The whole solo issue could be solved with the companions (Navi,Midna,etc.) but I see your point about the other characters. I think the Mangas (or at least the ones that I've read.) handled it pretty well,so the same approach could be used there. Overall,I think it could work if done right...
I know there's probably a LOT of these about,but I don't think I've seen one lately so I thought I'd start one. :)
(This is how it works for anyone that doesn't know.)
You know you play too much Zelda when :
1. You only drink Milk or Red/Blue liquids.
2. You get arrested for breaking into...
You lucky Americans and your ability to buy Zelda merch at a Shopping Mall.
The only place I can find anything at all other than the games themselves is on eBay.
I got into Zelda back in 2008 i think it was. I had been a pokemon fan since Generation 3 (give me a break im only 12!) and when Diamond came out I loved it even more. When I finished Pokemon Diamond though, I decided to give other Nintendo games a try. I never really liked the look of Mario so...
The mario series has more sales because it has over 200 games. However Zelda only has 15 (coming up 16) games and has a very good amount of sales for a series of it's size. So technically, Zelda has more sales per game. Mario is mainly big because it appeals to a large variety of people...