In the game Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV), the player character is so much not the hero that he can't even wear the amulets of kings that is given to him at the very beginning of the game. The end of the main plot actually have you watch the messiah save the world. Unusual, but refreshing. (Then Skyrim went back to having the player being the messiah.)
I was enamored with Skyrim, but the more of the plot lines I went through, the more ridiculous the story seemed. So I'm the best warrior Companion, the best Mage in Winterhold, the key to the civil war and the dragon born? The first plot line I went through - Companions - worked fine, because it was the first. But each successive one fell flat at least a little, because how I was the best at everything.
What I enjoyed was the world they built. The plot was secondary.
To be fair, in Oblivion, you can still become the best thief, mage, fighter, gladiator, and assassin in the entire province, all at the same time. With the DLC, you can also become a holy knight and a copy of a daedric prince. Never mind the downloadable mods.
I thought the point of that particular plot element--and making the player a prisoner of some sort at the beginning of Elder Scrolls games--was to avoid coercing the player into adhering to the preconceptions attached to particular roles. The game tells you, right from the start, that you're a blank slate, so do what you want.
If you do all the quests, of course it's going to start being a bit ridiculous. But the game is also supposed to be fun for someone who wants to just play one particular role, without sinking 400 hours into the game while trying to do everything.
In the game Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV), the player character is so much not the hero that he can't even wear the amulets of kings that is given to him at the very beginning of the game. The end of the main plot actually have you watch the messiah save the world. Unusual, but refreshing. (Then Skyrim went back to having the player being the messiah.)