Courtesy of Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the latest installment in Nintendo’s Zelda series. The game, released November 20, 2011, for Wii, utilizes the Wii Motionplus system.

After five years, Nintendo’s gamble on motion controls has finally hit the jackpot. The newest installation in the venerable Legend of Zelda series, “Skyward Sword,” proves beyond reasonable doubt that motion controls can be exact, engaging and fun. “Skyward Sword” is the best game for the Wii this year, and should be on everyone’s holiday wish list.

The story of “Skyward Sword” is strong, though melodramatic at times and too faithful to the narrative formula of most Zelda games. The protagonist, Link, hails from Skyloft, a city that resembles a floating Hobbiton. The inhabitants of Skyloft travel from one floating island to another on the back of massive birds and never venture to the surface. A sinister force abducts Link’s friend, Zelda, sparking a chain of events in which Link proves his heroism. Action is constant; I stuck mostly to the main storyline, and there was always something new to do, since the tale unfolds with pacing comparable to “Half Life 2.” The narrative’s exposition relied mostly on dialogue with no voice acting save for some grunts and wheezes. This is unfortunate, as the characters look silly flapping their mouths and fluttering their limbs to explain things. The main storyline will take several days to finish, and the numerous side quests guarantee that completion of this game will take upward of fifty hours. The side quests tend to be more humorous than the epic main story, but still demand the player to make severe ethical decisions. For example, should Link deliver a rival’s love letter, or should he give the paper to a ghoul for use as toilet paper? A memorable supporting cast adds the color in the story, especially in these side quests. My favorites included a sassy robot and an enthusiastic archaeologist. Unfortunately Link’s companion for most of the journey, a spirit named Fi, is boring, functioning mostly as an unfunny Nintendo version of GLaDOS.

The biggest attraction of “Skyward Sword” is its innovative gameplay, especially during combat. The player can control Link’s sword with one-to-one precision. Slice to the right with the Wii Remote, and Link slices right; thrust forward with the controller, and watch Link stab an enemy. Enemies react to the position of Link’s sword and defend themselves accordingly, adding a level of depth superior to the hack-and-slash button mashing of traditional RPGs. While at least one major reviewer took issue with the controls, I can only attest that they always worked for me. “Skyward Sword” hits some turbulence in the graphics department. Nintendo wisely chose to stylize the visuals with cell shading and blurring. The result is a handsome game with backgrounds that look worthy of an Impressionist’s easel. However, some textures close to the camera look blurry or muddy, and some diagonals are rendered as jagged lines. This may be a result of the Wii age and hardware limitations, but it was distracting at times, and I wish Nintendo had refined the look for a smoother appearance. All in all, the flaws I mentioned were the result of looking for mistakes. “Skyward Sword” is a near-perfect game with few issues and a staggering amount of content. Fans of the series may wish to know whether it’s the best of the series, and I’ll leave the argument to them, since such a call relies on personal opinion. “Majora’s Mask” still has the best story, and “Wind Waker” has the best aesthetic. “Skyward Sword,” though, soars by ushering in a generation of games in which motion controls are not a cheap gimmick, but an immersive and accurate aspect of gameplay.