I don't know what you guys read, but that seemed like a very fair and a pretty positive outlook on the game. A lot of the changes that have been implemented are pretty standard MMO stuff which seems amazing to us simply because of how bad 1.0 was. This game isn't really offering anything unique other than the FF name and charm. Which for most of us is good enough.

And seriously, stop hanging your hats on how story makes this game unique. First of all Square Enix really isn't the king of story telling in games anymore. And secondly, while I quite enjoyed 1.0's story, LotrO and SWTOR emphasize story even more and present theirs in a lot more accessible way. The fact that FFXIV has a good storyline doesn't make it unique.