Back when I was a kid, I probably would've beaten them without savestates. However, if I can play through the games without the constant pain and suffering of t&e and backtracking and getting lost, why not benefit from what I can use. It's not as if I used a code to unlock everything. I rarely used Potions, by the way. Too lazy to buy 'em.
While I hate most boss battles, the Ganon battle was pretty cool. It was fairly easy with the Red Ring and Noble Sword, but a bit of figuring out could've had me beat him without that kind of aid. Twinrova (seperate) sucks. Parrying those bolts is a pain. Also, for Ganon, as well as Onox, I would've appreciated the slightest hint that I had to use spin-attacks. Some of the required methods, even with the vague owl hints, are far from intuitive compared to others.