I understand the fact that sending the heroes rather than the army saves lives,but it does remove some of the heroics. The heroes aren't "needed", they are "economical". They are medieval nukes. I am fine with that sometimes. But I'll miss the "Help me,Hero. You're our only hope.""You're going to trust these misfits,my lord/king.""Yes Bishop/Advisor/Councilman,We have no other choice." feeling.
I like the sense but I'll miss being in another tier of existence.
I don't see why you need to "miss" it - 4e will still be there.
I think you are right about the dissimilarity - I think 5e is (already) looking a totally different beast from 4e - but I don't think of it as a matter of "better" or "worse". It's just a case of "different", in which one or other may suit you better, but
both may also be very acceptable alternatives.
They certainly are looking different in outlook. Taking "story" and "game":
Story: 4e - the PCs are heroes; the story will be about them, the question is, what will they do? 5e looks more like the PCs are kinda talented Joes in a tapestry of world context that all "lives" without them - the question is, will they get to be heroes?
Game: 4e has the PCs as a team game against the forces of antagonism in the world that array against them - either they win or they lose. 5e is starting to look like the PCs moving around within the world context tapestry trying to position themselves to best advantage according to their own idea of "success".
Both of these have strengths and weaknesses - 4e has focus and clarity in which the players have precise control over their characters' destinies. 5e has wider context and situation implicit which the players can explore, has more of a gritty "feel" implicit and arguably more inbuilt "verisimilitude". These two are going to play very differently - and both could be fun in different ways - so playing both would make perfect sense. Feeling forced to choose would be a bit like having to choose between steak and chocolate; I'm fine with choosing which I want
now, but if you ask me to select one or the other
for life I'll just think you've terminally lost it!