Finally got the 8th edition space marine codex so I could try rebuilding an army to get back into 40K, but I've had pretty mixed feelings about it. I was pretty disappointed to see that the old units and models from back when I last played in 5th edition are largely unchanged. I was hoping that since 8th edition seems to have removed some restrictions in general and opened up the game a fair bit that, say, devastators, razorbacks or dreadnoughts might have new weapon options. I've wanted to give devastators autocannons or heavy flamers forever.
But, really, it feels like this edition actually removed options for the old units. Apothecaries got a major buff overall to their stat line, but they can't take anything from the armory anymore, for example. Guess that model where I gave one a stormbolter isn't valid anymore. Servitor squads take up an elite slot and only half of them can be given guns. Dreadnoughts used to be able to replace their close combat weapon with a twin-linked autocannon, but can't do that anymore either. Razorbacks can't take the lascannon and twin-linked plasmagun turret anymore. Devastators can take gravcannons now, so that's at least something new.
And I feel like a serious curmudgeon for saying it, but I just don't like a lot of the units that have been added since I last played. Most of the space marines' aircraft look pretty ugly. Centurions look weird. Primaris marines don't look weird, but I'm not a fan of how their army list entries work or too much of a fan of the lore. I was really hoping that you could just substitute primaris marines for normal marines in any unit entry for some point cost and call it a day, but instead the army has way too many options because many list entries are duplicated to make a new primaris version with less options than the old entry.
Oh well, guess I can get by with just building an army out of the models I already have and largely stick to the older unit entries.
Speaking of which, this is probably beating a dead horse, but the modern codices are some of the worst organized books I've ever read. Having to flip between 3 separate parts of the book (weapon lists, unit entries with options and point cost tables) is sincerely annoying.