Huey I'm on the fence, and I hear you. But I lean more towards the direction they're going with the rebooted franchise. Since Casino Royale, the stories are much closer and tighter chronologically and they are still setting things up, hence why there's no Moneypenny, etc in the series until the end of Skyfall. I believe they'll bring on more gadgetry as well, but that better represent the tech age we live in today. However I think they'll aim for pseudo-realistic gadgets that push the envelope of what really exists or is on the horizon in the real world.
As far as how serious they are or anyone thinks they are, I personally think they're also doing a fine job in that regard. While I appreciate some comic relief, the more tongue-in-cheek or campy they go, I feel that, for me, it lessens the replay value. I'll take a good story, screenplay, acting, etc that results in a good classic movie that I want to see again and again, over a series of movies that play out like the Moore or Brosnan run of Bond films. Not that I don't like them, I just prefer this interpretation, because if the filmmaker takes the work serious, I can invest in them more also. Not every serious movie turns out to be a good finished product by default, but I think the 3 Daniel Craig movies are phenomenal. While I'm not a Bond aficionado, I've always enjoyed the series from a distance, but this fresh new direction, has me more interested in the character than ever before. And I WANT to see where they'll go next.
