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If you impose your personal preferences on all design decisions then sure, there are some that are universally right. If, instead, you take into account the fact that other people will like radically different things, you'll end up realizing that virtually any design has its place. You're assuming that a standard character progression will be satisfying to nobody, or else you're mandating that the game design that appeals to the most people must be the correct one.
Just think about it: If there's any possibility that some person will like a particular design, including the designer then it's justified, unless you're willing to put forth the proposition that a design that appeals to more people is inherently superior to one that doesn't.
I think the more sensible way to look at game design is that a game is designed for a particular market, even if that market is the designer himself. In that case, I know there's a justification for a single-pathed game as I've got a certain interest in them myself.
--matt
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