My opinion on Samurai armour and why it has so much backing is pretty much the same reason Morrowind has so much love. That alien and exotic feel behind it. From a western point of view it can be a very dominating sight to see a Samurai warrior, but that's just me. Not saying I don't have love for European and Middle-Eastern armour. For example, I would LOVE to see http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HYt995wFTps/TQSuxC2qAyI/AAAAAAAAAHU/KFVH1YAoIXs/s1600/husaria.jpg in a TES game.
That's human nature, I think. They're drawn to things that are not commonplace. For many, things like knights and longbows and such are common. It's their heritage. Samurai and katanas, though, they are from a far away land with a very different culture. They're exotic. And that fact alone makes them attractive. It doesn't make them as good as people think they are, though.
I wouldn't mind seeing some inspiration being taken from some of http://www3.uakron.edu/worldciv/china/ch-armor.html