Gaming: Déjà Vu and Social Games

Where is the innovative and cutting-edge gameplay and design? It seems like everything is a rehash/remake/sequel of something else. I understand that there are no new, original ideas any longer, but gameplay should not evoke a serious feeling of déjà vu. Yet that's exactly what I've been experiencing lately while playing various social games.
Paradise Life by Ice Break Games is FrontierVille wrapped in a tropical island setting. The gameplay is identical. Granted, there are small differences but they're not large or unique enough to differentiate the gameplay.
Now, EA is developing The Sims Social for Facebook. Based on screenshots posted to the game's Facebook page it looks like The Sims 1 has simply been ported. In fact, I believe I had some of the furniture shown in the screenshots in my Sims 1 game. I will reserve complete judgement until I've actually played the game, but the screenshots evoked a serious feeling of déjà vu. I'm now less excited for the game than I had been.

(Note: The links in this post are broken as of January, 2023.)