Skyward Sword get thread

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Cravdraa

You know, I honestly think they were trying to be funny by having Fi announce things that were obvious. Sort of a nod towards all those helper programs that you just want to shut up. I think they missed the point that this sort of thing is still annoying, even if you're trying to make fun of it.

As a general rule, I believe that Nintendo's writers think that they are funnier than they actually are.

Spoiler Below

Master, there's a monster attacking the boat! You need to quickly leave so you can fight it on the outside!

I don't care if they were trying to be funny; the joke honestly falls flat on its face when you interrupt a rather awesome scene to tell me what I already know.

[Antisocial]

MASTER I WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF HEARTS LEFT DO YOU NOT SEE YOUR SWORD GLOWING PLEASE MASTER CALL ME OUT I WANT TO BE HELPFUL I AM SO LONELY

You know, the low health alarm was annoying enough.

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Cravdraa

Aw, come on. You really think they were serious when you saw a boss door and they had Fi tell you there might be something important behind it? Or what about when she announced that there may be a key near by because you found a locked door?

Those sorts of things have to be attempts at dry humor, especially considering they weren't even close to the first dungeon in the game.

I read something that's tangentially related to this point. The artist behind the webcomic Manly Men Doing Manly Things had this to say about Ghirahim:

I must have a higher threshold for what counts as a “ridiculous, cartoony extreme”. Calling Ghirahim a parody seems to be in the same school of thought as Hipster “irony” (It’s not tacky! It’s Ironically tacky! No really, it is tacky). All he did was cement the “It’s like I’m really watching one of those high school animes” feeling of the game overall for me. And I mean, it’s not like he’s the only character from the game who was a completely recycled trope, Groose was pretty much cut and pasted out of Shaman King where he used to be Wooden Sword Ryu, Zelda was every genki-girl love-interest, Ghirahim is just the one I’m sick of seeing leak into everything.

There are a few people out there who are saying, "No! Fi was very funny! She's a parody of Navi! She's supposed to be that annoying!" And... I just don't see it. Because, y'see,

Click to view video.

is parodic... or at the very least satirical. It fully acknowledges exactly that it's making fun of something and exactly how. For something to be parodic, there has to be a clear indication -- with full knowing winks and elbow nudges -- that they know exactly what the intent is. Otherwise, the effort is bad comedy at the best.

Had Fi (or someone else in the game) physically broken the fourth wall and make a comment about fairies -- or had there been a talking fairy somewhere in the game -- then I might be able to agree that it's dry, deadpan humor. But as it stands, I really don't think it is. Not once in the game is Nintendo obviously truly apologetic about Fi.

Also, before I forget it, this is about the best Skyward Sword parody I know of.

Orchestrated Restrictions [Gonzo Fiction] | Gonzo Planet

[CuccoLady]

I sincerely doubt that Fi was supposed to be a parody, and if she was they were doing it wrong because it wasn't funny.

I liked her because she was awesome, but any satire that was supposed to be there flew straight over my head, and that of pretty much everyone I know. I also found her genuinely helpful at a lot of points [not low hearts. That was undefendably obnoxious], and was in the minority that-- other than low hearts-- never thought her advice was intrusive or annoying.

Anyway, there's saying something obvious in a way that is worded so that it SOUNDS as if it's supposed to be obvious, and hilariously so. Then there's saying something obvious, sounding as though it isn't... in a way that seems sincere rather than joking-- and that's how she came off, IMO. It's hard to describe but the parodying mood was just not really there.

-shrug-

also if they did intend to make her say things solely as a parody i feel like implementing that as a game mechanic to imitate a known obnoxious game mechanic would be a poor choice regardless. Like "we know our players hated chocolate cake, so we'll make ANOTHER CHOCOLATE CAKE, but this time it's SATIRICAL. But they still have to eat it." If that was their intent it seems... stupid. But, like I said, I don't think it was, so whatevs

[CaptHayfever]

Bad analogy. Chocolate cake is yummy.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Cravdraa]

I made no arguement that it was good humor or a smart design choice.
But if it wasn't meant to be taken as a joke, then how do you explain Fi popping up to tell you there's probably something important behind the boss door in like the 5th dungeon or so?

Anyone who's ever played a 3d Zelda game knows what that door is. In fact, even people completely new to the series know what it is because the've already seen 4 other doors that look pretty similar in THIS game so far and the game made no real attempt to explain those. Suddenly, half way through the game, suddenly they're telling you the boss door is probably important.
If that's not a bad joke, then you explain it to me, because obviously they know by this point in the game that everyone knows how boss doors work. Yet they picked THIS time, after the concept is well established, to have Fi give a mock explaination of them.

[CuccoLady]

I guess I see your point. I can't say why they did it because I can't give any reason, parody or not, why they might think that was a necessary addition to the game, because it wasn't and the parody if that's what it was was not successful at all x{D

Failed parody is a possibility, but... and I just don't know how to explain this... that's not what it felt like to me. Not that it really matters because the end result is that it was just pointless lawl

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Cravdraa

But if it wasn't meant to be taken as a joke, then how do you explain Fi popping up to tell you there's probably something important behind the boss door in like the 5th dungeon or so?

I'll admit that it could be that the designers thought they were hilariously funny.

But honestly, I really really believe that it's incredibly consistent with Nintendo's M.O. of using Super Guide, in-game help videos, and constant handholding to believe that there's someone out there that could be playing this game who is horribly inexperienced with the Zelda Formula or, God forbid it, just that dumb.

The general vibe of videogaming in this day and age is that, if you can't beat a game, it's the fault of the designers who made it, not the players who can't beat it. This is especially true with games that involve story. And I believe that Nintendo thought that they had a gold mine waiting to be minted. They wanted to leave people with a good feeling about having beaten it to make new Zelda players who will give them cash money. And being that this is "the most difficult [modern] Zelda ever" (in Nintendo's own words), I bet someone along the line -- Miyamoto or Iwata, most likely -- insisted that this be there in order to offset that.

For all we know, they could have had players who had NEVER played Zelda before in their lives be playtesters for the game (which, honestly, is a smart thing to do), and they found that some players -- in the demographic they were targeting -- just didn't know what they were doing.

This is, after all, why the King of Red Lions will occasionally call out the fact that there are puzzles in certain areas actually. Look in the two rooms in Wind Waker right after you beat Phantom Ganon. In the room to the right, there are four statues each holding a different number of candles. In the room on the left, there are four switches. But if there wasn't some OBVIOUS camera work and a message from KoRL, I don't really think I'd have paid attention to the candles. Probably someone while playtesting didn't get it, and they decided to make it a little more obvious.

[monstrman]

the worst is when it goes "master the batteries in your wii remote are getting low"

Not only can I see it on the wiimote and screen, it really breaks immersion...

[The Missing Link]

Originally Posted by Cravdraa

But if it wasn't meant to be taken as a joke, then how do you explain Fi popping up to tell you there's probably something important behind the boss door in like the 5th dungeon or so?

To go one step further with this, think about two other cases in the game of really stupid stuff:

(1) The fact that, when you are low on hearts, not only do they do the whole beeping thing, but Fi also has to come out and tell you to drink a potion. This happens EVERY time. Is that supposed to be a joke too?

(2) Every time you boot up the game, the first time you get an Amber Relic (and a Blob and a Feather and a Thingamabob and...), it tells you exactly what this Amber Relic is, opens up your inventory screen, shows you that you have 35... oh, I mean 36 of them(!)... and then lets you start playing again. Is that supposed to be a joke too?

Honestly, if it's really a joke, I can't for the life of me think how anyone would find it funny -- testers all the way on up.

[Antisocial]

There's just something about the game that tells me that Fi was no joke at all. Like they were actually serious with her.

They would've made it a lot more obvious if she was a parody.

[monstrman]

So I'm sure everyone has touched on this subject already but... what's with the ballet? I mean... really? What? Why?

[CuccoLady]

^ Because the old gods are so refined and cultured that their refined and cultured language can only be properly conveyed through INTERPRETIVE DANCE.

Also because it's ****ing awesome.

[Cravdraa]

I was playing through hero mode and made the BEST discovery!
Spoiler Below

Remlits... Remlits everywhere...

Speaking of odd easter eggs, does anyone else like to go skydiving with the flying squirrels?

[Marilink]

^Is that what those are? I could not tell for the life of me what they were. But yes, I enjoy them. Are there more than just the ones above the Lumpy Pumpkin?

[CuccoLady]

^ They're above the bamboo cutting island too, and I LOOOOVE skydiving with them. Killed way more time than I should've that way