I'd say the definition of hardcore games are moving away from cut scenes and story and becoming strictly online multiplayer FPS. As others said, "dudebro" games. Personally, I enjoy the cut scenes and story aspects of some games as well as the raw gameplay.
But yeah, I feel more at home with the Japanese style games than the Western ones. Western games have their own set of cliches as well. Ethnocentric thinking makes us ignore those cliches and assume that Japanese games are the only ones that have them. For Western games - middle aged shaved bear protagonists, LOTR / Star Trek / Star Wars influences, shallow moral decisions, realism over creativity, etc.
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY COUNTRY." --Hermann Goering, leading Nazi party member, at the Nuremberg War Crime Trials
Conservatives: Pushing for a small enough government to be a guest in your living room, or even better - your uterus.
