What they did with Mission Breakout was to change the drop sequence so it has more unpredictability, more rises and drops, more shaking, so the ride portion itself is undeniably better. If they'd done that with ToT without changing the theme, people would still say they prefer the new version to old. The preference isn't necessarily to do with the theme. But before the ride reopened, people didn't know how the drop sequence had been changed, so beforehand they'd just assumed that it was the theme was changing, and that's where the doubt came in. Would they be able to create as engaging and compelling a story out of GotG as they did with ToT? I would actually say no, the story isn't as compelling now as the original theme, and the building exterior is awful as compared with ToT, even though the ride portion is more fun. So that's what some people are saying about TBA, that the story itself and the experience won't be as compelling as Splash was. We already know that the ride itself isn't changing, also that the animatronics and set decoration are almost certainly an order of magnitude better. But you're right, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We just don't know yet, but people are free to express their opinions.
