Part of this was the Spaceworld 2000 demo creating expectations for a game which looked basically like Ocarina of Time but on the GameCube. Then when Twilight Princess came out people missed the Wind Waker art style and the cycle continued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNrOHY2HZqs
Yes, Nintendo have themselves to blame for the next-gen OoT hype train. In fans' eyes, they promised but didn't deliver.
Yes, Nintendo have themselves to blame for the next-gen OoT hype train. In fans' eyes, they promised but didn't deliver.