Has PC gaming stagnated?

[NeoZeedeater]

Yes Strider, those are fresh ideas; I wouldn't argue against that. Still, they are innovative games in existing genres(extreme sports have been around a long time as has the GTA series which originated on PC) just like I expect DX2 and HL2 to be.

I agree that console gaming currently has more variety. My point was simply that innovation doesn't have to be in the invention of new genres.

[FuryFox]

PC gaming to me is just whenever the next Blizzard game comes out.

[xS]

And it seems to me that what is most popular in console gaming in the US now days are war-themed and futuristic first person shooters; .

I think that this trend would be best for the PC developers themselves. There's this whole risk averse culture among the major PC publishing giants that forces developers to work on less risky stuff. Thing is, costs of publishing are so high that most companies simply can't afford to put anything risky out. In contrast to this console gaming companies still release games like Ikaruga and Rez. Developers like Iron Storm are much better off in an industry where the publishing culture will not constrict their freedom IMO.