Linear quest VS Open-ended Quest in RPGs

Been playing these two classics lately:

VS

Playing these two RPGs made me thinking a bit. What do you prefer in RPGs? Is linear quests more fulfilling and better or are the more open-ended RPGs much more satisfying?

Basically it boils down to these two things:

Linear RPGs:

The developers created a story for you.

Open-ended RPGs:

YOU as the player create the story for yourself within a world the developers created.

Which do you prefer and which is better for RPGs?

Good taste in games...

Anyway, my favorite is the middle ground where the story is fairly linear but allows you to go about the tasks in a non-linear fashion with the story branching off depending on how you go about each part. Like Vampire: Bloodlines or more recently, The Witcher!

If I had to choose between those two though, I'd have to go with linear. I'm a sucker for a good story in a game, and linear experiences generally tell the best stories with only a few exceptions.

Good taste in games...

Anyway, my favorite is the middle ground where the story is fairly linear but allows you to go about the tasks in a non-linear fashion with the story branching off depending on how you go about each part. Like Vampire: Bloodlines or more recently, The Witcher!

If I had to choose between those two though, I'd have to go with linear. I'm a sucker for a good story in a game, and linear experiences generally tell the best stories with only a few exceptions.

the_mad_madman

Pretty much hit it right on the nail there. I really enjoyed Deus Ex, but hated almost every other WRPG I've played.

Open ended for me. Call me a bit self centered but i enjoy having a game experience different than most other people. That's one of the things i loved about morrowind... sure you can say that everyone went through the main story but the main story was most of a side dish, the entree was being able to do all those other things that set your character's story apart from mostly everyone else's

i've seen a bunch of games with good stories, there's not too many games that make the player feel unique