Quite honestly, I loved the Wii remake. Yeah it made things easier, and the localization was crap, but there was just so much to love.
First of all, the controls were more finely-tuned. Klonoa played more precisely, which was a godsend for those segments in Cress with the tiny platforms. They also went all-out with the original voice work, actually re-recording the Phantomilian dialogue rather than simply reusing the existing voice track. This allowed for some great new performances such as Bin Shimada as Joka. The graphics also got a huge overhaul, taking advantage of the technology to allow for more details in the foreground and background. The water in Jugpot shimmers and reflects as if it were real, and the crystal walls of Cress remain one of the most beautiful sights I've ever beheld in a game!
There's also the cinematography. In the original, because the characters were 2D sprites, most cutscenes only showed things from a side view with an occasional zoom in. The remake though allowed for some great shots from many different angles, even getting right up in the faces of the characters to show off the emotion in them. Yeah the really nice looking pre-rendered scenes are gone, but what you're left with is better looking as a whole.
I also really liked Klonoa's new look. It kept his iconic appearance while still doing something unique. Plus there were some very subtle details to it, such as a visible flap on the back of his pants where his tail pops out. As an artist myself, that's something I find really cool since it shows that there was some thought put into how clothing for an anthropomorphic character would work.
I can certainly see why others wouldn't like it, especially because of the character name screw-ups and the crap-tastic dub, but even with those flaws I still absolutely love it.
