Well if nothing else GameSpot is making good and bad changes. Layout is a little weird at the moment but what will certainly keep me coming back is the 2 review system. I'm hoping it will be like Ebert and Roeper to a degree.

You may not like it but look into Resonance of Fate which was made by Tri-Ace. I recently just finished it and while the story feels very vague (even at the end) the characters are engaging. The game is by no means easy unless you do every mission given to you, and still I found some very difficult encounters. Combat sits very nicely between turn based and action gameplay. Also (I think this will be the main turn off for you) it doesn't have a list of commands like "attack" "magic" ect.  In a way gameplay is a bit like a chess game. The more you play the better you understand it and success depends on how well you understand the battle system. Probably a little to far away from what you are looking for, but I thought I would mention it since you are "willing to experiment" :)