I prefer the feel of hydraulic PS in general. I have driven some EPS vehicles that felt "twitchy," or seemed to deliver the wrong amount of assist. On others the EPS was decent and didn't feel like driving an arcade game.
As far as reliability, I agree with others that eliminating a fluid is nice, but EPS isn't exactly bulletproof reliable. Sensors and motors can and do both fail. GM has recalled numerous EPS vehicles over the years for problems with either the motor and/or torque sensor. Sometimes the torque sensors are bad off the shelf!
That said, I haven't found PS fluid (in my case ATF) to be much of an issue. I've never actually done a full change on my truck or the other rack & pinion hydraulic PS Fords I have had. A couple turkey baster changes over the years, kind of just for the [censored] of it while changing the engine oil. That's it. Never changed a pump, rack, hose, or even all of the fluid. The only time I have gotten so much as a squeak out of it was when turning sharply with a 110K mile serp belt.
The "major" advantage of EPS, at least to the manufacturers, is fuel economy.