"Once the tech started to get more powerful, the creative elements that would come over from Hollywood and from television all of a sudden -- that was what gave us Rockstar, and what the Houser brothers, to their credit, did for games. I mean, you look back on the history of this industry, you can point to these moments and say, 'That's when everything started to change.'"
It's a real shame that this shift occurred, because that was when all of the magic left video games. In fact, I remember playing Grand Theft Auto III right when it came out, and thinking "Holy crap, I hope games at large don't shift in this direction..."
There is a branch of the industry today-- mostly the indie, tight pants and ugly glasses frappuccino hipsters-- who are at least trying for the aesthetics of yore. But because they're talentless yobs, it all comes off as contrived and obnoxious. I think that once the genie got out of the bottle, there's no putting it back.