30 Days of Video Games

[Serperior]

As well as any other studios working for them such as HAL Labs, Game Freak etc.

The thing is with Nintendo, what isn't there to like? They saved the video games industry from the massive crash it had in the early 80s and have been making quality games since. It's honestly hard to think of more than a few of their games that aren't worth getting, and they have made many great IPs such as Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid and many others. They also have a great lineup of consoles, both home consoles and portable ones, that were, and still are a large part in what made the video games industry what it is today, and they will probably continue to do so. I've had many good times with their consoles and games in the past, and I hope to have many more in the future.

Honourable mentions:

Valve: Despite their somewhat small list of games that have been made by them, most of them being of the same genre, their games tend to be some of the best, if not the best in the genre that they're in, and they really know how to take unique twists on said genres. I also really like the sense of humour that they have that really comes out in games like Team Fortress 2 and the Portal games. The fact that they constantly update their games, and do it for free as well, makes me like them even more.

Capcom (And any studios that work/worked under them): While they have made some questionable decisions, both recently and in the past, I can't say I don't really like them (And the studios that work under them) because of all of the really good games and series that have come out of them, such as Street Fighter, Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Okami and quite a few more. The amount they've done for the fighting game genre is something else I really like.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Serperior

[Kamicciolo]

Day #27 - Kami's Industry Leading "Your picks are less successful than Accolade, Ninja!" Favourite Video Game Developer

It's hard to pick a definte favourite, so I'll go with my top choices (in no particular order).

HEH HEH HEH!

Nintendo is one of my favourite developers, simply because of the vast number of lovable characters and fun franchises they have under their belt. A good number of my top games have been developed under them afterall (and I'm sure the previous days kinda gave it away). I wanna give standout mentions to Alpha Dream and Hal Laboratories, for developing the Mario & Luigi and Kirby games, respectively.

SEGAAAAAAA!~

Much like Nintendo, Sega have developed some of my most favourite games, featuring characters that have ended up being my favourites amongst the crowd. I also gotta give Sega props for continuing even when things didn't go so well (going 3rd party, and their mascot going through some tough times). I do kinda wish that they'd use more of their franchises though, rather than always rely on Sonic.

I'll also give Valve an Honourable mention, solely for being the company that released Team Fortress 2. That games hellofa fun/ :V

[Bria]

Day 27 - Favorite Developer

Because I'm apparently playing with Power.

I've probably played more Nintendo first parties then any other company, even SEGA. Every time a new Poke'mon, Mario, Zelda, Pikmin, Kirby, or other game comes out, I'm thrilled. Like I mentioned in my previous post about the Nintendo 64, I was a subscriber to the Nintendo Power magazines and I always looked forward to seeing what BETA games were going to be listed inside. I'm usually always looking forward to a new release from Nintendo.

Honorable Mentions

>SEGA. I love the Sonic series (obviously) as well as Ecco. This would probably be much higher if I actually played more games from SEGA.

>Bandai Namco

Edited February 11, 2012 by Briaaaah

[Starman Swift]

Day 27: Favorite Developer

Valve

While they may not have the best track record for making games on time, they make up for it with an impressive good to bad game ratio, that is: All of them : 0. Some may be better than others, but they have never made any game that was lower than average. They also have a nice sense of humor, with some restraint, of course. Who wants to hear the same joke twice? I also like their sales, if they haven't sold their games to us for almost nothing, they've literally given them to us for nothing. No other developer cares so much.

Runner Up:

These guys know how to do strategy. With the guiding hand of Sid Meier, they've created many games I've had fun with playing, from Alpha Centauri to Sid Meier's Pirates. While Civilization 5 might have been rather mediocre, I put my faith in these guys to make good strategy games.

Also they're making X-Com.

My joy has no bounds.

[Nix]

Day 27: Favorite Developer

Platinum Games

Their name is the equivalent of my seal of approval. When you see their name on a game, you know it's damn good. The fact that I chose this developer as my favorite after playing only two of their games shows just how damn amazing those games are. Bayonetta and Vanquish are two of my favorite games this generation, if not, of all time. They are only upstaged by the likes of Okami...

And speaking of Okami, all of those staff members who worked on that game are here and then some.

That Beat 'em Up game they're working on called Anarchy Reigns looks fabulous, and holy fucking shit, Metal Gear Rising looks divine.

[Sean]

Day 27: Favorite video game developer

What's that? You never heard of Konjak? Educate yourself immediately or face the darkness forever.

Joakim Sandberg is a one-man team consisting of a. himself, and b. insane amounts of game developing skill. He designs, programs, composes, animates, and executes. His magnum opus is of course Noitu Love 2 (factually the greatest indie game ever made), but just about everything on his site is worth checking out. I had a lot of fun with Chalk and it would be great on the DS or 3DS. Legend of Princess is a "fangame" of sorts to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series but sporting different gameplay. The Iconoclasts seems to be the next big thing he's trying to finish up.

Konjak is simply put the best, most impressive indie game developer out there, yet there's something about him seems incredibly humble.

[Zany Mallet Maniac]

Nintendo would be my pick. They are a company that knows the meaning of quality and are constantly striving for a new way to experience gaming! Many famous franchise have been created under them.There is more to their games than just graphics.

Nintendo has come a long way from that small card game company they started out as.

[Match]

FAVORITE DEVELOPER

TRAVELLER'S TALES

Traveller's Tales was fully established in 1990, so they've been around for a while. Thanks to an agreement with Disney, they made some kick-ass games like Mickey Mania, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Toy Story Racer, and Finding Nemo. You guys might recognize them for Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic R, or for making a metric asston of Lego games recently.

Besides the Disney games, I remember and appreciate them mostly for Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crash: Twinsanity and Spyro: A Hero's Tail.

I remember playing those games over and over, and seeing that slightly creepy weasel thing with the hobo-satchel. I honestly don't think I've ever played a game of theirs that I didn't like. I mean, the only games of theirs that I didn't love were the Sonic games, and I'm naturally more critical of them as a Sonic fan.

They excel at making platformers, and again, I can't get enough of those motherfuckers. I guess that, combined with their large number of Playstation games, makes me a bit biased, but fuck you no one cares.

TT loves to give their games an overwhelming sense of adventure, using huge setpieces and level gimicks to give each level its own personality. They may have pushed the Lego envelope a little recently, but that's because it's a formula that works. Even in these games, which should be repetitive, their identity as a developer shines through and makes each one a little different.

Traveller's Tales is a great developer. We'll return with a joke in my posts that only I get.

[Solly]

Day 27: Revenge of the Generic Answers

Favorite Videogame Company

Yeah, yeah. I know they haven't been COMPLETELY on the ball in terms of staying up to date with things like hardware capability and online functionality, but, they're Nintendo. They've made some of the most cherished games of my childhood, and they just make awesome games in general. Everyone recognizes Mario, Zelda and Pokemon, and I'm sure almost everyone has enjoyed one of their games. The draw is definitely in the IP's and characters. I don't think any other company can compete in that field. They've just done so much right. And it helps that their games are really, really well-made.

A lot of my favorites are the classics, but even in recent history, games like Mario Galaxy and Zelda Skyward Sword are some of the best I've played.

Honorable Mention

Valve is great too. I don't think I've ever seen a developer so in-touch with its community. They've also made a lot of really important games, like the Half-Life series, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. That and they're run by one of the coolest guys in the industry, Gabe Newell.

He's shown how much he cares about the customer's opinion, as well as his worker's opinion, and whenever he talks about something related to gaming he manages to do it without flying off the handle and needlessly demonizing people he doesn't agree with. Like piracy, for example. While most companies want to do everything they can to prevent it and aren't afraid to compromise things, Gabe's solution is to try and offer a better service than the pirates.

Making a great product is important to him, and luckily the rest of the company seems to share that mentality.

Oh, and remember:

He is watching.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Solly

[Indigo Rush]

Edited February 11, 2012 by Indigo Rush

[Tornado]

Edited February 11, 2012 by Gilda

[buba]

Day 27 - Favorite Videogame Company

Sega

Well this is hard...

First I will have to say Sega, since it was the company that made me like videogames, my first console was made by it and my favorite videogame series is also made by Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sega had many consoles that revolutionized the videogame industry like the Mega Drive and the Dreamcast and cool franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball and Alex Kidd wich grown up with me.

The other videogame companies that I would also like to mention would be GameFreak and Rocksteady.

GameFreak makes one of my favorite game series other than Sonic, Pokémon. Pokémon basically grown up with me more than Sonic or any other gaming franchise, so thanks GameFreak for offering me magical and fun times with your games.

Rocksteady is a videogame company that I recently discovered thanks to Batman and that fake TMNT game rumor. The Rocksteady Batman games pretty much offered me some fun times that I didn't had in so much time with any other videogame, so thank you also Rocksteady.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Tmsp

[Conando]

Well this was just totally obvious from the start:

Nintendo!

A Nintendo game was the first game I ever played, that sparked a lifelong fondness for Nintendo and their games. Mario and his RPGs, Zelda, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Pikmin, the list goes on. No matter how many years pass, Nintendo always manages to provide incredibly fun games, and as time passed they brought even more amazing developers into their fold like Retro Studios and Monolith Soft. Like Mario is the definitive game, his creators are the definitive game company. Nintendo introduced me to gaming, so it's only natural that they would be my favorite.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Crow T. Robot

[krazystitch]

Day 27 - Favorite Game Developer

Although I do love Sonic the Hedgehog from SEGA and other stuff from Nintendo, I'm going with the publisher that has brought me the most franchises that I've loved and that would undoubtedly have to be Ubisoft.

Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, and Splinter Cell are three of my favorite video game series ever. They're just so awesome and fun to play, always giving you all these really cool abilities and scenarios that other games normally can't give you, they're all just so creative, fun, and awesome. I've recently been playing through the Splinter Cell series and loving it, just as I always have. Assassin's Creed is, if you've seen pretty much ANY of my posts from before, one of my favorite games ever. They're just awesome.

Plus, they've also brought in the awesome Rayman series. I've never really come across a game from Ubisoft that has ever truly let me down. With other companies like SEGA, I truthfully don't play much than Sonic.

[JezMM]

Nintendo

Yeah, pretty simple really. Their games are just so consistently good. They keep everything quite underwraps but honestly there is no company I trust more to deliver a great experience. Not always perfect, but always great.

Valve

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Valve are very nice and open about their games and processes (like... you know, once they've been released at least), and that open-ness and modern respect for their customer-base just makes me love them back. I've learned so many little tidbits about game design from their fantastic in-game commentary modes too.

[Your Vest Friend]

For day 27, I shall actually defy the question.

I don't have a favourite developer. While I can easily vouch for having favourite franchises, favourite genres and even favourite consoles (because you have to pay big money to buy one, so are likely to stick with a fave), I can't say the same for developers. The range of games that they deal with will often be far too big for me to be interested in everything, and most of the time I only play one or two of their mainstay franchises at most. Thus, I go by a franchise by franchise judgement, and don't really care what the developer is like, or what history it has.

[Victory Defender]

Day 27 - Favorite developer

Nintendo.

Brought cool games like Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, yada yada. Their consoles were pretty cool, and I had the utmost fun with a 64. They have a range of games, from adventure, RPG, shooting, fighting, and some other stuff. Sigh, I have a feeling all of these last few questions you are giving us I won't be able to answer very well, since I don't know much about these subjects (like art, developers, stuff).

[#EndyGate]

Definitely nintendo

Almost all of my favorite series fall under the nintendo category, whether it be by the big N themselves or by one of their many subdivisions such as HAL Laboratories and Retro Studios. Really gaming wouldn't be the same without nintendo, from they're classics such as Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda, to modern gems such as the Mario Galaxies and Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Cerp

[Solkia]

A couple of years ago I would have HAPPILY said Capcom, but fuck them.

DAY 27

Favorite Developer

Yeah yeah, Bandai Namco. They've made such wonderful games, although they're localization efforts for said games have been kind of irritating >:U.

It's no secret by now that my favorite series is the Tales series, Namco is the company that makes those games.

Runner-Up would be Nintendo or Sega

[gato]

Day 27 - Favorite developer.

I'm really tempted to say mention Blizzard, SNK, Nintendo, SEGA and the already dead Westwood and Bullfrog.

But I think I'll echo what other people said when I mention this guys.

Platinum Games.

From the remnants of the already amazing Clover studios, this little company came out of nowhere (for me) and is in my opinion one of the best things that could have ever happened to SEGA (and their brilliant decision of partner with them).

Bayonetta (AKA The main reason I still want a console

)

The moment they got to work they've been releasing quality title after quality title. MadWorld is one of the most gory and hilarious (I mean, both things at the same time) game's I've seen, Bayonetta pretty much set the new standard for any other Action HnS game and Vanquish is one of the most mind blowing and action packed shooters I've seen. All of them aiming for the top in their genres (not without their faults, but nobody is perfect right?). This has pretty much made see the brand as a synonymous of top quality games, I know whenever Platinum is up to something it's going to be awesome.

Haven't payed attention to Infinite Space though (which is funny because the only game I would be able to play. I should check it out one of these days).

Anarchy Reigns (AKA A way to punch people through the internet)

Maybe what I like about them is that there is something always more to their games to what meets the eye, Bayonetta received nothing but "DMC clone" comments when it was announced and you see how that turned out, Vanquish was "Gears of Wars Japan" and I can't remember a biggest misunderstanding in my gaming days, the Upcoming Anarchy Reigns to some looks like nothing but MadWorld with colour... But the multiplayer aspect should be enough proof that there is more awesome stuff awaiting for those who get the games.

Also, all of the titles I've seen (remember, no console) are fun... Pure, unadulterated fun... They go to extreme measures to ensure you enjoy your experience and the result is always mind blowing and over the top.

Vanquish (NOTE: This is only the first boss)

I guess I'm also a little biased because they have sided with SEGA, I remember reading an article some time ago about how this 2 companies should stick together and as a fan of both I have to agree, I really hope this partnership keeps going.

And that's it for today, my honorable mentions are at the top of my post. :V

Edited February 11, 2012 by gato

[Autosaver]

DAY 27 - FAVORITE DEVELOPER

Nintendo's countless number of studios

SEGA

SQUARE ENIX

KONAMI

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Sonic, Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts, and Metal Gear Solid wouldn't be here if their respective developers never came out and innovated with their franchises. I'm thankful for such ionic companies such as Nintendo and Sega for their respective games. I love all the games the above companies make and they are mostly high quality. The developers respect their ips are continue to make games out of them.

What if Nintendo never made Mario? We wouldn't have characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog.

Nintendo is my favorite developer out of all the ones shown above. They truly innovate every single time with their ips. Motion controlled and touch screen gimmicks really showed how much brightness Nintendo has with their games.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Autosaver

[Cobalt_Bolt]

Day 27 and Favorite Developer for Video Games. I am going to have to say Valve like a couple of the other posters that mentioned said company. My first reason is that they take the time to make a good quality game that usually wins alot of praise from the press and customers. Another reason is the story telling in the games that doesn't overwhelm you with too much background information on the plot's setting like other games do. Finally my last reason is their sense of humor that can range from subtle such as the Half-Life series to purely cartoonish such as Team Fortress 2. My Runner Up is SEGA due to my interest in the blue blur since I was 6 years old and being reintroduced to him at 15 years old.

[SuperStingray]

Today, you're likely to find me gush on about my favorite developer trifecta, Valve, Retro Studios and Platinum Games.

But gather round the campfire children, for I will tell you a story about one of the most underappreciated developers you will ever know.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago (more accurately, 1992), Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert and a woman named Shelly Day co-founded Humongous Entertainment, where they carried pointan and clickan through the 90s. And while it wasn't their original intention, they ended up making games for the 5 to 10 year old demo. If you grew up in the 90s, you've definitely at least heard of Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish or Pajama Sam. And they kicked ass. Do you know why? Because they were real games, not schoolwork disguised as a video game. They didn't act like they expected anything of you, but there was some real difficulty and logical connections there. On the whole, Humongous had a brilliant approach to edutainment- don't teach people, get them to think and the rest will follow. Because of this, the games well avoided classic "give cake to loch ness monster" logic that make so many other adventure games inaccessible. And what's more, they understood that kids weren't cognitively inept- they were just as capable at problem solving and cognitive synthesis as any adult; they just simply had less context and knowledge about the world. But their adventure games never talked down to kids; sure they might have had to explain things a little less subtly than they normally would, but they're a fair challenge at any age and are more empowering and rewarding for kids as a result. Beyond that, they had a lot of care and polish put into them. If you know what you're doing, they only took like an hour long to complete, and even if you don't, maybe five tops, but they had a ton of replay value, adding several fun minigames, and easter eggs literally everywhere. At least 60% of all clickable objects are completely irrelevant to the adventure, but the games wouldn't be the same without these wonky and bizarre little distractions. Humongous also went on to develop some non-point and click adventures- namely the Backyard Sports series. Anyone remember these guys? These were some very character-driven sports games, starring a large group of children that I swear was channeling Charles M. Shulz in their creation. But then came Cavedog Entertainment, a subsidary of Humongous made to make games that appealed more to adults. It showed a lot of promise with well-recieved RTS games like Moonbase Commander and Total Annhialation.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out well for either section. In 1997, Humongous (at least its parent company, GT Interactive) was bought by a subsidary of Atari (then called Infogrames). The original founders attempted to buy it back, but the stock market crashed the day they tried and things only continued to go downhill from there. Most of the staff was laid off and by the time the brand was revived in 2005 to continue the Backyard Sports series, only a handful of people from the original team remained. Shelly Day and most of the original team went on to make another company called Hulabee, which still exists, but not a lot came out of that endeavor.

So yeah, that's the history of Humongous Entertainment. But the question remains- why did I choose it as my favorite company? Simply put, they're a symbol of how great game design can carry on beyond the scope of the game itself. Even today, a decade since I last played one of their games, the paths I took during my adventures in there games still have a place in my head. All good games give you a sense of accomplishment, but these were the first to really stimulate me, get my gears going and I just can't thank them enough for that.

Runners up: Valve, Platinum Games, Retro Studios, Intelligent Systems, From Software, Old Rare

Edited February 12, 2012 by SuperStingray

[Gregzilla]

Day 27 - Favorite developer

N!n10D'oh!!!

Mario. Metroid. Zelda. Kirby. Star Fox. Pikmin. Super Smash Bros. Donkey Kong. I'm incredibly lazy today, so I'll just say that Nintendo was the one who made video games mainstream in the first place, continue to make amazing games, and most likely will continue to for years to come.

Runners Up:

-SEGA - Sonic. He can really move.

-Valve - I'm just getting into Valve recently, but they take storytelling in games to the next level. Amazing writers, and incredibly fun game design to boot.

-Konami - Mainly for their 16-bit stuff. I love me some Castlevania and Contra. They know how to make the best pure action games around.

[Mandyrobin]

I have a couple of favourites.

Nippon Ichi Software & Atlus

These two have developed some of my favourite rpgs, including the Disgaea series and La Pucelle Tactics (NIS) and the Persona series (Atlus). I have rarely ever been disappointed by these guys, and I like the art and storytelling.

Horourable Mentions include:

- SEGA: Developers of Sonic. Can't ignore these guys.

- Platinum Games: I love Bayonetta, so these guys get my vote as well.

- Nintendo: For the Smash Bros. series, the newer Zelda games and Super Mario platformers.

- High Moon Studios: For Transformers: War for Cybertron and the upcoming Fall of Cybertron.

- Techmo Koei: For the Dynasty Warriors series.