... I finally got in a good session (unlike last month).
The people have spoken ... no need to punch the Race expansion tiles. In that sense, I understand those who think it's overpriced. I'm paying $18-25 to use 25 cards. I don't particularly care about the solitaire part, or the tiles. From a game point of view, it's still a great investment if I'll get another few hundred games out of it.
Middle Kingdom is better with five, but (like many impulse purchases) not something I'm going to play compulsively. It stays in the bag to see if it grows on me.
The Tribune 'Alea iacta est' victory condition (only three requirements, but tribune is mandatory) didn't work nearly as well as I hoped. I was the first person to get a Tribune (on Turn 5) and had an unblockable victory next turn. Tribune may be best with 4.
Power Grid China felt vaguely like "Power Grid: Age of Steam." Less plants than players (per turn) and few resources. (It still isn't as brutal as a typical AoS map). I'm probably not going to buy it anytime soon, because I don't need 10 PG maps, but worth playing if you like the system. Haven't tried Korea.
Race for the Galaxy is arguably a game about playing the hand you've been dealt more than playing out any kind of strategy. In Settlers, you can set up a wood/brick or ore/wheat/sheep machine and try to compete for those goals. In Race, you don't choose to accumulate Alien cards, you just draw one at some point and then decide if it's a good risk to play it or not given what might be coming down the pike. The new tiles change that risk calculus, but in a way that seems a little arbitrary. If there are three bonus points out for getting 4 Alien cards, one can argue that just makes the alien cards a little more lucrative, and therefore it's better for those players that just happen to draw them.
I'm fairly certain that there is no "race" involved in most of the chits. The decision to play/not play a card is based on a cost/benefit analysis, and the existence of a goal chit changes the benefits, but the odds of it resulting in players changing how they play their cards, or resulting in actual competition for those chits seems relatively small. The Alien chit just makes playing Alien cards more attractive, it doesn't make it *so* much more attractive that we're going to beat each other up over it. I'm not going to shift my strategy if the "production worlds" goal is out, but I don't get many production worlds.
That's at least my impression after just a few games. It might be quite different if you played with the now-full-complement of 5, though (which I haven't done yet). The interesting thing about the goals is they don't scale - the same number come out if you have 2 as if you have 5. I would have intuitively expected fewer with fewer players. But that's just me.
But anyways, what's confusing about the original post is that "The people have spoken" line. Where, who? I don't see anything of the like on BGG.
Some of the tiles almost always involve a race (first 6 cost development) or at least a pressure to play a card earlier than you might otherwise. Others only rarely have this effect and are more a back of the mind alternative incentive to head in a given direction (3 alien). For me they give a shifting landscape to evaluating the right course of action which adds a lot to the replayability. Do I pick Settle to play the third novelty/rare to pick up the 5 VP tile before the other player with two novelty/rare and few cards can draw into it and fight me for it, or do I pick Develop to get Mining League out so I can start working the Produce/Consume?
I will say they are a bad idea for a player with not many games under their belt. You can get away with the new cards, but the tiles will add another level of befuddlement.
I will mention that if you enjoy Middle Kingdom with 5, then you might try the experienced rules with 3. The greater control and increased options (set up a tie with one bid while trying for order with another; the Emperor becoming more interesting (since it only applies to one bid) and increased speed of play (with five cards coming out) made this option quite popular with playtesters, once they understood the game.