Why Ulduar is Amazing/ Did Blizzard wimp out on us?

In the spirit of grabbing achievements for guildies before Cataclysm blows Azeroth up, we have been spending a lot of time back in Ulduar. After cruising through Icecrown Citadel, going back into Ulduar is almost like going back in time. I was raiding with <Taint> back then, and we were struggling through each boss and high fiving each other after killing Auriya. Yeah, those were the days.

Fights
With our gear level these days (Heroic ICC 10), many of the achievements/hardmodes we're after aren't that difficult to overcome. But at the same time, each fight is incredibly complex, and I love that hardmodes actually alter the fight, to a larger extent, then Heroic ICC. Freya, (Knock, knock, knock on Wood) was a complex DPS fight within itself. It requires actual cooperation between DPS, instead of just a plain burn. Leaving trees up adds three more mechanics to watch out for.
Mimiron, my absolute favorite WotLK fight, now tied with Algalon, is, imo, a healer's dream; intense, fast paced, and fun. Four phases! Each phase with it's own mechanic, both forcing healers, tanks, and dps to be aware (phase 4 especially), and even has some funky mechanics, like bringin Mimiron's chopper head down with a magnetic core. Hardmode added some sexy fire, making the fight more challenging; perhaps the most challenging in Ulduar, second to Yogg 0.
Algalon was an amazing fight to finally witness. Absolutely gorgeous graphics, a gorgeous boss, and tons of gorgeous special effects. It was complex enough to have to work at it, but not so overly complex that it was impossible. And I spent most of the time drooling over everything anyways. XD It was also extremely healing intense and made me work for it.
The thing with Ulduar, that sets it apart from ICC (and ultimately, Naxx and ToC), is it's design. Each fight is different, with mechanics that take time to practice, but are ultimately rewarding. Each fight feels earned. It's not filled with accidental wins like ICC.

Environmental Design
As far as WotLK goes, Ulduar was the pinnacle of Blizzard's environmental design. Ulduar is filled with vast amounts of small details, each piece clearly placed with beauty in mind. It's huge, that is for sure; but the transformation from place to place is enchanting, and yet every wing seems to all seamlessly fit together.

Early Flame Leviathan Shot; This is the look of the first wing. :)

A cool extra: the ride to Mimiron

Best fight ever: Mimiron Hardmode Firefight

Coolest door ever. On the road to General.

Longest run ever, but beautiful images along the way. To General

Inside Yogg Saron's mind. This is part of a boss fight! 1/3 scenarios

Heading to Algalon

Ulduar at it's pinnacle. This is where you fight the most gorgeous boss, Algalon

Center room; Old Taint Picture :)

 I don't have a lot of other beauty shots. But there are so many different environments. Maybe I'll add some as I go back. I wasn't able to show you the center room, where things altogether change as you move into the green garden of Freya's wing, then shift to icy cold winter as you head to Hodir. Mimiron's journey is all technology and mechanics. Algalon's room is a gorgeous astrological wonder. And the journey to General and Yogg is filled with scenes of life, all but shattered. I loved that after killing Kologron, his shattered body and head was used as a bridge :O
I know ICC is just a fortress of cold and solitude. Of course it's going to be a vast castle with blues and greys and blacks. I guess, you can't really try and make it too different without seeming a tad ridiculous. But there is just something so "yawn" about the place. It doesn't help that the heroic fights don't really make anything more interesting either.

Did Blizzard wimp out on us?
I didn't raid in BC, but from stories I hear, raids back in the day were hard. They were about dedication and progression. Someone told me that some 15% or so of raiders were able to reach the last raid. WotLK changed all that. It made each raid accessible for every raider, including casual raiders, right on the onset of it's release. There is no sense of progression, and I think it's because of Blizzard's difficult struggle to balance the game for everyone. I applaud them for it though; it's nice having everyone whose been playing WotLK actually reach the Lich King. At the same time, there's no real sense of accomplishment unless you spend hours working on achievements. Same thing with gear; spend some time running instances and you can be decked out in ICC gear. I guess it's not horrible, and I should be appreciative of it. Next semester, my school load is doubling, meaning I'm probably going to be spending little time online. I'll probably regret these statements. 

Auriya kill. <Taint> :)

<Taint> Thorim kill. Back then it felt like a big deal :)