Rockstar. I've played their games the most and I?m kind of endeared towards them. Capcom, Konami and Squeenix would've been valid answers as well for the PS2 gen.
Your favourite current publisher.
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It's very clear. And it's also clear that it's a dick move against the fanbase of DXHR. If you think that this will get Many Deus Ex fans to buy the WiiU and the game that they already bought before, you are clearly very new to gaming culture.Forlong said:
Nintendo. Because this year, they're releasing their next Mario Platformer! Plus, Luigi's Mansion 2 is awesome, and I'm looking forward to Pikmin 3, Mario Kart U, Yarn Yoshi, and the Wonderful 101.
I don't think you understand their stance. This new addition screws over the fans who was "dumb enough" to buy the game early and makes what is inherently a patch to fix the crappy boss fights exclusive to one console. A dumb move if I have ever seen one. Even EA wouldn't do that.Forlong said:
Oh BTW your comparison of Orange Box sales is moot since this being a Valve game, it was already preordered by PC gamers through steam which doesn't show up in the retail count. Now where is my "schooled" gif.
2K seem to be the AAA publisher that's publishing the actually interesting titles in western development; they're like a slightly-more-competent Ubisoft.
They still encourage things that are annoying about the higher-budget AAA market (i.e. crummy DLC, looking at you XCOM); but it's nice to see the stuff getting out there. Or maybe I'm giving them a free pass because they publish Firaxis games and Bioshock. Hmm.
They still encourage things that are annoying about the higher-budget AAA market (i.e. crummy DLC, looking at you XCOM); but it's nice to see the stuff getting out there. Or maybe I'm giving them a free pass because they publish Firaxis games and Bioshock. Hmm.
Almost every publisher pays for the development of games that I love. EA, SquareEnix, Warner Bros. Interactive, Bethesda, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Atlus... Too many to name really.
Gun to my head though, I would have to say Warner Bros. Absolutely loved Bastion, Mortal Kombat and both Batman games. Some of the best experiences from this generation had their bills footed by WB.
Gun to my head though, I would have to say Warner Bros. Absolutely loved Bastion, Mortal Kombat and both Batman games. Some of the best experiences from this generation had their bills footed by WB.
If I had to pick one - and for the purposes of this thread I do - it would probably be Nintendo. Mainly for the steady stream of mostly excellent games in the first-party franchises (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Metroid etc) throughout the years.
But also because they are helping to make a sequel to one of my favourite games ever get made in Bayonetta 2, when SEGA, or anyone else for that matter, would. And then some people, rather unbelievably considering the circumstances, whined like all hell when they made it exclusive to the Wii U.
But also because they are helping to make a sequel to one of my favourite games ever get made in Bayonetta 2, when SEGA, or anyone else for that matter, would. And then some people, rather unbelievably considering the circumstances, whined like all hell when they made it exclusive to the Wii U.
Right now I cannot name one, honestly.
Valve is a strong contender but I honestly cannot say that I love all Valve games, I just like the Steam program.
In the past I would have said Blizzard without hesitation, but basically everything after WC3:TFT and vanilla WoW has been shite.
THQ should get a mention as well, but they are gone now.
EA devoured, and subsequently ruined, many great oldies like Westwood.
I am waiting to be impressed.
Valve is a strong contender but I honestly cannot say that I love all Valve games, I just like the Steam program.
In the past I would have said Blizzard without hesitation, but basically everything after WC3:TFT and vanilla WoW has been shite.
THQ should get a mention as well, but they are gone now.
EA devoured, and subsequently ruined, many great oldies like Westwood.
I am waiting to be impressed.
1. Funcom (most original and artistic these days)
2. Bethesda/ Zenimax (best overall intellectual property)
3. CD Projekt Red/ GOG.com (best attitude and publishing policy)
2. Bethesda/ Zenimax (best overall intellectual property)
3. CD Projekt Red/ GOG.com (best attitude and publishing policy)
Tough to say, but just based on their business practices, I'd say Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. They publish great games (both Arkham games, the newest Mortal Kombat, the upcoming Injustice: Gods Among Us, and others), but how they treat companies working under them as well is why they are my favorite.
One example of this is with their purchase of Netherrealm Studios (made up of the team that made Mortal Kombat before Midway Games went under). According to Ed Boon himself, about two weeks into development, executives sat down to meet with him, saying that they understood he was used to a one-game-a-year schedule being enforced on him. However, they wanted him to take however long it took to make the game good. The result? Mortal Kombat reboot, one of the best received Mortal Kombat games ever, and easily the best received of the 3D games. And the development of "Injustice: Gods Among Us" has proven that those weren't just empty words.
I mean, after the newest Mortal Kombat game, the hardest work for a fighting game (the engine) is already developed. It would be easy to slam out a quick story in 6 months, reskin the characters and moves in 3 months, and tweak the graphics in 2 months, then send the game out after less than a year in development. Instead, it will be almost exactly 2 years between the release of Mortal Kombat and the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Why? Netherrealm Studios spent almost a year tweaking the online system because of the complaints from players of Mortal Kombat. Considering Netherrealm Studios is owned entirely by WB Interactive, the publisher could have easily bumped up the developmental schedule to force the team to move on to the "meat" of the game. Instead, they showed great trust in allowing the developers to work.
In short, if EA makes promises, then doesn't deliver, WB Interactive does both, all without being too confident. Hell, just on the new Mortal Kombat game, they sold 3.7 million copies across all platforms, more than any other Mortal Kombat game. Arkham Asylum? Just under 7 million copies. Arkham City? 8.4 million copies sold. All of those don't include the digital game sales. And yet, despite those great sales, Warner Bros. has only opened up one new studio, and even then only for mobile and tablet games.
TL;DR, Warner Bros. Interactive, for showing business sense, and being a great publisher for developers.
One example of this is with their purchase of Netherrealm Studios (made up of the team that made Mortal Kombat before Midway Games went under). According to Ed Boon himself, about two weeks into development, executives sat down to meet with him, saying that they understood he was used to a one-game-a-year schedule being enforced on him. However, they wanted him to take however long it took to make the game good. The result? Mortal Kombat reboot, one of the best received Mortal Kombat games ever, and easily the best received of the 3D games. And the development of "Injustice: Gods Among Us" has proven that those weren't just empty words.
I mean, after the newest Mortal Kombat game, the hardest work for a fighting game (the engine) is already developed. It would be easy to slam out a quick story in 6 months, reskin the characters and moves in 3 months, and tweak the graphics in 2 months, then send the game out after less than a year in development. Instead, it will be almost exactly 2 years between the release of Mortal Kombat and the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Why? Netherrealm Studios spent almost a year tweaking the online system because of the complaints from players of Mortal Kombat. Considering Netherrealm Studios is owned entirely by WB Interactive, the publisher could have easily bumped up the developmental schedule to force the team to move on to the "meat" of the game. Instead, they showed great trust in allowing the developers to work.
In short, if EA makes promises, then doesn't deliver, WB Interactive does both, all without being too confident. Hell, just on the new Mortal Kombat game, they sold 3.7 million copies across all platforms, more than any other Mortal Kombat game. Arkham Asylum? Just under 7 million copies. Arkham City? 8.4 million copies sold. All of those don't include the digital game sales. And yet, despite those great sales, Warner Bros. has only opened up one new studio, and even then only for mobile and tablet games.
TL;DR, Warner Bros. Interactive, for showing business sense, and being a great publisher for developers.
I'm going to go with Nintendo. High-quality titles made in-house, yes, but they also do publish great second and occasionally third party games. The games are fun, well designed, and usually manage to strike the right balance between challenging and accessible.
What's more, they actually are handling DLC and the pre-order culture FAR better than anyone else in the industry. I've never had to register a game to an account or enter some stupid online pass. The DLC in the games are often just bonus levels that have nothing to do with the story, or are cute little fan-service easter eggs. If the rest of their games moving forward follow the model set by Fire Emblem Awakening (rewarding early adopters with free DLC instead of punishing everyone just to hurt used sales with online passes? WHAT A NOVEL CONCEPT!), then I see a bright future as a fan of their products.
And that's really what it comes down to. I might feel a bit bored with all the safety of new Mario games, or left out when there's a drought of games for their systems, but I've never felt like they demanded loyalty from me. I go to Club Nintendo because they give me free stuff for doing so, not because there's a chunk of the game missing that I need to register online. I pre-order games like Kid Icarus Uprising and Fire Emblem because they give me a free copy of the NES Kid Icarus or a free artbook that other companies would make you get the more expensive "Super Edition" to get, not because there are levels that are pre-order exclusive. Nintendo has earned my loyalty through consistent quality products and rewarding dedication.
Plus while the WiiU might not have that many games now, we all know they're coming. Some might find the constant release of Mario/Zelda/Pokemon games annoying, and I understand that. But to me, that just means I know I'll always be getting my money's worth with a new console.
That being said, they still need to sort some shit out. Particularly the fact that they blatantly favor their Japanese audience over the western audience. Plus, they need to flex their muscles as a publisher more often. Biggest news pre-launch for the WiiU was the announcement of Bayonetta 2. They need to do that more. Yes, the "hardcores" will whine, but they whine about Nintendo no matter what. And while they are making new IPs with downloadable games like Harmoknight and Pushmo, a proper console release of a new series would also be appreciated.
What's more, they actually are handling DLC and the pre-order culture FAR better than anyone else in the industry. I've never had to register a game to an account or enter some stupid online pass. The DLC in the games are often just bonus levels that have nothing to do with the story, or are cute little fan-service easter eggs. If the rest of their games moving forward follow the model set by Fire Emblem Awakening (rewarding early adopters with free DLC instead of punishing everyone just to hurt used sales with online passes? WHAT A NOVEL CONCEPT!), then I see a bright future as a fan of their products.
And that's really what it comes down to. I might feel a bit bored with all the safety of new Mario games, or left out when there's a drought of games for their systems, but I've never felt like they demanded loyalty from me. I go to Club Nintendo because they give me free stuff for doing so, not because there's a chunk of the game missing that I need to register online. I pre-order games like Kid Icarus Uprising and Fire Emblem because they give me a free copy of the NES Kid Icarus or a free artbook that other companies would make you get the more expensive "Super Edition" to get, not because there are levels that are pre-order exclusive. Nintendo has earned my loyalty through consistent quality products and rewarding dedication.
Plus while the WiiU might not have that many games now, we all know they're coming. Some might find the constant release of Mario/Zelda/Pokemon games annoying, and I understand that. But to me, that just means I know I'll always be getting my money's worth with a new console.
That being said, they still need to sort some shit out. Particularly the fact that they blatantly favor their Japanese audience over the western audience. Plus, they need to flex their muscles as a publisher more often. Biggest news pre-launch for the WiiU was the announcement of Bayonetta 2. They need to do that more. Yes, the "hardcores" will whine, but they whine about Nintendo no matter what. And while they are making new IPs with downloadable games like Harmoknight and Pushmo, a proper console release of a new series would also be appreciated.
I'm stuck between deciding with Nintendo because of the Wii U I'm wanting to get along with Deus ex HR directors cut with bayonetta 2.
Then there's Konami for the Metal Gear franchise and High Moon studios for the Transformers, I just like them all really.
I've already owned DEHR before and believe it or not I'd be willing to buy the directors cut for Wii U just because it adds to my collection for the U library.
Then there's Konami for the Metal Gear franchise and High Moon studios for the Transformers, I just like them all really.
I've already owned DEHR before and believe it or not I'd be willing to buy the directors cut for Wii U just because it adds to my collection for the U library.
To be fair, those games wouldn't exist if EA didn't invest lots and lots of money in them.Pohaturon said:
OT: Just looking at games I'd probably say EA or 2K/Take Two, looking at other things then probably Valve if only for the wallet-shrinking wonders of Steam.
Although I'm tempted to just go with EA because fuck da police.
If Atlus didn't treat PAL regions like some back water 3rd world country I would be voting for them.
Looking back at this console gen I would have to say SEGA as so many of my fave games has their name on the box. Shame no one could be bothered to buy them even though the games do have a larger cult following nowadays.
Rising Star Games comes in second due to localising shmups for the PAL region, which is a largely risky and unprofitable venture in itself but then going out of their way to bring them to the US market too, either through unlocking the region protection like with Dodonpachi Resurrection 360 or full on localisation with Akia Katana 360 and Under Defeat HD PS3.
Looking back at this console gen I would have to say SEGA as so many of my fave games has their name on the box. Shame no one could be bothered to buy them even though the games do have a larger cult following nowadays.
Rising Star Games comes in second due to localising shmups for the PAL region, which is a largely risky and unprofitable venture in itself but then going out of their way to bring them to the US market too, either through unlocking the region protection like with Dodonpachi Resurrection 360 or full on localisation with Akia Katana 360 and Under Defeat HD PS3.
Either EA (for ME2 and 3), Bethesda (for Dishonored) or 2K (for Borderlands 1 and 2).
Can't really decide.
Can't really decide.
Took the words right out of my mouth. I mean, it's understandable that they didn't want to gamble on a reboot for a relatively unknown IP without adding more replayability, but it was definitely a mistake and it hurt the overall product.ZombieFanatic said:
Hopefully, they've learned their lesson and will not force any more developers to add anything to their games that they didn't plan or want to.
It's a dick move because as a good business, and not a crappy one, I expect them to deliver the best experience that they can provide with the resources available to them (while still remaining profitable of course). If they would've said that they couldn't, I would say fair enough - but here they fixed the things they learned about through fan feedback, only to provide this improved experience to new customers, while telling basically telling new consumers to get a a new console and a new copy of the game to enjoy it the way it was meant. That's a dick move.Akalabeth said:
The publisher that doesn't screw me over with shitty DRM and tons of content they pulled from the game to make overpriced DLC. Why would anyone favor one money eating monster over another money eating monster instead of just ...you know favor the games, the things that have little to with irritating scumbag moves?