Is Zelda the most scrutinized franchise in the Industry?

[Mr Khan]

kupomogli said:

Ocilayton said:

I feel that Zelda is held to a higher standard than other games. For Instance Skyward Sword was seen as huge failure despite it's many strengths. It had great puzzles, graphics, and characters. Some of the best ever. Meanwhile games like Arkham City are universally acclaimed(I chose AC because it's the closest comparison I could think of.. Arkham City is a good game don't get me wrong. But it's mechanics and polish are no where near Skyward Sword.

So Is it just me? Do people expect more from Zelda then other AAA games?

Are you serious?  Skyward Sword has a 93 on Metacritic.  There are some great games that overcome a ton of scrutiny simply because they're a new IP or not a super popular franchise. 

Nintendo games.  Not 100 on Metacritic?  Critics are being too harsh.

Zelda remains a critical darling, certainly, but how much hate does Skyward Sword receive on this very site, both from the Nintendo community and from others (often for quite different reasons). The game gets savaged from multiple perspectives, and others do too. Similar to what Sales2099 said, too, except beyond the camps that feel that Zelda isn't "modern enough", whether in terms of trying something more open-world or embracing voice acting, there's a very vocal segment that feels Zelda is too modern already, and should more closely adhere to the formulas of the NES and SNES games.