Does anyone else feel like western made games as a whole have nearly lost any form of wholesomeness and artistry?

Currently playing FF7 Rebirth and racking my brain about why I have enjoyed this so much more than any of the other story driven RPGs I have played over recent years, aside from maybe BG3.

I think it is because it is so obviously a labor of love and so much time and effort was spent into actually making a compelling work of art, rather than just another flashy UE5 cash grab. They took time to make the characters feel authentic and the scenery to feel alive in the most subtle ways.

I realize not every game can be a AAA square enix title and most smaller studios can’t compete with their funding but that makes it even more of a slap in the face every time we pay 70 bucks for a poorly made, unoptimized generic alpha title at best. Especially from other large AAA studios that probably rake in even more than SE.