I'd say you're HOPEFULLY alone in this but I know there are other misguided souls out there. I don't miss anything from 1.23, everything is there, mayhaps with a little bit of different presentation such as what was once an opening cutscene is now 10 levels worth of story, the way that Soken's music is simply amazingly incredible, he's done incredible things.
Can't say much about the textures, right now my game is playing better than 1.23 played, graphics-wise and damn- Why the hell ever would I want to 'unlock' anything or level up for? To do quests, of course! I like their story, their tales, even the simplest ones. I know what has always been the goal for me, so not having to labor and hunt for only a piddly handful of quests is amazing for me, personally