Funny story... Lionhead used to make such unique games (dare I say along with the likes of Interplay) although, where Interplay's games were almost always outright silly, Lionhead did silly with a refreshing pinch of seriousness.
Tpex actually had me thinking about all the old Bullfrog games (Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper, Populous, Powermonger, etc) and then Lionhead's old games (Black & White, Fable) and how since Fable they've kind of just... stuck to it. They stopped coming up with newer, smarter, more innovative games and just resold the same IP to... well... a state of catatonia.
Right now I wonder if teh 'Neux isn't holding Lionhead back? Or if he's just run out of ideas and had developer's block for the last six years?