Its not true that the pieces will only ever fit in one way.
The reality, I've come to realize after playing with these things quite a lot recently, is that they're simply 'higher-resolution'.
For instance, I have watched this brick (from a Star Wars ship)
http://cosmicbricks.ecrater.com/p/11804345/lego-dark-bluish-...
become variously, a foot, an ear, a beak, part of a dragon's wing, part of a temple, part of half a dozen spaceships of completely bespoke design, part of some sort of epic death dealing mechanized tank/robot thing, and probably several more models where I didn't even notice it.
Whereas I had to be content with "8-bit" round shapes with my old Lego brick pieces, my children and I are able to produce models with much higher resolution - and that're pretty satisfying.
My kids play with these "model" kits by building them as per the instructions, learning a few new construction techniques in the process, playing with the finished model for a day or two, then tearing them apart and applying any new techniques they discovered into their constantly evolving storyline.
Just like Dad did... does...
Stuff like that used to happen (the dark late 90s and early 2000s) but not anymore. And even during that time (which was during my childhood) I always found a cool new way to use the special pieces. I actually always loved having special pieces I could repurpose in some way.
This meme needs to die. It’s not based in fact.
Case in point: http://city.lego.com/de-DE/Products/Default.aspx#4643
That big windshield is awesome. I could make a big fire truck with it or other kinds of vehicles, maybe integrate it into a building.
Oh, and Lego has tons of sets that are just awesome and pretty much only made from normal bricks. Take this awesome house: http://creator.lego.com/de-DE/products/default.aspx#5771
Lego has diversified their product line. That means you can get more, well, normal toys. But they are still selling as much classic Lego stuff as they always have.
I agree that the new Lego pieces get a bad rap; my kids have done ridiculous things with them; in fact, I'm not sure they've ever actually built the thing the box told them to.
You get the picture... You may as well complain that a lego rubber tyre is single purpose... well duh.