So formulaic, non continuous story lines with predictable and sometimes tedious dungeons? *Dodges stones and vitriol*
The formula like that of Pokémon has been reused to death. With each entry from OOT Zelda seemingly became staler and staler (sales also made Zelda B tier). Yet, a subset of fans honestly and truly believe SS was better than BOTW? That TP was better than BOTW? That Windwaker and it's child dungeons were better than BOTW?
Really?
Edit: You've said SS was top tier... Yeah ummm no. Crap game, couldn't play t myself due to horrible controls and that bird but I did allow my friend to play it on my Wii (sounds dirty) and by the end we both agreed how forgettable a Zelda game SS is. From the music to the motion controls and overworld traversal, to the characterizations of Groose and others.
SS was a poor Zelda game, regardless of what era polls do or don't say....
Yes, they all have great dungeons, fun items, good boss battles, better storylines.
They were so "samey" and stale that no game never followed the previous one in game design, settings or art:
Ocarina of Time is a hero's journey structured like an AlttP bought to 3D with a more Dragon Quest-like touch to interaction with the world and its characters, it's grandiose; Majora's Mask subverts OoT and focuses on a personal story and making you care more individually, it's a smaller world and a tale about the idea of death and finality;
Wind Waker goes back to the adventure, but makes the world completely different from any previous entry, leans into a more friendly cartoony style, makes a sympathetic villain, it's a warm game in comparison to the cold of MM;
TP is the antithesis of WW in basically everything, it's a darker game about the balance between light and darkness in both major and minor scales, it tries to be more realistic and gritty in almost everything;
SS goes back to being a bright game, with a story played very straightforward like going through a myth or a folklorical tale, telling the origins of a whole mythology.
These all are vastly different in several ways and are united by keeping the Zelda core of finding dungeons, beating them and their bosses and this always tying into the progression of the hero character both mechanically wise (with new items, more health, new techniques) with their personal growth through a single story.
And the idea that SS is "objectively" a bad game is ridiculous. The game is well made and got great critical reviews. You may not like it, like I don't like BOTW, but it's not an objective thing. I even get what makes people enjoy BOTW, I just don't care about these aspects. A lot of the criticism towards SS was born because it released just when the industry was shifting from linear design to open world, with Skyrim releasing very near it, and people's desire of Nintendo to move into that direction and SS representing Nintendo's unwillingness to follow the wave.
