Slate: “What happened to these pioneers? Garriott never produced another breakthrough like Ultima; he now works for online multiplayer giant NCsoft. Meier has spent most of the last decade updating his previous hits at a company owned by Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive. Id Software has clung to its independence but produced nothing further in the way of milestone games. Perhaps the lone indie superstar to retain his auteur status is Will Wright, who now has his own ‘studio’ within Electronic Arts. Wright takes years to cook up his always-innovative games. In 2000, he released The Sims, which transported players into the first of many ‘digital dollhouses’ and became the best-selling computer game of all time. Wright’s next game, Spore, aims to simulate the evolution of life from microorganism to space-faring civilization. It will probably be the only innovative title EA releases next year.”
I remember reading something about a playstation game you control only via voice interface. That’s innovative to me. But on antother note, who cares if a game is innovative, as long as it’s fun? Novelty factor aside, is The Sims really innovative, since it’s just a computer interposition of the kinds of doll-house antics that kids have been doing for years, myself included (with GI Joes, not Barbie, thank you very much).