I agree. To me it's like Hollywood movies these days. Don't get me wrong, there are still a few (emphasis on few) gems in the rough, but they seem to follow a formula and turn out bland and generic. Tried and true = cash = let's do that.
When games were first created I assume it was purely for fun and not profit (I'm not old enough to state this as fact but I don't see people making profit from something that had no demand). After all that's the definition of game, isn't it? Something you play for enjoyment.
People were trying to create something that they wanted to create and something people would find entertaining. There was no FPS. There was no RTS. There was no RPG. Developers had free reign; they were limited only by their imaginations and expertise. Now, I don't know too much about all the IF games or even arcade classics first hand, so I'm not going to comment on them.
Nowadays you're rewarded for following the pack. I know that statement has been rehashed as many times as the game formulae themselves but it's the truth. It's really getting stagnant. I used to live for games, yet a few years ago I found myself playing and seeking them out less and less. Great, this is just like the last RTS I played but instead of knights they're robots. Fantastic, this is like the last FPS I played but instead of being on a spaceship I'm on a planet. Wonderful, this is like the last RPG I played but instead of saving the world I'm purging some crap from myself. Now RPG's are somewhat exempt to this as the storyline is what makes or breaks it, yet frankly the gameplay is recycled to the point of fucking abhorrence and I'd much rather read a book for a good story. After all I want to PLAY something fun in a game.
I suppose one could dispute that, say, an FPS like Wolfenstein was creating a new medium. Yet it's just getting ridiculous. Sure there have always been people copying others to make a quick buck, slightly rearranging things as to not be lynched, but they weren't worshipped as being groundbreaking or unique. They got booed off the stage and that was that. Now it's people taking no risks for guaranteed profit, but most importantly developers who can't break through. They can't deliver anything original because the public doesn't want it. They're not rewarded for creativity anymore. The public wants Halo 3, 4, 5, 6, n. The public wants something with a name on it. Perplexed as I may be at just WHY people want to buy boring shit, it's irrelevant; they buy it in droves (and yes I'm aware of this over-generalisation as I am part of the public, too).
Graphics play a major part I'd say. You don't need to actually play it to want to play more of it. You want to play more of it at a mere glance to unveil more purdy pictures. Using graphics as a hook is a weak yet sadly effective tactic (this is related to the Hollywood situation I believe). Now I'm all for graphics in the right context. I'd play all my old favourites with revamped graphics. What's to lose? But building a game around graphics is plain stupid.
I'm at a loss with the whole thing, really. I'm not sure if there can be anything original now outside of a storyline or an enemy model or a music score. I want to feel how I did when I was a kid: in awe of something I've never seen or experienced before. There have still been a few games like this thankfully, but the vast majority is depressing. This is brutally longwinded and I didn't intend that, so I'll just leave it here despite omissions.
tl;dr
Graphics does not the game maketh. Tried and true is shit. Fuck you game industry, I want my originality back. Xbox is hueg lol.