I beat the game without using a guide. Which is why I never found Epona.
Anyway, I agree with you, man. We've come a long way since 1998. Nostalgia clouds a lot of people's views. At the time, nothing could touch Twilight Princess. I still hold it in very high regard for its accomplishments, though. I played it in 2003 and even then, it was the best game I'd ever played. In 2007, not so much.