I'm probably one of the 'younger crowd' here at 23, but I grew up playing BG1 and 2, IWD 1 and 2 and have played PST since. I've also played the NWN, DA and ME games, along with the witcher. Personally, I enjoy the newer Bioware games , and they are fun in their own right, but personally the IE series will always, for me, be the more enjoyable games. I don't get all the hating other studios that is so prevalent in forums, and that's probably why I don't generally go on them.
There's a certain level of storytelling that exists in the IE games that doesn't quite come across in newer RPGs in general, perhaps its because a large amount of the budget is spent on making a reactive 3D environment, something that could otherwise be spent on other aspects. Add in Voice acting and you limit the amount of player choice you can put in. The IE games don't need this, creating an equally, if not more beautiful world through the amazing rendered and hand-painted landscapes, and have largely text based dialogue, so have a lot more budget to spend on other aspects of the game such as player choice and deeper storytelling.
Just my thoughts on the matter really. I would agree that IE games are better RPGs, but there's no reason there can't be a place for the 'new Bioware' games too. People will always try and apply their favorite genre to the new technology that becomes available, but you can lose some aspects by doing so.
I suppose that's why PE has made as much as it did in the kickstarter; IE style games allow you to present RPGs in a way that just isn't possible in the more modern formats. They are just better at handling all the different elements of an RPG.
I'm really looking forward to PE! In the meantime best do another few run-through's of the BG series!