For physical attacks you're correct, they can miss or get dodged even if visually the attack cuts right through the target (something Morrowind is often criticized for), but notice I was talking about magic attacks. In Morrowind magic doesn't miss as long as the attack connects with the target - which is a little harder than simply pointing the right direction, but let's not get into that now.
One could argue that once the spell hits the effect can be resisted, absorbed or reflected, that sort of thing falls under mitigation mechanics as far as I'm concerned (i.e. not different from what armor does to physical damage), and it's featured in plenty of "not-an-RPG".

So when you (general you) follow the logic that a hit check is all that separates a true RPG (Morrowind) from a fake RPG (Oblivion) - and I'm not sure why one would think that, but that's what I got from DT's post - you end up in funny situation where you should also conclude that World of Warcraft is more of a true Rpg than Gothic.
To be clear, I don't agree with that logic but I wasn't debating it, just pointing out that even Morrowind doesn't fit the criteria.

Yup, sure enough. I misread your "melee (sigh) magic attack" to mean melee both physical and magic, instead of magic attacks both melee or at range.

I'm a proponent of the idea that in an RPG, character skill trumps player skill, but it's too glib to say that a hit check is all that distinguishes RPG. After all, that would as you point out create some odd scenarios indeed. But having a system in place to meaningfully check for hits requires a sort of particular overall design and that design is part of what makes an RPG.

Well, made. The concept of an RPG has changed pretty heavily since the early 80s (about as far back as I trust my memory to be accurate about video games) and the watered-down standard for RPG is essentially meaningless now - games just treat it to mean "has skills" which could probably make an argument in favor of Candy Crush being an RPG ^_^

Would have made my choice so much easier if they didn't just limit themselves to PC games, to be honest. It wasn't just Anachronox in my all time favorite RPGs 2001 – the year also saw the European/international release of Final Fantasy IX on the PSX.

Few of those RPGs mentioned in the list I played more than once, and very few I still play today. I never played FF VII on PC so that doesn't even count. :|

So there's basically just Anachronox, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins that I still replay again and again. My vote still goes to 2001.

* checks the poll *

currently

1.

2000: Baldur's Gate II, Deus Ex, Icewind Dale, Diablo II, Nox, Vampire Redemption, Might & Magic VIII, Avernum, Avernum 2 ( 2222 votes / 54% )

2.

2002: Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind, Tribunal, Icewind Dale 2, Dungeon Siege, Divine Divinity, Arx Fatalis, Heroes of Might & Magic IV, Prince of Qin, Might & Magic IX, Avernum III ( 1457 votes / 35% )

3.

1998: Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2, Quest for Glory V, Might & Magic VI, Nethergate, Dink Smallwood ( 1210 votes / 29% )

It's worth noting that there is a respect in which the puzzles of Tetris do, eventually, become harder, particularly if you are looking at something like Tetris the Grand Master (TGM).

Once you get to a high enough level, the blocks start falling so fast that certain moves become impossible. For instance, you might want to put that I piece into a well, but can't because another piece is in the way; at low G, you could move the piece above the other piece before it falls too far, but at 20G, that is not an option. Hence, the set of allowed moves will actually change as the game speeds up. (In particular, there's a part of the game that TGM players call "awkward G", in which pieces are falling fast enough so that it's not obvious what moves are valid, but you don't get the consistency of 20G.)

poll results after 4,100 votes

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_CKOduPLs9g/WwZlLFrhlaI/AAAAAAAAPy4/di6QchzYIy4icM3HS_6TKiA6-jqhFeulgCLcBGAs/s1600/about%2B4100%2Bvotes.jpg

That's about right.

My personal take had always been that 1998-2002 were the best years.

2002 was a fantastic year, Morrowind, Gothic 2, Warcraft 3, Icewind Dale 2, Divine Divinity, No One Lives Forever 2, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Mafia are just a few of all good games released that particular year.

Sure, but this thread is about RPGs, not about "good games" (Warcraft 3, NOLF2, Mafia = not RPGs).

Sorry for that, my terrible trend of skimming through titles continues.