Where and why modern Zelda fails or "Zelda. WTH happened?"

[Helios]

LordTheNightKnight said:

theRepublic said:

LordTheNightKnight said:

DeadEye said:

I didn't find Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks easy at all. Just because you find Zelda easy and not challenging enough doesn't mean everyone does. I just want a more populated overworld, more sidequests (with meaning) and a realistic OoT/TP art style. The Zelda series is fine.

It's stupid to expect Zelda to have the growth and sales of Super Mario Bros anyway given that Zelda is a game for the core gamer (and so it should be and stay) and Super Mario Bros appeals to both the core gamer and expanded audience. Super Mario Bros will always have greater appeal. DWI.

Older Zelda games appealed to the expanded audience.

I disagree with that.  Zelda has never much appealled to the expanded audience.  It has always been core, first and foremost.

Why? Where does it say only people who play games heavily liked the first couple games? Just because it takes long sessions to beat doesn't mean the first games were only liked by heavy gamers.

First of all, you're the one making the positive claim; ergo the burden of proof is on you. Just what is the basis of your thesis? What does 'expanded audience' even mean in this context?

It seems to me you are working under the assumption that the more recent games are not as diverse in their appeal (not appealing to the 'expaned audience'). This is all fine and good - except how can this be, considering the sales numbers are neither particularly low nor particularly high for the most recent titles? In light of this, your claim appears to be a perfectly baseless presumption.

But hey, I'll accept your premise for now, though I still have a hard time buying your egregiously flawed logic.

See, if what we previosly established is true, it is also true that the audience to which Zelda appeals - be it core or expanded (or both) - still purchases the games; ergo they are still being catered to. Otherwise, it follows that the segment of the audience being ignored by Nintendo's recent outings was never significant enough to make up a substantial number of its sales.

Thus, if we accept your premise - that recent Zeldas do not cater to expanded sensibilities - it is apparent that Zelda was always primarily core oriented, just as theRepublic said.