Console Zelda should be darker and more realistic I think. Nintendo has so many other games (Mario, Kirby, DK, Pokemon) that would do just fine with a cartoony aesthetic, there's no need to push Zelda in that direction, especially when the handheld Zelda games already sorta serve that need too.

It's just a smart business move, bottom line, realistic Zeldas tend to outsell the Wind Waker/Skyward Sword variety by a 2-3 million unit difference. Which may not apply this time, but honestly if its the difference between a game selling 4 million WW, and 5.75 million WW ... the change in style is worth it.

From here on out too with this gen, quite honestly, needs to play the role of the "crowd pleaser" by making decisions with their core franchises that at least their fans and fence sitters want. The casual audience is gone, time to switch gears and at least start exciting the people you know have interest in something.

How does Nintendo look at the huge drop in sales from Twilight to Skyward and think "Huh, I guess Zelda is actually primarily a thing that gamers like and we should market it to them. "

Seriously, it's amazing that even money won't convince them.

Release a Zelda that looks like the demo, profit.

I personally love Wind Waker, but it's about time we got a more mature looking Zelda.

If we look at Twilight Princess sale in GC and Wii compared to Windwaker, it's 8.43 million compared to 4.6 million. That's a big gap but this is probably due to Wii's large install base.

In fact let's look at Mario Galaxy 1 versus Sunshine. The gap is relatively similar with Galaxy at 10.89 and Sunshine at 6.31.

But let's say Twilight Princess sold more because people like a dark Zelda game. Do you think another Zelda game as dark as Twilight Princess will be enough to attract the other gamers who enjoy franchises like Uncharted or Skyrim? A HD Twilight Princess with mild violence compared to the other franchises may sale well to Nintendo fans, but not to gamers that expect blood, dismemberment, and sex in their games. If the next Zelda has these things, expect less Nintendo fan to buy it.

Zelda is traditionally a game every age group can enjoy. When you make it dark and gritty like Uncharted and Skryim, expect combat to look like this.

Can you really say the younger Zelda fans who also tend to play milder Nintendo game will be hesitant, turned off, or even unable to buy this darker Zelda because their parents dislike the violence? And some gamers like myself will see this combat style and know clearly what this Zelda is aiming for (combat heavy glorfified violence) and replacing in its place (quick combat and dungeon crawling gameplay) and ignore it. This is IF the next Zelda is darker than a HD Twilight Princess in an attempt to attract the average gamers that enjoy Skyrim and Uncharted - the ones that traditionally wouldn't touch a Wii U.

The point I'm trying to make is Zelda and Skyrim are not the same type of games. They more or less similar to Mario and Sonic. Although they are in the same genre, they don't appeal to the same audience because sometimes a genre is not specific enough to describe a gamer's taste.

The next point I'm trying to make is let Nintendo do whatever they want. I'm fairly confident if Nintendo keeps the core value of Zelda in the Zelda Wii U, no matter what graphic style or tone it has, it will always be supported by the devoted fan base. Zelda console games (except for the second of the generation) are special because they have remarkably, consistent sales that may only change due to userbase.

Aside from this topic being covered last week...

yes it does need more realistic gfx at least the E3 demo if not better.

E3 tech demo graphics and TP graphics get a major thumbs up from me
Cel shaded also gets a major thumbs up if they lose the kiddie style character models and add more darker areas like the forsaken fortress

To be fair, the drop from TP to SS was for other reasons.

It came out at the end of the Wii's lifespan and required a WiiMote plus. It's like the drop from Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Majora's Mask was at the end of the N64's lifespan and required the expansion pak, and we know visuals didn't factor into that because the visuals were the same for both titles.

Not damage controlling, just saying.

I just want to be surprised. I don't want to say, "I've seen that style before," which means I don't want Twilight Princess or the E3 2011 demo or Skyward Sword or Wind Waker -- I want a new game with a new style. I also don't want it to look as bland as Twilight Princess, so if it has a less exaggerated style, I'd like some color.

And I certainly would never tell Nintendo that they NEED to cater to my tastes.

Agree with bolded in top paragraph.

On the bottom line, I'd play the Zelda even if it wasn't realistic. However, if they want to sell consoles they need to have a realistic art style. Don't you remember when they first revealed TP? The crowd went crazy. If they want that same reception, realism is the way to go.

Never said make it gory and gritty, I said make it dark like Twilight Princess, that way it's got the best of both worlds and can bridge the gulf between the two audiences.

And parents tend to be less worried about fantastical violence against monsters than about violence against fellow humans in games.

No one's asking for sex and gore in a Zelda game.

Fact is Nintendo is ridiculously old fashioned when it comes to family entertainment.

The average Harry Potter movie is darker/scarier with more romance and "adult" themes than even the "realistic" Zelda games. There's room to push the franchise.

People don't want blood in a Zelda game, something that has a more haunting/interesting/twisted storyline is probably one thing, an orchestral soundtrack is probably point 2, better game play pacing overall, less hand holding, and a non-cartoony art style I would say are the main points that people probably want. Possibly more action/better combat too. 

It's time for voice acting too, even if the characters speak Hylian. 

There's also a very real chance that if the Wii U keeps going the way it is, Zelda U could be the lowest selling console installment in the franchise -- if it's an overly cartoony/childish design style, in fact I'd virtually say it's a lock to reach a new low in the series.