The game is much better than it used to be, but it's still only fun if you have a good linkshell and friendly people to play with regularly.

Getting to cap level can be done through Abyssea or through Grounds of Valor, the latter being a better option if you want to learn the job and the former being a better option if you want to quickly level. I wouldn't say gear is extremely easy to get, but it's more obtainable than it's ever been in the past.

For end-game, Voidwatch is a hit or miss. It's far too easy, once the enemy is proc'd it'll go down within less than a minute. However, you get your own chest at the end of it which means you won't be fighting others to win gear. The downside to it is that the drop rates are really bad, and by the sounds of what Tanaka is smoking they'll continue to be bad until the game dies.

I could not imagine starting this game from the beginning, however if you do you should really make a plan of what jobs you want to level to cap. Keep in mind at the moment the most sought after jobs are NIN, WAR, BLM, WHM, and THF due to how Abyssea's mechanics work (proc'ing, treasure hunter, etc.), but don't let that dictate what you want to level. I do not recommend leveling PUP for a first job, it's very expensive and no one will want you. In fact, if you really want to make the most of the game you should level BST as your first job as you'll be able to do so much with it. Solo'ing, duo'ing, trio'ing Abyssea and Dynamis to get seals for your empyreon armor and making gil.

Another note on Abyssea is that the storyline is completely bad. Nothing happens, except towards the very end just before the final fight. And even then it's just some NPC's talking a lot of uninteresting crap. However, every other expansion has been pretty good with story, even one or two of the add-ons.

Anyways, good luck to you if you do decide to play. It's still a good option within the MMO market, though I don't know how long that will last with games like SWTOR and Guild Wars 2 coming out this year.