it has lost its true identity as an art form.
Gaming has no "identity as an art form". If it did have one then it's better off crushed.
Are we for realz right now cuckdex? In an age where nearly every genre has gone to shit, from RPGs to shooters to even fucking racing games. Where some genres simply don't exist anymore outside of indie efforts, and all that have cropped up in their place are walking sims. Where creativity is stifled by publishers more than ever. Where there are no more AA-tier developers with some very few exceptions. Where every AAA game is filled to the brim with decline business practices. Where gameplay is second to presentation, realism, and graphics.
It's a shame that there is no longer much in the hole between AAA and indies (outside of certain outliers like Paradox). I believe it is inevitable that since there is money to be had in niche gaming there will be companies going for that money. A fledling attempt would be Ninja Theory's "independent AAA" game Hellblade though they obviously focus on the wrong stuff (cinematics, graphics). Leave AAA to their shameless money grabbing ways and forget about ever getting anything more than "pretty nice" out of them.
1995-2002 in particular you could blind buy time and time again. Chances are the game would be at least decent. Blind buying in modern times, or especially the dark ages of 2006 to say 2013, this was hell. Since then every game gets extensive research.
Blind buying a game has always been a terrible choice. Sure, nowadays the bottom of the barrel is pretty damn deep but that is only natural since indies have a much easier time without the need for anything physical to sell (e.g. boxes, manuals etc.).
The stealth genre? Splinter Cell: Conviction/Blacklist? NuThiaf? Hitman: Absolution? Tenchu Z?
Invisible Inc? Shadow Tactics? The newest Hitman? MGS V? Not exactly Thief but not a bad haul.
Platformers? NuTomb Raider, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, pure decline garbage like that.
I don't care about platformers so can't tell what's good today but I wouldn't call any of those you mentioned platformers...
Many genres, like varying forms of strategy, are pretty much dead outside of struggling niches.
Which forms of strategy are those? 4X and Grand Strategy at least live on. RIP RTS of course. The tactical strategy games ala X-Com and Jagged Alliance are mostly indies outside of the reboot XCOM I suppose but Xenonauts was very nice despite being heavily derivative.
Even racing games are often stripped of content and full of decline shit. NFS: Most Wanted (2005) vs NSF: Most Wanted (2013) being a prime example of that since so much was stripped and so much decline crap was added.
Casual racing games may be less than they used to be though that could be argued (Forza Horizon etc.) but racing sims are better than ever.
Hack and Slash? Nu Devil May Cry, Darksiders, Diablo 3?
First of all, Diablo has nothing to do with DMC and Darksiders though they may both come under the umbrella term hack and slash. Personally I only call Diablo-likes hack and slash. As far as melee action goes, Soulsborne, Monster Hunter, Nioh, MGR:R...No problem there.