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Zelda on the Wii To Include Sword Swinging
IGN has the news that the Wii version of Twilight Princess has been retooled to allow you to swing Link's sword. The bow and arrow has been moved to the 'B' button, alleviating one of the big complaints hands-on users had at E3. From the article: "Miyamoto felt that that shooting the arrow with the D-pad was too difficult, and the B button allows for quicker and easier shooting. It's unclear if the game will require the new control scheme or if players will be able to chose between different methods of control. Nintendo Dream closed off by asking Miyamoto to name the version of Zelda he personally prefers. The master game maker said that he'd play the Wii version, but added that both versions will be fun."
People screaming "NOOOO" should remember that the Wii plays GCN games. As I recall, the only difference between the two versions of TP is the control scheme, so all you'd be missing is the control scheme you don't like.
(this is assuming that the Wii version requires the sword-swinging, and doesn't merely have it as an option, in which case none of this matters)
Swords aren't actually that bad. Most one hand and hand and a half swords made for actual use top out at about 5lbs with most of those being around the 3lb range. Two handed swords can creep up to 8-10lbs (with a few, like the kwan do - a type of pole sword, being really heavy), but the high end of the scale isn't that common.
Prolonged use can be an issue, but for bursts of less than an hour it's not much of a problem at all. Unlike what most people think, using a blade is generally as much about finess and timing as it is about force, and you tend to use your full body instead of just your arm.
Granted, I'm a little bigger than your typical geek, but I've trained people who were 105lbs or so and it didn't take them all that long to build up the necessary strength and endurance.
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The Wii controller is never used as a 1:1 motion replication like you see in the advertising trailers. The amount of motion you need to put in is very small; you can leave your hands by your sides or in your lap or wherever. Of course, you're still welcome to flail around if that's what you really want to do.
From my experience as a fencer (I have fenced sabre for four years, and I just began fencing épée), just holding a blade in the en garde position can tire my arm. If I have not fenced for a while, my arms is sometimes tired after a mere 25-minute lesson.
... not going to happen. Not without massive steroids.
That matches my experience as well. Even a short sword, unless used for short jabs, is a pretty heavy weapon for your average person not used to heavy labor.
I laugh at the young slender women carrying weapons that weigh 15-20 pounds - yeah, right
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He's referring to Wind Waker.
A danger of just flailing randomly that your sword will be intercepted and flipped away from you, or hitting their sword wrong and it just flying out of your hands without them even intending it. Or it will get caught at a weird angle, not actually hurting anything, but leaving it trapped. Or that you'll sprain your wrist if it's a broadsword.
The point of swordfighting, in case people aren't aware of it, is to stop their sword from hitting you, not to, really, hit them. Hitting them is secondary. It's like riding a motorcycle...the main point is to not fall over...while you're not doing that, then you can move from point A to point B. Flailing wildly is akin to operating the throttle before sitting on the bike, in an attempt to get there faster. Um, no.
Even people with no skill at swordfighting can beat people who flail randomly. Just keep backing up, wait for them to do some really stupid move, and slash them while they're recovering. At least, that's what I would do. If you can't back up...jump on them. It's nearly impossible for an unskilled person to kill someone with a sword while wrestling with them, they don't have the leverage to cause any damage.
Disclaimer: I don't actually know anything about swordfighting, but I do know some stuff about physics and how the human body works.
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