Favorite Video Game Companies?

Ragemage

Ragemage

Wept for Zion
I was just kinda curious, given how this is a video game forum as well as a Fallout forum, what your guys' favorite game makers/publishers might be? It can be modern companies, dead companies, or companies that used to be good. Just make sure if you put them up for what they used to make, include that in the list. I'll start with my favorite publishers, not in any particular order:

1. Nintendo (owners of my childhood and kings of dark subtlety in games)

2. Obsidian Entertainment + Interplay + Troika (pretty much all the same company today)

3. Firaxis Games (although they've kinda fallen on my list thanks to Civilization Beyond Earth. My wallet got burned on that purchase. Waste of 60 bucks)

4. Valve (although it doesn't seem like they actually want to make video games anymore)

5. Rareware (at least until they were bought out and turned into a Lovecraftian abomination by Microsoft)

6. Square Soft (I love Square Soft's RPGs such as Final Fantasy I-VI, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario RPG. I just hate what they've become nowadays through Square Enix)

7. Bethesda (They were one of my favorites until Skyrim came out and I realized they truly were dumbing down all their games. Fallout 4 was the nail in the coffin)

I only just started playing Witcher 1, but judging by the way the Witcher series goes, Projekt CD Red may join my list of favorite developers soon. Can't really say for sure yet until I've played the rest of the series.
 
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Ragemage said:
3. Firaxis Games (although they've kinda fallen on my list thanks to Civilization Beyond Earth. My wallet got burned on that purchase. Waste of 60 bucks)
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it is just sad that, had if the firaxis golden goose writer not leave, it could be as same quality like alpha centaury.
 
I've got a few in no particular order.

4A Games

This is partially on their past reputation since GSG is in some kinda weird limbo right now. They made both Metro 2033 and Last Light which are both fantastic and super atmospheric FPS games and also much of their staff worked on the old STALKER series, one of my favorites in gaming. I wanna see what they come up with next with that history since its been awhile since their last release.

From Software

I was a total Armored Core addict back in the PS2 days so it was super weird to hear everyone start raving about them in the last few years. I'm not really a fan of Dark Souls but Bloodborne was I think my favorite game last year. I wan see another Armored Core game outta them at some point and DS3 looks good so I might try again with that series later this year.

Naughty Dog

In terms of overall quality their isan't another studio that has such consistently good games personally. I loved all the Crash games on the PS1, wasn't a huge fan of Jack and Daxter but they were ok and all the Uncharted games were good. The Last of Us however was something really special and I really wanna see what the studio does after Uncharted 4, I don't think TLOU really needs a sequal but whatever they put out ill take a look at.
 
Rare - So many memories of Banjo-Kazooie, Conker and Viva Pinata. It's sad what's happened to them.

Nintendo - I'm a huge fan of 2D Mario, at least from SMB3 onwards. They also publish Kirby. Kirby is love. Kirby is life. Kirby is pink.

HAL Laboratory - I already told you guys, Kirby is love.

Obsidian - Even if they never make another game I'm interested in, they made New Vegas, and New Vegas is my all-time favorite game of all time.

Microprose - If memory serves, they've been KIA for a while, but before that, they made such masterpieces like Civilization II (Test of Time), MtG: Shandalar and Transport Tycoon.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Bethesda - They suck now, but I used to love them. Sad what's happened to them. #RememberMorrowind. Actually, wait, Morrowind had terrible writing and it was a slow and clunky game. Why did I like them again?

Oh, right. I played Morrowind when I was 10.
 
Valve, Volition and Obsidian for me. Maybe Capcom too if only for Dead Rising. I have yet to play Obsidian's South Park game though.

Rockstar used to be my favorite company until GTA V pretty much became Call of Duty with it's "meh" story and it's unpolished Online mode which whores out microtransactions. Their recent issue with The Benz pretty much breaks my view of them.

And while their games do suck at the end of the day, I do still enjoy Bethesda's games so I guess they're like a guilty pleasure.
 
fenrir1536 said:
I've got a few in no particular order.

4A Games

This is partially on their past reputation since GSG is in some kinda weird limbo right now. They made both Metro 2033 and Last Light which are both fantastic and super atmospheric FPS games and also much of their staff worked on the old STALKER series, one of my favorites in gaming. I wanna see what they come up with next with that history since its been awhile since their last release.
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Huh. Their past reputation from the GSC days is what makes me extremely wary of 4A Games :D
But luckily they put that past behind them, so they actually made the games they promised and patched them properly.
Don't get me wrong, I love STALKER, but GSC just went Full Dicktard shortly after SoC. Releasing nothing but pointless multiplayer patches, promising a 1.1 patch but making CS instead, promising community interaction but stopping after two weeks or so...

I guess currently the best company is CD Projekt, hands down. I'm not really into The Witcher series, but as a company they seem really enthusiastic about video games, and very honest about it. Very much true to Interplay's old motto, "By Gamers, for Gamers".
My personal favourites from the past... I guess Eidos Interactive did (published) a lot of great games with Commandos, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Joint Strike Fighter, Legacy of Kain and so on.
Raven Software always holds a spot in my heart for making some of my favourite FPS games. Interplay as a developer and as a publisher also did very well in the past, obviously.
 
4A Games: They made the Metro series, some of my favorite games. They've had trouble getting work because of the whole invasion of Ukraine thing, but they just moved to Malta, so hopefully they'll be back soon.

Paradox Interactive: Both make and publish great games, generally aimed at more niche markets on PC.

Obsidian Entertainment: I'm a recent convert to the great cult of Obsidian, but they make great RPGs (or at least ones I've played).

Amplitude Studios: A smaller dev, they make the Endless games, which are all really good with an amazing art-styles in each one.

Platinum Games: They make spectical fighters, and are they best at their craft. It's just a pity only a few of their games have come to PC.

Arkane Studios: Basically just for Dishonered, love that game.

Nintendo: I grew up on PC, so I don't have the same memories as some, but I did love my gameboy.
 
Obsidian, no contest for me.

Arkane studios as a close second. Arx fatalis was a great RPG, and I loved Dishonored.

I also like Bioware, even with a few strings attached. Sue me.
 
Mine's more like a cemetery:

Bullfrog Productions. Dead.
Westwood Studios. Dead.
Konami. Pretty much dead game-wise.
Atlas. Who knows what Sega may end up doing with them.
 
Valve: I'm a fan of their games, yes, but they've also helped foster the CS:GO and Dota 2 scene. I'm not much of a Dota guy, but I like CS:GO and seeing big tournaments is a lot of fun. Also Steam, despite issues, has proven useful to me over the years.

CD Projekt Red: I played through the Witcher games a few months ago, and enjoyed them a lot. They also run GOG, so it seems like that cash flow is going to help them continue to make the kind of games they want and self-publish.

Obsidian: The list looks familiar to a lot of the others, huh? Well, yeah. Obsidian makes good RPGs.

From Software: I like Dark Souls. A lot.

Edmund McMillen: There's a team behind him now, so I'm counting him. Besides just loving the games he puts out, from what I've seen he still seems like a pretty down to earth guy.

Vlambeer: I've only played Nuclear Throne from them, but I have to give them credit. They did early access right with Nuclear Throne, and the game ended up being better for it.
 
1. From Software: I would argue that they re-define and revolutionize the entire video game genre/medium with Dark Souls. If you watch Mrbtongue's video on Dark Souls in his TUN(Tasteful, Understated Nerdrage), you will know what I mean. Although I haven't played it, Demon's Souls was the start and it aged so well (from what I've seen), that if Sony still fully support PS3 or remaster the game for PS4, it would be just as crowded as Dark Souls and Bloodborne today. With Dark Souls 1, the formula was refined (though kind of dumbed down), and thanks to being multi-platform their reputation sky-rocketed even more. They kind of misstep with Dark Souls 2 (and from what I've heard, Dark Souls 3, though I'm yet to buy that game), but it was still a good game, nonetheless. Disappointing, but at least not as disappointing as Fallout 4 in Fallout franchise. With Bloodborne, they showcased the peak of the formula, but also kind of misstep due to placing too much priority on chalice dungeons. Dark Souls 3, although I've heard a bad thing or two about it, mostly it was good step-up but I've yet to buy it so I can't speak much about it. Dark Souls 3 would be the last of the franchise in its' current form. After Dark Souls 3, From Software under Miyazaki will undergo a significant changes to move on with their lives. I'm so excitedly looking forward to what they are going to do in the future.

2. Obsidian: New Vegas, nuff said. I've yet to play any other of their games, but I'm looking forward to play Pillars of Eternity, and also looking forward to Tyranny.

3. 90s Interplay/Black Isle Studio: Fallout franchise, and later on Planescape: Torment by BIS. They maybe dead, but their spirit lives on in Obsidian, inXile, and also some other indie developers looking to carry on their spirit.

The original creators of Fallout franchise, remnants of 90s Interplay and Black Isle Studio, were all good guys and admirable people that are so very down to earth and so connected with one-another and their fans/community. I fell in love not just with Fallout franchise, but also with the (older part of) community.

You guys..... I love you all.

4. Toby Fox: Undertale. That game, and what Toby Fox might do in the future, fills me with determination.

5. Stygian Software: Underrail. It was their only game atm, but it did so many things right that I'm hoping many other video game developers out there will follow and adapt into their new project, the many things that Styg did right with Underrail. I'm looking forward to their next project.

Honorable Mention:
inXile: I've heard many good things about Wasteland 2, like that it was the Fallout 3 that should've been. But on the other side, it bears the name of the classic Wasteland, and I've heard bad things of how it was a disappointment for not being a truly worthy sequel to Wasteland. I can't say much more, however, since I haven't played any of the Wasteland games, but I'm looking forward to, after they finish Torment: Tides of Numenera, which I'm looking forward for now before I can decide whether or not I will try the Wasteland games and their other games.

CD Projekt Red: The Witcher 3 nets so many video game awards of 2015. From what I've seen, it's for good reasons. However, I'm faced with a dilemma on whether or not should I support this company by means of buying the Witcher series. I've find out that the Witcher novels, from which the video games were derived/continued, was a product of plagiarism. Razorfist, who reviewed New Vegas (somewhat unfairly) and Fallout 4 (spot on but still miss few things), refused to review the Witcher 3 altogether, and brings up the whole plagiarism debacle committed by the author of the Witcher novels. As I do my research, I find that the entire thing kind of insidious. I won't say more, but the point is, I'm in dilemma. Some people argue that just because of the plagiarism, doesn't render any of what CD Projekt Red achieved obsolete, because they only made the video games, not the novels. I'm somewhat agree with that, but I'm still gonna hold myself. That's why I'm looking forward to what CDPR can bring to the table with Cyberpunk 2077, since it looks promising and the whole source material issues are nonexistent from what I've heard.
 
The thing that makes me a bit leery of FROM Software is that they basically released the same game with a few changes 5 times. Including 3 times in the last 3 years. Yes, the core design of the Soulborne games is good, but I'd expect them to be more diverse in their skillset before I name them as amazing developpers.
 
Ilosar said:
The thing that makes me a bit leery of FROM Software is that they basically released the same game with a few changes 5 times. Including 3 times in the last 3 years. Yes, the core design of the Soulborne games is good, but I'd expect them to be more diverse in their skillset before I name them as amazing developpers.
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It's the fucking Scamco, if I'm not mistaken. From the start, ever since the days of Demon's Souls, I've heard that From Software, especially Miyazaki, are not to keen with the overall concept of making 'sequels' and continuity like that. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, all of them are alright in their places and while you could still compare one to another, the fact that none of them bear an exact same name and thus, no connection whatsoever, make it easier to judge each on its' own merit. Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, tho, bear the name of 'Dark Souls' and thus, will forever be judged according to how it can live up to what Dark Souls has achieved and how it achieved that.

Either way, I'm excited with what From Software are going to do, now, that (from I've heard) they finally free from having to make anymore games for Scamco.
 
Black Angel said:
It's the fucking Scamco, if I'm not mistaken. From the start, ever since the days of Demon's Souls, I've heard that From Software, especially Miyazaki, are not to keen with the overall concept of making 'sequels' and continuity like that. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, all of them are alright in their places and while you could still compare one to another, the fact that none of them bear an exact same name and thus, no connection whatsoever, make it easier to judge each on its' own merit. Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, tho, bear the name of 'Dark Souls' and thus, will forever be judged according to how it can live up to what Dark Souls has achieved and how it achieved that.

Either way, I'm excited with what From Software are going to do, now, that (from I've heard) they finally free from having to make anymore games for Scamco.
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That might very well be. I'm not saying I hate what they do (albeit I do think, behind the 'tough but fair' veneer, Souls games sometimes have bullshit difficulty spikes or other issues that get swept under the rug), just that they really have been riding the Demon/Dark Souls wave and almost milked the concept dry, stopping just before it became a Ubisoft-esque annual franchise.

I'm eager to see what other types of games they can make, albeit I have a feeling the... passionate Souls fanbase will demand that their future titles be as close to that series as possible.
 
Can't really say what would be a "favorite", no point in mentioning dead companies like Troika, Black Isles or Sir-Tech. I play RPG's mostly and there's a sort of a drought of good ideas at the moment in that territory.

Bioware and Bethesda have been no-go's for years. CDProject's Cyberpunk has tremendeous amount of potential, but will no doubt be a boring cinematic techno-Witcher FPS game (CDPR isn't famous for making strong character systems or interactivity through such). Obsidian hasn't had anything interesting going on for some time and Tyranny sounds like boring fantasy with a forced twist. Piranha Bytes can't get over their sluggish design and boring settings, that Risen-meets-post-apoc-sci-fi thing they're making doesn't look or sound very convincing.

I guess Larian and InXile are the ones I look at the most favorably at the moment. D:OS 2 has some interesting stuff going for it, but the Divinity setting is an utter bore that makes exploring even good design very hard (they do have MCA on board, but how much good does few NPC's, a locale and a questline really do, because that's probably the extent of his involvement). TToN also has some nice stuff going on, but even there the setting, at its core, seems like regular thief/warrior/wizard fantasy disguised in some sort of pseudo-scifi coating. Fingers crossed for both, but I've learned to keep my hopes and expectations on a leash.

Other than RPG's (proper or pseudo), I guess Firaxis makes the sort of games I care to play the most, but they aren't up to anything new at the moment as far as I know.
 
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