That essay is on two-handed greatswords around 60-70 in/150-175 cm. The only cRPG sword around that length is the flamberge. All the other cRPG greatswords would be longswords:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longsword . And these swords were used in the late medieval period, which is one of the periods that cRPG draws from. And gorath, I think you're overestimating the use of shields in medieval warfare. As far as I know, shields and one handed weapons were largely phased out after plate armour started to become more common place.
"13. Fighting with a sword and shield was the typical method of Medieval foot-combat.
False. Despite their ubiquity in popular media's depictions of Medieval combat, and their close association with knights and medieval warriors, by the 14th century large shields were actually uncommon and all but disappeared from battles and single combats. This decline continued as the decades wore on. Rather than a single-handed short sword with large shield, soldiers, knights and men-at-arms were equipped typically with double-handed weapons (whether polearms, hafted weapons, or double-hand swords), or with two weapon combinations (swords with maces, axes, daggers, etc.). Large shields survived as specialized tools mostly for sieges and judicial combats but were not primary equipment. Smaller bucklers and other hand shields were by far more common than larger shields and typically served as a principal means of training."
From:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/TopMyths.htm