Apart from GTA now that game is awesome and I hope the new one won't disappoint.
I agree - and I very much think it has something to do with Skyrim/Fallout coming from the same house. I had the same feeling with earlier Oblivion games - they dazzle to begin with and then just turn into a grind, but the grind isn't even fun because it's single player. MMORPGs can get away with it because you can grind with your mates (euph).