I find so many characters very unique and interesting written (good writing is just so subjective). The combat is fast-paced and fun most of the time and can be brutal if enemies are above your level, even with your companions, though the AI can be exploited easily. Everything else than energy weapons don't feel like having a punch and feel weak, though.
There are a lot of skill checks and humorous answers in dialogs and NPCs actually react to your (crazy) answers and don't ignore it like in Bethesda's games.
The worlds are small which I appreciate after so many huge open world games these days. There is some environmental storytelling, but it, and the exploration, could be better and more rewarding.
There are interesting quests but nothing mind-bending like you have so many times in let's say The Witcher 3. It's a different level.
I, too, don't get the constant praise for Obsidian because I don't find any of their games exceptional. They do solid RPGs but no game-changers. The plot twist at the end of PoE was so weak after the huge build-up before and left me completely untouched (because, without spoilers, they resolved it around "in-game things" you may simply don't believe in and therefore have no emotional connection to it). The by the community highly praised Alpha Protocol played like ass and didn't look any good even when it came out and I had no connection to the protagonists, he was no one I could bond with. The combat in Fallout New Vegas was only slightly better than in Bethesda's attempt on Fallout and it didn't feel like an improvement. The writing and dialogs were way better, but you still had so many empty and visually ugly places and lots of limitations with that outdated engine that it was only marginal better on the gameplay front.
None of their games are bad, though, not even Dungeon Siege 3 because it offered what only a handfull other games, if any, up to this date, ARPG offers: full coop experience with up to 4 people. Hack and slash with fully voiced dialogs and heroes, and decisions to make while supporting 100% coop, that means even your buddies engage in conversations, like in Star Wars The Old Republic. It's also not just hack and slash where you stand opposite an enemy and hack away and almost automatically heal all the incoming damage. It requires effective blocking and dodging and timed attacks.
Anyways, they do solid and good RPGs, which can't be said for many devs. TOW is a 7/10 or 8/10 tops, and that's okay and totally do them justice. It's a good game after all, but no revelation. Still better than any Fallout Bethesda could come up with.
