You have been thinking a lot about this stuff lately, and been making me think of it as well. I've been wanting to reflect those thoughts with my own game designs, but all it's really doing is just making me want to play old games over again.
Even when Donkey Kong Country was a new experience to me, I still remember only liking it marginally. It's going to be one of those titles I probably won't go back to. I'm fairly sure I won't find myself playing this new one either.