HOL

I recently picked this up with a giftcard that I got for Christmas, and I have to say that (like most Legend of Zelda games) I fell in love quite quickly. I'm still a little wary of the changes from the other Zelda games I've played, but so far I still really love the game.

The graphics are outstanding, in my opinion. Not only do they have that surreal look I've come to expect from Zelda games, but the textures seem like watercolour paintings and the effect is quite beautiful. Oddly enough, my favourite part is the water textures - every body of water or waterfall I've encountered has been so breathtaking I've had to stop and stare for a moment!

The battle system is another amazing plus. The game really utilizes the Motion Plus technology that it requires, and now even fighting feels like a puzzle: instead of like most games where battle is either simple button-mashing, or a more complex system of combos, this battle system requires careful planning and quick reflexes in the heat of battle, making it truly feel like you're in the midst of a fight. Enemies block very intelligently, and the quicker they are to block, the quicker and sneakier you have to be when you attack! You have to attack the enemies at the right angle, or else they'll block your attack and possibly get in one of their own. With one boss you encounter, this is very difficult, as the boss follows your every move to block your attacks almost before they happen!

The side quests and adventures are varied enough to make them feel worthwhile without being too vast and making you feel lost, and there are a lot of clever environment puzzles for you to solve, which is always my favourite thing to do. There is also a collection system where you can capture bugs (sort of like in Twilight Princess), and you're given a bug's net near the beginning of the game to capture these bugs in. I can't tell you how many times I've been distracted from my main quest to run off chasing butterflies and the like!

Does anyone else play this game, and if so, how do you like it?

I have started playing it about a week ago on my flatmate's Wii - and enjoying it greatly. I love the first phase of the game - the way of moving around in Skyloft is truly creative and it reminds me somewhat of Avatar.

I had a question about picking up the bug's net.. I went to the surface without buying one - can I still get one?

My friend is a long way through the game and I like watching him play. The aid in this game is a lot more helpful than Navy and Midna in previous games, which is both a pro and a con. If you want to run through it fast and not get stuck, then your aid can give you a lot of help, but if you want to figure it out by yourself it can be a bit of a pain.

Your aid also has a dry sense of humour at times. So does Zelda.

I love this game.

I've an answer to your question Barbara, but I'm putting spoiler tags on it just in case some people want to figure out the mechanics by themselves (though I don't think it really spoils anything, but just in case)

You actually need to go to the surface before you're able to get the net, so you're on the right track! Once you find bird statues on the surface, much like the ones in Skyloft only they glow orange, not blue, you'll be given the option "Return to the sky", which will allow you to go back to Skyloft at any time. When you drop back down below the clouds, you can select which save point you'd like to return to, so it's really convienant! To get the bug's net, you need the slingshot (which you'll also need to help you find the first temple.) Once you have it, a place called "Beedle's Airshop" or something appears on your map of Skyloft. If you hit the bell on this flying shop with your slingshot, a little rope comes down for you to use to get to the shop with, and it sells the bug's net !

At first I found that I preferred Midna, but now I definitely agree with you - your aid in this game is the most helpful I've encountered in a long time! You do get useless info sometimes... but that's normal.

I think another favourite thing about this game that I've found is the options you get for replying sometimes. You get to choose how you reply to a couple people you interact with in certain situations, as well as some sidequests allow you two different endings to the quest depending on your choices/dialogues. I really love this because it's not so frequent that you feel like you're missing so much in the game or that you really worry about making the right choice (they either end up in the exact same ending/response, or you get the same reward regardless) but it still adds an extra element of life to Link and allows you to kind of give him a personality without defining him too much. That's what I really love about the games as a whole: you can imagine the protagonist with any kind of personality/voice that you like.

I got the game myself for Christmas. I haven't really played too much of it, but I've gotten to the surface and I just got the slingshot! I was so excited to use it.

I plan on playing a lot more when I get free time. I even got the Wii charger (with rechargeable batteries, because I'm tired of buying new ones!) I've been addicted to the Zelda games for quite some time, and I believe this one far outranks the previous Zelda game for the Wii.

Sadly, I heard this will probably be the last great installment for the Wii. I wonder what Nintendo will come up with next? This can't be the end of Zelda and Link!