JuicieJ said:
"First of its kind" is not an excuse. Super Mario 64 was the first of its kind in many ways. It's one of the most overrated games in the history of gaming. There are proper ways to do a hub overworld and there are improper ways. Ocarina of Time did the latter.
I'm not here to argue with you whether or not a game is overrated but many gamers simply could not fathom the leap to 3D. It went completely over their heads. The N64 rightfully harbors great memories for a generation, bordering platforms like the Atari 2600 and NES as the most influential in gaming.
Personally, I believe Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the most overrated games of all time. Its levels are short and there is little replay value after the fact. But many gamers cherish it as an evolution of platforming with its emphasis on vertically especially predominant.
In my opinion, the overworld areas are anything but hallways. When compared to more recent installment like Skyward Sword, OoT's dungeons are certainly guilty of this but the notion never occurs to me when traversing the open expanses of Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, or the Gerudo Desert.
JuicieJ said:
Not really. The hallway portions are due to the different sections branching off in a linear fashion. Majora's Mask took this idea and fixed it making the branch-offs open areas. There's no real reason for OoT's overworld to do what it did, especially with ALttP and LA's overworlds as a foundation.
Majora's Mask is an exception to the rule. Nearly all of the 3D console titles branch off in a linear fashion. Nintendo is a company which predominately likes to "play it safe" as seen with its hesitant endorsement of the disc format and online play. While Skyward Sword featured increasingly open areas to explore, Nintendo refused to take it all the way, with no connection between overworld portions and a disjointed sky. Perhaps Zelda Wii U will finally right these wrongs.