The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Let's fall in love and kill some bad guys!

It's the first week of January and I can say with some confidence that no one has heard from me for about five days.  It's not that I didn't have a great holiday, I did, or that I'm depressed, I'm not, it's just that...well, I've been busy...

Unlike the rest of you, my fellow Nerdsburghians, when I received the latest Legend of Zelda installment Skyward Sword in a little brown box two weeks before Christmas, I didn't open it.  Nope.  I may have gazed longingly at the cover art through the shiny shrink wrap, I may have even cuddled it a little, but I did not open it.  Instead, I dutifully wrapped the game tightly in Santa paper and shoved it under the tree to be opened, as presents should be, on Christmas morning.  I have to admit, for one who is not historically a patient person, this was a particularly agonizing wait.  Day after day I had to endure constant Twitter gushings of how Skyward Sword was the greatest of all Zeldas.  But, despite constantly bypassing glowing online reviews, sidestepping spoilers like land mines and avoiding persistent pressure by my eager peers to give in, my copy remained encased under a thin layer of smiling Santas, mocking me with its awesomeness, until the sun rose on the morning of December 25th.  

Read more about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword after the jump:

So, Christmas came and went and I did finally open my precious Zelda.  However, the glory was short lived for I was then delayed further by the obvious physical distance to my home console (yeah right like I was gonna start the greatest Legend of Zelda game ever made on my Brother in Law's system).  Gah. 

And then finally, on January 1st, 2012 I pulled my new desk chair into the living room, popped some long lasting Lithium batteries into my Wii remote and began to play.  And that's what I've been doing ever since, only taking breaks to eat (Frosted Flakes cereal and M&Ms mostly), change diapers (not mine, my two year old's) and go to work (cuz I hafta).  

Now, before I give my two cents, I must disclose that I am by no means a professional gamer nor do I pretend to be any sort of Zelda expert.  I am just a nerd who really likes this super great game I got for Christmas and I just thought since I like it so much, I'm gonna put forth my thoughts about it.

Let me start off by saying, having a Wii in an Xbox/Playstation world is not easy.  It seems that while I'm still driving MarioKart around and hoping for new Resident Evil editions to be released, other systems have moved on to bigger and better things like Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim and the remoteless Kinect for Xbox 360.  So for the first time, after adoring Nintendo gaming systems since the days of Paperboy and Castlevania, I began to harbor feelings of regret for choosing the Nintendo Wii above all the others.       

That is...until now. 

Enter The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and the reason why my entire family probably thinks I'm dead because I haven't answered my phone in a little over a week.

Skyward Sword opens with an elaborate series of cut scenes that set up the back story to this particular installment of Zelda.  The scenes are longer and more cinematic than any opening to a video game of recent memory.  With cinematic flair, Skyward spends a lot of time before game play even begins telling the story of Link and Zelda.  In the past, Zelda stories have always focused on the adventure Link takes to save the Princess while omitting more of the mushy gushy love parts.  In Skyward Sword, however, we see Link and Zelda as childhood friends living on Skyloft and growing up together.  The moments between the young lovers are, dare I say, sweet and tender.  For the first time in the entire series of Legend of Zelda, I actually feel a hero's pressure to beat the bad guys and save the day.  The added story elements, while sometimes lengthy, truly do enhance play when the gamer truly cares about the characters and feels as if there is purpose to reaching the end game.

Logistically, playing Skyward Sword is an absolute joy.  Unlike other Wii games where the player is called upon to hold up the remote uncomfortably and continuously point at the screen for hours on end, Skyward employs the toggle on the nunchuk to move the little guy in green around saving arm muscle strength for more important boss battles.  

Swordplay throughout the game is better than it has ever been.  Enemies have moves designed specifically for each character and part of beating them is knowing their pattern of movement and how they fight, certain bad guys even anticipate Link's swordsmanship!  

Notorious for pressing buttons wildly and swinging my remote around the room with reckless abandon, I often feel that while playing Skyward Sword, my slices and jabs are less random and lucky and more calculated and purposeful.  Although, I do have to say that, while satisfying, the "final blow" feature may be a little too violent for young players. 

Regarding general gameplay, I think the fact that I haven't stopped thinking about and playing the game for five days speaks volumes about its level of enjoyment.  I have always loved particular aspects unique to playing a Legend of Zelda game such as usable methods of travel to other worlds (like the sailboat in Wind Waker and the horse in Twilight Princess) and the silly characters (Beetle with his airship and the desperate coat check girl) and of course the whimsical side-quests (where's Kukiel and don't forget my hot pumpkin soup!).  Skyward Sword has everything I have ever loved about Zelda and yet, has somehow managed to retain all of this and make it better.

I believe at this point, my recommendation is an obvious one.  If you didn't get The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Christmas, scold your family for not knowing you at all and then go buy it yourself.  I got the one with the CD attached so I can listen to the score of the game anytime I want.  You don't have to be THAT hardcore but I just wanted you to know that it was out there in case you looking for some new music to work out to.

So, whether you are a novice or experienced gamer living in a lonely world of Wii games...this is a must buy!  Follow along as young Link and Zelda fall in muted love while they fly on Loftwings and travel down light tunnels alongside a water skiing purple guide named Fi.  It's a love story for the ages and an adventure for all time, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the best video game I've ever played.  Now if that's not commitment, then I don't know what is.