Is a trend toward "Arcade" style gameplay in CRPGs a good thing?

Oh, I agree. Arcanum, Knights of the Old Republic, Morrowind and (arguably) Dungeon Siege are all sooooooo similar, I can't hardly tell them apart. And if you like one, you'll like 'em all, they're so similar. All of that "arcade-style" gameplay that one found while playing all of those games is a sure sign of the trend towards "dumbing down" gameplay y'all are talking about.

Why, at this rate, in another couple of years one won't be able to tell the difference between Epic Knightly Adventures and Blastertron 4000!

The above sarcasm was intended to illustrate my disagreement with the sentiment in this thread that CRPGs are sliding down a slippery slope towards mindless action. With games like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Dragon Age on the horizon, both of which sound like very heavy RPG games, and the constant influx of Asian-style RPGs, I don't think CRPG-lovers have anything to worry about. Any "trend" one sees is just a natural shift in the way games are made, much like the switch from text-based to graphics-based games, or the old-school grid-based movement to 3D. Heck, I can remember when my favourite RPGs were nothing more than 2D turn-based hack-and-slash adventures (Might and Magic III, anyone?).