to the second half of our look at Nintendoís latest Zelda masterpiece, Skyward Sword.

Even the most stubborn Nintendo defender would admit the Wiiís grandiose mission statementóthat

motion-controlled revolutionóended up being more of a rough storm than total sea change,

so to speak...emphasis on the rough. For every Wii game with fantastic motion controls, there

are three or four with broken ones.

But this? This is the revolution weíve been waiting for.

Itís rare to play a game in which the controls actually immerse you into the gameís world,

but thatís what MotionPlus does for Zelda. Sword fights are no longer routine exercises

in obligatory button mashing. Each one is an event that requires attention, even strategy.

Enemies will protect themselves, and youíll have slash them where theyíre exposed. The

game never lets combat feel arbitrary. Thereís always an interesting hook that makes Linkís

battles more rewarding than ever before.

The motion is also built into your environment. Ropes have to be cut at an angle. Objects

obscured by stone might have to be stabbed through a thin space. Motion controlóspecifically,

accurate motion controlóis simply built into Linkís world. The application eventually

feels as natural as trimming a candle wick or cutting a loose string. It starts to feel

real, and as a result, so do your objectives.

Calibration is still annoying, but when itís working, itís fantastic.

But as well as it plays, I think what makes Skyward Sword so tremendous is the

way it looks. Itís not often I get to reference centuries-old art movements in a video game

review, but how beautiful it is when the opportunity arises. And more than its controls, more than

its structure...what defines Skyward Sword is its spectacular appearance.

Skyward Sword is based on impressionism, an art style that blossomed in the 19th century.

The whole idea is youíre not necessarily painting an object as much as youíre capturing

light. Impressionists focused more on the way light makes the object appear than the

object itself. Detailís not important. Pure colors, short brush strokes and the reflections

of light are.

This is exactly what Nintendo has accomplished with Skyward Sword, and whatís perhaps even

more spectacular than its sheer beauty is the way the medium of video games brings it

to life. Objects looming in the distance are beautifully rendered in the impressionist

style, but as you approach them, they slowly come into focus. Details emerge. The painting

begins to move.

Itís just a stunning effect, but itís also admirably bold. Nintendoís decision to forego

conventional graphics for this impressionist style not only makes Skyward Sword one of

the most gorgeous games Iíve ever seen, but one of the most artistically significant...a

game that would certainly earn Monet and Renoirís smudges of approval.

Now, I donít use the term ìmasterpieceî loosely. Thatís a word I reserve for games

in only the uppermost echelon of their industry, but itís a perfect fit for what Nintendo

has accomplished with Skyward Sword. The Zelda games have almost unreasonably high standards,

but for many reasons, this one sets them even higher.