It's easy to imagine being boring, but... have you played the game?
Most reviews do praise the combat system... I actually just looked up Zero Punctuation's review you mentioned, and he says "... actually the sword fighting is pretty fun, as it had fucking better be, considering the amount we have to do." Again, that's what I'm trying to get across - the combat is fun. If there are complaints about the gameplay, it's probably the minigames needed to get cash for the boss fights - this does suck, one of the game's major flaws. That has nothing to do with the Wii, though.
I'd actually love to go through the HD console versions, if I could use the Wii-mote or equivalent. It would only feel tedious because the combat would be dull. (oh yeah.)
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Okay, I'm aware I'm not about to convince you of anything. I just think the game utilizes the motion control better than any game on the Wii (without Motion plus), which is one of the main reasons I bought it. I mean, if story / style / etc are what you're going for, you can save yourself a whole lot of time and money by just youtubing the thing once it releases.
edit: Can't believe I forgot about the music games - DDR and Guitar Hero. Great examples of a games with the user interface essentially making the game. In reality, all of the gameplay can be done with a standard controller, but... that'd defeat the purpose, and the fun. I share similar sentiments regarding NMH and the Wii-mote.
