Anyone who knows me can attest to my Zelda obsession. After watching my brother play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Christmas back in '97, I had to have a turn, and ever since then, I've been in love with every part of the franchise: the characters, the dungeons, and the music OH MAN the music. To me, playing a new Zelda game for the very first time is a sort of religious experience. The one I had with the latest game, Skyward Sword, this past weekend, approached gaming nirvana. Here are 3 reasons why.

The Story

One of the reasons the Zelda franchise is so good is its lore: how Link from Ocarina of Time is referenced repeatedly in The Wind Waker, or how Twilight Princess alludes to A Link From the Past. Skyward Sword puts story paramount, explaining the origins of oft-wondered-about things like link's green uniform, Ganon and the Master Sword. As a prequel to the series, Skyward Sword has this really terrific mythic air to it - leading me to play one night for 5 hours straight - and all to get through mayyyybe 15 percent.

The Gameplay
I was most nervous about this going in - moving from the fairly static, simplistic controls of previous consoles to the motion control of the Wii was an intimidating shift, and I wasn't sure I wanted a change from the target-and-attack system from Ocarina of Time. But once I realized that Link would mirror my every move - and enemies could dodge and attack from every direction, fighting monsters became so much more interactive and strategic. Now, knocking out a bat makes you feel accomplished (although I can't vouch for that in real life). There's also plenty of exploration and character development - in addition to the teeming town of Skyloft, there are floating islands and a decently sized overworld. The dungeons are just as strong as ever (and with great bosses), and make use of every tool in your arsenal, eschewing the find an item-use it in the dungeon-forget about it pattern of earlier games. And the pacing is for the most part smooth and compelling - although I could have done without the fetch-questing and the insistence of hunting for items with your sword.

The Music
I'm just going to leave this here.

The game is currently back at home in Baltimore, because if I took it to Barnard I'd get nothing done and fail all my finals. That said, when I go home for break, I'm gonna play this bad boy, and you should too!