gears of war and wii sports both in 2006.. After that.. Vanquish..

Glad to hear Journey mentioned. I later thought of this game after postin` my comment, but I didn`t want to go back and edit my comment. It was such an excellent game!

kid icarus: uprising?

Skyward Sword

Whenever people try to make it seem like games need a focus cutscenes to tell a narrative, I always get pissed and think of Journey. Journey is the formula that absolutely all story driven games should be following. It never once sacrifices a player's sence of play and control to advance a plot, while instilling the same feelings that narrative games stive to instill. When I criticize TLOU or The Order, I'm thinking about Journey.

That game doesn't get nearly enough technical credit, because everyone is always focusing on how great it looks or how nice it sounds. But where it truly shines are in its mechanics.

For innovation in the sense of gameplay and interaction, I'd say Nintendo Land. That was the first time I've played a game that really focused on asymmetrical local multiplayer. Whether it be Luigi's Ghost Mansion, Mario Chase, or Sweet Day, the fact that different people in the room were given different tasks, viewpoints, and abilities was a unique gaming experience for me. It really created a fun and always fun dynamic in the living room.

As far as innovation in the sense of how a game presents itself, I'd have to say Child of Light. The uses of the UbiArt engine and Coeur de Pirate's soundtrack created something that was, in a sense, shockingly beautiful. That game has sort of stuck with me because of how distinct and unique the game is compared to the usual gaming culture.

I haven`t really heard people say things like that before, but it does feel like some games are focusing more on cutscenes to advance the plot. It is really good how Journey tells a story through advancing the game and finding things that tell a story through its pictures, settings, and other things you find in the journey, and it sort of leaves it up to interpretation. It doesn`t really use cutscenes if any at all, but still does narrative really well. That and the game does look nice and traveling with a stranger you can`t speak to is nice too... : )

Little Big Planet easily.

Not long ago, The Wonderful 101 certainly felt unique.