I think what they missed is that we didn't want Ocarina of Time with updated graphics. Which is basically what Twilight Princess was, plus horseback controls, the Twili/ Twilight Realm and like three items. We want a game that feels like Ocarina of Time because it's just as innovative.
And the Wii can very easily do that. Wii's graphics are highly underrated (see Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and The Conduit), so that should be easy for the first truly Wii-exclusive Zelda.
Music should be orchestrated, and it looks like Nintendo figured that out before making Super Mario Galaxy, so we'll be ok there.
I think voice acting is unnecessary (again, see Super Mario Galaxy), but if done like Prime 3, could improve the experience. So long as Link doesn't talk. He's named Link to connect the player to being a hero. Many would be turned off by him talking, and that's part of what makes Zelda so appealing: everyone can feel like they are Link. Girls don't seem to mind that he's a guy, even. Phantom Hourglass was highly appealing to everyone, very noticeably.
I agree, there does need to be a much larger focus on plot. And the cutscenes could be improved with voice acting, so it's win-win. It's noticeable that they add the plot in after making the game, so I think they should (and could) incorporate much more plot without much difficulty.
Make the game huge and interactive, too. I mean we can have more than like three towns... And Twilight Princess felt big enough, but very empty. Except I'd prefer to have a lot less bridges, because it didn't feel very realistic that there were a bunch of blob fields, and then little lines connecting the blobs on the map. How about one big blob? Or even just like three blobs...
By interactive, I mean like Elder Scrolls, yeah. Many sidequests, more to do than collect heart pieces outside dungeons, and character development for lots of people. Not just Link, his helper (Midna/ Navi/ Tatl/ King of Red Lions, etc.), Zelda, and a bad guy (usually Ganondorf). The only people who weren't one of those four in Twilight Princess that were really developed, to me, were Ilia and Colin.
The controls could be revolutionary, if they do on the Wii what they did on the DS with Phantom Hourglass. And I'm certain that they will, because again, Link is aptly named.
I like long stories too, so I'm hoping for one of those. In other words, more of everything, but it should be changed up a lot.
With this plot focus they should have more plot twists and, again, more character development.
And generally, what they need to focus on is putting in new elements without causing a flaw. Look at all the games since Ocarina of Time for this. Majora's Mask had too short a story because it was rushed anyway and was too focused on sidequests imo. The Oracle games just plain came out too late for GBC for their own good, and didn't really innovate outside of the Rod of Seasons and Harp of Ages, and maybe seeds and rings. Four Swords was too short, and I hate that the Four Swords games only have you keep one item at a time anyway.
Now we hit Wind Waker. Wind Waker was actually incredibly good. But again, some of the things it added in caused problems. The sea was a great way to shake things up, but it became tiresome, since islands were so far apart, and they made us go on a collection quest at the end, making the problem more blatant. Plus, even though the sneaky controls were improved a lot, they were overused. In the same way they overused exploring a far-too-large world, they overused the sneaking with the Forsaken Fortress, a level I personally despise the first time through.
Four Swords Adventures was both too long and too boring because the characters don't really progress. You don't keep Heart Containers, although that's sensible, but you don't keep items either. Minish Cap used the shrinking and growing system extremely well, actually. Its biggest issue was that it was short, if sweet. And it got pretty insanely hard near the end.
Twilight Princess. It really did a great job in many areas, but the beginning's pacing was pretty lousy. It was slow, then really fast, then slow again, more than once. The wolf controls were fine, but there isn't nearly as much depth to them as normal Link's controls, so they too were OVERUSED.
And now the game with more overused ideas than any other: Phantom Hourglass. The Temple of the Ocean King, of course, is what I'm talking about. The exploration and size of the game itself were immensely improved. I loved that they fixed that mistake, and added in brilliant touch screen control. It was still one of the most innovative Zeldas we've had in a long time. And the normal levels were actually really good, if a tad short. But the Temple of the Ocean King just sucked fun from the game like crazy, especially by the fourth and fifth times. It was a sneaky part of the game, just like the Forsaken Fortress from Wind Waker. You'd think devs would've noticed by now that sneaky stuff is rarely ever fun. Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid and such are different stories. I'm talking about in action-adventure games. It's not what they were designed for, so don't do it!
So improve on everything, shake things up, make it deeper, make controls as innovative as Phantom Hourglass's, and heck, make it first person if you like. Just don't overuse ideas. And I'd rather the game didn't move ahead in time. Like, Zelda's not meant for guns. Metroid is meant for guns. Halo, Medal of Honor and Call of Duty are meant for guns. It would end up making Zelda less original to become futuristic and full of guns. Maybe more magic would be a good innovation. You realize we haven't had magic in a Zelda game since Wind Waker?
Keep making innovations, enough to the point that it doesn't overuse ideas. Like Ocarina of Time. Which is the entire idea, just... Modernized.
DannyRice
LMAO! This post reminded me sooo much of me and a few of my friends when wii have our zelda arguments.
You my friend, have a vision of a perfect Zelda.
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