From wiki: Casino Royale is said to take James Bond "back to his roots" in a film that would be similar to From Russia with Love where the focus was on character and plot rather than high-tech gadgets and visual effects, two issues that were most criticised in The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Additionally, EON has admitted that they relied too heavily on CGI effects and are planning to accomplish the stunts in Casino Royale "the old fashioned way."
That pretty much answers most of recent criticisms of the franchise. FYEO is one of my favorite Roger Moore entries, because it was down to earth. Literally as it followed the dreadful Moonraker.