The game world gets more like the movie world all the time. There are a few huge studios, who've gobbled up lots of smaller ones and dominate what's left. And you see more sequels, remakes, and copycat games than original ones by far.

One place you can still find creative games, though, is at the yearly Game Developer's Conference. It hosts an Independent Games Festival, where new and unknown developers are prized for their imaginative creations, the weirder and more out-there, the better.

So if you're an adventurous gamer who's tired of the SOS (same old shooters), you might want to pick up this compilation from Moondance Games, called IG: Independent Games Volume 2. (I didn't know about Volume 1 but I'm sure that's worthwhile too!) It offers 21 games, including Bantam City Games' Invadazoid, Rabidlab's Dodge That Anvil!, and Ocular Ink, by Pistachio Productions. Show those mega-studios there's a market for innovation! The package is just $19.95; that's a bargain even if you wind up playing just one or two of these games.