new things i've found, first time playing since 1.8
swamps (i think these are in 1.8 though)
mushroom cows and mushroom biomes
working exp and leveling system
lily pads
tons of more acheivements
pressing f5 twice lets you look at your character from the front
water looks better
new sounds for being hurt
it seems like mobs spawn closer to you
pie chart thing on f3