E3 2010 XTRA: New ‘Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swords’ Revealed

To open their press conference at this year’s E3, Nintendo needed a heavy hitter. That heavy hitter was Zelda, returning with a brand new title for the Nintendo Wii titled The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swords. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto hung out on stage for awhile, giving us a taste of the game play and features of the newest title in the epic Zelda franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swords uses Nintendo’s Wii Motion Plus technology to help Link swing, swipe, and roll his way through Hyrule. Controls in this game will differ from the previous title, Twilight Princess, as players will use the Wiimote to swing Link’s sword and the Nunchuck as a shield. Another new aspect of game play is the ability to raise your sword to the sky, charging it with solar energy to fling at your enemies.

From what we saw from Miyamoto’s presentation, the game play seems much more realistic and smooth than Twilight Princess. Watching him, it really looked like he was holding a sword and shield, and his movements translated well in the on-screen game play.

The new item system, which Miyamoto described like a “pocket”, seems like a very intuitive system and a welcome change from the last game’s menu. This game also differs from Twilight Princess hugely because of its bright and beautiful scenery.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swords won’t be released until 2011, but we’ve got a gameplay trailer to keep you occupied after the jump.