Hey, in my defense, the guy who wrote that mostly writes for the AV Club, not Kotaku. I have, of course, the same problem with Tivo's list of recorded programs (or the Criterion Collection, or Shakespeare) that I suspect I would have with the quest list; I eventually feel compelled to watch all of it.

I think you've articulated exactly what I don't like about most sword and sorcery things: the reverence for Elven Bullshit. But that's a whole other discussion.