The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

A console's potential fulfilled.

When most people think of Wii games, they think of waggle-fests. The majority of the Wii's game library is plagued by titles that simply slap-on motion control into games that weren't at all designed with them in mind. This isn't so much a fault of the hardware (not entirely, at least), but of Nintendo itself.

They set the precedent for this behavior five years ago when The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess launched on their newly launched console. Everyone was looking for an example of how to use motion control in traditional video games, and Nintendo was poised to show them the way. Unfortunately, they made a bad call by giving their flagship release a tacked-on control scheme that, while decent, was a poor example, thus setting the stage for others to follow.

With the Wii slowly on its way out, however, Nintendo has wised up and decided to leave us with an example the platform was clamoring for: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. As one of the very few games to use the Wii Motion Plus add-on, granting the game true one-to-one motion, Skyward Sword makes the ultimate case for why motion matters and how it can be used effectively. It's not perfect, suffering from the occasional technical oddity like all other Wii games do, but it's also the best use of motion control there is.

Humble Indie Bundle 4 is out now

Boy, that sure didn't take long. Weren't they just offering the Humble Introversion Bundle just a week ago? They sure are upping the rate at which they're publishing these. (Not that I'm complaining, of course.) So what's in this new bundle? Quite the odd assortment: as of this writing, the bundle is offering Shank, Bit.Trip Runner, Jamestown, NightSky (both the standard and the new HD version), and for those that pay above the average, Gratuitous Space Battles, and Cave Story Plus. All that for whatever price you want. Not a bad haul, I must say. Plus, some of the proceeds go to charity, so that's cool too! So, what are you waiting for? Go buy that bundle!

You can now play Bastion in Google Chrome

If you haven't played this excellent game yet, you're running out of excuses. So quit stalling and get to it!

Well, this is interesting.

Bastion, Supergiant Games' first game, just got released onto the Chrome Web Store. So now you can play it through any Google Chrome browser you're logged in on (provided you meet the system requirements, of course). How is this possible? Through the magic of Google's "Naitive Client" technology, which allows high-end programs to be run right in a browser.

The game goes for the same $15 price as the Steam version, which, given the game's superb quality, is a steal. If you're big Chrome user and have had interest, check it out. There's a demo and everything. It's well worth playing. And as Joystiq notes, it's a version that's totally playable on Mac! So that's cool.

Serious Sam 3's DRM is pretty clever

In an age where digital rights management measures are becoming more and more obtuse in the never-ending fight against piracy, it's nice to see that, occasionally, there are still those who enjoy getting creative with their DRM protocols. Case in point, Serious Sam 3: BFE. As Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported today, the game takes a more... unorthodox countermeasure against pirates by, well... see for yourself.

If for some reason you can't view the video, the DRM manifests itself in-game as a large, pink, armor-clad scorpion that is invincible. You know have a stolen copy because that nightmarish beast will start stalking you right from the get-go and will continue to chase you down until you are dead. It's a pretty great idea, I must say. Punish unlawful players by making your game unfairly hard. Brilliant stuff. Other developers could learn a thing or two from the guys at Croteam.

Skyward Sword brings meaningful combat to the Zelda series

If you think back on the 25 years we've been playing The Legend of Zelda series, something has always been constant. No, I'm not talking about the franchise’s much-criticized formula and its refusal to change. I'm talking about combat. Until The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword came about, the series' battle mechanics have been on the bland side, amounting to nothing more than waiting for a chance to pound on the attack button. Nintendo's latest entry in its long-running saga fixes that by making you a part of the action -- literally.



The key lies in Skyward Sword’s one-to-one motion controls. You're given full command of Link's sword and are able to dictate every movement. At first, it seems like a recipe for disaster, considering the Wii's shaky track record with anything demanding even a modicum of precision. But it works here. Splendidly.

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Rayman Origins Review

Rayman makes his triumphant return in this beautiful, splendidly wacky platformer.

Ever since Ubisoft introduced us to the lovably psychotic rabbids, Rayman, who was technically the star of the first couple of Raving Rabbids games, has gone into an unexpected retirement. The limbless wonder was the star of a couple well-renowned platformers during the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 days, but has had a very small presence in console generations since.

Well, he's back now, in what can only be described as New Super Mario Bros. Wii if it were designed by crazy people. (Or crazier people, as the case may be.) It's a fantastic game, delivering a true return to form for Rayman and company, where platforming feels solid and graceful while also feeling completely off-the-wall and zany. It's also charming as heck, with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style being employed here to incredible effect, the game oozing with personality from every pore. It's a game rife with brilliance, every facet of its design showing the utmost craft. And on top of all that, it's just a lot of good, doofy fun.