Pap64 speaks the truth. We're at a generation where players really don't know WHAT they want. The companies bust their balls to make something tailored to fit what the fans demand, and then they get bashed about it. When Wind Waker was announced, before people even played the game it was on the chopping block. A few were turned around by the intricate detail and the personality and heart the game had, but a lot of people screamed themselves blue in the face for "another realistic game just like OOT was!". They got their OOT clone, and a damn good one at that, but it's "too similar" or "not as exciting".
TP did have a lot of open space, but I liked that about the game. They did their best to make sure there was an absolute ton of hidden things on each map area, the size of the land did make it seem a lot more realistic, and the bosses were some of the series' best by far.
It seems the series is now torn between the whimsical fantasy world that Hyrule is supposed to be and the gritty, cold, medieval LotR landscape that has been a trend for so many movies lately. Aonuma is faced with the charge of choosing which direction to take things, or finding a comfortable middle-ground between fantasy and reality.
As such, Nintendo is scared to go in one direction or the other for fear of pissing someone off, which unfortunately is guaranteed no matter what he does, thanks to tripe reviewers like Yahtzee and his mindless followers of "It sucks because I say so" flunkies.
And what was wrong with Twilight Princess' ending? I thought it was one of the best payoffs in the entire series. Sure it wasn't entirely a happy ending but it was good.