I think Majora's Mask has the only legitimately good story in the series, the characters actually have a semblance of depth and are interesting, I don't find it tedious at all especially after learning how to slow down time but then again I have mild aspergers so YMMV, but more than that...it fixes the problem the series had struggled with years: the get item, learn how to use item in dungeon, barely use item outside of dungeon formula. The great thing about Majora's is that you get the required ability for dungeons outside of it through the power of masks, and have to slowly master it to enter enter the dungeon itself. So by the time you get the dungeon, instead of it teaching you how to use this item, or saving that item for the boss, the game says fuck all of that and cuts right to the case because the pre-dungeon quests had you master that ability ALREADY.
Then you play a game like Twilight Princess, get a spinning top you use for all of five minutes before it's no longer useful.
That said, I can understand not enjoying it. It is a game steeped in repetition, especially if you suck or fuck up, and even then I've had to save that goddamn witch in the forest a billion times. The fact you can only hard save in one location sucks, but honestly I think it works for a game like MM, though the lack of quick save is pretty jarring. It also has a side quest oriented sense of design. If you only do the dungeons, you aren't going to get much out of Majora's Mask, and certainly not as much as someone who fills out their bomber book. But I'm a quirky Zelda fan in that I've always enjoyed the adventuring more than the puzzle aspect, which Majora's Mask embraces, so I'm fine with the four dungeons.
Majora's Mask ain't perfect, but I think the plusses outweigh the minuses. It's a ballsy, experimental, passionately made game and that usually goes a long way for me.
