When he's not neck-deep in games, Jason Ocampo is trying to finish A Feast for Crows. E-mail him at [email protected] to tell him if you're a GRRM fan.

　　So right now, each of the new systems seems to have some positives and some negatives. But keep in mind that this is all based on prerelease knowledge, which means that all of this is still up in the air. Nothing's guaranteed, and there's no early "winner" in the next-generation console wars. But considering that there's already a precedent for more-expensive hardware and software, these next five years had better bring along some earth-shattering games. Or else...uh...or else I'll buy them all anyway because I'm out of my freaking mind!

　　What will the games of the future look like? Who am I, Conan O'Brien?

　　I can't even imagine what kind of new games developers will come up with. I sure hope that developers at least come up with some new genres, because--let's face it--this industry needs some. We're at a point where almost everything is either an action or a sports game, and that's just not healthy. Sure, the latest shooters look prettier than their predecessors, but when you get down to it, the gameplay hasn't evolved much since the days of Doom and Castle Wolfenstein a decade ago.

　　When you get down to it, "next generation" has to mean something more than graphics, because tossing down $400 just for an Xbox 360 (and that's not including games and accessories), or whatever the PS3 will end up costing, will seem awfully lame if all we get are prettier versions of the games we're playing today. This is supposed to be a medium in which we're really only limited by our imagination, because you can do "anything" in a virtual world. Let's roll with that idea.

　　For the love of God, someone remake this game already!

　　It will certainly help that the Internet will play a much larger role in gaming, much more than simply letting you beat up on your buddy or a stranger in a game like Halo 2. There are all sorts of potential social interactions that could be incorporated into games. I mean, just witness the way that new fads explode on the Internet every few months now. Friendster was so 2003, but it's a classic example of a concept that suddenly exploded and changed the way people interacted on the Internet. The big buzzes now are "blogs" and "social networking." Who knows what next year will bring? And that's what I hope the next generation can deliver. I want to see some exciting new forms of gameplay that we haven't even imagined yet.

　　Of course, if I knew what those forms of gameplay were, I sure as hell wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today. Instead, I'd be getting insanely rich designing the can't-miss games of tomorrow. So I can only muse about what the future could bring.

　　To change the subject a bit, I've been thinking a lot lately about sequels. I was on a radio talk show earlier this week with Sid Meier, and someone asked Sid about possibly remaking Alpha Centauri, which is considered by many to be the finest turn-based strategy game ever made. Sid dodged the question nicely, but I kept thinking, "Yeah, I'd love to see a SMAC 2!" Of course, I know I've railed against sequels before. One of the problems in this industry is that there are too many sequels and not enough original games. But I think the issue is getting a sequel mere months after the original game appeared. I think George Lucas had it right when he waited more than 15 years before following up Return of the Jedi with a new Star Wars movie. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all. And since SMAC is six years old, a sequel now wouldn't feel like shameless milking.

　　Of course, I've got a whole ton of games that I'd absolutely love to see remade now, especially with the technology we have today. The top of the list is actually a tie between a new TIE Fighter (which, in my book, is the greatest action game ever made) and a new X-Com. Now, the problem with X-Com is that it has had sequels, but virtually every one of them got away from what made X-Com great. All I want is the original game remade with modern-day graphics, and I'd die a happy man. X-Com's gameplay is perfect the way it is, and the formula still holds up today.

　　Next Up: Artificial Advantage by Andrew Anderson