Its a little like the N64, but no 3d-roaming areas where you can do u-turns and summersaults, and stuff like that. Also graphics are a lot simpler, and even on easy or normal, the hard path can prove to be a whole lot more challenging than the n64 game. With the sleeker graphics it makes gameplay on the N64 a bit easier.
Also everything is a it simpler, no need to go under arches to get access to other areas, no cool quests that come out of nowhere, no rescueing, just fly, destroy, and go.