Best Video Game Company (BESIDES Valve)

[shadowkrai]

At risk of looking like some kind of pariah (I'm pretty sure I'm using that in the right sense, don't flame me if I'm not) I really dislike Valve.
I don't see any originality from them, as far as I'm aware (yeah, half life, they've made one game), most of their stuff isn't really made by them, it's more "Take mod, hire modder, take money modder could've gotten as an indie".

My favorite companies I'd say were Blizzard (yes, even after all the d3 BS, but you can't argue that their customer service isn't amazing, I've sat and talked to GM's for hours after my problems have been sorted)
And probably Riot, because I'm a huge fan of DotA, and Valve lost any goodwill over trying to stop Blizzard from using the name in their SC2 map. Do they not know where it comes from? (I'm aware that some of the people from the original are now with valve, but I still find it pretty childish, it's not like it was something Blizzard was trying to sell, it's free)

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I'm going to be a rebel and say Valve, because it's not really fair to leave them out for being too good.

 

[The Great JT]

My choices are...

Nintendo (the Long Runner Award and awesome games)
Bioware (I just blame everything wrong with them on EA)
Blizzard (say what you will, but I love World of Warcraft)
-AND-
Bethesda (I'm still running around Skyrim)

I would also make an honorable mention for Double Fine. If this is for smaller big-name companies (if that makes any sense), they're the top spot. Also, Psychonauts. They made it. It proves the existance of a benevolent diety.

 

[tsb247]

And of course, Interplay.

Interplay brought us Planescape: Torment, all the 2D Fallouts, Baldur's gate...

What they do, they do it fucking RIGHT.

Except their Star Trek games. They messed a few of those up - VERY badly. Star Trek New Worlds comes to mind. It was quite broken, and they never fixed it. Too bad too, because a ground-based Star Trek RTS was a great idea!

Yeah but they're not really in the RTS field.

What they did, and they did right, was RPGs like I listed. I have no idea why they went to star trek period...

Starfleet Academy was alright, and the Starfleet Command games were decent enough. Perhaps they should have just left well-enough alone. In the end, they went bust - probably because they went so long without creating a noteable title.

 

[Cranky]

I don't believe in corporations' good. I only think the people who do the work there are, so I guess Rockstar and Bioware.

 

[Deadyawn]

Aside from Valve, huh? Well, that'd have to go to Obsidian I think. Hell, I might even rank them higher than Valve. Obsidian have made some of my favorite games ever. And a few that I liked significantly less too but, whatever.

That's sort of what makes Valve so prolific. They're just so consistently good.

Special mentions go out to Relic, Firaxis, Paradox and HAL.

And Bethesda too, a little bit.

EDIT: And a moments silence for those deceased: Looking Glass, Ensemble and Ion Storm (sort of).

 

[templar1138a]

Valve isn't my favorite video game company. They're my favorite digital retailer.

Bioware is my favorite game company. Their writing is great and I love the versatility they provide for role-playing. My two favorite games from them are Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 (which is the best game I've ever played).

 

[dimensional]

I think that the assumption that everyone likes Valve is a bit misguided, whatever anyway the best video game company in my mind is probably Nintendo I am not sure they are my favourite (well they arent as I dont have favourites) and I have bought very little of their game this gen but overall I think they have done more to advance the medium (from NES onwards) than anyone other company. I actually look forward to what they will do with the Wii U although whether I buy one is another matter.