Which game developer is pushing the industry foward?

[Phoenix Arrow]

Valve
The Steam engine is the greatest thing since sliced bread

Steam is a content distribution program with the community aspect of xfire lobbed in there. Source is the game engine used for all of Valves games since they retired GoldSource, and while not the best engine going, it is a very solid one and I'm not that fussed on the amazing graphics side of things anyway. Sorry to just nitpick your post there.

Valve have really hit the mark if you ask me. Consistently good games with potentially the best method of aquiring PC games available. I mean, when Counter Strike is the worst game your studio can come up with, you're certainly doing something right. Excellent at putting indie games on the map too. Who would play Audiosurf is Steam didn't host it?

 

[Tartarga]

definetly not lucasarts those stupid idiots
those guys who are making littlebigplanet, whats their name, its like multi media cell
or media multi cell or somthing

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Audiosurf kicks ass.

Aye, but you wouldn't know what it was if Valve didn't support it, am I right?
Ticks for Valve.

 

[Russia208]

Insomniac and media molecule

 

[OuroborosChoked]

The only people who say Valve are innovators are people who aren't looking around enough.

Who innovates? Clover Studios did. That's probably why they got shut down.

Treasure... well, they didn't exactly innovate... they just did everything so damn WELL. They took every IP they were handed and made the best game in that series.

Inti makes good games. The Zero series was superb and they took every game in the series to the next level.

And like it or not, Rockstar innovates. Just think about it. Where Rockstar leads (pun... haw), EVERYONE follows. You've heard the phrase, "It's like GTA, but...", right? Nuff said.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Valve.

Yup. What they've done for content distribution is nothing short of incredible. Would there even be an XBLA or a PS Network today if it wasn't for Steam?

And then there are the games they've made as well.

Let's hear it for Valve!

What have they actually done? Other than stick to making mediocre overrated fps's and then making a gimmick which got old in two hours (which was lucky because the game was over by then anyway)

Now IMO the ONLY game coming out soon that is pretty unique is Dead Space. Strategic dismemberment, no hud or out of game menus, zero gravity fighting and puzzles...All this looks brilliant and refreshing! Only weird thing is the developer is EA!

Nod goes to whoever is making Mirrors Edge but i personally believe a FPS game based on Parkour just isnt going to work but i would like o be surprised.

dude dead space is just RE4 in space, there is very little revolutionary about it, i would like to play it though, mirror's edge isn't very special either but i think it looks fun.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

Refleshing... I see what you did there...

 

[Crunchy English]

Fasa Studios gets my vote. They are involved in a lot of different projects with different companies. They made the original ShadowRun on Sega Genesis, and then did it again on 360. Now, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but it certainly is forward-thinking to do an all online game like that. They also had a hand in Fable, if I'm remembering that correctly. And Mass Effect too. Although those last two might be my mind playing tricks.

Counterstrike with magic and cybernetics was maybe not as original but they had source material to work within.

 

[JDLY]

I vote Insomniac.

 

[hem dazon 90]

ubisoft, far cry 2 ftw

 

[Aid n]

Bethesda. God i love them guys, im not even gay but i totaly would anyway.

 

[Vigormortis]

The only people who say Valve are innovators are people who aren't looking around enough.

Who innovates? Clover Studios did. That's probably why they got shut down.

Treasure... well, they didn't exactly innovate... they just did everything so damn WELL. They took every IP they were handed and made the best game in that series.

Inti makes good games. The Zero series was superb and they took every game in the series to the next level.

And like it or not, Rockstar innovates. Just think about it. Where Rockstar leads (pun... haw), EVERYONE follows. You've heard the phrase, "It's like GTA, but...", right? Nuff said.

Well, your argument would have merit, if it weren't for the fact that the FPS genre, as a whole, owes it's current state and ideals to what Valve has done, past and present. Likewise, digital distribution and services like Live wouldn't even be on the map were it not for Steam. I say you're guilty of NOT looking for true innovators based on your personal game preferences rather than us not looking hard enough.

 

[Skarvey]

Bioware, Bethesda, Free Radical, Ubisoft and Gearbox have made some of my favorite titles and still continue to, all argument aside, these guys are good