SoS:Yes, true. Some are overused. But not all of them... and nostalgia is often a good thing, especially if they find completely new takes on old ideas.
Blaster Master:Having a black outline is a specific technique (a rather cartoony one). Often it makes it look too overdefined, but sometimes it looks better and is much easier to draw. The thing is, whichever you choose to do, it's usually best not to vary it too much... i.e. with Minish Cap and Wind Waker.
zmaster:Um... why a miniboss?... Yeah, this is in fact based on Volvagia, but I may call it "Barba" (the Zelda 2 lava dragon's name) since Volvagia was killed by Link in OoT.
Dragonboy:Keep this in mind:
guessing something doesn't really count as spoiling a surprise. Anyone who guesses,
could be guessing wrong.
Also, if I want something to remain secret, I know how to keep a secret, thanks.
Questions are fine; curiosity is human nature.
By the way, about Playstation graphics: technically, no these aren't ripped from a PS1 game, but you're on the right track. They are based on the lava from a game called Alundra. However, I drew it all by sight, because I found that getting dumped PSX graphics would be more trouble than it was worth.
Firestorm:Sorry if it bugs you...but I don't tend to submit to SOTW every week, and this particular submission has been in the works for over two months, what with all its components.