Arcanum: You can be whatever you wish. The skill set is massive. The crafting is massive, you can even build steam robots if you have the right skills. The history is great. Its steampunk themed, the soundtrack is great, and the game laments on human nature. Your choices have actual weight to them, even something as mundane as giving an interview to a local newspaper.
Geneforge: You are a wizard that creates life, and belong to a cabal of wizards that control the land. Couldn't get far, since my firewall was tossing shit about the game's .exe claiming its an "unknown file" even though its from STEAM.
X: You are in a full-on explorable galaxy with alien species, with full back rounds, and histories. Make your living however you can from running a corporation, being a pirate, soldier,independent contractor, delivery boy, bounty hunter, mercenary, etc. More time consuming than EVE, and twice as addictive. It has a full on economy you can contribute to. If you get a big enough corporation, you can effect prices of items across the galaxy.
The Guild: You are a family in the middle ages or renaissance. You get the choice of what your specialty is from craftsman to politician to criminal mastermind. You're goal is whatever you want. You also have to deal with other families. Its buggy, but fan fixes make it playable.