I don't know why anyone says this game is dumbed down. It has far, far more tactical depth than the original. I'd even love to watch people play the multiplayer competitively.
Yes, they cut some features out, but most of that stuff just slows the game down. There are plenty of features that I'd miss, but I love how streamlined the gameplay is now. It's almost cinematic, as you can just tab and move everyone all at once, and actually finish a turn in less than a minute. I didn't like those 3 hour bug hunts.
Also been playing ironman normal today and was royally screwed over. I had already lost the game around the time when I was fighting 10 Mutons with rookies + assault rifles, but it's a very rare AAA game where losing is fun. I love how damn good the Mutons are with strategy. Nothing like the old games where they just step out of vision and shoot. These guys really know how to utilize cover, outflank you, grenade you, suppress you while someone else kicks your ass.
While my first 'shock' of XCOM was with the Tentaculats, my first shock in XCOM EU was how tactical the Mutons were. They're actually a little weaker than your average squad member at that point, but they took out my top units with pure tactics. Or maybe because I was a noob and didn't really know how the cover system worked.