The problem now is Video Games are considered a legitimate entertainment medium,so most of the games that get press are created for the express purpose to achieve blockbuster status. Think of what Halo did, and how Halo 2 got more money than the major box office gross that weekend. The Production values on games went up, and with people like the head of Activision only wanting games he can milk sequels from, diverse games are not being made because they probably won't make the money spent back. Usually, that is the fault of the Publisher with lack of marketing and decent pricing. Back in the day when you had smaller teams of maybe(and I stress maybe) 10-15 people, and more likely 5-10, there was no pressure from shareholders to release copies of other hit games and a dozen sequels. Unfortunately, I do not think we will get the general quality we enjoyed in games just before the demise of the Xbox and Gamecube. Too many people see dollar signs, rather than well thought out games that dont always have to be B-movie scripts.
BTW, Games have gotten ALOT easier in the past decade or so. Playing Q3 and UT, ghosts and Goblins, Contra...hard games. Now for the price of $50 you get essentially an 8 hour tech demo.