Oblivion came out and I borrowed morrowind for my xbox original.
Fell in love with morrowind after I understood the game mechanics. (it can be pretty daunting.)
I got a 360 as a christmas present and oblivion. Never before was I more excited to play a game. I actually give most of that credit to oblivion. I did EVERYTHING in that game. It pretty much created the enthusiasm I have for the series.
Accessibility is important. Morrowind was probably a deeper game than oblivion, and arguably skyrim. Yet obivion was the first game in the series to be truly user friendly. Skyrim is another step in the right direction with its leveling sysem. It takes the guesswork out of character building for new players, and the veterans can still pre-build perk trees and optimize their equipment if they so choose.
I actually remember sitting in front of both morrowind and oblivion and thinking "Man, can't I just pick nothing as my major/minor skills?"
I rarely get annoyed with kids playing skyrim, I think it's great that they have enthusiasm for something other than call of duty. Not that it's a bad game, but it relies on a lot of hype and peer bandwagoning to make sales.
About fable: I don't care for the humor, but the combat is fun IMO. Seamless switching between magic, guns, and melee. A little darker, deeper, and more beleiveable and I think it could be a contender. Remember that temple you go in towards the end of the rebellion story in the desert? More of THAT please.
