[General Discussion] Top Developers

There's been a little bit of discussion here and there about issues with games and people's thoughts on what developers might do, if anything, to fix them, and all that kind of jazz, and it got me to thinking: who are the best developers out there? Who are the developers we trust to deliver great games, or those you assume will let you down? Who actually responds well to the community or just flat out seems to ignore what players want? And who do you trust to actually fix a game when issues are found?

I know for example people generally see Valve in a pretty favourable light and generally seem to trust them. Similarly I would say that I had a lot of faith in Infinity Ward to deliver on the hype of Modern Warfare 2, which they did for the most part, and I certainly trust them to deliver a very solid single player experience (perhaps not so much with the reliability on the MP front though). However, it's no big secret that I'm not a huge fan of Treyarch, who I don't really have much faith in.

So, who are your top developers? Not just in terms of who do you trust to deliver a good game, but who do you trust to deliver a game (mostly) free of issues, or who will act if issues arise? And who are the worst developers out there? Is there anyone you think tends to have a good reputation that doesn't deserve it, or vice versa? Etc, etc.

For anyone who needs a little memory kick, here's a link to a big arse list of game developers

Jam it back in, in the dark.

After both Uncharted and Uncharted 2 I can't help but be impressed with Naughty Dog and very much look forward to whatever they'll be doing next (hopefully an Uncharted 3). I never played the Jak games so I don't know what they were like, but they've certainly come into their own recently that's for sure.

I'm surprised Qwarky didn't mention Team ICO. OK, so we only have two games to go on so far (though who isn't stupidly excited for Last Guardian?), but they are both pretty fantastic games I think most would agree.

Black Rock Studios are a company that have caught my eye recently. Pure looked a lot of fun, and from the handful of people I know who have played it they all said as much, and my hands on with Split/Second has me stupidly excited for that game.

Actually, there's generally quite a few good studios when it comes to racing games: Bizarre Creations, Codemasters, Turn 10, Criterion and Polyphony Digital (if they ever get around to releasing their games that is) all spring to mind.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Qwarky

... it's always puzzling Naughty Dog or Infinity Ward get brought up in discussion of fantastic developers based on but two games, with the other being an identical sequel.

Firstly, I never said 'fantastic' with regards to either Naughty Dog or Infinity Ward. Also, I used the past-tense when talking about my faith in Infinity Ward as I really liked Call of Duty 2 and loved the ever shit out of Call of Duty 4, but Modern Warfare 2 is more of the same with only few subtle improvements and some big issues (certainly in the multiplayer) left ignored, hence the past-tense. I still think IW will continue to deliver solid single-player game aspects, and potentially co-op too (based on Spec Ops mode), but no, not fantastic.

I also wouldn't say fantastic about Naughty Dog as I am only basing my opinion of them on their latest games, but I was commenting that (for me) their current form is excellent and I'm excited about what they'll do next. And to call Uncharted 2 an 'idential sequel' is massively unfair and ignores considerable improvements and additions made across the board with that game; but to each their own I guess.

Glad you mentioned Rockstar Q, figured someone would.

Actually, another company that has been impressing me for the last couple of years: Level-5.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

No worries, though I take your original point. Then again, most people who rate Infinity Ward a little too highly are probably just Call of Duty fanboys and can therefore be safely ignored.

Another name that just sprang to mind on this topic would be Harmonix. They've been doing solid work for a while now and I can't think of a bad game they've put out. Obviously they're fairly focussed on one kind of game, but they do it very well and their work towards creating the Rock Band platform, so that you don't loose content by buying into new games, is definitely something to be applauded.

Also, wasn't the team who did Sands of Time Ubisoft Montreal, who are also responsible for both Assassin's Creed games, two games I'm a big fan of. I know there were issues with the first game to do with the structure, but they went to town with the sequel and it was an utterly fantastic game to play through. So yeah, I definitely have respect for that developer (though they lose points for the messy pile of stink that was Lost: Via Domus).

Edit:

Originally Posted by Krelian

Also, while they're not a "top" developer by any stretch of the imagination, Treyarch actually showed a lot of promise with World At War.

Can't say I buy into that. Every element of a good idea Treyarch seemed to show was either lifted straight from Infinity Ward's CoD games or other big name FPSs. I've no major issue with borrowing ideas like that when people actually attempt to do something new with them, or make them their own, but I don't believe Treyarch have anything close to the imagination required to do that. My biggest issue with them as developers though is that their level design is generally pretty bad. I mean, some of it is OK, but that's probably at best. But that's just my opinion, fair play to you if you've been enjoying their games (I did play the Quantum of Solace one because I'd heard it was decent and I'm a big Bond fan, and it was alright, but only in patches).

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Krelian

So, yes; they're unimaginative and not terribly original, but I reckon they're improving.

In fairness I've not played World at War, but that's because I really had no interest in the game (another sodding WWII shooter, and Treyarch developed at that). I've no doubt it's an improvement though, you would really hope so. And that's great if they are getting better, but better still doesn't equate to good in my book. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but nothing to-date convinces me otherwise.

Another one game studio I would say that has really impressed me is Media Molecule. I know not everyone is a fan of what they did with LittleBigPlanet, but I think it's a fantastic creation with some very interesting ideas and very neat ways of going about it. Plus, they're involvement with their community has been amazing. Obviously it's still early days for them as a company, but I'm definitely curious to see what they do next (aside from their continued support for LBP).

I was speaking idiomatically.