Those cookie cutter jobs were all cookie cutter jobs before ToAU. I don't know what game you were playing. The updates to the "other" jobs have been awsome and continue to make them more and more powerful. The SAM update fucking rocked, and DRK is becomming a very skill-based job that has very high potential if played well.
The game is definitely moving in a decent direction, especially all of the recent stuff against gil sellers. As we've seen, its been pretty damn effective. They will never get them all as long as there is a demand for gil, but I'd say they've done a damn fine job. Plus, Goblin Bounty Hunter was just funny.
All I wish they would do is add some freaking HNMs that aren't a waste of time. Khim has been so-so, by far the heaviest camped HNM released so far. But the other two...really just a money HNM along with one of the coolest HNMs they decined in Hydra, with a complete waste of drops. Lets see some cool shit from some tough stuff. Hell, it doesn't even need to be that cool of stuff, just give some more Vrtra Tiamat and Jorm equivilents.