True, but they're done in a way that actually makes them interesting. I don't play as them, I usually play as an Argonian, but they're still done in a way that makes them actually interesting and makes me care about their individual cultures. They're not all just one race categorized as 'human' or 'Elf' they're each their own peoples and don't always get along with one another, like in Skyrim with the Civil war between the Empire and the Nords. Same with the Elves - Orcs are elves. that makes me chuckle even now. Also, the elves aren't all like "OMG PROTECT TEH FORESTS"

Basically, the races in the ES are different enough from standard fantasy cliches that makes them interesting, yet at the same time similar enough as to not feel completely foreign.