Oh my gosh, I completely agree with you! I come back here every few months just to be met with a plentitude of new comments I have yet to read. Though it has been a long time, it is incredibly refreshing to see such a devoted community here haha.
Unfortunately I have not played the remaster, only because my current (cheaper than an angry chicken) gaming set up would likely crash and burn before allowing the game to load in--I still love it though. Have you? Is it worth the hype? I played the original as a kid and have been incredibly curious about the remaster.
Hope you're well--along with whoever else stumbles across this and reads this. :)