Pros
- The controls and the feel of the game were nearly identical to that of OoT. For those who have played it (and let's face it - who hasn't?), it was very easy to get into.
- If for some reason you wanted to, you could do any temple all over again, and fight any temple boss instantly.
- Even though there was a time limit to this game (in a way), it almost never felt like it.
- The new mini games and archery ranges were much more fun and innovative.
- The side quests in general were much more complex and involved.
- The graphics weren't much improved, but they were improved.
- The swords were far cooler looking in this game (see Razor Sword).
- All of Link's mask-transformation abilities were cool, but especially the speed swimming you get from the Zora Mask.
- The idea of a temple that flips upside-down (and rightside-up) was very intersting and original.
- The Chateau Romani is very cool, despite the fact that you can only get it on the third day, and can't take it back in time with you.
- The idea of having a bank is a good idea.
- You actually need money for stuff in this game.
- There was more of a sense of order to this game; you couldn't do any temples out of order, and if you weren't sure exactly what to do next, you at least knew where you were going.
- The temple bosses are much more challenging than those found in Ocarina of Time.
- The Bunny Hood was a good idea. Not only do you move faster, giving you a bit of an advantage over time and enemies, but you could also use it where you can't take Epona.
- You actually need to collect stray fairies to get rewards from Great Fairies, rather than just finding the fairy fountain.
- The Fierce Deity's Mask was very cool. It's nice to see the Beam Attack back.
- The game doesn't stop every time you get a Gold Skulltula Token.
- The Gossip Stones actually tell you things that are relevant to the game.
- You can take the Fierce Deity's Mask back with you to Day 1 (but you can only use it in boss rooms).
- Having to buy maps was a good idea seeing as it added a bit more replay value to the game; it was like a mini-side quest (although Tingle was pretty stupid).
- When you enter new areas that are all part of the same big area, the map on the bottom right corner of the screen rolls instead of disappearing and re-appearing.
- You could see different parts of Termina from different parts of Termina. By this I mean that if you're at Great Bay Coast or Termina Field you can see the mountains if you look north, etc.
- The explosions looked better in this game.
- The Fire and Ice Arrows actually worked in this game. By that I mean they actually set enemies on fire, and froze them, respectively. You could also freeze water with the Ice Arrow.

Cons
- Not only was constantly having to go back in time a nuisance, but so was having to slow down time at the beginning of every first day, and doing the same things over and over again; for example, talking to the guard before being able to leave Clock Town, or having to have the bank guy check you every single time you wanted to make a deposit or take out money, even if he checked you five seconds ago.
- Stray fairies don't save when you travel back in time.
- If you ever want to visit a fairy to refill your health/magic, you had to get all the stray fairies all over again. This made fairy fountains virtually useless.
- Too many of the masks were useless one-time-use items, for example the Giant's Mask or the Couple's Mask, and too many of them were basically just there to take up space, for example the Mask of Scents or the Circus Leader's Mask.
- There was no boomerang (Mikau's fins don't count), a classic Zelda weapon.
- There were far too many cut-scenes and text messages that you had to go through. You could argue that perhaps there were the same amount, if not more in Ocarina of Time, but let's not forget that it was a far longer game, and therefore needed them, and had them more spread out.
- Tatl made the game far too easy. Instead of hinting at things like Navi would, she would just say what you have to do next.
- It's nice to see the Gold Skulltulas back, but the Gold Skulltula Houses are garbage. They basically point out that 30 Gold Skulltulas can be found there, instead of you having to wander around the entire world and figure out for yourself where they might be.
- Although the worlds were much more detailed and far larger in this game, they always felt like there was no room to move around. There was always too much on the screen at once.
- I know this is a side story, but I prefer different tunics and boots to different masks.
- There were four swords in this game, one of which you couldn't even keep. The best sword in the game you get basically after you have beaten it (as opposed to getting the best sword in OoT right after becoming an adult). This game is far too short for four swords.
- The music in this game was even worse than that in Ocarina of Time. Sure this game had it's one or two songs that were alright, but the rest just sucked. It's nice to see the classic overworld theme back, but it's the worst re-mix ever of it.
- There were no magic spells in this game.
- It seemed as though this game focused more on difficult enemies than challenging and thought-provoking puzzles, which is what Zelda games are all about.
- This game had nothing to suggest a medievel feel to it, other than the mention of a Deku Palace/royal family. The only reason it felt like a Zelda game is because of Link, and the focus on puzzle solving.
- Too many of the notebook entries became irritating because of all the waiting. Sure there was the Double Song of Time to take you forward in time 12 hours, but it should ask you how far forward in time you want to go instead, to eliminate all the pointless waiting.
- A few too many of the "side quests" weren't optional, thus taking away some replay value.
- You couldn't take any weapons/items/Rupees back in time with you. This was especially annoying when you needed beans, since the ones that you already planted don't stay planted.
- After you beat a temple, the things that it affects don't stay when you travel back in time (for example, the snow isn't permanently melted after beating Snowhead Temple).
- Again, I know this is a side story, but I'd like to see more classic Zelda enemies in the games. The new temple bosses were interesting and new, and in some ways more fun than those in OoT, but I still prefer my Gohmas to my Odolwas.
- (SPOILER ALERT) I wasn't all that impressed with the ending. It may not be that important, but it was never explained how Link made his way back to Hyrule.
- You couldn't actually die unless the world ended. If you fell into a hole, you didn't even lose health, you just appeared back on the screen wherever you came in from.
- You couldn't save whenever you wanted to. This means that if you got really mad at a temple (or something else), you couldn't shut the game off, you had to keep playing.
- If you saved at an Owl Statue and forgot to save again, and reset or shut off the game, nothing you did would be saved. You wouldn't even start back at the Owl Statue.
- There were six bottles, but you never needed them. Instead of a sixth bottle, how about a boomerang?
- I liked the big bulky white letters that appeared when you entered a new area in Ocarina of Time much better than the tiny white writing with the ugly and distracting purple stripe going across the screen.
- One of the biggest disadvantages: you can only play as young Link. Many people, and I am one, preferred adult Link.
- There are only two save slots.
- What's up with the guy at the Bomb Shop wearing the leather thong?
- This is the third Zelda game in a row that you couldn't get the Triforce in.
- They still haven't brought back the blue fairies.
- There were too many things missing that made this game almost not feel like a Zelda game; a boomerang, Zelda (almost), Ganondorf, Hyrule (almost), the Triforce or even a picture of it, a castle, the Master Sword, and classic Zelda enemies like Gohma. Let me know if there's more.
- The boomerang in OoT worked much better than Mikau's fins.
- Whenever you hit a Gossip Stone, the screen shakes and gets really blurry, which is very distracting and annoying.
- Whenever you do most things and travel back in time, they return back to normal. While you may get some sort of prize out of doing whatever it is you did, it makes it seem almost for nothing.
- How come Link couldn't turn into a Gerudo? How come there wasn't even a Gerudo Mask in the game?
- Having to do things to collect Heart Container Pieces was a good idea, but it wasn't executed well. There should be a lot of heart pieces lying around to be found (which there were), but for the ones that you have to solve puzzles to find, they shouldn't be very complex or long; for example, finding all of the frogs, or playing a certain song in front of all the giant Gossip Stones in Termina Field. They should keep it short and simple.
- After you get a new sword or shield, you can't switch back to the old one. I suppose this is why you could only equip the Fairy's Sword to the C Buttons, which was a bit of a nuisance in itself.
- There weren't enough weapon upgrades. The Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts were completely neglected.