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[Blood-Pigggy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tito @ Sep 5 2007, 08:47 AM) [snapback]309004[/snapback]</div>

Well, I think the problem here may be that you're paying too much attention to big blockbusters (such as the aforementioned Hellgate London, Spore, Stalker or Star Wars games) and that is a perfect way for finding all those issues you hate (brilliant graphics, impressive sound, poor gameplay, inexistent originality).

Search a bit more, there are plenty of games with interesting concepts and fresh ideas behind all those marketing campaigns. If you hope the game everyone's been talking about for the last two years of developement to be a gem, you'll suerly be dissapointed.
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That's not really what matters, everyone knows System Shock and its sequel's name now because of Bioshock, but who's really played it? Tons of people probably downloaded it from HotU or something and played it for 30 minutes before the atmosphere or lack of direction got to them.
I don't think it applies to discussion when it's about the biggest games in general.
If you have to shift through the mainstream junk to find a decent game that's a problem, I don't want to go online to some small developer's site to buy their game for $60.

As for Spore and Hellgate London I mentioned both of them because their graphics aren't causing any waves in the industry but people are genuinly interested in the gameplay, be it Spore's expansiveness or London's Diablo action on a closer level with tons of cool things that set it apart.

There are very few titles that are still hyped for their concept, or much less, actually played.
There are practically three factors that go into the popularity of a game, its presentation, marketing, and popularity of its brand (IE the Elder Scrolls or Starcraft).