Before I start, let me mention that I predicted the 2010 Zelda before this news broke out:
http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=32924.0The following posters need to come and get their crow:
http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=32924.msg1005538#msg1005538http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=32924.msg1005520#msg1005520Anyway, Zelda Wii will be the truth. It won't be a waggle nightmare that every one predicts, especially since Nintendo, back in 2007, once criticized developers for adding unnecessary waggle functions to their games. The Wii mote and Wii chuck are supposed to supplement the traditional control scheme, not replace it or even complement it, especially for hardcore games like Zelda. Nintendo knows this, and as sad as it is for me to admit this, Zelda Wii will beat out Mario Galaxy 2 for GOTY.
This will be like the first 18 months of the Wii all over again, with New Super Mario Brothers Wii, Mario Galaxy 2, Zelda Wii, Sin & Punishment 2, Endless Ocean 2, and Metroid: Other M all coming out within a tight window. 2010 was already slated to be a great year for the Wii, and this news just makes it all the better.
On the topic of Zelda Wii, I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. A departure from the Link to the Past/Orcarina of Time template is precisely what the doctor called for. There should be more content in the overworld, not just empty landscape punctuated by annoying cannon fodder enemies. The battle system should be improved, with some new items mixed in with some old ones (ala NSMBWii), but I'm not worried about this.
Personally, I'm all for keeping the storyline relatively dark on the same level as TP, but richer with more fleshed out opponents. Ganon was the only opponent that was given the spotlight. If Nintendo could take a page from their Fire Emblem games and create an assortment of memorable secondary baddies, that would catapult the Zelda series to a whole new level. With the success of NSMBWii, I think Nintendo should maintain the tone and atmosphere set by TP, and possibly create another mainline series for the casual player (possibly a New Legend of Zelda Wii).