I want to throw this out there:

There has been comments regarding FPS and how it is a monster niche and somehow, for example, the XBox brand is overreliant on it.  Well, consider NES and onward, the type of games that had a following.  If they didn't involve being a beat'em up (hand to hand combat) you were shooting out projectiles at enemies and destroying them.  Think of Megaman, Contra, Blaster Master, NES Batman, etc... in these were shooting.

My take on it is, that this form has evolved and we now play them in first-person perspective.  And now we have what appears to be an outbreak of FPS as a single dominant genre that is on the news side.  I would say, on the contrary, that it is a continuation of what has been going on since the NES.  Of course, multiplayer FPS and deathmatch has been huge, which would be the main argument against what I am saying.  But I see that is more of an evolution of a past trend over something new. 

Please comment here on this.

I was trying not to go with SHMUPs because they aren't walking character based, like the other ones I mentioned.  I do think that we have room to bring a lot here in the "FPS" format.  Even Red Dead Redemption has a bit of a throw back to NES action adventure (I think Bionic Commando or Metal Gear).  As of now, everything has gone first-person perspective.  Even third person is like first-person, with the camera further back.