Yeah, I agree that the plot and character development in SAO has been rather random and abrupt, especially the conclusion of the latest episode. Nonetheless, I've still found the anime enjoyable overall and it's been one of the few I've genuinely looked forward to watching each week. Having not read the novels, it'll be interesting to see what happens next too.
Edit:
As for the new anime, I didn't manage to get through everything I was planning to watch yesterday, but I did catch a fair few. What stood out the most would probably be From the New World, Btooom! and K. The others were more run of the mill, but were enjoyable enough to warrant a second viewing, particularly Chuuninbyou.