i think the biggest problem is, far too much is put into making a game look great with sparkly realistic graphics. now i'm not saying they should tone the graphics down in anyway. but with older titles with not so great graphics it seems alot more thought was put into story and gameplay to make up for this short fall in looks. today's games are like a burnt cake, sure nice icing will hide the crap underneath, but only until you bite into it. don't hide your crap with sparkly graphics, make a good game first then give it good graphics