I feel that the attacks are justified in certain respects, as a lot of these large companies are losing track of what matters to their public in the pursuit of profit. SLA seems unashamed about it's source material. I know you can draw comparisons between parts of SLA and other things, but most weren't meant, they just happned. Do you feel that the system is as important as the background in RPGs. The trend seems to be towards a more 'generic' system base, with game background taking up most of the bulk of the game book.
Systems are the first thing to get changed by any group of gamers.
When GMing SLA at a convention i was once criticised for not using all the rules. What do you see as the future direction of RPGs. Castle Falkenstein seems to be moving games away from the table top and into the parlour. I run games with a film anolgy, it makes people understand situations better. I don't think systems matter to much as long as the storyline works.