TerraMex, i only speak of the intent. Maybe the result will be disappointing, who knows. The intent is to have life-like games, strong AI, relative freedom...
(oh and yes i put Thief and System Shock series in the same bag, they're from the same team, and both represent the best of computer RPG, esp. second episodes of each, Thief2 was totally awesome, and so was SS2 - hailed best game ever by anyone who played it, just search on slashdot - Deus Ex was quite good too)
A thing to note is the focus is now more on the sofware contents, and not the amazement of discovering new technology and tweaking it. Makes me think of car history
dont you think ? Now the car market is focused on fuel economy, and onboard gizmoes - not the engine itself, which is totally maked away on newer models. I tend to think computers are following the same path. The interest in tinkering in the innards will fade away for the general public, and will remain only in the hardcore fringe (like, us)