I wouldn't say the SE wasn't needed, just most of what was given to us wasn't.

We could do without the CGI (sorry Ady but not a big fan of your new f/x in revisited either, love all the other changes though), but enhancing what's already there a la hoth battle is fine.

I love the original Yavin battle as it reminds me of everything I love about starwars, the impact it had on a 6 year old at the time is obliterated by frankly common and nothing special cgi. The superb model work done by those guys is part of what made it great and gives the films technology its gritty used look.

The only things in ANH that ever botherd me from its home video release in the 80's were,

Vaders white sabre after his battle with Obi-wan,

R5 being back at the crawler after he leaves,(actually did the SE even change that? seen so many versions now)

The line "close the blast doors" missing,

A something I would personally like to see changed is Obi-wan calling Anakin Darth during their final battle. I think it deserves a more personnal acknowledgement between them, "You can't win Anakin" re-affirms his previous loss and lava ordeal, along with "Only a master of evil Anakin" would fit eerily well after the child killing scenes in ROTS (along with all the other evil stuff he's probably been up to since then).