all games are not created equal

Fable 2 was promised as an open world game full of world changing choices. Instead, what I got was a couple of closed off, linear levels with a Sims like slider configuration for every choice I ,ade. The quest almost always boiled down to "hunt all the bad guys down." However, the combat and spell casting are smooth and intuitive and work very well. And the quest that didn't fall under the hunt configuration were fun and interesting (I especially enjoyed the Captain Dread quest, and the Tomb of Twinblade in the Love Hurts string).
Oblivion is an open world game, were I am free to explore anything and every thing in my own time. The amount of countryside to explore was amazing, though rather bland. The combat was plain; by end game I was doing the exact same combat moves since level 1. Also, the scaling up of enemies made it feel like I never got any pay-off for leveling. However, the quest were fun and varied.
Now, the only reason I say Oblivion is greater than Fable 2 is because of the difference in content. Fable 2 has a far more superior combat system, but the entire game is linear. Also, I only clocked about 20 hours before I finished the game. It took me 10 hours of game play to remember that there was a main story line in Oblivion that I was supposed to be working on. I have played over 150 hours of Oblivion, and I still love the game. I continue to play Fable 2 (I'm really trying to buy the Castle Fairfax) but I feel that the lasting appeal will quickly wear off.