Much of the Java+Patterns=<3 stuff came from java lacking syntax for functions that didn't involve creating an entire anonymous inner class with an apply function; the Strategy pattern is an excellent example of a pattern that just goes away when you can pass functions around. There just are not good ways to express certain solutions without using at least one or two, for any sufficiently large piece of software, without that syntax. And if your language is making what you're doing awkward, it's probably not how most people are going to code. Guava had an entire disclaimer in their functional documentation that essentially said "whenever you reach into this toolbox, think about if it's really what you want". Now that Java8 has syntax for them, we should see people reaching more for Streams and their functional methods.

Now, that said, it's often more tempting and easier to just add complexity, which results in crazy codebases. It's much harder, especially under pressure of deadlines, to REMOVE patterns as they don't make sense anymore, which gives us what people think of as enterprise Java. Not all Java is like that, I promise.