[General Discussion] Your Favorite Video Game Developer?

I seem to have had stages of favourite developers as the years have passed.

Way back in the day on the Genesis, it was Renovation Studios for stuff like El Viento, Granada, Valis, et al. They had a way with old-school side-scrollers. It was really, really simple stuff, but with gameplay solid as a rock.

After that, I started getting into Sega's stuff and, as it would seem, their closely-related third parties like Climax. Shining Force and Landstalker kicked ASS. Also Phantasy Star, of which I will say no more here for fear of going into a PS1-4 fanwank followed by a "fuck 3d PS" frothing-at-the-mouth Harlan-Ellison-style rant about the direction the series has taken in...fuck, I'm already at it.

Once I got into the realm of 32-bit/3D/CD-ROM-based/whatever games, I confess to being a Square fan for a few years. I was first drawn to them by that great melting pot of widely-varying fandom, FF7. After FF8, though, my interest rapidly shifted to their lesser-known, lesser-marketed-down-my-throat titles like Musashi, Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Chrono Cross, and (chief among them all) Vagrant Story, $DEITY bless its overly-complicated blood-pressure-raising soul.

Most recently, and it would seem most fervently, it's been Atlus, who have only recently come out of their obscure, niche-market J-game shell and produced some really, really fucking awesome RPGs. I first discovered them on RPGFan, viewing concept art and renders for Persona 2. Interestingly enough, it was the first time my entire interest in my favourite/preferred purveyor of electronic entertainment was piqued solely on a visual basis. Mind you, this wasn't even graphics-whoredom a la FF7 commercials showing off shiny FMV. This was just "who is this artist and may I keep him in a glass jar in my basement please." So anyway, I played the hell out of Persona 2 after I finally got my hands on it. I had to endure a period of Atluslessness (best word EVAR) until Nocturne came about. At that point, I had almost forgotten about the company until I remembered that "Shin Megami Tensei" had something-or-other to do with Persona. Picked it up. Since then, I've been awaiting with baited breath anything and everything Megaten, and most of everything else, they produce. I have yet to be disappointed.

Also, I do not own a copy of Thousand Arms. You may proceed with your mob lynching now. I'm trying really really hard, though. Stupid stores not having a copy.

Jam it back in, in the dark.