Vortigern

I have to say one of the recent rpg games I've enjoyed the most is Witcher 2. It isn't a huge open-ended epic like Skyrim, but it has a decent focused storyline, with plenty of optional side quests, a stunning world and really nice game design - one of the few rpg games where the hand-to-hand combat feels natural. Of course it can be tweaked and improved, but it works. The cutscenes are great and the ending doesn't feel rushed, like so many other great rpg games. Add a bit more character customisation and it would be a brilliant model for the Wheel of Time game being developed (at least I hope it is still being developed). Yes, the Mass Effect 3 storyline dissolved into garbage at the end of the game. But the element that makes the Mass Effect games so powerful is how decisions made in the games come back to haunt or lift you later on (and not always in the way you expect). This is a key to making successful rpg's. Players want their decisions to matter and thereby make every playthrough of the game unique. Just make sure, if you do this, to have a very clear overall plan for a game/series or you risk mega plot holes big enough to swallow Bioware ...