By the way people are complaining, they seem to think there are only 2 styles Zelda can have.
This:
Or this:
Okay, so Nintendo would never get stupid enough to actually make it like this, all grey and whatnot. So lets go for Twilight Princess for the most realistic Zelda game so far.
Now, lets evaluate why both aren't that good for Zelda, okay?
The first one, the Wind Waker one. The problem is it's too flat. Look at that atrocious grass. And Link's clothes. There's pretty much no detail at all, so it looks kinda drab and blah to look at. There's colors, for sure. (Especially when you're sailing.) But all these colors are too...simple.
Now the Twilight Princess one. It's slightly more realistic, but overall it's just as bad as Wind Waker. The texture and detail on the grass is laughable. The trees look like they're made of paper, and the colors are too washed out. This game also looks to blah, and drab.
Since both styles aren't really that good for Zelda, why not just fuse 'em? Well, then you get something like Skyward Sword.
So, it's the best of both worlds, no? Unfortunately, it is a no.
The problem with Skyward Sword is that it seems it only took the Twilight Princess proportions, and colored them Wind Waker style, adding only faint details. In this picture, the only thing of note that looks even slightly good is the Deku Baba, and that's only because it has some visible texture.
Look at Link. His uniform has varying shades of green, but it's all flat. There's no stitching, or no detail. It's pretty much Wind Waker with different shades.
Now the grass and ground. This is terrible! It's as flat and not detailed as the Wind Waker one! All it has is varying shades of green (again). No detail.
Look at the leaves, both on the trees and the base of the Deku Baba plant. Paper! Come on!
Skyward Sword is actually exactly what I said, TP proportions Wind Waker style, with just varying colors instead of one drab one.
...Really Nintendo? That's the best you could do? No detail, no volume?
Before you say "If you want details and lulz, play gaybox or gayS3", detail and volume =/= gritty and grey
What do I suggest the best style for Zelda be? This:
Lots of detail, lots(o)! Still colorful, with slightly exaggerated facial expressions. If you notice, the human characters, (Buzz and Woody), have pretty realistic proportions similar to TP. However, the way they're faces are allow them to show expression perfectly; no need for those ridiculous SS characters.
Another picture, showcasing more of the perfect blend between realism, detail, volume, style, and expression.
Want some examples for actual videogames with this style? Believe it or not, Nintendo has actually tried this style before:
The Super Mario Galaxy games are great, as they have a similar style to what I want. The humans may not be that proportioned, but some are (Rosalina) and they all have exaggerated facial expressions. The games are colorful, yet still have good detail. (Look at that fur!)
It's not perfect however. The grass looks good on this planet, but most of the time it's pretty flat. The trees aren't that good, but they look a lot better than the paper Zelda ones. Overall though, Mario Galaxy had great realism, detail, volume, style, and expression, considering it's on the Wii.
So what of the next console? Well, imagine Zelda, HD, in a style similar to Toy Story 3. It would look amazing, and IMO the best way Nintendo should make their next Nintendo game.
I'll probably just wait for the Wii U next year, I'll have Ocarina of Time 3D to give me my Zelda fix.
