The 300 HS is a great little budget camera, though it doesn't seem to do anything better than the cheaper 100 HS. Regardless, it's rad. It has a high-sensitivity CMOS sensor that's flat-out the best in the price class.
As for something like the pricey G12, meh. I have a DSLR and a 100 HS. People who buy high-end P&S cameras thinking they're getting something close to a DSLR are kidding themselves. The G12 and the like have pretty much the exact same small sensors as the $150 cameras and optics that are only marginally better. There's no optical viewfinder, no lens interchangeability, no APS-C or larger sensors (which you need for low-noise high-iso shooting) and "manual controls" are kind of a pointless joke. A $400 point and shoot camera doesn't really get you anything more DSLR-like than a budget point and shoot - what it generally does buy you is some better features (like longer video recording, higher FPS still image shooting, etc).
For well-lit situations, you can get almost identical quality from a $150 point and shoot as you can from a $1500 DSLR. The main advantages of a DSLR are manual control, lenses, and that big sensor. Expensive PNS cameras don't get you any of this.
I highly recommend that people stick to compact PNS cameras, generally by Canon, Nikon, and Samsung. Only spend more money for better high-ISO performance and features you really want. High-ISO performance is, IMO, far and away the #1 thing people should look at. When taking pictures indoors, shooting low-noise at ISO 1600 is a godsend.
