Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword [SPOILERS]

Is the wii motion plus thing required for this game?

It is.

Also, I find no fault with the control in this game, any mishap I have had is beacues of the human factor. It is not really 1:1, but once you learn how it works it is close enough. The flying was really irky at first, but it works great when you get the gist of it.