I've been skimming through the rule changes that have occured since I last played way back during CT.

So far there is only one real game changing rule that I found and that is the new rules regarding carrying.

The first part I like, not being able to tote around another flying character, and it makes sense too.
The second part, I'm not sure about and it seems to make it really hard to get a good offensive attack without getting hit first.

So if I'm not mistaken, a figure that has just been carried cannot make an action that turn? So basically, if I wanted to carry say, Wolverine, up to a character and do a BCF attack. I would carry him, drop him, but have to wait next turn before I made the attack...leaving him vulnerable to any attacks my opponent might want to make during his turn. Then finally, if my character could still do damage, he could attack at the beginning of my next round.

So short of being Tk'ed ,charging, or perhaps getting someone knockedback or forceblasted into him, a Close combat character could only make an attack against a character which he began his turn adjacent to.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that rule sucks for offensive close combat characters.

So basically, I would like to know how to adapt to this and use it to my advantage aside from sitting back and waiting for someone to be adjacent to me.

Also are there any other rules that really changed the face of combat since the Clobberin Time?

Well, you're a few years past the real heyday of this argument, but yes... many people thought the No Attack After Taxi rule (NAAT for short) was an unnecessary change back when it debuted in the Indyclix set.
Afterward, instead of games being dominated by cheap taxi fliers like Vulture carting around big guns like Firelord, it moved to being dominated by cheap TKers like Jean Grey sending out nasty RunShot or Hypersonic killers for far-reaching, boomerang style devastation.

However, with the advent of Battlefield Condition cards (in Mutant Mayhem and every set since), the game is even more complex. Those depending on the old TK boomerang can get completely hindered by Poor Teamwork (no carrying or TKing friendly figs) or at least hampered by Telekinetic Strain (TKing anything beyond 5 spaces damages the TKer). Big damage brick forces can be 'nerfed' by Power Dampening Field (no damage value above 3), Inertial Interference Field (HSS, RunShot, and Charging figs get -2 dmg when using those powers), etc.

Feat cards also add fun and potentially nasty abilities to the characters who qualify for them. If you're really getting back into the game and plan to play in tournaments, I'd suggest perusing a lot of the recent sets to familiarize yourself with as many cards and figures as possible. Also, grab up the most recent FAQ and Errata/Clarifications documents so you have the entire published rules (along with the Danger Room rules and PAC). After that, if you're interested in hardcore play strategy, you might want to look up the Wizard World convention top 8 competitor listings, and check out those teams to see what forces and combos have been getting the big wins out there. It'll be a lot to take in... but let's face it, you haven't been around in quite some time. Enjoy!

Wow, that sounds really interesting. But the " Taxi a high powered flier " such as Firelord, could have been solved by the No fliers carrying other Fliers rule. So I'm still not sure why they did that, since it really only hurts the offensive abilities of Close combat characters.

Not really. Imagine big damage ranged attackers like V Havok and REV Blackfire being able to attack after being taxied. They don't fly, but their 8-10 range, 4 damage attacks are nothing to sneeze at. Carry them up with a couple of cheap taxis (the V HIVE Troopers are pretty good for this), and you've basically got Firelord, part II. At least a player is forced to invest in some TK, which usually has a pretty hefty price tag compare to just a guy that can fly (44 points for the cheapest, non-retired TK-er LE Clarice Ferguson vs 25 for V HIVE Trooper or 24 for R Lockjaw) if they want to get a really long ranged first strike.

This game does tend to favor ranged attackers, true. But in reality, shouldn't it? Seriously, shouldn't Magneto or Green Lantern be able to pound the snot out of Wolverine or Bane?

Because it made Running Shot and Charge obsolete. It allowed figures without having to pay for the powers the ability to get those powers.

Take someone like E Bane. He's 76 points and can deal 5 damage with a 10 attack. Join him up with R Wasp (for 19 points) and Bane has an effective "charge range" of 8 to do 5 damage and the pair costs you 95 points.

Contrast with E Wonder Woman from Cosmic Justice. Same attack value and powers AND damage value and powers. She is paying for Charge. She can't use CCE when she charges and she has a range of 5 and she is 109 points.

So not only are you paying less points, you are getting to use more powers, have a bigger range, and have many more options. Paying for RS & Charge was a waste when you could get more bang for your buck by having a cheap "free-move" taxi - which defeated the point of having a cost associated with those powers.

There are some players who prefer the quick dice roll game of taxi up/ attack. The emphasis was on the first 3 turns, under that old system. Now the game has shifted where the middle and end game has a lot more impact on who wins and loses then ever before.

All very good points.