Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Mixed reactions"

I have long given up on the idea that any Zelda game is somehow going to top Ocarina of Time. Hell Ocarina isn't even my favorite Zelda game. Wind Waker is. There I said it. So instead of trying to compare every Zelda game to that lofty expectation, I just review them on their own merits.
For me, after the boring train driving slog that was Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword feels like an improvement....at least for me. It tries some new things yet still feels stuck with some of the cliches of past Zelda games but when it works, it works well.
The story goes that this time around Link and Zelda live in a floating city called Skyloft where Link is training to be a knight and upon completing his graduation training, Zelda gets whisked away and Link once again goes out to save her. At least this time around Zelda and Link actually have a connection prior to starting the game so there's valid reason for Link to go save her. Also Zelda doesn't stay kidnapped for the entire game waiting for Link to show up. Link does catch up to her only to be just short of finding out what the heck is going on. What his purpose in all this is as well as finding out the motives of a great, gay fopish bad guy. Seriously I like this guy. You know he sits in his room when no one's around going "would you F$#% me? I'd f&^% me."
The big addition to the gameplay is the use of Wiimotion Plus which I had to go out and buy since hardly any games implemented it and honestly it works well for me. Since I'm not one of those stubborn old gamers stuck in their ways and willing to try new things, using the remote for a sword works for the most part. It adds a bit more strategy to fighting enemies having to swing a certain way. I like fighting foes and finding that way to hit them to parry their attacks and such. It's still not perfect but I never found myself getting tired out or frustrated. If the controls are frustrating in any aspect, it's trying to catch bugs because that really is a point where you just have to flail and hope you snag it.
Speaking of bugs, this time around all the doodads you collect feel more worthwhile as they can be used to upgrade your gear as opposed to just collecting a certain amount of something to trade in for a new ability or a heart piece. This actually gives you incentive to explore even more and return to past places as well as try to complete sidequests.
So Link's ridden on boats and trains but this time being in the sky he gets to fly his own giant bird friend. Now while flying with the Wiimote is fun and waaaay better than driving a train around, most of the sky overworld feels sort of empty. A few sparse rocks dot the area with a few chests and it's not nearly as expansive as Hryrule of past games or even the great sea.
My major complaint is the game still drags at times. The dungeons are still too puzzle heavy at times. With the new control I was hoping for a bit more combat oriented gameplay but you'll still find yourself pushing boxes, hitting switches and trying to find the right order to do things.
Now the art design has been a subject for debate. It appears they went for a happy medium between Wind Waker's cell shading and Twilight Princess's Earthtone realism. Personally I like it. Given the Wii isn't an HD powerhouse going for a more artistic look compensates. Plus I'm not a graphics whore or a fan of ultra realism.
Skyward Sword is a game that has its ups and downs. When it works well, it works really well. But when it does work, it feels tiresome and tedious making this a really hard game to score. Look it you're open minded and willing to have patience then it can been fun an engaging if you let it but if you are the kind who gives up on the motion controls after five minutes or are expecting this to outdo Ocarina of Time then you will be sorely disappointed.