[@Ace of Hearts] Oh that I totally agree with. Mechanics (such as basic game play and the journal system) are best kept simple so the player can focus on the game and not HOW it's being played. If that makes sense. The ES games have only improved in gameplay. And I appreciate and value the simplicity in attributes and leveling up (I have always been super bad at stats, even as a table top gamer and I think a lot of people are). 

But--especially with RPGs--the freedom the player has to make choices and deal with the consequences are important to me. The storyline of Skyrim is very black and white, you pick one side or the other, and you run with it getting similar outcomes anyway. That's watered down and too simplistic to me. There are things you just can't do as a player even if it seems like a blatant option. And it creates this...disconnect.