This week, I want to start out my article with a bit of a trivia game. I want you to guess which video games I am talking about in the following paragraphs.

First off is a game that was a huge hit on the PS2 and XBox. Its latest release garnered tons hoopla and the reviews all came back overwhelmingly positive. However, it did not do anything new or innovative on the gameplay front. In fact, there was a ton of features stripped out of the game, giving consumers a better looking but dumbed down version of a last generation game.

The second game I am thinking of was also a huge hit on the PS2 and XBox. Its release also garnered a ton of hoopla, just like the previous games. Unlike the game in the paragraph above, the reviews were mixed. It too did nothing overwhelmingly new or innovative, as it too stripped out a ton of features from the last generation of the game. In essence, it gave us a better looking but dumbed down version of the last generation game.

Which games am I talking about?

If you answered Grand Theft Auto and Madden respectively, you are correct. Both games had the same premise during development except for one key difference: the core gameplay was largely the same from one generation of consoles to the next, but the focus on the little things led one game to get rave reviews while the other was left with a mixed bag of reactions.

After playing through Grand Theft Auto I was left with a been there done that feeling in terms of the gameplay. The reason was simple, the game was at its core, essentially the same game I had played on the PS2 and XBox. However, some cool features were missing and the game itself was much smaller and less grandiose. Sound familiar?

Both development teams chose to dumb down the entire game experience in order to get the basics of the games onto more powerful consoles. Both games sacrificed cool features for the sake of time and functionality. In the end, both games presented a very similar experience to the one you had with the previous generation of consoles, just with a bit more glitz and glamor this time around

The difference? Grand Theft Auto used the little things to create a more immersive and more sound gameplay experience. This use of the little things resulted in the game's hailing as an innovative title that was possibly the best ever.

I think it's important to note that we have not seen any real innovation with this generation of games, especially in comparison to the previous generations of consoles.

When we went from the SNES to the PS1 for example, you moved from mostly 2D games into 3D. That was a huge leap in terms of games as it changed how we played games and how we interacted with them.

The PS1 to the PS2 was an equally huge leap, taking the 3D experience to a whole new level. The gameplay innovations that were accomplished were just enormous compared to the previous generation. You were simply playing much better and more well rounded games.

The PS2 to the PS3 (Or the XBox to the 360)? I would venture to say this generation of games has been more focused on cinematic quality and more well-rounded graphics -- going for the realism angle; thereby focusing less on making the core gameplay experience more innovative.

In this day and age games are going to improve year to year, not based solely on innovating the gameplay functionality, but by improving the little things to immerse us more.

Think about it: Grand Theft Auto did this and got rave reviews while Madden didn't. Neither game messed with the core "tried and true formula" they had in the previous generations; they both simply tried to evolve.

This year it seems like EA is finally getting with the program -- starting with its '09 lineup of sports titles. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, EA is instead choosing to try to improve the overall experience by adding more detail and thus, depth to the experience. This is a trend that is hopefully starting with NCAA and Madden and will hopefully continue with the rest of the titles in the lineup.

There are only so many ways you can tweak the defensive back AI in Madden. Sooner or later you have to start adding other things to continue improving the game. Adding small details to games to create a more immersive experience is an important trend, which I believe you will continue to see in the coming years.

What this means for sports gaming is simple: don't expect brand new experiences within the core gameplay of games any time soon. What you should begin to expect is improvements to the game in ways that may not directly change the gameplay -- minus making it seem more real.

Another aspect of sports games that will benefit from this shift will be the franchise or dynasty modes of games. You will probably see developers try to add more modes to games to add new gameplay experiences as well. Things like improved drafting, better trades and job markets will probably creep into games in the near future.

The days of sports games adding anything new or groundbreaking to the gameplay are probably over. At this point, there is not that much that can be added in terms of features like the Hit Stick, hot routes, etc. that have not already been added. In the end, expect these features to continue to evolve and improve over time. It's the future of gaming.