I think Brood doesn't understand that Zelda games are spaced out a great deal, and to some people, Skyward Sword will be their first experience, while to others, it's their tenth.
Zelda games are formulaic, there's no problem with that. They're not really known for their story, they're known for giving a very consistent and continuously engaging puzzle-and-adventure feeling. That's why the locales rarely change, because every game needs those "fire/water/forest" dungeons as an introductory course of how the game plays. The environmental design of these games is top notch, especially with the varied height in the locales and emphasis on terrain exploration.
Now, I'm not saying Skyward Sword is perfect. But I think everything that it does is polished and fun, and if you don't find it fun, then I think you need to take a step back and play the game again and really identify what it is about it that you don't like. I think it's a great "first Zelda," as in, anyone who plays it as their first Zelda experience will probably love it. But complaining about the artificial nature of how enemies hold their sword is a bit silly- with the combat being the way it is, enemy sword fights had to function a certain way, and I'll be quite honest, I think the swordplay in this game is far more engaging than any of the previous Zelda titles.
Oh, and dat music.