields of Hyrule or hell, even the sea in Wind Waker as the sky just isn't enough of a break.

@Vitor said:

"First of all, let me say that I agree with almost every point you made but, before everyone else does, I should correct you about the aiming. It does not use IR."

"Now that's out of the way, let me add that holding the wiimote like a bow or slingshot is far, far worse than just aiming the damned thing at the screen, which I do."

"There's no plateau in the level design apart from when you go back to Skyloft. It's just a constant barrage of puzzles which, to be honest, I found a little too much at times. I need valleys, peaks and variation in my game design. But if you keep things at 11 the whole time, it's going to wear thin. I missed the fields of Hyrule or hell, even the sea in Wind Waker as the sky just isn't enough of a break."

You're right on that. I never actually considered that it wasn't IR, but now that you mention it, that makes perfect sense. Doesn't change the fact that having to select a new neutral position for every use wasn't frustrating. Also, I never even considered not pointing at the screen. To hold the remote any other way would have seemed silly, so I never even thought it a possibility.

And I agree about the level design. It was like one constant dungeon. Like I said, I really enjoyed the puzzles there, but they just seemed unending. Maybe a break would have been a good remedy.

@groin said:

Much later in the game that asshole water dragon gives you a fetch quest where you have to swim. I wanted to quit playing after receiving that fetch quest but I was already 20+ hours into the game at that point.

Swimming continues to not be fun in most video games.

@AlexW00d said:

@CL60 said:

Opinions.. how do they work?

If you would have read it, very few of the issues are opinions.

" I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game."

I did read it and I stand by my statement of opinions as the answer to his question.

I had almost no problems with the controls, and the issue I did have only happened once. Maybe something in your house is interfering with the Wii remote's signal or something? I also didn't find any of the tasks they threw at me too repetitive, but that's more of a subjective issue, so I won't try and argue that point. The only real complaint I have with the game was that the world didn't feel very connected. Why should I need to fly back into the sky just to get to a separate area on the ground?

@TehFlan said:

I had almost no problems with the controls, and the issue I did have only happened once. Maybe something in your house is interfering with the Wii remote's signal or something? I also didn't find any of the tasks they threw at me too repetitive, but that's more of a subjective issue, so I won't try and argue that point. The only real complaint I have with the game was that the world didn't feel very connected. Why should I need to fly back into the sky just to get to a separate area on the ground?

That's interesting to me. Like I said, I feel like the controls are a contentious issue. Frustrating that I had issues when others seem not to have. The lack of area continuity definitely hit me too. A lot of arbitrarily flying back and forth.

@BrockNRolla said:

@groin said:

Much later in the game that asshole water dragon gives you a fetch quest where you have to swim. I wanted to quit playing after receiving that fetch quest but I was already 20+ hours into the game at that point.

Swimming continues to not be fun in most video games.

There was no reason to have to go revisit the first proper dungeon in the game. It just felt so lazy and was complete filler. And yeah, the swimming, as always, was slow and annoying, regardless of the new control system. That was nearly the point I said 'F it' also. If they'd also made the swimming fetch quest into an escort mission with a killable NPC, that would likely have sent me over the edge....

@CL60 said:

@AlexW00d said:

@CL60 said:

Opinions.. how do they work?

If you would have read it, very few of the issues are opinions.

" I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game."

I did read it and I stand by my statement of opinions as the answer to his question.

I don't disagree that this is a matter of opinion and opinions are necessarily different between people with different minds and different tastes. But, opinions at least should be based on some kind of factual basis. I'm looking for people who can offer me a counterpoint because I don't understand the majority opinion on the issue. I'm not saying the opinions are wrong, I just don't understand them, and rather than throwing up my hands and saying, "Kids these days!" or "What is this world becoming!?", I'm trying to understand why people think Skyward sword is so good.

So no. While your statement is simultaneously snarky, truthful, and dismissive, there is more to be said on the topic.

@SuperJoe said:

Sounds like something's wrong with your hardware. The controls were spot-on for me, but especially the response of the nunchuck since I used Shield Bash a lot. Did you lay the Wiimote upside down on a flat surface during calibration? If anything, the game was too easy because Shield Bash allowed for waggling when counterattacking. I would've preferred angle-specific parries with the sword instead of depending on Shield Bash. Overall I agree with Patrick's review of the game.

I found myself also thinking angle specific parries would have been more interesting (such as in Infinity Blade). But, unlike you, whether or not my nunchuck registered my shield parry was seemingly random, making a few of the game's encounters terribly frustrating.

@BrockNRolla said:

@SuperJoe said:

Sounds like something's wrong with your hardware. The controls were spot-on for me, but especially the response of the nunchuck since I used Shield Bash a lot. Did you lay the Wiimote upside down on a flat surface during calibration? If anything, the game was too easy because Shield Bash allowed for waggling when counterattacking. I would've preferred angle-specific parries with the sword instead of depending on Shield Bash. Overall I agree with Patrick's review of the game.

I found myself also thinking angle specific parries would have been more interesting (such as in Infinity Blade). But, unlike you, whether or not my nunchuck registered my shield parry was seemingly random, making a few of the game's encounters terribly frustrating.

That's rough, dude. I can't imagine taking on the final boss without the shield bash.

@BrockNRolla said:

@SuperJoe said:

Sounds like something's wrong with your hardware. The controls were spot-on for me, but especially the response of the nunchuck since I used Shield Bash a lot. Did you lay the Wiimote upside down on a flat surface during calibration? If anything, the game was too easy because Shield Bash allowed for waggling when counterattacking. I would've preferred angle-specific parries with the sword instead of depending on Shield Bash. Overall I agree with Patrick's review of the game.

I found myself also thinking angle specific parries would have been more interesting (such as in Infinity Blade). But, unlike you, whether or not my nunchuck registered my shield parry was seemingly random, making a few of the game's encounters terribly frustrating.

I never had a problem with the shield bash but then again, I was mostly dodging as I just found it quicker to remember to do that then raise my shield every time.

I had massive problems getting the game to register the difference between me slashing and just moving my sword to the other side so I could circumvent a block and, from the Bombcast, Vinny had the same problem. Sure, it's clever design and forces you to learn not to waggle, but some enemies change sides so quickly, it's impossible to do the same without the game registering it as a slash. In fact, the more deadly enemies (with electric sticks etc.) actually change the side of their block with a lot less frequency/speed which makes me think the designers understood the limitations of the hardware also.

Is everyone sitting down or standing to play? Because I also can't get the game to differentiate between a horizontal and diagonal strike a lot and I'm willing to concede that as maybe me playing it wrong, but it seems to be a common issue also.

@Vitor said:

I had massive problems getting the game to register the difference between me slashing and just moving my sword to the other side so I could circumvent a block and, from the Bombcast, Vinny had the same problem. In fact, the more deadly enemies (with electric sticks etc.) actually change the side of their block with a lot less frequency/speed which makes me think the designers understood the limitations of the hardware also.

Is everyone sitting down or standing to play? Because I also can't get the game to differentiate between a horizontal and diagonal strike a lot and I'm willing to concede that as maybe me playing it wrong, but it seems to be a common issue also.

I got the same feeling too that as the game progressed, it seemed to rely less and less on specific directional attacks, or at least seemed to give you more time to move your arm to attack from a different direction. I was sitting as well. I guess it is possible that standing would be better. Yet, standing for 35 hours? I don't know if I like that idea either.

All issues I had with this game melted away when I quickly realized this was the sexiest Zelda game I've ever played.

This incarnation of Zelda wants Link's sword inside her triforce from the very beginning of the game. She is blatantly horny for him and by extension me. Game of the year.

I found that the controls work for me about 80% of the time(f-ing thrust move), i did have to recenter a lot, but whatever (i found that if i centered it in a upward angle, that i had a much easier time with the controls for some odd reason, that and if i played like the sword had mass in the game, it work better). The swimming parts were mediocre, and the constant flying back above the clouds could use some stream lining. However, overall, i did have a great experience with the game. The puzzles were good, the dungeon design was great, I liked the story, and overall, i thought the controls added a lot to the game.

Also, if you don't read what the text during the tutorials, then it your own fault for messing up (because they made damn sure to explain everything... and i mean everything... which i am guessing they did to help out people like you... so thanks Vitor, thanks for that...)

@BrockNRolla said:

@Vitor said:

I had massive problems getting the game to register the difference between me slashing and just moving my sword to the other side so I could circumvent a block and, from the Bombcast, Vinny had the same problem. In fact, the more deadly enemies (with electric sticks etc.) actually change the side of their block with a lot less frequency/speed which makes me think the designers understood the limitations of the hardware also.

Is everyone sitting down or standing to play? Because I also can't get the game to differentiate between a horizontal and diagonal strike a lot and I'm willing to concede that as maybe me playing it wrong, but it seems to be a common issue also.

I got the same feeling too that as the game progressed, it seemed to rely less and less on specific directional attacks, or at least seemed to give you more time to move your arm to attack from a different direction. I was sitting as well. I guess it is possible that standing would be better. Yet, standing for 35 hours? I don't know if I like that idea either.

I was sitting down. I don't think that's it.

@Vitor said:

@BrockNRolla said:

I've been a lifetime lover of Zelda. Beaten almost every game in the series, handhelds included, and I have to say, Skyward Sword is one of the most middle of the road Zelda games made thus far.

On one hand, Skyward Sword has some of the most inventive and creative puzzles yet devised. Most puzzles and stages feel unique and challenging, allowing you to stretch your brain for a solution quite frequently. This was by no means an easy game, and the newness of the puzzle design really was fantastic. I applaud these ideas.

On the other hand, Skyward Sword is marred by pacing issues and (at least for me) serious control problems. Skyward Sword can't ever seem to get out of its own way in the storyline department. Whenever you think the story is about to progress or you are about to figure something out, some kind of quest jumps up and blocks you progress. At every turn, the game asks you to do yet another arduous task in order to move on (and probably breaks that task up into multiple portions). The frequency with which I repeated the same tasks was similarly frustrating. Fighting two different bosses on three different occasions with minor tweaks is NOT ENJOYABLE. Nor is repeatedly doing the same difficult task to open up key locations ("silent" areas). I just wanted the game to be over by the time the credits rolled.

Then there are the controls. I know this is an area of contention for a lot of people, but frankly, I think any argument claiming Skyward Sword somehow legitimizes the wiimote as a reasonable control scheme is hyperbole at best. Countless times during my experience my controls either refused to respond, or seemed too imprecise for the action the game demanded of me. The difference between a horizontal slash and an angular slash is obvious on screen, but I'll be damned if I could make the controller understand the difference with any consistency. Match this with an IR targeting system that I needed to recenter after almost every use and a nunchuck that would only periodically understand that I was trying to block, and it's safe to say that in all but the most leisurely enemy combat I found the controls infuriating. This is of course to say nothing of the bad camera system or poor hit detection on ledges and other surfaces that require a near perpendicular connection for Link to grab the edge. I really feel like the majority of my frustrations with the game were derived from controls which simply couldn't deliver on what the designers envisioned.

So please, someone argue with me. Show me where I'm wrong, because I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game.

First of all, let me say that I agree with almost every point you made but, before everyone else does, I should correct you about the aiming. It does not use IR. Like every other aspect of the game, it's all in the gyros. When you recalibrate, it is merely choosing a new 'neutral' position and not actually locating the IR signal. As such, you can hold the wiimote like a bow or slingshot and not actually have to hold the pointer aimed at the screen.

Now that's out of the way, let me add that holding the wiimote like a bow or slingshot is far, far worse than just aiming the damned thing at the screen, which I do. The reason why? It's easier to fine tune your aim with small flicks of the wrist than it is to move your whole hand as if you were holding a bow. The new aiming system is broken due to how often it needs recalibration (which, regardless of how easy it is with a simple button press, is not something that should be happening at all) and the fact that, if you use it as if it were IR, it works better and with a higher degree of fidelity than what is intended and, more importantly, never explained by the game. But then again, for how much hand holding the game does, it also forgets to explain basic concepts.

Did you know you could roll the bombs like bowling balls? I didn't. Either I missed that tutorial or the game actually expects you to read the manual. Did you know you had to flap the wiimote up and down while flying otherwise you'll eventually lose momentum? Me neither, as the game describes the boost mechanics and the diving ones but failed to mention that. Very disappointed with this Zelda I have to say, despite the stellar dungeon design. Which, incidentally, might actually be too much as now even the outdoor areas are built like dungeons in terms of puzzles before you even get to the dungeons. There's no plateau in the level design apart from when you go back to Skyloft. It's just a constant barrage of puzzles which, to be honest, I found a little too much at times. I need valleys, peaks and variation in my game design. But if you keep things at 11 the whole time, it's going to wear thin. I missed the fields of Hyrule or hell, even the sea in Wind Waker as the sky just isn't enough of a break.

I don't specifically remember seeing the explanations for rolling bombs and flying momentum, but I knew how to do it from within the game, so I'm pretty sure those things are explained. If anything, the problem is they explain so much that the actually relevant information capable players might need gets lost in the flood of "Z-targeting" and "hold A to run".

@thehexeditor said:

All issues I had with this game melted away when I quickly realized this was the sexiest Zelda game I've ever played.

This incarnation of Zelda wants Link's sword inside her triforce from the very beginning of the game. She is blatantly horny for him and by extension me. Game of the year.

That's a hell of an argument, if I've ever heard one.

@Zor said:

Also, if you don't read what the text during the tutorials, then it your own fault for messing up (because they made damn sure to explain everything... and i mean everything... which i am guessing they did to help out people like you... so thanks Vitor, thanks for that...)

I definitely did read the tutorials. They painfully explain every control detail. It was an issue for me of whether or not the game actually registered you performing an action.

The Silent Realm was neat the first time. I liked the music and the tense atmosphere. The fourth time it wasn't so neat anymore, I'm just glad I never failed and had to redo any of them.

I didn't mind the first and third time that you fought "that guy", since it was under pretty different circumstances, however the middle fight definetly felt like filler in retrospect. Fighting that hulking behemoth boss more than once was ridiculous as well.

I feel like both of the two aforementioned bosses suffered for the same reason, they were both reused as a means for story and character development. Spoiler below:

Both could have been done a lot better and I'm not trying to excuse the filler in any way, I just thought these would be the reasons why they were the way they were.

@BrockNRolla said:

@Zor said:

Also, if you don't read what the text during the tutorials, then it your own fault for messing up (because they made damn sure to explain everything... and i mean everything... which i am guessing they did to help out people like you... so thanks Vitor, thanks for that...)

I definitely did read the tutorials. They painfully explain every control detail. It was an issue for me of whether or not the game actually registered you performing an action.

I read every single damned one. It's not like you can skip any of that. Also, the only way you find out about bowling the bombs is by pressing the 'information' button. While holding a bomb. As it's about to explode. Doing so doesn't stop time. I swear there was no explanation given for either that or having to flap your wings which is madness considering just how painfully slow and in depth they are at explaining everything else.

Also, if I did miss it, then that hardly validates their approach at beating you down with a constant barrage of info. In fact, it shows that they expressly failed by not contextualising their tutorials in a more elegant way.

But, from what I've read online and on various forums, I am nowhere near the only person who had these same problems.

EDIT: Also, in the aforementioned explanation, it merely vaguely tells you what to do and how. It never says that you have point the wiimote at the floor by turning it towards the TV. If you turn it clockwise instead, the aiming on the bowling goes crazy. How exactly am I supposed to know that?

@BrockNRolla said:

I've been a lifetime lover of Zelda. Beaten almost every game in the series, handhelds included, and I have to say, Skyward Sword is one of the most middle of the road Zelda games made thus far.

On one hand, Skyward Sword has some of the most inventive and creative puzzles yet devised. Most puzzles and stages feel unique and challenging, allowing you to stretch your brain for a solution quite frequently. This was by no means an easy game, and the newness of the puzzle design really was fantastic. I applaud these ideas.

On the other hand, Skyward Sword is marred by pacing issues and (at least for me) serious control problems. Skyward Sword can't ever seem to get out of its own way in the storyline department. Whenever you think the story is about to progress or you are about to figure something out, some kind of quest jumps up and blocks you progress. At every turn, the game asks you to do yet another arduous task in order to move on (and probably breaks that task up into multiple portions). The frequency with which I repeated the same tasks was similarly frustrating. Fighting two different bosses on three different occasions with minor tweaks is NOT ENJOYABLE. Nor is repeatedly doing the same difficult task to open up key locations ("silent" areas). I just wanted the game to be over by the time the credits rolled.

Then there are the controls. I know this is an area of contention for a lot of people, but frankly, I think any argument claiming Skyward Sword somehow legitimizes the wiimote as a reasonable control scheme is hyperbole at best. Countless times during my experience my controls either refused to respond, or seemed too imprecise for the action the game demanded of me. The difference between a horizontal slash and an angular slash is obvious on screen, but I'll be damned if I could make the controller understand the difference with any consistency. Match this with an IR targeting system that I needed to recenter after almost every use and a nunchuck that would only periodically understand that I was trying to block, and it's safe to say that in all but the most leisurely enemy combat I found the controls infuriating. This is of course to say nothing of the bad camera system or poor hit detection on ledges and other surfaces that require a near perpendicular connection for Link to grab the edge. I really feel like the majority of my frustrations with the game were derived from controls which simply couldn't deliver on what the designers envisioned.

So please, someone argue with me. Show me where I'm wrong, because I just don't understand the praise Skyward Sword has received. I think beyond puzzle design, there is little to like about the game.

I pretty much agree with all this.

Moments of brilliance don't save a game that's bogged down by frustrating pacing, repetitive boss battles, and so much PADDING.

@groin said:

Much later in the game that asshole water dragon gives you a fetch quest where you have to swim. I wanted to quit playing after receiving that fetch quest but I was already 20+ hours into the game at that point.

Oh dude, I was ready to give up there also.

"I've met you on 3 different occasions, you've saved my life, proved you're the hero the ancient texts speak of, so here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to throw these musical notes to the song you need into this giant lake, because you know, I don't just hand them out to anyone. Once you've collected all of them, bring them back to me. And maybe, just maybe, I'll start taking you seriously." THAT PART WAS FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE!!!

The game also had too much filler and backtracking for my liking, it could have easily been a 30 hour game. Even that part where Scrapper the robot drops the jug of water at the base of the volcano instead of the summit, and instead of flying it back up to the correct place (like he has been doing all game) he asks you to protect him as you make your way back up the volcano, a poor excuse for an escort mission.

The only real problems I had (I think they were pretty big problems actually) were the reptetive boss battles and insane amount of padding. Seriously, how much different collection quests do you need to fit in this game? It was mindboggling to think that someone said, yeah, this is real fun to make them collect this stuff again. I believe if they removed all the fetchquest bullshit the game would be 10 hours shorter and 2x better. Regardless of the problems I just listed, this was still a great Zelda game IMO.

I pretty much agree with the previous posts. Good game that is unfortunately bogged down by padding, control issues and repetitive bosses. What I don't get is how it has received so many perfect scores from game reviewers. Does the Zelda name really bring that much...overlooking of flaws?