You do make good points there, For me from the problems you mentioned that really affected me was the unskippable cutscenes, the others I didn't really have a problem with, especially the tilt controls, but you're right, these are stuff that had to be addressed.

SS way better by far

I consider twilight princess the less good zelda. thw world was huge but empty. the npcs were lifeless polygons in comparison to the other 3d zeldas where you actually think of them as people (majora's mask was the perfetion in this regard). the bosses were huge but their size adds nothing to the difficulty and kinda takes away the point of being huge. it's just like those slow moving giant enemies in movies/games in general, like cronos from GOW. what's the point of having a titanic size and not being capable of squashing an "ant" with your finger? the characters lifelessness caused their sidequests to lose fun too.

So all in all, it's a great game but just an ok zelda.

Using moreno's format:

- The Controls - SS: I didn't liked the waggle in TP so the motion controls plus are a very good addition imo. Plus the way enemies behave makes it a lot better

- The Dungeons - SS: a lot better than TP, especially the last one in SS (one of my fav dungeons in any Zelda game) and the Pirate Ship

- The Story - TP: while SS had an interesting story, I liked TP more. Plus Fi is the most annoying thing that has ever happened to Zelda, sure she's the master sword and whatnot, but that doesn't make her good. 

- The Graphics - SS: I simple like the style more, plus TP graphics won't really age well considering it's nature, while SS will still look good after many years (but WW is still the best in this regard)

- The Boss Battles - TP: they were simple better, and SS had that boss that looks like the Monster Inc. monster.

- The Items - TP: there were more and more interesting. SS could have won this if the upgrades would have served any purpose, but sadly upgrading an item (other than the shield) is useless.

- The Side Quests/Overworld - TP: one of the few things I absolutely hate about SS is the overworld, there's absolutely no reason to explore the Sky unless you go with the Goddess cubes or whatever. The TP overworld is still pretty "empty" but waaaay better than SS. As for side quest, they are pretty much the same, no winner or loser for me.

Overall:

TP - 4

SS - 3

While I like both games, TP is still superior. 

It all comes down to Midna vs. Fi (I think that's her name). Twilight Princess wins.
Both were epic and enjoyable but TP was just more epic. I'd say that Twilight Princess wins in every way except gameplay.  For me, the motion controls in Skyward Sword totally made that game.

- The Story: The story in Skyward Sword is one of the more flushed out stories in the series. This was also quite necessary, because the game takes place during a fairly defining moment in Hyrule's history. Twilight Princess' story is simpler, but has a lot of subtleties for the player that actually pays attention to the game's story. It also contains the coolest cutscene ever. However, even if I disagree with a part of the story, I cannot ignore how elaborate Skyward Sword actually is, and that it provides a well-told origin of the Master Sword and an explanation of it's power. > Skyward Sword

- The Graphics: Twilight Princess looked amazing for it's time. All it's surroundings and characters are heavily detailed and the moody graphical style fits perfectly with the depressing story of the game. Something that the monochrome world Twilight perfectly portrayes. Besides the obvious style differences, Skyward Sword's graphics are actually similar. They took Wii to it's limits how Twilight Princess took the GameCube to it's limits. I think it was a clever move, as the style of Skyward Sword on Wii's hardware doesn't make game feel outdated, and fits well with the esthetics of the sky. > Skyward Sword

- The Music and Sound: Skyward Sword features fully orchestrated music, like Super Mario Galaxy. Even the generic sound like the puzzle-solving jingle are orchestrated. This is a huge plus, because it sounds great. However, the game doesn't have any memorable tunes. From every Zelda game, I can think of at least one song in my head, but with Skyward Sword I find it hard to even think of the biggest song in the game; the Ballad of the Goddess (the sky-theme basically). Twilight Princess had these memorable tunes, even if they were only in a MIDI format. > Twilight Princess

- The Controls: I loved the 1-on-1 controls in Skyward Sword. It worked absolutely perfectly, showed the gaming world how motion control works good in a game and gave combat a whole different level and challenge. It had good implementation in puzzles also, but there was something that could've done without it; swimming. I'm perfectly fine with traditional controls like in Twilight Princess on GameCube or simple motion control like in Twilight Princess on Wii, but personally I'm always intrigued by new or unorthodox control schemes. That includes the motion control in Skyward Sword, but also the touch control of Phantom Hourglass. > Skyward Sword

- The Dungeons: This is a hard category to take a preference. Twilight Princess' amount of dungeons are of course a plus, as dungeons are usually my favorite part in any Zelda game. Skyward Sword's dungeons however are however very well designed. Both from a gameplay as well as an esthetical standpoint. My favorite here was either the Ancient Cistern (4th) or Skykeep (last). But, Twilight Princess's dungeons have it all. Superb integration of the dungeon items in each and lots of granduer in their designs. To top it off they are all quite big. The game includes many of my series' favorites, notably the Arbiter's Grounds and the Temple of Time, but really all of them all memorable in some way. > Twilight Princess

- The Boss Battles: This is of course tied to the dungeons. Twilight Princess' bosses are amazing, sadly Skyward Sword lacks a bit here. There's some cool ones, but most didn't stand out. Including the final bosses The Imprissoned III/Ghirahim III & Demise, which was (swordfight gameplay mechanics aside) underwhelming compared to Twilight Princess' final boss-streak of Possessed Zelda/Ganon/Horseback Ganondorf & Ganondorf himself. I did like the enemy horde part though, when you tried to reach Ghirahim and Zelda. Twilight Princess does also have my favorite boss from the entire series, Stallord, while none of Skyward Sword's bosses probably make it to my top 10 except for maybe Ancient Cistern's. > Twilight Princess

- The Items: Skyward Sword had a lot of stuff. A lot of collectibles. There weren't however, a lot of usable items. What I thought was a great addition though was that most were upgradable. The best Bow looked hideous, but it was useful to upgrade all these items, especially the shields. Twilight Princess had less things to keep track off, but had more usable items. The problem was that a lot of them weren't very useful anymore after their part in the story was over, but I didn't mind much. What wins it for me is they originality of Twilight Princess' items. The Beetle was cool in Skyward Sword, but the Spinner, the Dominion Rod, the Ball & Chain and the different Bombs were all very unexpected items with interesting uses. It was a very good thing that Skyward Sword used one of the best items in Zelda to date; the Double Clawshot, which originated in Twilight Princess. > Twilight Princess

- Transportation: It seems to be fashionable to have some mode of transportation in more recent Zelda games. First a boat, then another boat, then a train and in Skyward Sword a bird. While the bird is the best thing of that list, it used to be about the horse. Twilight Princess' horse transportation is still the best method. You are fast and probably have the most freedom of control on Epona. Combat isn't an afterthought. Twilight Princess also wins in the other form of transportation. While you can drop down to a couple of landing spots in Skyward Sword, warping through the Twilight portals is a lot more satisfying in Twilight Princess and finally getting the ability gives a much greater sense of accomplishment. > Twilight Princess

- The Side Quests: Both are fairly linear games, with little opportunity to get out your way. Twilight Princess did it better in that regard. However, Twilight Princess' side-quest are quite simple while those in Skyward Sword are all directly or indirectly part of one large and elaborate side-quest. Most of them are also imaginative and original and the conclusion of it all is actually rewarding. It's a shame that Skyward Sword doesn't include a lot of fun mini-games like Twilight Princess did though, but at least Skyward Sword had way better collectables. > Skyward Sword

- The Overworld: Twilight Princess wins this category hands down. In fact, Skyward Sword's overworld is what 'breaks the game' for me. To me it's tied with Wind Waker for the worst overworld of the 3D Zelda games. Wind Waker was too open, but Skyward Sword was too closed. Essentially, it's a couple of individual corridors leading up to a dungeon. There was no exploring, no roaming and worst of all no thinking. While the areas looked pretty, there was little to be found and each area not being connected ruined one of the foundations of Zelda. The sky was decent however, but it should've been bigger and there should've been more places to visit, more secrets to discover and more areas to be blocked off like the one inside the thunderstorm. > Twilight Princess

So Twilight Princess wins. 6-4 if you keep score.

A long post in hindsight, but I thought I might as well. I think both are very good games, but Twilight Princess wins one the most important points for me; dungeons, items and overworld. Of the 3D games I'd personally rank TP 2nd (after OoT) and SS 4th (after OoT, TP and MM, but before WW). When the 2D games are included I'd put TP at 3rd and SS at 6th because LA and ALttP would be included between them. I know opinions are extremely varied among Zelda fans, there's no consensus on anything really, so I can understand and respect what anyone's opinions are. There's little debating .

Personally, Ocarina of Time 3D (yes, specifically the 3DS one because it's just so much prettier and more vibrant than the original...Grezzo did an amazing upgrade) is my favorite Zelda of all right now, but SS and TP are #2 and #3 and are very closely matched.

I really enjoyed the motion controls of SS and I loved the beautiful graphics and rich colors. I absolutely LOVED the streamlined menus and the save-statues to save at specific points and not having to start back at the beginning of an area/dungeon. I like SS music and score a lot, though like others have said it feels more "movie-background-music" at times with some themes that aren't very memorable. That said, I loved the characterizations for Link and Zelda and how alive Skyloft and all of the characters felt. I also really enjoyed the "overworld" areas outside the dungeon where they felt like obstacle courses and offered a lot of gameplay/exploration considering their limited sizes. I really appreciated that those areas leading up to the dungeons felt "dense." The dungeons themselves were really good...a bit linear and streamlined at times compared to other games' dungeons but I didn't mind since the overworld areas were kind of like dungeons themselves. SS bosses...all were good to me (including Ghirahim)...but I HATED the Imprisoned and the fact that you had to fight him 3 times. SS has probably one of my favorite stories of all, being the origin and just the presentation of it.

TP, at the time I really LOVED the cutting-edge graphics and the fact that it was a more mature, spiritual-successor to Ocarina...though now I have to say it does look dated...and the colors are a bit TOO muted at times. I loved that the dungeons were the focus of TP and they really shine...HUGE, sprawling labyrinths easy to get lost in and which take a long time to progress through, even if they aren't particularly challenging ever in the enemy department. TP's bosses are legendary...MASSIVE beasts, each fight pretty unique...very cinematic climactic boss encounters...just a shame none of them do any real damage so they're too easy. TP wins in music just because the themes (old AND new) are so memorable. I hope they go back to memorable themes again for the next Zelda on Wii U. I've beaten TP on Gamecube AND Wii and though I do at times like the precision of button-inputs, I enjoyed the aiming in TP and especially the fishing. Seriously...pretty pathetic that to this day the best fishing simulation on Wii is a "minigame" inside a Zelda LAUNCH title. Nintendo missed the boat by not having MotionPlus fishing in SS. TP wins in the travel...Epona is a lot better than a nameless loftwing...and I found the flying in SS to be tedious. TP wins for having a proper overworld, even if a lot of it is empty, boring, and useless and connected by skinny "tunnels." I liked TP's story a lot, though not as much as SS, but Midna is a lot more likeable and more well-developed than Fi. I never did and still don't like the bug-hunts in TP. Wolf Link is cool though.

So yeah, I could go on and on with the likes/dislikes for each and it's really hard to compare them directly...but when I just think about the two games (both of which I've beaten twice)...SS just has a little bit of an edge, mostly I think just because of the beautiful presentation and the more whimsical feel that to me Zelda should always have.

Now I just have to see if Wind Waker HD can jump in and displace any of my top 3 Zelda games. I've played but never beaten WW so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes with what I'm hoping is the DEFINITIVE version of the game. :D

I have not played SS because I do not own a Wii, but Twilight Princess is my favorite Zelda game of all time. It was definitely not perfect: after Wind Waker the script and dungeons felt like a step backwards. Zelda games have this problem: whenever they follow Ocarina's form too closely, the script starts to degrade.

But then it made up for those faults with the overworld content and horse battles. I just wish they'd doubled down on the dark content for the script: TP felt like an E+ game, not like it deserved a T.

Skyward Sword above Twilight Princess, anytime, any day, any way.

Firstly, because TP in the end feels like a big, empty Ocarina of Time backwards remake. No magic, no fun sidequest, not an interesting overworld. It wanted to be better but ended falling short to recreate the highs of the original. SS overworld (sky) was worse, I know, but at least the surface was interesting.

Secondly, because it was a direct sequel to the horrible system difficult of Wind Waker. The only difference is that this time there's not the "press A to win". Enemies are there just to fill the world. Bosses because there's need to be something at the end of the dungeon, but without any challenge. Dungeons were big, but linear ad with zero difficult. Typical Zelda puzzles. In SS we start with 6 hearts, but at least every attack from enemies deplets 1 full heart (exception of bats). And there's a hero mode. Bosses like Ghirahim or Koloktos are fun to battle with, and the final boss is a good show for the sword gamplay. Puzzles are fun and some are new or with new ways of use for the items. For example the timeshift stones.

Third, the items. Wow a ball and chain... that I'll never use again aside from the original dungeon, Snowpeak Ruins. Oh, look, that's cool. The dominion rod will be rad to be used in the next dungeons... Skyward Sword had less items, and with the excepcion of the whip, every other item is very well used during all the adventure. Unlike Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword fixes how to properly use both the slingshoot and a bow.

Four. A story well written and with significance to the series. I can count the history of the series without TP, but I cannot do the same without SS. TP was just one day when Ganondorf wanted to invade Hyrule. End. In SS the legend begins. Link obtains the Triforce, Zelda, as a reincarnation of Hylia has the mission to protect it and from now on it will be the mission to the future royal family, the origin of the evil in the series, the origin of the Master Sword.

Five. For the first time in the series, I care for Zelda's sake. Finally. I want to rescue her. I want to know her whereabouts. I want to know what is she doing. And for the first time, she plays a big role and do something worth. Zelda in TP was just there, a table in the game. Malo did more to the game selling you the Hylian Shield than she did.

Six. A properly use of rupees. I was looking for more rupees to buy potions, upgrade my gear or buy new shields. In TP I only need it to buy the Hylian Shield and never again use the ordon one. Every treasure chest with rupees in TP was a pain, so I need to get the rupee armor to net left any unopened chest.

I'll give to TP the artstyle, because to me it fits better the tone of the series, and of course the music. Overall dissapointed with SS Soundtrack.

Controls: Skyward Sword by far. If Nintendo chickens out about making motion plus mandatory for the next Zelda, I will kick Eiji Aonuma in the nuts.

Graphics: A narrow win for Twilight Princess. Both had very unique styles, with TP's use of bloom to create the lights and the darks, versus SS and its resemblance of Impressionist paintings. Skyward Sword looked a bit too simplistic in some areas, however.

Dungeons: Skyward Sword, no contest. One of its dungeons is a damn Buddhist allegory. What game can say that?

Story: Twilight Princess. Another narrow contender, but Twilight Princess' darker backstory makes for a more compelling run.

Characters: Skyward Sword, far and away. Only person you're going to remember from TP is Midna, whereas Impa, Groose, Ghirahim, Demise, Fi, and their portrayal of Zelda are all going to stick with you.

Music: Both do poorly as far as Zelda games go, actually. Twilight Princess has a narrow edge here.

Boss Battles: Skyward Sword was actually challenging, and had Koloktos, who was, hands-down, the best Zelda boss ever.

In short: Twilight Princess has the better presentation, but Skyward Sword is the better *game*. It is far more important that they work to build off of Skyward Sword.