Which game developer is pushing the industry foward?

[Syphonz]

I'd also like to point out to some of you that just because you didn't like a game, doesn't mean it didn't do anything innovative.

Agreed. My previous post doesn't mean I don't like those games. Hell, I love KOTOR but it is the same format. It's much like Adam Sandler movies. They're funny as hell, but the plot is the same and more often than not his character's name is 5 letters and endswith the letter 'Y' (Happy, Billy, Nicky, etc.)

 

[chase211]

Insomniac, Blizzard, Valve...everything else is either owned by EA or Microsoft and therefor junk (exceptions being Midway and Atari which manage to be junk on thier own)

 

[laikenf]

I like Bioware and Capcom.

 

[Saskwach]

At first I thought Maxis, but Valve has made too many undeniably new and influential things: Steam; the Half-Lives; TF 2; and Portal. The Sims and Spore come close to that achievement, but not quite. Steam tips the balance, imo; it's all well and good to make a couple of games that truly revolutionise genre and - more important - target audience, but when someone does about the same with their games and revolutionises distribution, no contest.

 

[Katana314]

I'd actually say in terms of new ideas, it's the new entries out of college that make the best impact. For instance, I think we all know the story behind how Portal got started. At the moment though, I can't say too many industries are coming up with blazingly new ideas, except for the developers new to the field.

 

[bor3ds0ul]

VALVe!

 

[chase211]

Nintendo, DICE and Maxis.

I hafto say I strongly disagree with Maxis and Nintendo. First of all, Maxis is owned by EA which makes expecting anything from them a little insain, second of all while some amazing concepts have come out of Maxis I think the only thing they are pushing forward is about 2 dozen expansion packs to the Sims and Spore over the next couple of months. Nintendo I have the same problem with, all they do is re-realese the same game, II havent seen either company push anything forward for a while.

 

[tobyornottoby]

At first I thought Maxis, but Valve has made too many undeniably new and influential things: Steam; the Half-Lives; TF 2; and Portal. The Sims and Spore come close to that achievement, but not quite. Steam tips the balance, imo; it's all well and good to make a couple of games that truly revolutionise genre and - more important - target audience, but when someone does about the same with their games and revolutionises distribution, no contest.

What's revoluationary about Valve's target audience?

Nintendo, DICE and Maxis.

I hafto say I strongly disagree with Maxis and Nintendo. First of all, Maxis is owned by EA which makes expecting anything from them a little insain, second of all while some amazing concepts have come out of Maxis I think the only thing they are pushing forward is about 2 dozen expansion packs to the Sims and Spore over the next couple of months. Nintendo I have the same problem with, all they do is re-realese the same game, II havent seen either company push anything forward for a while.

WII & DS?

 

[Syphonz]

Nintendo, DICE and Maxis.

I hafto say I strongly disagree with Maxis and Nintendo. First of all, Maxis is owned by EA which makes expecting anything from them a little insain, second of all while some amazing concepts have come out of Maxis I think the only thing they are pushing forward is about 2 dozen expansion packs to the Sims and Spore over the next couple of months. Nintendo I have the same problem with, all they do is re-realese the same game, II havent seen either company push anything forward for a while.

WII & DS?[/quote]

I think he means game wise. The systems We can't argue that they are.

 

[Caliostro]

WII & DS?

I think he means game wise. The systems We can't argue that they are.

Can't we? Both DS and Wii are nothing but gimmicky systems of inferior quality really...

And it's not like we can really say either pushed anything forward can we? I haven't really seen other console developers rush to rip off either the DS or the Wii...

The last original thing Nintendo made that I remember is probably Super Mario 64, the big 3d jump for a 2d series that brought a refreshing change to platformers at the time... I fail to remember anything truly original and good that came from Nintendo since... Maybe the original Paper Mario as flawed as it was...?

 

[PxDn Ninja]

*shivers*

Man, it's cold over here. There must be a blizzard outside.

Blizzard hasn't pushed the industry forward. I don't talk down the success of their games, but everything they do has been done before. They have relatively bug free titles and they keep their support up for those titles, but the last innovative game they came out with was Rock n Roll Racing back in the 16 bit era.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

For people voting Bioware heed this: Bioshock is system shock 2, and all the other games (Mass Effect, KOTOR, etc.) follow exact same format as Baldurs gate. remaking choice RPG adventure in just a new setting isn't pushing the industry forward.

Bioshock wasn't made by Bioware. It was made by Irrational games, who are now 2K Boston (which is such a rubbish, boring name.) And though I agree that Bioware aren't the most varied developers, they're one of the few developers in the world that consistently pump out fantastic games. They've never, ever made a bad game. Plus, Mass Effect does help push the RPG genre forward, even if it is only slightly, through the new conversations system in-game.

The only other companies I can think of that have managed to pump out games of consistent quality as much as Bioware are Valve and Introversion. Let's not go knocking them too much, eh?

 

[tobyornottoby]

Can't we? Both DS and Wii are nothing but gimmicky systems of inferior quality really...

And it's not like we can really say either pushed anything forward can we? I haven't really seen other console developers rush to rip off either the DS or the Wii...

Whahaa forgotten Sony's sixaxis already? (no blame there, we should all do)

DS and Wii might be inferior, but they opened up new markets, new possibilities, new developer chances (I've yet to see a lot of student projects on the 360 or PS3, although Microsoft is going there with XNA... again, following Nintendo

O, and Mario Galaxy

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Would there even be an XBLA or a PS Network today if it wasn't for Steam?

XBL came out a year earlier so yes.

XBL >>> A <<<

Imo its the little known devs like GSC (S.T.A.L.K.E.R), Massive Entertainment (World in Conflict) and Gas Powered Games (Supreme Commander) that really make the big changes in gamplay.

I was gonna suggest all of them, and add Crytek, which is very underappreciated. The multiplayer especially.

Stardock too! Though I'm just a Stardock fanboy.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

For people voting Bioware heed this: Bioshock is system shock 2, and all the other games (Mass Effect, KOTOR, etc.) follow exact same format as Baldurs gate. remaking choice RPG adventure in just a new setting isn't pushing the industry forward.

Bioshock was created by 2K Games Boston/Australia not Bioware.




EDIT: I should learn to read all of the post first.

 

[chase211]

Can't we? Both DS and Wii are nothing but gimmicky systems of inferior quality really...

And it's not like we can really say either pushed anything forward can we? I haven't really seen other console developers rush to rip off either the DS or the Wii...

Whahaa forgotten Sony's sixaxis already? (no blame there, we should all do)

DS and Wii might be inferior, but they opened up new markets, new possibilities, new developer chances (I've yet to see a lot of student projects on the 360 or PS3, although Microsoft is going there with XNA... again, following Nintendo

O, and Mario Galaxy

Not for gaming they didn't. Your kidding yourself if you think that the Wii is doing anything for gaming or the gaming market...thier whole angle is to avoid gamers like the plague and make collections of minigames for housewives.

What good games are there are the Wii? What of those games are non-nintendo titles? how can you say nintendo is pushing the industry forward when almost all non-nintendo wii games are some of the worst junk ever made with little exception. This is all beside the point ofcourse we are realy talking more about games than consoles here, I own all 3 consoles, none of them is pushing the industry forward.

 

[SimuLord]

I'm going to give props to Stardock and Paradox for showing the world you can make plenty of money without resorting to dirty DRM tactics.

 

[Caliostro]

Can't we? Both DS and Wii are nothing but gimmicky systems of inferior quality really...

And it's not like we can really say either pushed anything forward can we? I haven't really seen other console developers rush to rip off either the DS or the Wii...

Whahaa forgotten Sony's sixaxis already? (no blame there, we should all do)

This is about the industry moving FORWARD, not backwards.

DS and Wii might be inferior, but they opened up new markets, new possibilities, new developer chances (I've yet to see a lot of student projects on the 360 or PS3, although Microsoft is going there with XNA... again, following Nintendo

O, and Mario Galaxy

Have they? I mean, really? I admit to my ignorance with the whole "students projects" issue, but for the rest...What has either brought to the table besides gimmicks? Ever found yourself or someone else in a situation where you thought "boy, this game sure is far better and more adequate with the use of these DS/Wii specific features and wouldn't be the same or even better in another console with different commands".

As chase eloquently put, Nintendo's angle with the Wii is to AVOID gamers... Instead market mostly to the "leftovers": Very young people that are easily amused by inferior graphics, physics and simplistic gameplay, old people for whom the "average" game is far too complicated, and fanboys/girls... Cause you could sell them a whole wall made of dry shit so long as it had the "Nintendo" brand on it somewhere...