That being said, the latest TES games ARE open-worlds for dummies. Simply because they hold your hand in any possible way... In games such these it's basically impossible: To find a mob stronger than you are; to get lost; to be unable to complete a quest, etc. Thank god Original Sin is not this kind of game.
I don't think that's fair. Static mobs, such as the ones in Morrowind, undermined the game's open world freedom by forcing you to learn (painfully) where you could and could not go. That's not an open world; that's an on-rails game that lets you stray off the beaten path but then clubs you over the head when you do. What you call open worlds for dummies I call true open worlds.
BGS went to the other extreme with Oblivion, but I think FO3 and Skyrim (as flawed as they are) finally got the formula right in regards to freedom of exploration. They are games designed for replayability, whereas DOS is designed for a single, intense playthrough.
