As a hardcore RPG player since the early 80's I can confidently say - Oblivion an Fallout 3 are the greatest travisties ever inflicted on the RPG genre. Bethesda (since Morrowind) have gone to hell in a handbasket. Supremely streamlined (dumbed down) for consoles. Lifeless game worlds devoid of soul, cut and paste dungeons, excruciatingly bad dialog and writing, supremely poor and simplistic quest design, fake choice and consequences (all choices leading to the same outcome). Simply, the most overrated games in history. Though I can see how they might appeal to casual / newer gamers - which is exactly the audience Bethesda was targeting, because it's now the lagest audience.
New Vegas (made by Obsidian), on the other hand, is much better and deviod of most of the points listed above - Fallout 3 done right. Obsidian, consisting of developers of the original Fallout games, may not have the greatest programmers, but they at least know how to make a real RPG.
Bioware of late, are not much better. DA:O being their best effort in years, but still with a lot of the problems applicable above - noteabley, ridiculous dialog, fake C&C and teri-bad, boring filler combat. I won'nt even bother discussing the Mass Effect's, they are 'cover shooters', not RPG's (especially ME2).
Smaller studios like Larian, Obsidian, Reality Pump, Piranha Bytes, CDPR etc, are our only hope for the future, as lager sudious now exclusivly focus on the casual/console demographic.
DKS is a great RPG/ARPG hybrid. Combat could be a little less 'twitchy' and a little more 'in-depth', but otherwise it's fantastic - but please Larian devs, never, EVER include the word 'streamline' in your vocabulary.
