You're breaking my heart here! I thought we had similar taste in games

Elden Ring is my #2 favorite game of all time, only below Super Metroid but there are lots of nostalgia in place there and I wouldn't be against having Elden Ring as #1 if the expansion is good.
You should give it another try. I could help you with some fun character build tips to get started or boss fight strategies if you get stuck. I don't play it with some min maxing, I play for fun. If you like swords, go with Bloodhound's Fang, can get it early by doing Blaidd's quest. It looks cool and has a fun skill where you slash and flip backwards, looks great and is powerful.