Not that I'm one to talk, but there are some
mammoth posts in this thread, so I'm not reading all that.
Instead, bullet points* for
Cheapy and
Wombat that may or may not have already been mentioned and consequently expounded upon:
1.) Cheapy, I think the
Zelda reviews are a combination of many things that you mentioned, but I sincerely think there's also the reviewers considering the Nintendonuts/loyalists, and factoring in self-preservation. No, seriously. This ain't

in'
Ratchet & Clank or
Kameo. Maybe they don't get whacked by a guy in a Tingle costume, but I think there's something to them fearing the consequences (and overflowing Inbox) if they give a new entry in the franchise any less than a "10" (9.5. ABSOLUTE minimum). Gamespot? Pretty ballsy, pretty commendable, pretty freaking crazy.
2.)
Oblivion and
Zelda aren't any more of a valid comparison in terms of scores than
Zelda and
Soul Calibur. Hell, the second is
more 'valid', as Link has appeared in both series. They're all excellent series that do different things, even if the aesthetic makes them look vaguely similar at times.
3.)
Larry "Major Nelson"
Hryb is a diva. I can hear it in each and every one of his podcasts. I've never liked him, but I deal with him to listen to his guests, not his incessant pimping of his "Dee-eth Lite". That he probably doesn't care for CAG surprises me not at all, as he's probably not a big fan of the whole mentality that the site is based on, i.e.
never paying full price for games, not playing along nicely with the 'managed message' and the "BESURETODRINKYOUROVALTINE" marketing that they repeatedly work over 'the kids' with. You guys are better off without him.
4.) I've read
Game Informer, actually got suckered into a subscription last Spring, and I have to say, the Western gaming mags are working extra-hard to catch up to the
Famitsu M.O.
5.) The new
Castlevania has a real anime-teenybopper aesthetic to it, which is obviously to pander to, well, that crowd, but it's a fair trade-off for quality 2-D gaming. If Konami ever does a proper console
Symphony of the Night sequel, I might buy two copies, just to 'do my part' to support what publishers probably perceive as fiscal suicide outside of the DS/GBA. Hell, an original 2-D
Castlevania on the PSP could redeem the system.
6.) It's clear that Epic is hiding from consumer demand behind some mandate from Microsoft which obviously is not exactly 'dogma'. To me, this all comes down to a philosophical issue (which in turn becomes a commercial issue), because they'd rather piss people off this way than by having fans endlessly bemoan sandbagging teams and people doing everything they can to ascend in the rankings. 50/50 on them giving in down the road.
7.) Why do gaming "analysts" continue to get
any sort of attention from anybody, especially the game-playing gaming media??
*--Okay, bullet
paragraphs.
EDIT: I really can't imagine a wireless guitar not being released at all.
This is what I call the "I'm
George Lucas and I'm Never Releasing the Original OT Again" syndrome. You will be proven right sooner than later.