I think whats missing in these games today is the feeling of being in a "living, breathing" world, rather than the "theme park" vibe they have today. To have the feeling your fighting something that needs to be fought, to save whatever world, etc... And you want to do it because you care about the world, not just "this is the new ride this month". They lack a sense of immersion and purpose and I feel it's just laziness on the developers part and them following a formula that has worked. THe problem is the formula has gotten really stale and it needs to be reimagined.