This year’s christmas season promises a host of highly anticipated games. But has anyone else also noticed that the most anticipated games these days tend to be FPS/Sequels or BOTH? Was anybody else as excited when Assassin’s Creed came out because for once we had a big budget game that didn’t fall into the realm of the FPS? It beckons the question of whether or not original IP’s are dead in gaming.

The fact of the matter is that these days, with production prices rivaling that of Hollywood movies, video game developers simply don’t have the room to take risks with originality anymore. That’s why over half the games in development these days is some form of First Person Shooter. That’s why Trilogies are announced before the first game is even out. And that’s why in many ways, games have begun to stalemate a little as of late. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy Gears of War and Resistance: Fall of Man just as much as the next guy but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if the future of gaming lies in the FPS. Are we doomed to look forward to an endless stream of hammy characters and AK-47′s for the rest of our lives?

There is hope however, because Assassin’s Creed managed to sell so well, it gives hope that perhaps I’m not alone in this desire to see some truly original games. Original not only in story and character but original in gameplay as well. Here’s to hoping that perhaps there are still revolutionaries and inventors left in the industry and that the Video Game industry won’t end up completely like Hollywood.