Innovation in Video Games

It's amazing to see the how video games have slowly transitioned within the past twenty years. When Atari and Nintendo came out in the mid 80's, no one realized its full potential. Nowadays, a Playstation 3 has more computing power than a Pentium IV processor. Let's take a look at what innovative games and technology this industry has to offer us this year. This latest CNet article mentions how 2008 is the year of gaming. So far it seems as if this statement is true. Entertainment giants have released great hits like 'Grand Theft Auto IV' and 'Gran Turismo 5'. Companies like Viacom have begun to open their creative minds by offering innovative titles and opening new worlds. Where else can a person will the Super Bowl, kill monsters, or fly spaceships? The NY Times describes the Sims as one of the longest running franchises in video game history. What attributes to this is its ability to stand out by exploring a person's fantasy life. The Sims gives its users a human element by attaching a face, but it still able to create a surreal atmosphere for its gamers. Where will innovation take video games in this new year? Will games continue to break barriers by offering online capabilities, or will we see a sudden surge of offline game like The Sims?