here's my piece:
I feel like they need to take aspects from all of the games in the franchise and tweak them to make them even better. Then obviously add a whole bunch of new stuff. Make a decent sized overworld where there's more than the 5 exit points that lead to the outer territories, also have caves and mountains and forest to explore instead of just having the one path to follow to get to your destination. another way of doing this would be making it a completely open world sandbox style game where the whole of Hyrule (minus dungeons if necessary) is accessible - or at least most of it until you acquire items that will help you get into new places. Also, I'm going to disagree with all the Skyrim fanboys on here and say that there doesn't need to be so much upgradeable equipment. sure, maybe we can upgrade some of the main items (Tunics by adding armour, maybe an upgradeable bow) but I feel like going overboard with that stuff is a waste of time. I mean, if the Master Sword is the ultimate evil slaying gangster sword, why give the option to upgrade it. imho it just makes the item seem less amazing than all the legends say. Another small gripe I have is the bosses. yes, they're fun, theyre interesting and some of them look really cool, but they are way to easy to kill. most bosses go by a formula to kill them. (including, but not limited to: shoot eye, stun, hit with sword, repeat) so bosses that are more challenging would make the whole experience more interesting for me, because at the end of each temple I would actually feel like I earned the *insert collectible artefact here*. I also feel like putting some warlike themes in would make it interesting too. maybe have Hylian soldiers preparing for an enemy force that is making its way to Hyrule. I reckon this will give a feeling of urgency that I haven't seen in any game other than MM. I'm not necessarily saying have a battle between NPCs mid-game or anything, but seeing the world around you being affected more actively would deepen the need for a hero.
the rest of the stuff I'm going to just list, because I don't feel it requires as much extra explanation, or someone else has already made the same point:
-Make Link an adult, I feel like he's a kid in too many games, I'd like to see a more mature character rather than a kid that gets told he has to save the world.
-If Link NEEDS a companion, make it an interesting one. Fi did nothing for me
-Make the motion controls an option like PS3 does. Sometimes SS did my head in when I couldn't figure out exactly where to swing my sword.
-Maybe mix it up with Hyrule's environment. more than just desert, forest, mountain etc. maybe like tropical jungle or something. also, more eclectic weather
-Voice acting. As much as some people dislike the idea, for starters, I feel like it would add more life to Hyrule, instead of having to run around a silent castle town and talk to everyone individually. We don't necessarily need Link to talk, he can just continue grunting and we can answer for him when he needs to speak.
-Smarter AI. Am I the only one who feels like NPCs are way too robotic? this would make the fights more of a challenge and people that are walking around in the game won't look ******** because they spend the whole game doing the same damn thing.
-Guns. Yes. I feel like putting flintlock pistols and muscats etc, would make the game more of a challenge, through using them and waiting to reload and actually having to dodge enemies with firearms, I think that this would work well, as long as it doesn't make the bow obsolete. (Maybe only a flintlock pistol for short range and arrows for long range?)
-Get rid of the slingshot. it's already been made practically useless any way
-Getting captured (as seen in previous titles) should have worse consequences than just being kicked out of an area, or put in a cell you can hookshot out of. have all your weapons and items taken and you have to get them back from a chest nearby, but being unarmed means you can only melee attack guards with your fists to knock them out, (obviously make this section more about stealth, to discourage people running up to every guard to knock them out)
-Dark Link needs an epic return. something that actually puts him in the story, so we can actually learn more about him, and facing him needs to be a challenge. he doesn't need to be the final boss, but he needs to be hard to beat.
-Better climbing mechanics. surely the guy can climb on more than just ladders and vines?
-Last but not least, make sure there are plenty of little easter eggs and side quests, with a solid set of side characters. SS put a lot into character development and I feel like Nintendo should explore this avenue further.
As long as they stay true to the series and continually strive to improve it, I'm always going to give Zelda a go. I have games I don't like as much as others, but It's definitely a series I've been dealing with for literally nearly my whole life, so I'm not going to give up on it until they screw it up royally. And even then, I'll probably still buy the next instalment in hope that they've learned their lesson.
I apologise for the length of the post. I got a little excited...