I played in the final week or so of beta and was impressed to some degree with this game. The whole character creation process is a hoot, so I thought what the heck and bought a copy after release. I didn't play enough to get beyond the rookie levels in beta, so I didn't know what to expect...
IMO the game just didn't change - it was the same rinse & repeat that I was used to in EQ/DAoC/insert MMO game title here, but without any long term tangible reward save xp & "inspirations". I'm sure CoH will be around for a while, but it was just lacking the polish to keep my attention past the short term.