Can't wait to get this game... Christmas can't come fast enough.
You know I enjoy a review where the person can call a game great but still point out negative things, but doesn't let that affect his opinion too much.
I actually thought the final boss had a unique strategy, since you could take little potshots at him here and there (much more easily than you'd expect) but not get anywhere unless you realized you had to block in a specific way you never had before, then counterattack in a tiny narrow window.
I admit, it was pretty cool, but too straightforward in my opinion. Just a matter of blocking his attacks and striking while his guard's down, as I'd been doing against mooks for most of the game. And I'd just finished off Ghirahim. I guess he was a tough act to follow, considering he had a variety of attacks to counter aside from "swing sword at me". Which is kind of ironic, considering... you know. Spoilers.
Forgot to mention: I haven't beaten the game yet (I'm at the beginning of the temple for the third sacred flame), so I don't know all that much for certain yet and I may change my opinion, at least partially, while I progress. I'm also not saying it's a bad game (far from it!), but it's been a HUGE disappointment for me because it just has SO. MANY. FLAWS. that impair my gaming experience, and because I expected so much better. It just infuriates me that there are so many things done wrong that were done right in TP and/or WW and/or Oo T.
The horrible and unfathomable Rosethorn Larana'Khash, Abominationslayer of the Knights of the Church of Ith'Nyeargh!
Huh... didn't know I could use the lightning Skyward Strike in the final battle. I just countered his sword swings with a shield bash, and hit him when there was an opening.
But then, I rarely used it in the first place. It got useful after it was upgraded on the first playthrough, but by then I'd mastered beating every enemy at close range.
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9.999 Out of 10
This is the best Zelda game I've ever played. The plot is simple enough to understand easily, yet gripping enough that you want to keep playing until your sword arm is tired. Which it might, due to the incredible use of the motion controls. Nearly every enemy in the game has a trick to beating it. One of my favorite parts of the game was nearly getting curbstomped by a Lizalfos, and then not 20 minutes later, curbstomping one myself, because my own skill with the sword had improved.
Traveling through the sky doesn't involve much combat. There are a few octoroks in the floating rubble who'll take shots at you, but they're easy to avoid. Skyloft itself serves a similar function to Windfall Island in Wind Waker. You can shop, and find a few sidequests. The sky is fairly relaxing, compared to the surface.
I only have one very minor problem with the game, and that's with the Final Boss. His appearance, behavior, and name all seem to scream "Most Awesome Boss Ever". I fully expected this to be a final boss battle which would fit with the rest of the game's "Smart Combat". Unfortunately, he was rather predictable, and easy to counter once I saw how. This is only a minor flaw, as he was still difficult; he deals a lot of damage, and I only won because I thought to bring a couple of potions. Still, I expected a more interesting battle.
I can't help comparing this game to Twilight Princess. The main difference seems to be that while TP emphasized the conflicts - Zant's invasion, the Holy Shit Quotient in the boss battles, Ganondorf's execution scene - Skyward Sword places slightly less emphasis on that, and a little more on the people Link meets. The conflict is still there, but we see more of Link's friends and allies, even having The Rival play a crucial role in the plot.
In the end, this game is great in most areas, and nearly perfect in others. The only thing keeping it from a perfect 10 in my book is the lack of a cerebral challenge in the Final Boss, when it was so common in the rest of the game.