I play a wide variety of different role-playing games.
- I play WoW when I cannot find 3 other people to play with
- I play Savage Worlds for character-based play with action unencumbered by much in the way of rules
- I play Call of Cthulhu when I want an immersive, character-driven game
- I play Big Eyes, Small Mouth for comic-book genre
- I play D&D for a tactical combat game with a roleplaying feel.
I like boardgames, and D&D is the most board-game like of the Roleplaying Games I play -- that is what it is good at. It does not foster an immersive experience; it does not lend itself to fast-and-loose GMing; it does not provide a "genre" feel. What it does is to provide an RPG that it as much about the GAME as the ROLE. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but, honestly, saying that you dislike the effect 'alignment' or 'party roles' has on roleplaying in D&D is kind of beside the point of D&D. The forté of D&D is the rules for the game. Looking at what they're doign in 4e, they seem to be going with that premise -- make the rule better and don't worry as much about aspects other games do better. Focus on what D&D does best -- tactical combat in an RPG world.