Under-recognized Game Studios/Developers

[Thaluikhain]

There is a community patch(3.4 was the last version I saw) that apparently fixed all that, haven had a copy to try it with and no money to get it as it is. It's on file planet definitely, probably a hundred others.

Tried patch 1.2, 4.something and the latest one, 7.6.

Googling it, it seems nobody other than me has this problem, maybe it's jsut my computer being a unique and previous snowflake again.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

Double Fine.

Of course, they have been gaining recognition through out these few years with their downloadable games.

Actually completely forgot about them until you mentioned them.

I always felt Grasshopper didn't really get that much attention until Shadows of the Damned came out. Now people actually care about what they are doing, but before? Not so much.

 

[OniYouji]

Do publishers and localizers count? Because count XSeed and Aksys Games right now if so.

I'd say Level-5 and Arc Systems Works. Maybe Platinum Games as well, but people know and love Platinum Games, so they aren't really under-recognized.

 

[machblast]

Smilebit, they made Jet Set Radio and Gunvalkyrie.

From Software has been getting recognition for Demon's Souls but they've been making Armored Core, Otogi, 3D Dot Game Heroes, King's Field, Metal Wolf Chaos and tons of other games for a while. Great game dev.

French Bread has singlehandedly (with the help of Type Moon as they crafted the setting in their visual novels) created one of the greatest current gen fighting games semi-independently (started out independent), Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code.

Platinum Games, Treasure, Cave and Clover are all great devs too.

Ninja Theory. They are one of the few developers nowadays that makes games with heart. Heavenly Sword is really a great game, the battle system is actually very well done and the end battle and boss fight is damn awesome. Heavenly Sword is easily the better game (both in gameplay and story) compared to God of War 3. Enslaved, while a flawed game, has characters you care about, which few games this gen have accomplished. I don't get the hate they are getting with the new DMC game; if I was a huge DMC fan, I'd be ecstatic that Ninja Theory is developing the game.

Heavenly Sword wasn't a good game and the battle system was not well done. Ninja Theory hasn't made a good game yet, they have no business dragging down a renowned series.

Sorry for being harsh, that's how I feel about it.

 

[Dissolve]

I'd like to thank the late Ensemble Studios for bringing me my favorite RTS games to ever exist. Age of Empires II was pure genius, and it blew my mind as a teenager.

 

[android88]

Rocksteady get my vote. I hate Batman but any studio that makes me care about him gets my vote.

 

[muhitatsu]

Naughty Dog? Are you serious? Not only have their games as of late been hyped to high heck, but the Uncharted games are nowhere near as good as Jak and Daxter or their Crash games! They aren't under-recognized as a PS3 developer, and have lost a good deal of their luster.

Getting back on topic, I'd say From Software. It wasn't until I played Demon's Souls that I saw just how great a developer they were. The only reason the Armored Core series wasn't as good was that it appealed more the Japanese and the model enthusiast crowd.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

I haven't thought much about it, though I'd say GSC Game World, the Stalker dev's.

While it has it's flaws isn't exactly loved by everyone, Stalker does something which no other game has thus far to my knowledge effectively done, plonked the player down in a screwed up, ever changing world filled with all manners of horrors, mutants, madmen and messed up occurences which completely shit on the laws of physics, where everything is trying to get by and survive, just like you. Talk about atmosphere man.

I just find the fact that you can come across a non-essential NPC at one point then find him a week later again on the other side of the game without any of it being scripted mind-boggling.

 

[CRRPGMykael]

Insomnic Games- The dudes who made the Ratchet & Clank series.
Frictional Games- The dudes who made the Penumbra series and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Other companies like Bethesda,Sucker Punch,Naughty Dog are pretty popular now and that's why I don't think they're as under-recognized as the ones I've listed.Come on,practically every game Bethesda makes is Game Of The Year now(obviously,the ones directed by Todd Howard)!I used to think Sucker Punch were under-rated when they only used to make the Sly games,but the inFamous series has kind of exploded so,yeah.Not much to say about Naughty Dog either,yes,they used to be under-rated like Sucker Punch,making only Jak & Daxter games,but they've moved on to Uncharted,the no.1 PS3 exclusive.Too bad Insomniac Games,the member of the PS2 Tag Team(along with Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog,for the Ratchet+Sly+Jak thing) still haven't made much progress,because they can't leave Ratchet & Clank alone and move on.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Heavenly Sword wasn't a good game and the battle system was not well done. Ninja Theory hasn't made a good game yet, they have no business dragging down a renowned series.

Sorry for being harsh, that's how I feel about it.

Haven't made a good game? I just played Enslaved, and it's very flawed, but it's still a good game. I'd at least give it a 6/10. The gameplay was average at best, but the characters and the world were definitely good so how is it a bad game? The gameplay actually has great potential but the controls were definitely a let down (the main character has the slowest dodge ever).

If you thought Heavenly Sword's battle system wasn't well done, then I hate to think what you have to say about God of War's battle system, which is so much more simplistic (and I played the games on harder difficulties). Heavenly Sword actually makes you use different combos on different enemies instead of just mashing buttons. I liked the 3 stance mechanic, it could've been expanded upon though. I liked the that blocking was not done with a block button. The aerial combat/juggling was interesting even though it was restricting. The super moves were all pretty cool. And, the counters were one-hit kills, cool looking, and they weren't that easy to pull off (like say in Assassin's Creed where counters are all you do and they're damn easy).

One thing you have to give Heavenly Sword credit for is having a unique battle system when pretty much every hack n slash game is just about doing combos using light and heavy attacks. Heavenly Sword did something new and different, and yeah, it's not the best hack n slash battle system but it was different. I'd rather play a game with a different take on something than a game that just does what game X did but only slightly better. I like going into a game and having to basically start from scratch and learn a brand new system instead of it being just basically game X with this or that added on; I don't want to play a new game that I already know how to play. Heavenly Sword was never trying to be the next hardcore hack n slash game and challenge you like DMC or Ninja Gaiden, it was just trying to be a solid game with a strong emphasis on story and characters and it greatly succeeded at that, at least much more than any of the God of War sequels have accomplished.

 

[machblast]

Haven't made a good game? I just played Enslaved, and it's very flawed, but it's still a good game. I'd at least give it a 6/10. The gameplay was average at best, but the characters and the world were definitely good so how is it a bad game? The gameplay actually has great potential but the controls were definitely a let down (the main character has the slowest dodge ever).

The characters were actually unlikable. At least, for me.

If you thought Heavenly Sword's battle system wasn't well done, then I hate to think what you have to say about God of War's battle system, which is so much more simplistic (and I played the games on harder difficulties).

Both games have extremely simplistic battle systems, while Heavenly Sword's has the issue of input lag and a lack of tight control over one's character. Neither are good.

Heavenly Sword actually makes you use different combos on different enemies instead of just mashing buttons. I liked the 3 stance mechanic, it could've been expanded upon though. I liked the that blocking was not done with a block button. The aerial combat/juggling was interesting even though it was restricting. The super moves were all pretty cool. And, the counters were one-hit kills, cool looking, and they weren't that easy to pull off (like say in Assassin's Creed where counters are all you do and they're damn easy).

Combos on different enemies should be the basis, not the bar. This is basic shit for a hack and slash.

One thing you have to give Heavenly Sword credit for is having a unique battle system when pretty much every hack n slash game is just about doing combos using light and heavy attacks.

Only the bad ones.

Heavenly Sword did something new and different, and yeah, it's not the best hack n slash battle system but it was different. I'd rather play a game with a different take on something than a game that just does what game X did but only slightly better. I like going into a game and having to basically start from scratch and learn a brand new system instead of it being just basically game X with this or that added on; I don't want to play a new game that I already know how to play.

Okay, but I'll get to my point in a second.

Heavenly Sword was never trying to be the next hardcore hack n slash game and challenge you like DMC or Ninja Gaiden, it was just trying to be a solid game with a strong emphasis on story and characters and it greatly succeeded at that, at least much more than any of the God of War sequels have accomplished.

See, every game Ninja Theory has made has never had a good combat system or attempted to be the next hardcore hack and slash game.

Do you get it now? Ninja Theory has no EXPERIENCE with the genre they are trying to build upon. It's a really bad decision to hand over one of the most complex and deepest hack and slashes with stunningly varied gameplay (head and SHOULDERS over the shit you see in HS) to a developer with no experience as such.

Would you really hand off the job of creating fine china to a blacksmith? They might be good at what they do, but the philosophy behind DMC is already being destroyed - see the note about Ninja Theory putting a cooldown on guns (which will already disrupt the very intricate and awesome system) and the part in the trailer with the weapon that grabs stuff. Also Unreal Engine.

 

[TailorTF]

SQUAD.
Their make a spaceship and crash it because you're bad at it game is better than any other make a spaceship and crash it because you're bad at it games I've seen.

 

[Zyntoxic]

I'd say Stunlock Studios.

they made Bloodline Champions which is a great Arena RPG, and actually unique and not another DotA copy.

Troika (now Double Bear) made Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Just so good! I'd put up a link to plce to dl it for £8 (far less than Valve are asking for) but I dunno if that kind of thing is allowed.

^And this.
it still almost makes me cry when I think back to when my little sister accedently had dropped the main cd on the floor but she didn't pick it up, so when I found it it was destroyed... *sobs*

 

[GrayJester]

Arkane studio (Arx Fatalis, Dark Messiah of M&M). They currently work on Dishonoured, with Bethesda as the publisher. Yet somehow everybody thinks that its Bethesda who is making the game.

And Troika. I praised those guys. Arcanum, Temple of Elemental Evil, Vampire: The Masquerade - all their games were pure win.

 

[manythings]

I'd say Stunlock Studios.

they made Bloodline Champions which is a great Arena RPG, and actually unique and not another DotA copy.

Troika (now Double Bear) made Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Just so good! I'd put up a link to plce to dl it for £8 (far less than Valve are asking for) but I dunno if that kind of thing is allowed.

^And this.
it still almost makes me cry when I think back to when my little sister accedently had dropped the main cd on the floor but she didn't pick it up, so when I found it it was destroyed... *sobs*

$5/?5 on steam for the weekend. I might actually get past the werewolf this time.

 

[Zyntoxic]

$5/?5 on steam for the weekend. I might actually get past the werewolf this time.

thanks =)

but I'm a collector when it comes to games, so I weep mainly for the loss of a really valuable part of my collection really.

 

[The Hero Killer]

Atlus for ther Persona series and Namco Bandai for their Tales series.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

If you thought Heavenly Sword's battle system wasn't well done, then I hate to think what you have to say about God of War's battle system, which is so much more simplistic (and I played the games on harder difficulties).

Both games have extremely simplistic battle systems, while Heavenly Sword's has the issue of input lag and a lack of tight control over one's character. Neither are good.

God of War's is by far more simplistic. I didn't have have any issue with Heavenly Sword's controls whatsoever. Enslaved controls were both unresponsive and poorly thought out.

Heavenly Sword actually makes you use different combos on different enemies instead of just mashing buttons. I liked the 3 stance mechanic, it could've been expanded upon though. I liked the that blocking was not done with a block button. The aerial combat/juggling was interesting even though it was restricting. The super moves were all pretty cool. And, the counters were one-hit kills, cool looking, and they weren't that easy to pull off (like say in Assassin's Creed where counters are all you do and they're damn easy).

Combos on different enemies should be the basis, not the bar. This is basic shit for a hack and slash.

In Bayonetta, you can use the same combo all game and beat every enemy, just witch time + spam same combo. Even on non-stop infinite climax difficulty, you could use pretty much the same combo over and over, you just need to dodge offset with it. I never played a DMC because the subject matter of the game never interested me but I'm guessing DMC is very similar as the same guy made both Bayonetta and DMC (I know DMC doesn't have time slow down or dodge offsetting). In God of War, you can use the same combo on everyone too. From the little I've played of Ninja Gaiden (just the demo), it seems like a game that's about dodging and getting your hits in, it didn't seem like specific combos were needed on specific enemies. I could be wrong as I only just played the demo. I never picked up the game because if it's a ninja game, I wanna be stealthy and shit.

One thing you have to give Heavenly Sword credit for is having a unique battle system when pretty much every hack n slash game is just about doing combos using light and heavy attacks.

Only the bad ones.

What hack n slash isn't primarily about using light and heavy attacks to make combos? In Heavenly Sword, first you had to be in the right stance THEN you can go and attack with combos. The 3 stance mechanic superseded going in and attacking enemies with your combo(s) of choice.

See, every game Ninja Theory has made has never had a good combat system or attempted to be the next hardcore hack and slash game.

Do you get it now? Ninja Theory has no EXPERIENCE with the genre they are trying to build upon. It's a really bad decision to hand over one of the most complex and deepest hack and slashes with stunningly varied gameplay (head and SHOULDERS over the shit you see in HS) to a developer with no experience as such.

Would you really hand off the job of creating fine china to a blacksmith? They might be good at what they do, but the philosophy behind DMC is already being destroyed - see the note about Ninja Theory putting a cooldown on guns (which will already disrupt the very intricate and awesome system) and the part in the trailer with the weapon that grabs stuff. Also Unreal Engine.

Heavenly Sword is one of the better hack n slash games this gen to me. And, Enslaved is a hack n slash too. While Enslaved isn't a good hack n slash, there were some good ideas present. Ninja Theory has experience making hack n slash games. I very much doubt Ninja Theory is starting from scratch, I'm sure Capcom gave them all the DMC assets to make the game. Ninja Theory would have all the animations and the coding and whatnot of the DMC combo system. I'm assuming Capcom went to Ninja Theory because they wanted a more cinematic game with more emphasis on the characters as that's what Ninja Theory excels at. I do think they will bring some new and different ideas to the gameplay, whether they will work or not remains to be seen. I'd put money that the new DMC will be better than the worst DMC game.

Funcom. They don't deserve the hate they get from the actions of a single man. Besides, they made 2 of the best, most beautifully artful games of all time and that is at least a get out of jail free card.

Look how they're trying to advance the industry with ever MMORPG, and how they make spines shiver and tears flow with their single player stories.

If you hate on Funcom you're going to a very special level of hell.

I have never played a Funcom game but The Secret World is 1st MMO I've ever been interested in as I HATE grinding. The Secret World seems like what MMOs should strive for. I don't want to play a game for 100+ hours to get all my skills and powers. I've just read a few things here and there about The Secret World and even I've noticed there's a lot of hate for Funcom.