Which game developer is pushing the industry foward?

[Typecast]

CCP despite me not liking EVE particularly.

 

[Gamer137]

I dont think a true industry shaking innovative game has come out in the last decade. Games have gotten to the point of movies. Nothing really revolutionary, just repackaging the same ideas with a few minor upgrades every now and then. I can name games like Okami, and Katamari. But I dont think they really shock the industry. They are innovative in themselves, but the industry is mostly controlled by shooters in the West and RPGs in the East, and both genres only have minor improvements. Both genres are also combat based games. regardless of how improved a combat system is, for me at least, you cant play a game for for anymore then a week without the combat system slowing flaws and starts getting old. Shooters will always use this formula: Run, clear area, run to next area, clear area. Sometimes bosses are through in and trash mob combat gets a special thing to use for the fight, but you really do is cover, shoot, cover, shoot. RPGs also suffer. In turn-based games, just hit the attack button and you kill all trash mobs in one-hit. In real-time games, just mash the attack button till the trash mobs are dead.

Now, I would not be a gamer if I hated these things. I enjoy games, but saying they are getting "innovative" is giving them too much praise.

 

[Vigormortis]

And, Mirror's Edge, even though I find it hard to believe somebody could forget the logo if they've seen the trailer, that seems to be made in a footprint of blood, the developer for that is EA as well.

In short, THREE of the most innovative games to be released around this time are coming from one developer, things that will very likely pave the way for more ideas from other people along the same lines, and may even change the way first person shooters are done forevermore. I think EA is moving the industry forward. I really do.

No. EA is not the developer. It is merely the publisher. They aren't creating the game, simply printing it to disk and providing distribution. DICE is making the game. They're responsible for the Battlefield series among other games. Which leads me to my picks for innovators.

Valve - They're pushing forward on so many fronts, starting with digital distribution and licensing. They always push the bar higher in terms of animation, narrative game design, and original game concepts. It's rare to find any game that can immerse you so much in the story as the Half-Life series does.

DICE - Following in the footsteps of Portal and other indie apps, they're taking an established game style and mixing in quirky ideas. Time will tell if Mirror's Edge turns out to be a proof of concept with a great game built around it or a pile of garbage.

Nintendo - You may scoff at the thought, but when it comes to game interaction, they really are on the forefront of the industry. You probably laugh at the Wii-mote, but at least they're trying something beyond the (let's face it) outdated dual-analog stick controllers.

Crytek - When it comes to the latest engine tech, they're clearly on the top. The CryEngine2 is nothing short of a piece of programming genius. It has it's faults, but no piece of code is perfect.

Now, there are some that have been receiving praise that I feel don't deserve any of it in the least:

Blizzard - I don't care what you say about StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3. Fact is, had these games come out a few years ago with engines from that time, we'd have said, "Why the hell should I buy this? It's just the old game with a slightly prettier 3D rendering engine." Their lists of new features can be counted on one hand. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Blizzard to death, I'm a huge fan of StarCraft and WarCraft (not WOW, mind you), but I just don't see them as innovators as much as quality game designers who stick to established archetypes.

Epic Games - They're latest engine is garbage and their latest games (UT3 and GoW) are just as equally garbage. All that needs to be said.

 

[chase211]

I think you made alot of valid points, especialy in giving crytek props for thier solid engine, I would be amazed unfortunately if the cry2 engine ever left the hands of crytek and that is my only qualm with them pushing the industry forward...though admitidly its not because I think they wouldn't allow other developers to use the cryengine, but because most developers will choose to stick with the mainstream. I disagree with Nintendo, while I do think they are trying, I think that most company's try, and in my book the wiimote is indeed a fail. We arn't talking about companys that almost pushed the industry forward if only their ideas had worked a little bit better.

I love blizzard in most reguards, however I agree with you, they are not pushing the industry forward, they are simply refining and expanding on already established concepts.

I agree with everything you said about epic.

 

[Teth]

Nintendo: yes, the innovation of their games are tied directly to the ingenuity of their hardware. But that's what makes them innovative: moving gaming forward by generating unique platforms to develop games for; you simply cannot make games geared for the Wii or DS on other platforms.

Not to mention, I've actually been toning up and becoming more flexible playing Wii Fit - a video game with a bit of heavy stretching thrown in for all intents and purposes. Now, it can be argued that World of Warcraft is a prolific treadmill. But it's a treadmill that makes you fat.

 

[dandancc]

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.

Well, if the bad Wii games are not coming from them, it's not their fault that the system isn't pushing the industry as it could, it's the developers' fault.
And gotta agree that no system is pushing the industry forward, but IMO the Wii has more chances, if developers would take it seriously. Just play Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3 and No More Heroes to know how fresh the gaming experience can feel. The PS3 could be great too, if the tech wasn't so advanced that would alienate developers (hard to develop) and consumers (price). Just now we are finnaly seeing some games that use some of it's capacity (Rage), but the costs make it get limited (need of a 360 port, changes in design to fit). The 360 did a lot to online space, but I don't think it's such a big thing to most of people (just look at the Wii - almost non-existent online and biggest user base). If it had bigger enfasis on online distribution and active community before (like they are trying with Avatars), the impact could had been much bigger.




--


About developers, Grasshopper is the most innovative in the fun way of things. While all those developers you say are trying new tech to make the gaming experience fresh, GSM is doing great games that challenge our perception, bring unique gameplay and take storytelling in games to a new level. It's really sad that their games sell so little.
Gotta agree that Valve changed everything with Half-Life. The way of storytelling, the open-focused design, the FPS controls standard, the online community, the mods...

 

[Teth]

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.

Chase, You actually made a very strong argument about how Nintendo is being innovative and pushing the industry forward, despite your intentions.

First, we have to disregard your personal interpretation of what a "gamer" is. I understand that a small subset of the gaming population don't feel that games with a more casual slant interest the core crowd, which is incorrect. It also doesn't make them any less deserving of the title game, and it certainly doesn't make them any less viable within the industry.

Second, you're assuming (or claiming) that there are no standard games for the Wii when there clearly are. Just look for anything with Mario, Metroid, or Zelda on the cover to start.

Third, you seem to be of the mindset that only games that push the traditional boundaries of console gaming are good for the industry. That is actually the opposite of innovation. And if it isn't growing the market, then it isn't pushing the industry forward.

And lastly, and this is why you make such a strong argument for Nintendo rather than against: Nintendo is moving into previously untapped or outright non-existent populations of gamers. You said it yourself - housewives, dads that didn't grow up with a NES, girls that didn't previously play games, and other types of gamers considered to be "casual".

See? You don't have to own a PS3, be really good at COD4, and pwn faces in WoW to be considered a gamer.

 

[demon lord 2037]

I'd have to say Insomniac,Bioware,and Valve

 

[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.

What's revoluationary about Valve's target audience?

Making an FPS without bang-bang guns is pretty new, and a class-based team FPS without staggering complexity would appeal to many gamers who didn't even think they cared for MP.The cartoony graphics also intrigued those who couldn't stand photo-realism for its own sake. Granted it's not the same achievement as The Sims, but it keeps the bout close until Steam comes in as the haymaker.

 

[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.

...What?

I just said it was cold outside. I live in Canada. Geez.

No, my developer of choice would be Interplay.

Ah, that I can agree with. Interplay has done some interesting things.

 

[wgreer25]

OK, I'm going to say it... EA. Or to be more specific, the team behind dead space.

I think they are coming up with some very innovative ideas and some that I think will be adopted by the gaming industry at large.

For Example...

The strategic dismemberment is a really cool idea, not really revolutionary (similar things have been done before), but if you hear the developers idea behind it, it is briliant. In a pants wetting, horrible monster chasing me moment, the last thing I want to do is have to aim at very specific parts of their body. It is having to do a very intricate act under stress, not just spray and prey. If fact there are enemies that if you shoot them in certian places, you can make the situation a lot worse.

Also, no HUD. All the information you need about your character can be seen on his suit. That cool looking spine lighting is his health bar. And there are some other light indicators built onto the back of his suit that are meaningful. This is also quite briliant, give you the tools of your HUD but do it in a way as to not destroy the emersion factor.

Zero G... From the trailers and videos I have seen, this looks quite awesome. Again, not exactly ground breaking, but definately fits with the emersion factor. Also, from what I hear, if you go outside of the ship, the only thing you can hear is your own breath and heartbeat. That is badass.

I am just saying, that with all the evils of EA, it is nice to see that they can allow a team to build an entirely new IP in a genre that really hasn't produced anything great in a while (Condemned is the only one I can think of, RE4 was 5% horror, 95% shooter). I really hope this game is a revival of the horror genre.

Other than the team behind Dead Space. I will give props to Valve and Epic. Valve for obvious reasons, and Epic for creating a good 3rd person shooter. Kudos for breaking away from the 1st person shooter and adding the reality of take cover or die. And come on... Chainsaw beyonet. The only thing cooler than that would be an RPC, Rocket Propelled Chainsaw.

 

[tobyornottoby]

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.

Yes, which pushes the industry forward. Right now, Nintendo's goal is not us gamers, we're screwed BIGtime, but getting grandpas and grandmas hooked on games is definitely pushing the industry forward.

What we need to accept, is that we are no longer 'The' industry

Making an FPS without bang-bang guns is pretty new, and a class-based team FPS without staggering complexity would appeal to many gamers who didn't even think they cared for MP.The cartoony graphics also intrigued those who couldn't stand photo-realism for its own sake. Granted it's not the same achievement as The Sims, but it keeps the bout close until Steam comes in as the haymaker.

Ah yes, that's true. I'm not the biggest fan of shooters, but HL...

 

[Vigormortis]

Chase, You actually made a very strong argument about how Nintendo is being innovative and pushing the industry forward, despite your intentions.

First, we have to disregard your personal interpretation of what a "gamer" is. I understand that a small subset of the gaming population don't feel that games with a more casual slant interest the core crowd, which is incorrect. It also doesn't make them any less deserving of the title game, and it certainly doesn't make them any less viable within the industry.

Second, you're assuming (or claiming) that there are no standard games for the Wii when there clearly are. Just look for anything with Mario, Metroid, or Zelda on the cover to start.

Third, you seem to be of the mindset that only games that push the traditional boundaries of console gaming are good for the industry. That is actually the opposite of innovation. And if it isn't growing the market, then it isn't pushing the industry forward.

And lastly, and this is why you make such a strong argument for Nintendo rather than against: Nintendo is moving into previously untapped or outright non-existent populations of gamers. You said it yourself - housewives, dads that didn't grow up with a NES, girls that didn't previously play games, and other types of gamers considered to be "casual".

See? You don't have to own a PS3, be really good at COD4, and pwn faces in WoW to be considered a gamer.

Exactly right. What Nintendo has done with the Wii is nothing short of miraculous. Consider just 5 years ago what the average person thought of video games. Hell, I knew people that still referred to any video game as "Nintendo" or "Playstation". Now we have people cracking out the Wii at formal events, using it as exercise equipment in gyms and retirement homes, and even having it as a center piece to a ten ground entertainment system. Used to be if you asked your parents, grandparents, or even just your average bystander if they wanted to play a game they'd look at the controller and, in turn, you in bewilderment. Now, you put a Wii-mote in their hands and the mechanics of the game come naturally to them. Another side effect of this new interface is that developers are finally given the tools to try something new. Something different. Something they would never have even consider trying before. This, however, is not without it's downside. While the popularity of the system has brought a boon to the industry and brought forth a plethora of new game ideas it has also caused a bit of stagnation. This was an inevitable destination for the industry by this point in it's life cycle, but the Wii's popularity has made it more pronounced. For one, in an attempt to jump on the latest big selling bandwagon, some companies (in their desire to make a buck) are content just half-assedly creating some gimmicky idea and throwing it out there, hoping to rake in whatever profit they can. Likewise, as the other consoles don't have anything remotely close to the Wii-mote interface (no, the Six-axis does NOT count, piece of shit) developers are concentrating more on graphical "bells and whistles" than innovative game-play or original ideas as their primary selling point. Still, things are looking better for the industry as a whole and indeed we have a few developers out there, including a few upstarts, that are instilling us with some hope with a bevy of new titles that are pushing the norms of the industry forward.

On a final note, to all the nay-sayers of the Wii and, in turn, Nintendo I have only this to say: At least their moving forward in how we interface and interact with our games, pushing us one step closer to true virtual reality as has been dreamed of in science fiction for decades. Yet, there you are, using a dual-analog controller. How 20th century of you.

 

[TOGSolid]

Now, you put a Wii-mote in their hands and the mechanics of the game come naturally to them.

Funny, I hated the Wii-mote for the exact opposite reason. With some of the games you've got to move the controller just right or the game goes HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR on you.

Anyway I'm voting Stardock and CD Projekt for actually going against industry trends, abandoning DRM entirely, and proving that you don't need it to move tons of product.

 

[Vigormortis]

Now, you put a Wii-mote in their hands and the mechanics of the game come naturally to them.

Funny, I hated the Wii-mote for the exact opposite reason. With some of the games you've got to move the controller just right or the game goes HURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR on you.

Anyway I'm voting Stardock and CD Projekt for actually going against industry trends, abandoning DRM entirely, and proving that you don't need it to move tons of product.

Well, I think you might have misunderstood. I didn't mean the controls worked "well" with every Wii game, which goes back to another point I made about developers just rushing things out to market to turn a buck as a down-side to the Wii's success. What I really meant was, the mechanics of the controls make sense. (in most cases) Take WiiSports for example. If you play the tennis game, you swing the Wii-mote like a tennis racket and, behold, your player in-game swings his/her tennis racket. A vast majority of the well designed games on the Wii work with this level of precision, but alas, not all games are created equal.

I have to add that even if the Wii hasn't pushed the industry forward, the Wii-mote has. Look at the sheer number of companies pushing new products with motion and tilt sensors built in them. Sony tried (and failed, miserably) to emulate that success with the Six-Axis. Microsoft has been putting serious thoughts into designs for their own motion control. Even Apple has a tilt sensor in the new iPhone for God's sake. Not to mention the plethora of lower market kids toys that now would be considered garbage if they didn't include some kind of motion control. Point is, Nintendo has consistently been at the forefront of creating new ways for us to interact with our games. Their latest is no exception.

 

[Baby Tea]

It's probably been said, but: Bioware. If I could have any company's babies...it would be Bioware's.

Bioware, I love you. We've been through so much together: NWN, KOTOR, Mass Effect, the Baldur's Gate Series, The Icewind Dale Series...so many hours spent together.

And now, I want you to make me the happiest gamer in the world: Will you marry me?

/dream

What? Oh man I hope I didn't say that out loud...

 

[Swift Tactix]

I'm surprised no one has said Take-Two. But the developer that I think that helps move forward is Stardock.They show you can make a good game with a budget of around $1Mil and sell 500,000 copies and also not having DRM.

 

[Jumplion]

Media Molecule definately. Plus, their name rolls off the tounge sortof.

MediA MoleCUle.

 

[SixAngryDwarves]

Bethesda for sure.
With Fallout 3, and The elder scrolls, how can they not?
Valve
The Steam engine is the greatest thing since sliced bread
Blizzard
Each and every one of their released games have been succesful and brought something new to the table