In America Twilight Princess is barely above Ocarina of Time, and it was a lauch title. The first time a Zelda game was ready at launch and with Motion controls, surely those things sparked interest and helped its sales. Next to them is the original Zelda, followed surprisingly by Wind Waker and then very close A Link to the Past. But where are the other new Zelda games? They are after Zelda Link's Awakening, Zelda II and Majora's Mask. Why is that?

With sales almost as equal as Ocarina of Time, I wouldn't say it's becoming more popular, it seems the series is selling to the same old fans and is not gaining popularity.

Japanese like 2D games. Look at NMSB Wii v Mario Galaxy.

that doesn't prove anything about the OP. That's just one example

that's true everywhere though with that statistic... NSMB wii sold more everywhere... it was a more popular game.

look at Dragon Quest IX for example as well. Or Monster Hunter. Both high selling 3D games that sell extremely well.

It could be true. That they like 2D games more. But not based off of one game that sells more than the other everywhere

I never noticed quite how much more popular Zelda was in the west than Japan

Ah I see, I was looking for "Minish Cap", and when written without the Cap, my mind skipped it.

I wonder why 2D Mario does so much better comparatively to 2D Zelda (with regards to the 3D iterations). I suppose Zelda got 3D "right" while oldschool Mario fans felt the series roots change too much with 3D?

I wonder if what would encourage the mass market to buy Zelda would be clashing with what the core love about Zelda. Luckily for Mario, the mass market and the core love the same basic mechanics.

Wrong to have an opinion based on analysis, is it?  Zelda games aren't perfect, man. Not in a long time.  Nearly all of them have the same copy-and-paste plot, same style puzzles, same length, same set-up and even the same predictable plot twists.  The bad guy is almost always Ganon, the mysterious girl is always Zelda.  The only thing that changes is one gimmick (the Wind Waker or the Skyward Sword, etc) and the graphics.  Everything else is the same.

That's why I hold Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening in such high regard.  Dare to be different.

Not everyone thinks Nintendo is invincibly infallible.  Some of us still love the company and know how to criticize through that.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the Japanese were never the biggest fans of the puzzle part of Zelda. Note how the combat heavy Adventure was the most Japanese-friendly Zelda of all time.

Regarding your first post, what train of thought led you to that implication? Do you honestly think that's the reason, or are you throwing out your own personal issues and pretending the larger audience probably agrees with you? The only reason I'm really questioning your motives is because Mario games haven't changed their premise since the beginning, and look at how well NSMBWii did. It's about gameplay.

That being said, Majora's Mask is the greatest game of all time and there is no possible evidence in this world that could ever convince me otherwise. :P

actually I prefer 2D zelda... there's just part of the charm missing when you have 3D... though the cuteness was there in WW.

Firstly, I don't expect anyone to agree with me.  I've noticed, dare I say it, a kind of group-think on this site where anything said against Nintendo is considered something akin to heresy in the middle ages and regardless of the thought behind it--it's dismissed and flamed outright for being "anti Nintendo trolling."  Aside from that, I tend to love this site. 

I'm partially going off my own taste and simply putting up a suggestion--I myself have grown tired of the Zelda franchise.  Something I once worshipped like mad crazy insaneness.  Who knows, maybe I over-did it?  Zelda on the NES was the very first game--ever--that I finished.  I still have the painstakingly detailed map I drew as a kid to get through Death Mountain. 

But, in recent years, I've grown increasingly annoyed and tired of Zelda games being, essentially, rehashed over and over again.  I'm tired of Ganon/Gannondorf.  I'm tired of Princess Zelda/mystery girl.  I'm tired of the series having no solid continuity, and this "more than one Link in many universes" explanation from Miyamoto (and I love the guy) is just Zelda's deus ex machina cop-out.  That's, "oh we don't want to have to explain why we basically start over with every other release. It's just a bunch of different Links." 

And maybe, after all these years, I'm not the only gamer in the world tired of this lack of growth. 

That, and let's not forget that Japan's video game industry has been seeing a decline in recent years.

As per the Mario franchise?  Every now and then a throwback is fun.  I'll admit it.  And none of us expect Nintendo to ever bother being creative in the plot of any given Mario game.  Those games exist for the joy of gaming and pure gameplay.  My only real problem with Mario is how over-used the character and franchise is, and how Nintendo will stick Mario characters in anything because they know people will buy it just because.  No doubt, way, way too many people will buy the Wii port of a Super Nintendo game when Super Mario collection is released.  The least they could do is have enough respect for gamers to put a few more games in there a la the Mega Man and Sonic collections that have been released.  That lazy-ass move really annoys me.  I don't know if I got my point across in this paragraph.  I think I may have ranted instead.

By the way, when the Moon beamed it's evil on the world and uttered "I shall consume... consume... everything."  Probably the most atmospherically epic fucking thing to ever grace a Zelda game.  And the tree in the meadow within the moon?  I just adored the feel and imagery.  Fierce Deity Link FTW.  Plus, Majora's Mask featured aliens kidnapping cattle!!  Fucking rad!

Edit: Shortened post, removed quotes.