Gaming Publishers and Developers that actually "won" your respect.
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If we're talking AAA, then Rockstar always seem to be actively enforcing very high standards in their releases. I will do a lot of research before buying any game from pretty much anyone, but from Rockstar I might just do it blindly. That's the amount of trust that they've managed to build.
Paradox - for Mount and Blade, and for being a bunch of guys who just make games that they want to play. All the better if you like them too, but they aren't going to chase the dollar of people whose desires don't match theirs. This is the way to be.
Valve - only due to Dota 2. I'm not a fan of any of their other efforts, but their work on Dota has been so exceptional that it single handedly gets me on the Valve bandwagon.
Atlus - Odin Sphere.
Team Ninja - for Dead or Alive 2-5, for Ninja Gaiden 1-2 and Sigma. This developer rarely puts a foot wrong in my book. Though the character Rachel in NG and the whole of NG 3 are notable slippages.
CD Projekt - Everything these guys do make me grateful that they exist.
Creative Assembly - Total War has been the ever-reliable backbone of my strategy gaming since Shogun 1.
No doubt I'm missing a few, but those come to mind most readily.
Valve - only due to Dota 2. I'm not a fan of any of their other efforts, but their work on Dota has been so exceptional that it single handedly gets me on the Valve bandwagon.
Atlus - Odin Sphere.
Team Ninja - for Dead or Alive 2-5, for Ninja Gaiden 1-2 and Sigma. This developer rarely puts a foot wrong in my book. Though the character Rachel in NG and the whole of NG 3 are notable slippages.
CD Projekt - Everything these guys do make me grateful that they exist.
Creative Assembly - Total War has been the ever-reliable backbone of my strategy gaming since Shogun 1.
No doubt I'm missing a few, but those come to mind most readily.
Plenty of developers, a lot of indie devs, CD Projekt Red and Valve's dev department come to mind, and also Blizzard's devs (Diablo 3 DRM notwithstanding, but that is a publisher thing more than a dev thing, if I'm not mistaken).
When it comes to publishers, I think only Valve really. Blizzard is close, but not quite there.
Oh, not sure if it counts here, but the Humble Indie Bundle guys really have my respect, especially with the option to put parts of the payment towards charity.
When it comes to publishers, I think only Valve really. Blizzard is close, but not quite there.
Oh, not sure if it counts here, but the Humble Indie Bundle guys really have my respect, especially with the option to put parts of the payment towards charity.
Valve: Generally awesome.
Obsidian: Their games may be full of bugs but damn they can create worlds and characters. (I suspect its all the refugees they've picked up from Black Isle).
Relic: For creating Dawn of War and other RTS games that I've sunk countless hours into.
Runic Games: For giving us a ARPG worthy of being called 'the successor to Diablo 2' after the disaster that was Diablo 3 (Having many Blizzard North refugees working there helps).
Telltale Games: For sticking both Episodic mas well as Point & Click Adventure games back into the spotlight.
Former Members: Bioware, RIP and may EA stop abusing your name.
Obsidian: Their games may be full of bugs but damn they can create worlds and characters. (I suspect its all the refugees they've picked up from Black Isle).
Relic: For creating Dawn of War and other RTS games that I've sunk countless hours into.
Runic Games: For giving us a ARPG worthy of being called 'the successor to Diablo 2' after the disaster that was Diablo 3 (Having many Blizzard North refugees working there helps).
Telltale Games: For sticking both Episodic mas well as Point & Click Adventure games back into the spotlight.
Former Members: Bioware, RIP and may EA stop abusing your name.
Developers: Bioware (despite what others seem to feel, I have yet to play a bad game by them), Netherrealm Studios (brought Mortal Kombat back to respectability), Telltale Games (man, that is how you do writing in games), Rocksteady Studios (because fuck me, Batman: Arkham City/Asylum rock) and Double Fine Studios (they make such creative games).
Publishers: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, for one simple reason. When they purchased Netherrealm Studios after the fall of Midway Games, they told the developers to make a new Mortal Kombat game, but to take however long it took to get it done right. The result was, in my opinion, the best Mortal Kombat game since UMK3. That is how a publisher should handle a company under them.
Publishers: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, for one simple reason. When they purchased Netherrealm Studios after the fall of Midway Games, they told the developers to make a new Mortal Kombat game, but to take however long it took to get it done right. The result was, in my opinion, the best Mortal Kombat game since UMK3. That is how a publisher should handle a company under them.
CD Projekt Red releases what is essentially an expansion to an amazing single player game for free! yh who else would do that?
also Paradox, well atleast in terms of their core stragety series (EU, HoI, Victoria and CK) becuase they know they have a small niche but they dont try to make it appeal to everyone and alienate their audience. however in every other respect Paradox tends to fuck up
also Paradox, well atleast in terms of their core stragety series (EU, HoI, Victoria and CK) becuase they know they have a small niche but they dont try to make it appeal to everyone and alienate their audience. however in every other respect Paradox tends to fuck up
well, there are the obvious ones like CD Projekt and Valve.
However there are two others which might get some people too start flipping their shit.
Blizzard : Yes, DRM is bad, but I willing to let it slide since their games are glorious. I loved diablo 3, not as much as 2, but I still loved it, and I'm into their other two franchises also. Personally, i think they're great.
Bioware: They make some of the greatest games. Those games really stay with you. Also, i'm one of the few who absolutely adore DA2, and due to the extended cut, I love ME3 as well (multiplayer for the win!)
However there are two others which might get some people too start flipping their shit.
Blizzard : Yes, DRM is bad, but I willing to let it slide since their games are glorious. I loved diablo 3, not as much as 2, but I still loved it, and I'm into their other two franchises also. Personally, i think they're great.
Bioware: They make some of the greatest games. Those games really stay with you. Also, i'm one of the few who absolutely adore DA2, and due to the extended cut, I love ME3 as well (multiplayer for the win!)
None of them. Every pub has at some point kicked out either unfinished garbage and put a 60 dollar price tag on it to cash in on ignorance, or put out expensive DLC, caught with on disc stuff, DRM or missed out on promises. Yes, even the mighty valve who was quoted as saying Left 4 Dead will get TF2 like support, then 6 months later L4D2 was coming out. Call that what you will, I was buying in for the amazing support TF2 got.
I don't know how anyone gets any allegiance to companies, I always go in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I guess like Yahtzee does in a way, just less cynical.
I don't know how anyone gets any allegiance to companies, I always go in expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I guess like Yahtzee does in a way, just less cynical.
They also published Bastion! (fanboy squeels)thebobmaster said:
OT: Mainly Indie developers are the ones who have earned that respect (Supergiant Games has replied to me when I sent them fan mail) but no real publishers have to my knowledge. Sucker Punch has never made a bad game in my mind. But theyre walking the same line as Naughty Dog and Insomniac with InFamous 3. (Naughty Dog made a pretty bad plot for Uncharted 3, though I still liked it, and Insomniac is treading thin with the new Fuse game) But I still dont doubt that they'll make InFamous 3 good.
Runner up is Irrational Games which gives me a notable example of games being art. (But I'm worried about Bioshock Infinite. 2 guns at a time? Sprinting? Walking on lava here)
This and anything Sid Meier puts his name to turns to gold, so him. Also 2K games and the people behind Saints Row.MPerce said:
MMM not sure respect is the right word but ones I like atm are :-
Platinum games - purely because of their games (from even before they were platinum games) they arent great storywise or character wise but their action game in particular are top notch with strong clean visuals, pin sharp controls and excellent gameplay also they made Okami as clover.
Lab Zero - an indie studio trying to break into fighting games and what they actually produced was imo a very good effort if a little lacking in character selection but their continued dedication to the game despite problems has impressed me so much so I actually supported their kickstarter (or indiegogo) page to add more characters which is a unique event for me so far.
Platinum games - purely because of their games (from even before they were platinum games) they arent great storywise or character wise but their action game in particular are top notch with strong clean visuals, pin sharp controls and excellent gameplay also they made Okami as clover.
Lab Zero - an indie studio trying to break into fighting games and what they actually produced was imo a very good effort if a little lacking in character selection but their continued dedication to the game despite problems has impressed me so much so I actually supported their kickstarter (or indiegogo) page to add more characters which is a unique event for me so far.
Hmm lets see...
Obsidian: Just as Dopo said, buggy and full of problems but they've given me some of the best experiences in spite of all that. Plus Chris Avellone and some of the guys formerly of Black Isle.
Bungie: For Marathon and Halo
Valve: The generous Steam sales and Half Life: 2 also for the endorsement of mods and the modding community.
Irrational Games: For Thief, Bioshock, and System Shock 2
Nintendo: For Metroid Prime and all the other good games they've done.
Atlus: The amazing JRPG's that don't actually turn my stomach by being so over the top.
Those are the ones that come to mind so far.
Obsidian: Just as Dopo said, buggy and full of problems but they've given me some of the best experiences in spite of all that. Plus Chris Avellone and some of the guys formerly of Black Isle.
Bungie: For Marathon and Halo
Valve: The generous Steam sales and Half Life: 2 also for the endorsement of mods and the modding community.
Irrational Games: For Thief, Bioshock, and System Shock 2
Nintendo: For Metroid Prime and all the other good games they've done.
Atlus: The amazing JRPG's that don't actually turn my stomach by being so over the top.
Those are the ones that come to mind so far.
Blizzard.
I played some of their titles since childhood, but didn't know a single thing about the guys behind my favourite games. Then I discover WoW and fell in love with how attentive, responsive and passionate they are about their games. Blizzteam listens to feedback, tries to get right what the players want and still have time to crack jokes in forums. They don't make the perfect games (cough, cough, Diablo 3), but they try really hard.
Yager really impressed me as well. Spec Ops: The Line caught me off-guard and now I can't wait for their next major release. Let's hope they got some other aces up their sleave.
Obsidian is my favourite developer of all times. They are these crazy geniuses that give branching plots, great characters and fuckton of bugs for me to enjoy. Their games have flaws, no doubt, but they still blow me away.
Valve are the generic good guys. No need to say more.
I played some of their titles since childhood, but didn't know a single thing about the guys behind my favourite games. Then I discover WoW and fell in love with how attentive, responsive and passionate they are about their games. Blizzteam listens to feedback, tries to get right what the players want and still have time to crack jokes in forums. They don't make the perfect games (cough, cough, Diablo 3), but they try really hard.
Yager really impressed me as well. Spec Ops: The Line caught me off-guard and now I can't wait for their next major release. Let's hope they got some other aces up their sleave.
Obsidian is my favourite developer of all times. They are these crazy geniuses that give branching plots, great characters and fuckton of bugs for me to enjoy. Their games have flaws, no doubt, but they still blow me away.
Valve are the generic good guys. No need to say more.
Used to love Blizzard, but then they made the mediocre Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft. Decided to wait for the rest of their games. Starcraft 2 ended up being a delight and Diablo 3 ended up being a bullet I dodged.
Used to love Bioware, but then they made the console-only Jade Empire. Decided to wait for the rest of their games. Then they stopped existing.
Used to love EA for the Desert Strike games and their goofy-looking Sega Genesis cartridges. Then they decided to have a thousand abortions in both product and ethics.
Used to like Bethesda, but then they made Horse Armor. Never forgave them for frontiering the garbage DLC concept and bastardizing the idea of expansions. I usually wait for a complete edition of their games to come out for less than $10 before buying a game nowadays.
Valve still hasn't broken my trust. Controversy over L4D2 almost shook me. Still a great game. It's not that Valve can do no wrong. It's just that they have never intentionally done anything anti-consumer.
Creative Assembly makes great-quality games. Never been disappointed in a Total War iteration.
Arenanet makes makes Guild Wars games and all the add-ons. Great games, great people, great quality, great communication. Never been disappointed.
Rockstar unquestionably makes good-quality games. Bully wasn't really my style, but it was still good. They are the most likely candidate for making trash DLC, but they haven't gone that route. They're essentially the new Blizzard in that they control their own schedules and print money whenever. GTA4 was a great game with two full expansions. Never been disappointed. Red Dead Redemption was a shocking delight too.
Of course there are companies like Double Fine and CD Projekt RED that are simply awesome for not only their games but their outlook on gaming in general.
Used to love Bioware, but then they made the console-only Jade Empire. Decided to wait for the rest of their games. Then they stopped existing.
Used to love EA for the Desert Strike games and their goofy-looking Sega Genesis cartridges. Then they decided to have a thousand abortions in both product and ethics.
Used to like Bethesda, but then they made Horse Armor. Never forgave them for frontiering the garbage DLC concept and bastardizing the idea of expansions. I usually wait for a complete edition of their games to come out for less than $10 before buying a game nowadays.
Valve still hasn't broken my trust. Controversy over L4D2 almost shook me. Still a great game. It's not that Valve can do no wrong. It's just that they have never intentionally done anything anti-consumer.
Creative Assembly makes great-quality games. Never been disappointed in a Total War iteration.
Arenanet makes makes Guild Wars games and all the add-ons. Great games, great people, great quality, great communication. Never been disappointed.
Rockstar unquestionably makes good-quality games. Bully wasn't really my style, but it was still good. They are the most likely candidate for making trash DLC, but they haven't gone that route. They're essentially the new Blizzard in that they control their own schedules and print money whenever. GTA4 was a great game with two full expansions. Never been disappointed. Red Dead Redemption was a shocking delight too.
Of course there are companies like Double Fine and CD Projekt RED that are simply awesome for not only their games but their outlook on gaming in general.
Valve pretty much owns my PC, because the only games I play besides on 3DS is Steam games.
Atlus continues to deliver awesome games.
After that, I don't really look at game companies track records. Just buy games that seem interesting to me.
Atlus continues to deliver awesome games.
After that, I don't really look at game companies track records. Just buy games that seem interesting to me.
Atlus- Odin Sphere, the SMT games, Catherine, the Persona series, ect. But this is what really made them earn my respect (which they sort of lost after the P4A region lock incident): Persona 4 the Golden. Its crammed full of new content, two new social links that don't feel crammed in but add deeper influence on the story, fan service for the music, and they even added a joke from a famous Persona 4 internet comic (Hiimdaisy). If thats not they're way of saying we love the fans, I don't know what is.
From Soft- 3D Dot Game Heroes, and Dark Souls and Demons Souls, both original challenging games that get their charm from their nostalgic difficulty/learning curve, and fun as hell pvp system. So fair warning From: If you add an easy mode, the souls series and its charm is DEAD. Just sayin.
Rocksteady- Batman.
Platinum Games/former Clover Studios- For never making an action game that disappoints, and for ending up doing the impossible: Making a better Devil May Cry game (MGR Revengeance) then the actual new DmC.
Grasshopper Manufacturer- They're pretty much Platinum, but with crazier more original ideas and are led by the gaming industries version of Quentin Tarantino.
Kojima Productions- Cause Kojima is a nice guy who makes nice game, and I'll gladly pay $60 first day for a nice game made by a nice guy.
Rockstar- The funny thing about Rockstar is, as far as I know, they've never done anything infamous in the eyes of gamers. So the amount of trust and respect they've earned over the years can make anyone jump off a cliff with them... also they're games are pretty good.
And Valve- to find out why, read the rest of this thread. Because obvious.
From Soft- 3D Dot Game Heroes, and Dark Souls and Demons Souls, both original challenging games that get their charm from their nostalgic difficulty/learning curve, and fun as hell pvp system. So fair warning From: If you add an easy mode, the souls series and its charm is DEAD. Just sayin.
Rocksteady- Batman.
Platinum Games/former Clover Studios- For never making an action game that disappoints, and for ending up doing the impossible: Making a better Devil May Cry game (MGR Revengeance) then the actual new DmC.
Grasshopper Manufacturer- They're pretty much Platinum, but with crazier more original ideas and are led by the gaming industries version of Quentin Tarantino.
Kojima Productions- Cause Kojima is a nice guy who makes nice game, and I'll gladly pay $60 first day for a nice game made by a nice guy.
Rockstar- The funny thing about Rockstar is, as far as I know, they've never done anything infamous in the eyes of gamers. So the amount of trust and respect they've earned over the years can make anyone jump off a cliff with them... also they're games are pretty good.
And Valve- to find out why, read the rest of this thread. Because obvious.
atlus: theyre one of those developers where i can see a game and be on the fence about it, then see that atlus made it and think "well, it cant be too bad."
bioware: because of mass effect. yes i know, a lot of people lost faith in bioware after mass effect but my feelings of bioware have been pretty much the opposite of everyone else. i loved them for baldurs gate 1 and 2 and then every game until mass effect that they wade was a massive letdown. even mass effect one, i thought was simply okay, but the idea of decisions carrying over to the next game intrigued me enough and mass effect 2 restored my faith in them as a company
valve: i love and respect them, but im also a little suspicious of them. with stuff like gamers gate and green man gaming, they are only now starting to have competition. im just naturally suspicious of any company that has that much power
that game company: journey. i dont think i need to say more than that
From software: love me some dark souls and demon's souls (especially demon's souls)
bioware: because of mass effect. yes i know, a lot of people lost faith in bioware after mass effect but my feelings of bioware have been pretty much the opposite of everyone else. i loved them for baldurs gate 1 and 2 and then every game until mass effect that they wade was a massive letdown. even mass effect one, i thought was simply okay, but the idea of decisions carrying over to the next game intrigued me enough and mass effect 2 restored my faith in them as a company
valve: i love and respect them, but im also a little suspicious of them. with stuff like gamers gate and green man gaming, they are only now starting to have competition. im just naturally suspicious of any company that has that much power
that game company: journey. i dont think i need to say more than that
From software: love me some dark souls and demon's souls (especially demon's souls)
CD Projekt Red. I at first was intrigued by their absolute no drm resolve, then after dealing with their GOG customer services and the way they handled the Botanicula incident, they completed won my respect and admiration. Plus after playing The Witcher 2, I can say they make damn good games as well. I have to pinch myself to make sure these guys are real sometimes.