So I haven't played a Zelda game since Majoras Mask and I have not owned a Nintendo console since the N64. I just bought a Wii U and picked this game up. I did play a little bit of Twilight Princess on my sister's Wii some years back.
Comparatively, this game is pretty spectacular to look at. I love the over all art style but I have a few detail oriented complaints. Link's arm is really...angular...when you aim the bow. The textures don't hold up either. Not a huge issue since you don't spend a huge amount of time aiming down the bow. There's also a lot of clipping issues, mainly with Link's cap and his shield, it seems like this would have been an easy fix for an HD update. Also when hanging upside down in the Goron Mines none of Link's clothing/items/hair droop down, they all stay perfectly rigid.
I like the controls, I was a little bummed about the no motion controls, as I heard good things about them, but having access to your inventory on the game pad is very convenient. I love being able to just drag and swap items on the fly. Epona is a little difficult to control but I feel myself getting better at it.
I started my first game on normal mode and beat the forest temple with no issues. I then decided to restart and play on Hero Mode which is much better I think. It's not extremely difficult but it requires a bit more planning (mostly just packing lots of milk before a dungeon). Playing as Wolf Link on Hero is much harder than playing as human Link as you have no way to block and have no healing items, plus the regenerating shadow demons one shot you at the beginning. I'm still considering getting the Ganon amiibo for playing as human Link.