Maybe it's because we're all using a relatively new console now or maybe it's that gaming companies are becoming more ambitious but upcoming games and recent releases seem to be getting quite interesting. I think as a whole the gaming industry is taking more risks these days than before. One thing that sets games apart from films or books is the fact that sequels are nearly always better than the original, generally for gameplay or graphical improvements. Plus a sequel has a guaranteed market (assuming the original sold enough copies). So, with this logic in mind, companies generally focus their resources on sequels. Well, until recently. Since the release of the first "next gen" console, the XBox 360, gamers have seen some great new franchises begin. Games such as Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Resistance, Uncharted, Gears of War and Crysis. This hasn't stopped either, I'm keeping my eyes on inFamous, Prototype, They, Dead Space, Too Human, Damnation, Cipher Complex and many more. It would be naive to say that all of these will be successful. A great idea or original story won't save a flawed game e.g. Haze or Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, but it's refreshing to see companies taking risks. I'm aware that there's a self contradiction in my point as inevitably we're going to expect sequels to these games but that brings me to my next point. It's good to see companies pushing the envelope with their sequels too. I'm exited to see the new settings in Far Cry 2 and Resident Evil 5 just as I was when I saw the first trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4. Splinter Cell is taking a whole new direction. Activision did great changing the setting in Call of Duty to modern day as did Electronic Arts with Battlefield. I think this is necessary for a franchise to be respectful to it players. The truth is most of us will pay the money for a sequel regardless of how different it is. Aside from giving the fans something really new it can do a company alot of favours, I'd say Rockstar were glad they took the risk when the first reviews came in for Grand Theft Auto III. I'm hoping this trend of new ideas and original concepts will continue as it seems it could breed some real masterpieces in the long run. On the topic of masterpieces, I'm happy to see that companies are revisiting franchises that were thought dead. In the last while we've been told of a revival in three major games, Fallout, Starcraft and Diablo. I just hope it's in the interest of quality gaming and not a guaranteed successful financial investment. One last thing I have to say about this trend of new ideas is it's interesting to see what can be done with an existing universe. Halo Wars is doing something new with a great continuity and Command and Conquer is trying again to make a first person shooter under the C & C brand, hopefuly yielding better results. Endwar and Hawx are Tom Clancy's next promising creations so I'm wondering what will we see next? A squad based Metal Gear? Perhaps a real-time strategy set in the Killzone continuity? I know I'll be keeping a sharp eye for what the industry will do next.