Yes, it's what i really think.

The game idea, is the more important thing. Finding a cool game idea can turn into a great game.
Lot of people sometimes think FPS, or action, but without new ideas, or original ideas , lot of time it's a simple cpoy of existing games.

There are some people that really unleash their imaginationand bring sometimes very original 3D art or original style of game.
Even a simple idea, well done , can turn into a great game, no need to target big AAA game like Halo 3 or another MMO that you will never finish.

Here is a cool action game , made by a guy.
I find the idea original and the aerial level design cool too.
It's made with a very simple 3D engine also.

action game

He have used grey tones, to hide perhaps textures, perhaps he's not talented, but it works great.
But it's also some copy of one Unity gmae that used this principe also , but that's ok, caus it have it's own taste.

Dont confuse "original" game with "totally new idea".

He basically combined a classic WW1 Airplane shooter with
"sky city" and "old time cinematic" effects.

Its not that he invented something totally new,
just sombined them in an original way.

The lesson is more another thing which is a best practise for indies:

Use an Artstyle wich looks original but requires little
development time compared to the big titles.
So using a stylistic artstyle, color palette, objects with
low detail graphics, works great for indy games,
as creating the assets requires much less time
to actually get is all done.

Use an Artstyle wich looks original but requires little
development time compared to the big titles.
Yes i totally agree with you when you

For example Iphone development is a big success and lot of people in Unity forums make some good money quickly, they don't spend one year or more in making 3D art.
Iphone requires less time consuming 3D art, and what counts is the game type and gameplay quickly.

Another great style is in MArio Galaxy game on WII,
they use simples textures , but very clean and some times detailled and varied that goes very well.

For game ideas, sometimes combining ideas on paper and mixing type of games, and mixing gameplay, can lead you to some
original mix that can do finally something a little new.

"game idea before tech engine" is an interesting approach and good for some kind of ideas for a brain pool. But in the end, when you want to make it reality, it is the other way around. You have to find a tech that fits you needs and then you have to find the strengths and weaknesses and adopt your ideas to the technology and to your financial capabilities, to your knowledge in terms of programming and art creation. You can see this very often. Many people are scared of good technology like C4 just because they dont want to spend time to learn C++. Even when C4 would be perfect for their idea and the price is low compared to the other ones, thy often chose another technology.

So from my experience it is often the other way around. Most people buy technology based on personal preference rather than on the needs of a potential project. But this makes sense, when we are talking about a hobby. It does not make sense when you are after a successful release of a certain project.