Favourite developer this generation?

[Tacticity]

Well, looking at my favorite games this generation, I have Bioware (Mass Effect series), Obsidian (Fallout: New Vegas), and Bethesda (Fallout 3, Skyrim) to choose from. Overall, I'd have to choose Bioware because the universe they created with the Mass Effect is absolutely superb. No other game or game series has so thoroughly engrossed me with the story and characters as much as Bioware had with Mass Effect (easy to see with my Illusive Man avatar), and even though Mass Effect 3 was flawed in certain ways when compared to the prior two installments, it was still a great game in my opinion. I'm reallllly hoping that they don't mess up with the next Mass Effect game, because the setting they crafted is too good to waste.

That said, I have a distinct appreciation for CD Projekt Red. I'm of total Polish descent and thus have pride in them for crafting such a well-loved series of RPGs, and bringing Poland good attention. As of now I've yet to actually play a game in the Witcher series, something which I must rectify soon.

 

[Evonisia]

I'm torn between Valve for creating Portal, Team Fortress 2, Left4Dead/Left4Dead 2 and Portal 2. They're probably the only company who haven't released a game I didn't like this gen.

And Epic Games because I really liked Gears of War, I appear to be the only human on Earth who likes Judgment. Admittedly Gears of War 3's campaign was crap but it had one of my favourite multiplayer experiences with dozens of character models and variety, with much effort put into every moment of the multiplayer.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Nintendo for me, they've made so many great games in the last console and handheld generation.

Even though I swear by the Gamecube version, Twilight Princess is also a current gen game, which happens to be my second favorite game in general.

Both Mario Galaxies, Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, Zelda: Skyward Sword, and so many others show that even with inferior hardware, at least they can make great games still. I didn't even mention their amazing handheld lineup in the DS and 3DS generations.

 

[Bureacreative]

Bethesda without a doubt. They came out with a bit of a poor showing with oblivion but Skyrim pretty much nailed it. I'm the slightest bit a fanboy but stil...Morrowind changed my life and Skyrim kept the change coming.

Of course I'd be remiss not to mention Valve; I don't like to admit the number of hours I've logged on TF2.

Also, hate though you may, COD 4 was a damn fun game. Additional props go to Infinity Ward but are immediately taken back for most of the rest of that series. Most.

It's all about what makes you have fun, and Valve and Bethesda, despite some serious shortcomings, just make fun games for me. If Valve would just make more of them that'd be great.

 

[uchytjes]

The same one it has been for the past two generations: Naughty dog. They never cease to amaze me and always improve upon what they have done in the past. Unfortunately, I have yet to play any of their games this generation due to my lack of a PS3. Maybe one more price drop and I'll pick it up.

Honorable mention goes to Volition for creating one of the most fun experiences I've had in the past few years in the form of SR3.

 

[Saltyk]

This is a good question.

Off the top of my head and in no particular order...

Naughty Dog. They make some of the best games out there. Consistently good ones, too. Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and recently, the Last of Us. This is a company that makes quality games that are worth playing. Some may beat them in certain aspects of their games, but few can make such reliably strong games. Should point out that while they have several games, all but one score high 80's or low 90's on Metacritic. Obviously they are doing something right.

Sucker Punch. I'd love them just for Infamous. Actually, I do. Infamous is a great IP! But, I'm sure many other enjoy them for the Sly Cooper series. Once more, a great company that releases strong games.

Bungie. Yeah, I know there will be people that will instantly hate on them for Halo, but those people deny one truth. Bungie put together a great series with excellent gameplay. Sure, two weapons and regenerating health. You can't deny how well put together and popular the games are. And Destiny only looks to be another good title. Bungie certainly deserves credit.

I would also like to take this moment to remember some once great developers.

Rare. A company that few could have said anything bad about in the days of the SNES or N64. They effectively made the N64 worth owning single handed. With titles vast and fun. Alas, Microsoft bought them, and we have all lost something. Something great.

Square. Square was like the Rare of the PS1. Not just the Final Fantasy series, but also games like Brave Fencer Musashi, Einhander, Front Mission, Parasite Eve, Xenogears, and several others. They even continued to make good titles into the PS2, as well. But something seemed to have happened. Several of their recent games seemed to stall. They have made mistakes, and they did so in the past as well (The Spirits Within). The big question is: Can they make a comeback?

 

[Anthony Corrigan]

3D realms Just kidding I hate those Pricks

Hmmm I would have to say Insomniac as much as I'm pissed off with them right now for tying themselves to Microcrap's doggy practices.

Bioware and Sucker Punch as well

The problem is there are some fantastic games which were single games with not much (or anything at all) coming from the developer. What else did Irrational Games make? or Platinum Games? THQ were awesome but then they went bust and where did darksiders go?

Actually when I look at my libary, apart from Insomniac games (Ratchett and Clank which is why I GOT a PS3) and Bioware (Mass effect and Dragon Age along with there older stuff like KOTOR and Baldur's gate) the company which I have the most games from is actually Ubisoft. Now admittedly I am putting the whole of Ubisoft against one division of EA (Bioware) but its had to break Ubisoft games down to individual developers because they are all called "Ubisoft". FarCry 3 was amazing and AC was awesome as well before they started milking the shit out of it


Edit to add: how could I forget Bethesda and Nintendo for the Zelda games, actually that would be down the bottom of my list because as much as I like Zelda its not one I want to go back and play all the time like the others

 

[DRTJR]

Intelligent systems, two words... Fire Emblem, God I love this series.

Hal Laboratory, Giving the gift of SSBB and Kirby.

Lionhead, because Fable 2, and the yet to be released Fable remake.

Obsidian Entertainment, Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best western RPGs in the History of man kind

Atlas, Radiant Historia, SMT, Persona, need I say MORE!

Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda *Drops mic and walks out*

 

[The Madman]

Paradox have really done a fantastic job at supporting Crusader Kings 2 and renewed my interest in them as both a publisher and developer. As time passes that game has just kept getting better and better with excellent support both in the form of regular patches as well as reasonably priced and sufficiently meaty DLC. I also really like how even without purchasing the DLC your copy of the game is improved by it's existence since any game overhauling mechanics are patched into the default version as well, ensuring that while a default copy of Crusader Kings 2 might be comparatively limited it's in no way inferior.

Otherwise CD Project RED have done a great job at earing my trust as a consumer. With each product they've released they've gotten noticeably better and as with Paradox above their commitment to supporting their product long after it's been released is admirable.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

Probably either Bethesda or 2K. Whether or not you personally like Bethesda's games or not it's undeniable that they put a lot of content into their games. I mean fuck, if this doesn't put it into perspective [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124527-Skyrim-Legendary-Edition-Strategy-Guide-Might-Break-Your-Bookshelf/] I don't know what does. Anyways point is, there's a lot of legitimate thought and care put into them. It's not about "how fast can we cash in on a sequel" or "how can we milk money out of as much dlc as we can" It's just "If we make great games, people will buy them." And that's exactly what they do.

Also 2k for having strait up balls by making games that don't play it safe. Anyone who's played Spec Ops knows what I'm talking about, but hell, even the first bioshock was a pretty risky concept from a marketing standpoint.

And not gonna lie, I kinda dig Riot. I mean I know that league of legends is pretty much a huge fuck-you money making machine but I consider it the perfect example of the free to play model. Nothing important to gameplay is off limits from in game currency, you can save up and buy exactly what you want, and there's no random chance aspect continually giving you shit you don't want. Plus, a lot of the money made goes back into the game to create new content which results in an interesting, constantly changing game environment.

 

[Black Reaper]

Arc System Works, for making awesome soundtracks as always, and making the best 2d games out there

I don't know if they count, but Nitroplus for making such depressing and thought provoking masterpieces such as Fullmetal Daemon Muramasa, and i haven't played any of their other recent games, but the anime adaption of Steins;Gate was pretty good

Whoever makes the Tales Series(i think its the Tales studio, it might be Bamco) for releasing quality games with decent length, good combat systems, and excellent characters

Konami, for making every 2d Castlevania since DoS, seriously, i love that shit

Cavia, for making games that break the mold and are so thoroughly fucked up, Drakengard 3 hasn't even come out and it is looking more fucked up than most things that come out nowadays

Koei, for making such gems as Warriors Orochi 3 and Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires, they may be greedy bastards, but they make damn fine games

Platinum, for making Metal Gear Rising, which was awesome, Vanquish, which was awesome, Madworld, which had very good and unique graphics despite being a Wii game, and Bayonetta's combat system(the only thing i liked about that game)

Even if i haven't played any of their games, Cd Projekt Red, for actually being decent guys

[sarcasm]
And, of course Gearbox!, for being such honest folks, and mastering the art of balancing games, it is said that there is true balance when everyone is complaining alike, enemies don't count
And fucking everyone is complaining about the drop rates and Playtrough 2 difficulty in Borderlands 2, so it must be a masterpiece of balance
And, of course for listening to their fans, they listened to our complaints about the difficulty, and released an even harder Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, now enemies have 4x their health, because clearly the problem was that you were killing things too quickly
[/sarcasm]
Even if they are [insert offensive word of choice here], Gearbox brought us the very solid Borderlands, and the very well written sequel, which sadly isn't as fun as the first one on later playtroughs

 

[teebeeohh]

platinum for the highest quality across the most games
valve because the time i spend playing tf2 and now dota2 is stupidly high
blizzard because yes, wow was this gen
cdprojectred because while i will never finish witcher 2 i still love their games and their business practices.
and Obsidian because NV is the non-MP game i have spend the most time on this gen

 

[kongajinken]

Atlus, all the good jrpg's have been from them, everything that's good is by them.

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

Intelligence Works for Fire Emblem: Awakening, that game was magnificent, gotta check out the rest of the series.

Nintendo, they have plenty of games I want to play and haven't done much to earn my ire.

Hal Laboratory, for Kirby, the best thing in gaming ever.

If this thread title said "publisher", that entire list could have simply been summed up as "Nintendo".

Nintendo certainly have a wealth of first party content that people don't give them proper credit for.

 

[The Enquirer]

I'll have to go with Ubisoft. They had their blunders but they really seemed to have been learning from them (as seen with Watch Dogs and Far Cry 3). Granted Watch Dogs hasn't come out yet but they just seem to have been doing a good job with a lot of stuff in these recent Months. I also have to go with Valve because their customer support has helped me out quite a bit this past year.

 

[likalaruku]

Seeing as this generation has only just started, ask me again when it has ended & I'll tell you.

 

[w9496]

EPIC games for the Gears of War series. From 1 to Judgment, they've made me happy every time.

Also Bioware as a very close runner-up. The amount of hours I've thrown into Mass Effect is just stupid.

I guess Obsidian deserves a bit of credit for Fallout: New Vegas as well. Once all of the bugs/ glitches were ironed out, the game was nearly perfect.

 

[Strazdas]

this generation made the choice so much easier.
Bethesda
CD Project
Paradox Interactive
Firaxis

Capcha: kangaroo count
no, kangaroo is not a good developer.

Seeing as this generation has only just started, ask me again when it has ended & I'll tell you.

you are wrong. this generation is ending. it will end with the release of new consoles. and the next one will start at that time. currently it has not started yet.

 

[DishonoredElderSouls]

This would have been answered with Irrational or Bethesda at an earlier point in the generation, or perhaps even Sucker Punch, but now I would have to give it up to Obsidian. They release games that don't exactly have the most jaw-dropping visuals or most remarkable production values as a whole, but the depth, story, humour, and level of content found in both New Vegas and Alpha Protocol (the latter I have yet to finish) is far better than anything you can find in games like Uncharted, Halo, or most other hugely popular games this generation.

 

[Arkaijn]

Bethesda for their two instalments in the TES franchise and for rebooting the Fallout series, even though FO3 had no connection to the previous games and felt nothing like a Fallout game, it was still a stellar action RPG.

Avalanche Studios for Just Cause 2, it was refreshing to play a fun over the top game in a landscape that's usually cluttered with brown modern day Halo clones.

Bungie for the Halo series, they managed to continue the saga of Master Chief without making the player feel like their actions in previous games meant nothing, something that you don't see in a lot of "save the world" games.