Most underappreciated/obscure developers?

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

I had to google that one.

I've not played any of Ninja Theory's games, but Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was apparently a massive flop despite great reviews. It's a shame.

It actually sold 700,000 copies. Thats not a massive flop, sure it didn't reach a million, but 700,000 is damn good.

OT: Double Fine is really under appreciated their games have always been great and yet they don't get the sales they deserve.

Remedy- I feel no one knows of this studio, one of my favorite too. Max Payne one and two. Plus Alan Wake which was amazing.

Silicon Knights- Sure The X-men game wasn't too good, and Too Human gave people mixed feelings. But I really like SK, they could maybe be well known, if they could polish better.

 

[MammothBlade]

I had to google that one.

I've not played any of Ninja Theory's games, but Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was apparently a massive flop despite great reviews. It's a shame.

It actually sold 700,000 copies. Thats not a massive flop, sure it didn't reach a million, but 700,000 is damn good.

I said that because it made several lists of "good games you didn't buy".

Though that is certainly a reasonable figure.

 

[fozzy360]

Starbreeze and Remedy are two LESSER known studios, despite relative mainstream success, and they're two of my favorite studios. Starbreeze is responsible for the Darkness, a game with absolutely bland gameplay but phenomenal storyteling, and Remedy has done Max Payne and Alan Wake.

Damn, beat me to it. It's a shame about Starbreeze because Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena were both really good and were critically well received, but they didn't seem to catch on very much.

 

[irequirefood]

I dunno how obscure people would consider them, but I wish thatgamecompany got more attention. Flower was incredibly breathtaking, and Journey looks to be even better.

 

[Orks da best]

How fitting that this thread should face the same fate as its subject.

lols, but i can say odisdan however its spelled, they makes games with great stories, there just buggy as heck.

 

[JemothSkarii]

Swingin' Ape Studios anyone? They made a game called Metal Arms: Glitch in the System. One of the best Third Person Shooters I've played, like a more 'mature' version of Ratchet and Clank.

F*** You Blizzard, now the sequel will never come to be.

 

[targren]

Swingin' Ape Studios anyone? They made a game called Metal Arms: Glitch in the System. One of the best Third Person Shooters I've played, like a more 'mature' version of Ratchet and Clank.

F*** You Blizzard, now the sequel will never come to be.

I loved Metal Arms! How is it Blizzard's fault that there won't be a sequel, though? (He asked sincerely).

 

[Kevlar Eater]

Ice-pick Lodge. They've only made a very small amount of games, but each of them are awesome and artistic in their own right. I think they can qualify as obscure since almost no one I have talked to on here or in the other forums I frequent has ever heard of them or the game that has given them some level of publicity: The Void.

 

[SeriousSquirrel]

Raven Software

They developed: Hexen 1& 2, Soldier of Fortune 1& 2, Jedi knight 2& jedi academy, x-men origins: wolverine, and singularity (among other games). Sure they developed some duds (wolfenstein 2009) but that's a damn fine track record. Unfortunately they've been absorbed dby.Activision and condemned to making maps & dlc for Call of Duty.

 

[MechTheDane]

GP SPIDERWEB!!!!

 

[Dinnerman]

As far as indie developers go, I think thecatamites deserves an honorable mention. thecatamites is probably best known for his game Space Funeral. This game... You just have to play it. It's required. It's terrifying, hilarious, beautiful, and hideous, all at the same time. Go download it. You won't regret it. I should also mention our very own Yahtzee. Seriously, the Chzo Mythos is one of the most fantastic series' I've ever played. Bonus points for not utilizing moon-logic puzzles. (Okay, the salty bear on a stick was a little ambiguous, but it's really not that bad if you apply the old noggin.)

In regards to AAA devs, I'd have to bring up Headfirst productions. They've only made one game, the sublime Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of The Earth. I can understand how the gameplay can put some people off, tis a bit clunky, but my god, the atmosphere... Remember the basement? It took me day to work up the nerve to go down there. (You see, I'm a bit of a pussy)

 

[JemothSkarii]

Swingin' Ape Studios anyone? They made a game called Metal Arms: Glitch in the System. One of the best Third Person Shooters I've played, like a more 'mature' version of Ratchet and Clank.

F*** You Blizzard, now the sequel will never come to be.

I loved Metal Arms! How is it Blizzard's fault that there won't be a sequel, though? (He asked sincerely).

Blizzard bought out Swingin' Ape Studios and dissolved the team into different teams...so there won't be any chance of a sequel.

 

[Fanfic_warper]

Nippon Ichi Software, creators of such gems like Disgaea, Soul Nomad and Ar Tonelico and go under-appreciated and as a result can't get any of the other stuff outside of Japan.

 

[Wayneguard]

Starbreeze is a great studio. They did Escape from Butcher Bay AND The Darkness. Not only were both of those games completely awesome, they had a distinctive Starbreeze "vibe".

 

[Terminate421]

Whats ironic is people don't pay much attention to Bungie. Unless you are a massive Halo fan like me. They did make other games before hand such as Marathon and Oni

 

[targren]

Nippon Ichi Software, creators of such gems like Disgaea, Soul Nomad and Ar Tonelico and go under-appreciated and as a result can't get any of the other stuff outside of Japan.

I liked the first Disgaea well enough, but my future experience with NIS just seemed that they were just putting out SRPGs that were more and more needlessly convoluted (I finally stopped buying them after "Phantom Brave"). Do they do any other genres, more traditional JRPGs, for example, that don't make it over here?

 

[emeraldrafael]

Atlus

...

XD could you imagine?

um... hm. I've always felt that the guys who did ape escape didnt really get the credit for their other stuff. then againt hey're hit or miss really, so take form that waht yu will I suppose.

 

[Racecarlock]

Volition. Freespace 2 and the saints row series and THQ still advertises their games like complete jackasses while the THQ CEO runs around complaining about used game sales. They deserve so much more based on freespace 2 alone.

 

[lacktheknack]

Casting my vote for Spiderweb Software, RPG kings.

I'll toss in Actual Entertainment as well, even though they haven't done much.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Sadly, I don't know many really obscure ones. (Hipster fail). I could name indie "studios" I have been part of but that would be cheating.