I seem to be the only one who thinks Folk Hero was good. Look, there's got to be some kind of background that says 'peasants think you're cool', and that one did the trick. Peasants thinking you're cool doesn't go that far in a world ruled by knights and sorcerers, by the way.
I actually think the old background features were the best part of the backgrounds. They weren't just random backstory, they were something that could be, and was, used in play. Now, every character is going to have exactly the same mechanical connection to the world, and it will be a matter of DM fiat whether it means anything.