Welcome to the Kotaku Game Club! Today will be our third meeting to discuss The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
This week, we're discussing the events from where we left off last week: the end of the Ancient Cistern through the Fire Sanctuary dungeon.
As always, the conversation takes place in the comments below the post.
Since many of you have already completed the game, please hold off from talking about events from the last few hours for the sake of players who have been keeping pace. If you haven't played as far as the Fire Sanctuary and want to avoid spoilers, be warned: This discussion will be full of spoilers for the first three quarters of the game.
If there are any first-timers here today who don't know what we're all about, the Kotaku Game Club plays one video game each month, and meets each week to discuss their thoughts on the game as a group, discussing it piece by piece as we play.
This week's jump-off was inspired by Tim Rogers' diatribe about all the reasons he dislikes Skyward Sword.
Is there a way for Nintendo to modernizeSkyward Sword without losing the series' identity?
Rogers' piece lists 10 things he hates about Skyward Sword. His problems highlight two facts: First, filtering the Zelda series through the Wii's unique mechanical perspective has had a polarizing effect. Second, while Nintendo's directive to update their classic franchises in a way that maintains an air of timelessness has worked well for Mario, it has left Skyward Sword feeling dated.
On the other hand, even though the Zelda blueprint has long been an open book for other developers, no one has really figured out what has made the series so magical. But if you can't change the series, and you can't let it stay the same, then the future looks bleak for Link and Zelda. Clearly, this is a very important issue.
Next week's meeting of the Kotaku Game Club will be our final discussion of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, so finish the game! Quick! We'll be putting everything on the table, including the ending and our final thoughts. Also, bring your ideas for the game you'd like us to play to kick off 2012! Mark your calendar and be sure to be back at Kotaku next Thursday, December 29th, at 4pm Eastern.
Happy Holidays!