Of course
UO is not going to satisfy anyone with regards to PvE and PvP anymore, at least not with the alternatives out there. I have always hated PvP in
UO, but in
WoW I actually enjoyed it and spent some time doing it, because the system just works. I tried it in LotRO and it was not bad, though I mostly had lag issues when I did, rather than problems with the way they handled it. By comparison, the 10 year old
UO is going to be antiquated.
But what
WoW and LotRO do not offer is the flexibilty of the engine for roleplaying purposes. One of my biggest annoyances with those games is that it does not matter whether I am playing the game or not, the world is not affected by me at all. In
UO on the other hand, I can plaster a dungeon with books that have my name in it, or build a house, or imprint the landscape with a "Rangy was here!" of some sort. That is
UO's strong point.
Additionally you get all those skills that are useful for roleplaying, even if they have no other value. You rarely get those in other games. A good crafting system that is as complete as
UO? Maybe DAoC or EQ, but certainly neither
WoW nor LotRO, or which game do you know in which you can cut the wood, make the chair and then sit down on it too?
One of my fonder memories is the number of books that the Templar library and recruiting office had. What other game allows you to pass on books to other people to read? It's either IRC-like chat or Email-like messages. Convenient? Certainly! Good for roleplay? I don't think so!
You can complain about
UO all you want with regards to EA messing up the PvE and PvP system, but they have left our freedom and possibility for roleplay intact. The choice before which we stand is ... Good PvE and PvP, then
UO might not be so good. Do we compromise in favour of GREAT roleplay?
WoW and LotRO certainly do not offer it in the way we are used to it in
UO, but of course that's for everyone to answer for themselves.