By min | November 26, 2011, 10:27 AM | D&D & Video Games | Link

New Zelda for the Wii

Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is coming out on November 20th, just before Thanksgiving.

The Guardian review:

Skyward Sword is the first Zelda game designed from the start for the Wii's unique abilities and, as Link's sword has always been his mainstay, he's now able to wield it with precision: its movements mimic any motion you apply to the Wiimote. ... As you would expect from a Zelda game, there's plenty of platform-style action, and a glorious set of puzzles which are all wildly inventive. You might have to shake objects out of trees using Link's run-and-roll attack, or swing from rope to rope by waving the Wiimote. Link can also use his sword to dowse, giving him an indication of where he needs to go to catch up with Zelda.

Despite the typically enchanting nature of the game, its difficulty level can be quite high at times. There are plenty of sub-quests to perform, and periodically, Link has to return to Skyloft, to help people out and restock potions, ammo and shields (which disintegrate annoyingly quickly).

Having witnessed the trouble fnord12's had during the fights in the previous Zelda games due to the camera angle flipping out or the control not being up for the accuracy required in the fight, i'm a bit wary of a game that depends so much on the Wii sensor accurately picking up your movements from the remote.

Ofc, compared to the the Xbox Kinect (watching friends desperately try to get the thing to sense their movement was hilarious and sad at the same time), the Wii is worlds better at knowing what you're doing and mimicking it, so mebbe it will work out just fine.

What i don't understand is why release a Zelda game now when the Wii U is about to come out in less than a year. With any new system, you're going to want games right away that are Nintendo staples - Mario and Zelda. Releasing Skyward Sword now indicates to me that it will be a few years before we see a Zelda game specifically for the Wii U.

Wouldn't a new Zelda game on a new system also look better graphically? As the review says, you're now getting a new Zelda game that highlights the Wii's limits instead. I can only assume it's part of a grander plan.