I'd guess that Canon decided that buyers would be photographers rather than picture takers. As such they'd know what setting do the best job in every situation. The G7 used a mode dial to access programmed settings for each of the things you've named such as scene mode, sport mode, night etc. As such there was a built in set of settings that used the meter reading to decide what ISO, shutter speed & aperture MIGHT give you a good photo. For those who've taken the time to learn the basic rules of photography doing the same or a better job on determining which settings to use is relatively simple, & they'll just set the camera up to get the shot & if it's off a bit they'll reset & shoot again.
Fortunately it's easy to see results thanks to digital cameras & LCD's so now that you've spent the money take a bit of time to learn the basics & practice them learning & advancing as you go. For action you use the Tv mode (to set the Time Value or Shutter Speed). You need to pick a shutter speed setting that's high enough to freeze the action, but unlike the built in program of the G7 you pick a more perfectly matched shutter speed. For Landscapes you usually use Av mode (aperture value) & learn what different settings do.
No matter which camera you buy it's going to use the same combination of things to produce good photos, and that combination matches the ISO, the shutter speed & correct aperture to do it. No magic, just the rules that control an exposure, and more advanced cameras allow the user the control over those things.
"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."
