Dont misinterpret, I am in no way knocking the Elder-scrolls series. I know for a fact that my taste are a bit off, I reguard them as excellent escapes from reality. But it wasn't the combat that bugged me, it was pacing. The story is told in a as you come across it sort of manner. Meaning I had no idea at any given point what my priorities where. Darksouls story is told in a similar fashion, but I enjoy how much of the story is told through location and the items you find. Nothing in Darksouls is forced....Aside from death XD.
I once again am not trying to compare apples to oranges, just explaining why I like my apples in a hard cider and my oranges al a mode :D