SharkJumping

If anyone is looking for innovation in the game business, some of the smallest developers have some of the coolest games, even on very limited budgets.  Smallball is an under-the-radar sports simulation operated by Ed Annuziata, a well known console developer (Ecco the Dolphin, Tiny Tanks, etc.) who used to work at Sega while I was there.  In this game, you have a tiny team (thus the term Small) of baseball players which you create and actually train in order to improve them.  Then you throw them into a game against a rival, but it's a simulation, vs an arcade game where you actually control the action.   The seasons are about 2 weeks long and it has a small, but dedicated following around the world.   The user interface is still too complex, and it doesn't have the polish of larger budget games, but it is a huge amount of fun for baseball fans.  The basic game play is free, with the revenue model being a virtual item one where you can buy upgrades for the team, such as converting  your right hander to a left hander, or hiring a trainer to help get your team in shape.   There is also a soccer version known as SmallBall Football, primarily for the European market, and there are rumors of other Smallball sports coming soon.  Check it out and tell me what you think.