Sure, most forum dwellers like to praise Kirby Epic Yarn, but look how people react to it in real life. That overly cute style turns many people off. A site cited it as the worst game of 2010.

KEY might seem artsy to some, but to most people, it's just weird. I would also like to see a compelling argument as to why it is better than DKCR.

Epic Yarn hasn't driven me into a blind, stream-of-obscenities fury yet. DKCR has. That game will be lucky to physically survive to completion before i physically destroy it

On topic: Fallout 3 is the closest in recent memory, as well as Other M, and even Mario Kart Wii

Wind Waker and Majora's Mask

Majority say it's good.

Only 1 of them giving it worse game of the year. That's no polarizing, but more attention grab.

Or the reviewer was laughed at by their family while playing.

Resident Evil 4.

I'm shocked nobody mentioned this.

Agreed.  I think few games are truly polarizing because almost always they are built from the ground up to conform to a certain genre, franchise or whatever.

Therefore it takes, as you note, a fairly radical change of tack within a known property to achieve true polariziation of response  - such as the switch to Raiden in MSG2.

As games are much more commercially driven than artistically so, as you note the swift response is normally to return to the popular recipie PDQ with the next installment.

You see the same things in cinema, predictably enough.  Directors/Franchise Actors who seem to have hit a slump or taken a blow with a more risky move often return swiftly to a "safe" position or franchise to minimize damange PDQ too.