[QUOTE="raahsnavj"]Sometimes I wonder if the zelda fanchise is afraid to do anything really different. .blahzor
I've always thought the opposite actually
As you said; the second zelda game was drastically different from the original. Link's awakening, the first gameboy game, was also quite different from lttp. Then Ocarina changed the series by bringing it to 3D, which was always a risk back then, and majora's mask was very different from anything we had yet seen. That's 6 zelda games, with only link to the past being very similar to the original.. and even then, it was a huge advancement in terms of quality.
After that, we have the windwaker which retains the same kind of combat mechanics, but changes everything else. The entire feel of the game was very different from anything we've seen, this was mostly due to the game now taking place mostly on sea and islands and the cel shaded art style(this alone was enough for me to think zelda had no problem doing differnet things).
After that, we got four swords adventure which was an episodic type game, almost like combining zelda and a mario platformer.
etc
Most people claim zelda is not changing/growing stale because they are focusing on the wrong things. Zelda is more often then not about saving the world or zelda in its absolute most basic form, but not only is the story much much more then that, but so is the gameplay. People also fault zelda games for focusing on finding new items and utilizing them to advance.. but this is what zelda is about. The same goes for varied temple themes. Zelda is about exploration, that means experiencing various locales. Without these things, zelda is no longer zelda.
The reason I (and maybe other people) think it is 'getting stale' is because you always get the 'didn't I already do this once' feel to it. For example the water temple in OoT - a similar of the dark world 2nd dungeon in LttP (but your right, in 3D this time). OoT's 'future' world, similar to the dark world in LttP. The Wind Waker - similar to the Ocarina. The main story line (go save zelda, ganon has her), similar of every Zelda game that came before it (other than LoZ 2 and MM). And the exploring aspect of life, how many times have I met the Gorron's? Zora's? Lon Lon Ranch? Every time they have a different layout and new graphics, but where is the exploring, the 'I have NEVER been here before' feeling? Don't get me wrong, I still like Zelda, but I think this is the feeling that a lot of people get. Also don't get me wrong, It isn't all 'rerun' either. They do introduce new things (minish people / four swords), but on an epic scale it just doesn't seem like enough of what they do repeat.
Now you did point out what innovation Zelda DOES have such as changing the graphic style (2D / 3D, std improvements) of the games and play control (with the Wii and DS control schemes). I thinking looking at it from an RPG perspective though you would find the Zelda world lacking. Maybe not even make an RPG, but approach the land of Hyrule as an RPG, and come up with some 'more' to put into it.
As for me focusing on something Zelda isn't. That's fine. But people tend to lose interest in something they seem to have played before over time.
EDIT: GS removed formatting... had to put it back. No one likes a wall 'o text
EDIT2: 'knock off' wasn't what I really meant, but rather 'similiar'
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