7 gaming companies you can shamelessly give your money

CN: "That said, with these seven video game companies (both developers and publishers) you can feel shameless about buying their products. Granted, they're in the business to make money, not save orphaned baby seals or anything like that. Unlike so many other companies, though, these guys have displayed time and time again that producing good video games takes top priority. Many of their games have earned them riches and success, but at the end of the day, you can feel a little more safe that your hard earned money is going towards bigger, better games in the future."

[tehk1w1]

Guh. Naughty Dog?

Their game was good, no doubt, but I'm not sure they're ready to hang with the big boys like Valve and BioWare yet. Jak and Daxter was good, Uncharted was decent and Uncharted 2 was awesome, but I don't think you can always consistently count on them to deliver AAA games like other big name devs quite yet.

[lolcatz]

Clearly you also hate baby kittens.

[Pandamobile]

I'm not a huge Naughty Dog fan but they proved with Uncharted 2 they they're ready to play with the big-boys.

[tehk1w1]

I'm not saying they're not good, but I still put Naughty Dog and companies like Insomniac below companies like Valve, Bioware, Blizzard, etc.

[Christopher_Walken]

are you for real?

[tehk1w1]

Again, I'm not saying they're not good, but compare their accomplishments to other devs.

Valve -TF2, Portal, Half-Life 2 (widely acclaimed as some of the best games in the genre)

Naughty Dog: Jak and Daxter series, Uncharted 2

Naughty Dog is damn good, but their portfolio isnt as impressive or diverse as other companies.

[Sunny_D]

They made the amazing PS1 Crash Bandicoot games, PS2 Jak and Daxter games, and the PS3 Uncharted games. What more do they need to hang with the big boys?

[ZombieAutopsy]

suunyd is right they made crash bandicoot back in the ps1 days and im pretty sure each one of them sold alot alot alot around like 6 or 7 mil each. They have what it takes to hang with any dev out there and i think they have shown that.

[swiftshot93]

Uncharted 2 shows that Naughty Dog has "leveled up" They're contending with the big boys now, I mean the masterful development studios (Bioware, Rockstar etc..). But they're not quite as high, because they need to have more of those masterful games like Uncharted 2 under their belt.

[PirateThom]

They also made Keef the Theef, Way of the Warrior and Rings of Power.

I'm glad they escaped EA.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

You guys obviously haven't played Jak 3. : )

Naughty Dog = Jak & Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, and Uncharted.

Very few developers improve their games more and more over a series...and even game in all three series' was a step above the last. If anything, I wouldn't put Valve up there with these guys.

Counter Strike, Portal, TF2, & Left 4 Dead are mods from Half-life. (L4D being a CS:S mod in and of itself.)

Valve has done some great games, but still...look at Episode 1. It was really short. It was good, but really short. There were complaints. That's one of their FOUR games. FOUR!

Listen...I love Valve. I love Steam.

Until they make a game HALF as good as Uncharted 2, I won't follow them blindly.

Yes, I've been through every Half-life. Great games...very innovative. However, nowhere near as deep or fun.

[RememberThe357]

Naughty Dog has been just as consistent as Vulve or BioWare.

It's strange that you call out Naught Dog but not 2D boy who has only been in business since 2006.

That and Naughty Dog has been making games since 1986; ten years before Valve opened its doors and 9 years before BioWare opened its doors.

[Saaking]

LMFAO, Naughty Dog has been around LONGER than Valve AND Bioware (by a lot) and they've been making brilliant games since the PS1 era.

ND started back in 1986 while both Valve and Bioware began in the late 1990's. Do some research next time before looking like a fool.

And the only reason you say that is becuase they're PS3 devs. Forget the fact that they just delivered the highest rated game of year. What a joke.

[Megaton]

Console fanboys can't hog all the fail. PC elitists are entitled to their fair share every now and again. This isn't Naughty Dog's first rodeo.

[swiftshot93]

I agree with Episode 1 not being so amazing.

[Persistantthug]

Yes, I enjoy the Half Life series,

But outside of that, they pretty much make nothing but mods....glorified, sophisticated mods....some of which, they don't even make themselves.

Blizzard makes games.
Bioware makes games.
Naughty Dog makes games.

Valve makes mods.

[TheDeadMetalhead]

ND have been making awesome game after awesome game for the last 15 years, and that's not good enough for you?

[bozebo]

valve are good for counter-strike. Probably the best game of all time.

Though it is mostly a fluke: the programming and design is horrible in many respects - but somehow it has an awesome "feel".

l4d doesn't count as a game in my opinion, it got boring far too quickly. The Half-life games are all excellent. TF2 is not very good, it is well designed but I just don't like the multiplayer design, the maps are bottlenecked incorrectly and flow weirdly. Portal is a masterpiece, though I prefer rpgs(lost odyssey), adventure games(monkey island), action shooters(mgs) and racing games(burnout 3) when it comes to single player - because you feel less alone whilst playing them :P they are also much easier to discuss.

[Perjoss]

@ tehk1w1
Valve and Bioware can learn a lot of things from Naughty Dog!

[Cajun Chicken]

You kidding? Naughty Dog have been the best console developers for over a decade.

[GWAVE]

Valve and Bioware have a LOT to learn from the likes of Naughty Dog.

Namely, graphical quality, innovation, not stealing mods from your community and claiming them as your own games, and actually weeding out glitches in your games.

[SilentNegotiator]

They've spent two years grinding on the Left 4 Dead Series, and the 2nd sure didn't break any boundaries or add much. And the half life 2 episodes were sort of weak. Portal was pretty cool, though.

[beardpapa]

tek1w1 got owned.

maybe if he gamed a bit longer he'd know some more developer history.

[wpggamer]

Too much worship for one really good game. Bioware had to earn their way, AAA after AAA before they started getting this kind of love. And Valve, well, they just don't put out garbage ever. Let's wait to see a follow up, and at least one new IP from ND before you start kissing their asses.
I've been gaming since atari 2600, and while ND may have been around longer, you guys are not giving me a list of games to remember. Give me a list of AAA games.
Again, not saying any of their games are bad, just not the same as a bioware or valve list.

[Karum]

Naughty Dog have made solid games over the years and they are the developer who are at the absolute cutting edge of console game development. Their last 2 games when released have been the most visually and technically awesome games, not to mention have achieved what many others have failed to do which is basically make a game be as close to a summer Hollywood Blockbuster.

Bottom line is that I and millions of others know that when you put down your money on a game with the Naughty Dog name on it, you're not getting anything other than an absolutely top quality product.

I know you're not saying they aren't good and that you don't think they are up there yet with the dev houses you mentioned but I'm sure you can't disagree with what I've just said about what you get when you put your money down on a Naughty Dog game.

For the record though, I will respectfully disagree with your opinion that ND aren't up there with those guys you mentioned. None of those studios for me have made anything recently that have impressed me more than the 2 Uncharted games. That's my opinion though, you and others will have differing ones and that is fine. Variety is the spice of life after all.

[gaffyh]

Well erm...I've never played a bad Naughty Dog game (Crash Bandicoot series = best PS1 platformer, Jak & Daxter series = best PS2 platformer, Uncharted series = best games ever), but I have played bad Valve and Bioware games. Half-Life 2 on PS3 was an abomination, and I absolutely hated Dragon Age Origins (sold it after a few hours of play, Mass Effect is a million times better).

[karan8624]

I think they proved their worth with UC2

And before that. Crash Bandicoot anyone? Those games were classics!

[spartan400]

You must of just started gaming this generation or have no idea what you are saying, Naughty Dog has always delivered AAA games. The only game i wasn't really a fan of was JAKs Racing but that's because im not a huge fan a racing games except for GRAN TRUISMO and FORZA Sims.I'm also in the MODNATION BETA and its pretty rad also. But to get to my point the DOGS have never disappointed. They love there games and take pride in making there games. They make games for the fans first. Money second

[Digitaldude]

Mate Naughty Dog ARE the big boys.
They dont release many games as they aint that big and they put effort into their games.
Remember Crash 1,2 and 3? CTR? the best cart racing game ever?

[RockmanII7]

Naughty Dog is good enough. Though I don't think they have had as good a history as Bioware, Blizzard, or Valve (Who does besides NEAD?), They are still in My top 10 developers of all time.

[camachoreloaded8806]

Their last three games contains hundreds of hours of gameplay, literally. You're getting more than your money's worth for every game of theirs you buy.

My personal favorites would be:

Quantic Dream (Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain)
IO Interactive (Hitman series)
Bioware (KotoR, Mass Effect)
Square Enix (Final Fantasy)
Rockstar (GTA, Manhunt)

Bethesda, Naughty Dog, and Infinity Ward definitely get my respect too.

[TheDeadMetalhead]

Yeah, but Bethesda also publish a lot of crap, as well (Rogue Warrior). Every game that the company DEVELOPS is good, but their track record isn't very good when it comes to publshing other companies' games.

[tehk1w1]

Yeah...Bethesda is an amazing developer, but I dunno WTF they were thinking with WET and Rogue Warrior.

[Karum]

Bethesda would have been worth a mention in there as a developer, not a publisher.

And sorry, Infinity Ward I have just lost all respect for. I was asked if I wanted MW2 as a Xmas gift and I said no, pre order Darksiders for me instead.

[karan8624]

They make good games.. they just dont do them properly. Fallout 3 was a lot of fun, but riddled with terrible and sometimes game-breaking glitches. They need to work on that before I consider then one of the "greats"

[Cheeseknight28]

I can't put Square Enix on any list like this. After Crystal Defenders and FF4 The After Years, I just don't think they can stay away from a cash machine.

FF4 should have been $10 for the entire thing, and Crystal Defenders shouldn't have been released in chunks on WiiWare. Simple as that.

[StarScream4Ever]

TAKE IT! TAKE IT NOW!!!

[El_Colombiano]

I lol'd

[swiftshot93]

Rockstar Games? If anything they should be number 1!

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

* - Personal Favorites

Quantic Dream*
Sony Santa Monica
2k Boston
Starbreeze
Platinum*
Infinity Ward*
Bethesda*
Media Molecule*
Team Ico*
Kojima*
Eat! Sleep! Play!
Naughty Dog
Epic*
Harmonix* (Still questioning Green Day, but still)
Sucker Punch*
Team Silent
Nomura's Kingdom Hearts team*
Rockstar
Insomniac* (I'm sure R3 will be a step above anything they've done too)

I can't give Bioware my money just like that though. Dragon Age: Origins was HORRIBLE! The voice acting, the graphics, the contrived plotlines...

Wow. Just bad.

I like Mass Effect too. That's the problem. I also like Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, & Jade Empire.

[swiftshot93]

Good to see at least one person not hating on IW. MW2 is my favorite multiplayer game, like maybe ever.
Oh yeah, and it had a mind-blowing ending that kicks sh!t out of any other game.

[farsided]

you wanna talk about contrived plotlines? the ending of MW2 is EXACTLY THE SAME as the first one. Oh hey, let's try to pull a rockstar and piss off the media by murdering AN ENTIRE AIRPORT full of people. What? We took out 30k troops with a nuke in the first game? How about we take out the focking ISS this time! What? We introduced new characters that are pseudo interesting (look at me! my name is ghost and I wear a facemask with a skull on it! ooooo!!!) and people are gonna figure out how lame they are if they stick around? Let's burn the mofos! I could keep going if you'd like...

Don't even get me started on activision, everybody here already knows about the sh1t they try to pull. I will never, NEVER, buy a game from those @sshats, no matter how good it is, because they represent everything bad about the games industry, and as a person going into said industry, I could not justify supporting that which I'd hate to be a part of.

I'm so glad Bioware made it on that list. Time and time again they impress me. (I'm pissing myself with joy over all the major improvements they're putting into Mass Effect 2) Dragon Age was very solid. They had excellent voice acting, memorable characters, solid gameplay (though I still think I preferred the system of KOTOR), and well done art direction (what everything *wasn't* tones of gray and brown???), and tons of replayability. Easy contender for my personal game of the year.

Of course who's to believe? The one backing the company that actually made it on the list, or the one fond of EPIC (oh look, we're the guys selling the unreal engines to everybody! go buy gears2! guns with chainsaws! terribly buggy multiplayer!) Bethesda (yay for releasing half finished products and letting the community finish them with the mod tools we release a year later!) Harmonix (look at us! we released 4 rockbands this year!!!) Sucker Punch (it only took us 4 years to make a game that wasn't sly cooper!) Media Molecule (we only have one game under our belt so you know we're solid!) and Insomniac (Resistance 1 and 2 both failed to live up to the hype so #3 has to be good!) It seems to me that you just threw up the name of every single company that has made a well known game or 2, or is preparing to release one.

Having said that, I'll usually give a thumbs up to any fresh IP that EA turns out (with exceptions...the Saboteur!) But seeing how many games they turn out every year, I still have to be weary of their 'lesser products'. Still, generally they've impressed me with the turnaround they've made the past 2 years.

[Conventional]

was anything but mind blowing

i remember my friend showing it to me and all I could say was "so?"

[Draperc]

I'd replace 2D boy with Konami, the guys who made the 1981 classic Frogger. :]

[Jonoc33]

Blizzard Entertainment?
Infinity Ward?
Bungie?

[bozebo]

bungie are awesome, the other 2 can die for all I care.

[tehk1w1]

Lol seriously?

Bungie is automatically DQed for selling Halo 3: ODST for sixty bucks and acting like it was a real game when it was barely an expansion pack.

[bozebo]

60 quid with a controller - what are you on about? that makes the game 30 quid, especially if you wanted a controller too. also I actually thought it was more fun than halo 3 - perhaps not on purpose though ^_^ and bundled in with all the halo 3 dlc, it's a really good deal.

[Karum]

Not sure if you know this or not mate but 60 bucks = 60 Dollars, where as quid as I'm sure you know is pounds.

ODST was sold at 60 dollars in the US, 35 quid (pounds) here in the UK.

Decent game but an absolute rip-off just because it had the Halo name on it.

[RockmanII7]

I love Bungie to death (Halo 3 is the only game I have all the achievements in), but their track record isn't marvelous. I only see bungie getting bigger and having a better portfolio, but I could say the same for companies that have a better history.

[ktchong]

The list fails.

[tehk1w1]

Blizzard?

The same guys who were bought by Activision (the epitome of corporate gaming devs) and have been faithfully nickle and diming WoW subscribers with things that other MMORPG's provide for free?

[Pumbli]

tehk1w1 - Only non-WoW player whine about the subscription fee. Hey, do you realize the The Old Republic is going to be subscription based? Who's developing that rip off you might ask? Oh, it's just Bioware. (Don't take this one too seriously though, I'm just making a point, Bioware is amongst my favorite devs and TOR is a day 1 buy for me, I follow every update on the game :P)

WoW offers so much to the people who can appreciate it (usually not hardcore FPSs fans) that it makes the game worth every dime you spend.

I haven't played WoW for more then a year now, I don't really miss the game itself but more the people I met on there, good times... good times. :D

[wanderofys]

Not a terrible list, and I like their number 1 choice, though I'm a bit confused why they didn't choose Atlus over XSEED/ME, or even put Atlus on the list (or NIS for that matter). Atlus offers extra stuff with their games more than any company I've ever seen. The games are (more often than not) very good. I often buy their games just because they published it (and have gotten very few disappointments).

[tehk1w1]

Atlus used to be amazing. However, they've hit a very, very, very rough patch, especially with the slew of godawful JRPG's they've published for the Xbox 360.

Still, I remember them warmly for Snowboard Kids and Ogre Battle.

Good call on NIS, though.

[wanderofys]

If I recall correctly, there were only 3 of them, and they came out like 2 years ago. This year they published Demon's Souls and 2 new good SMT games (with a new one coming out early next year). Doesn't sound too shabby to me.

[Aleusia]

They made Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, Persona 3 and 4, Nocturne, published Demon's Souls..Atlus is a win in my book because all of those are fantastic games.

[thief]

As someone pointed out, Naughty dog has been around for longer than most other developers
Also, ND has thumped Valve this generation
UC1 beats HL episode 2.
And if you compare UC2 to L4D2, UC2 has far superior content, gameplay, characters and graphics
UC2 speaks loudly of ambition - creating a cinematic experience and memorable characters, adding a ton more content (coop is fabulous) ironing out the flaws from the previous games and making what was already good (graphics, combat) even better.
L4D2 on the other hand is an exercise in maximising returns with the minimum possible investment.

[bozebo]

I say remove Valve and add Tripwire Interactive. Tripwire are an awesome bunch. Small dev team making what is important in thier games. Sure the production quality could be improved but content wise games like killing floor are really fun and good. Not only that but tripwire's games are very nicely priced and their dlc is really really cheap - as it should be. They also release regular free content updates.

[Aleusia]

Valve sucks, im sorry but they are blatant fanboys. It's okay for everyday people to show fanboyism every now and again but when you're working for a big company and you're supposed to be professional there is absolutely no call for what Valve said about Sony and the PS3. I'm not too happy about Bioware and what they said about Jrpgs either, like Bioware isn't guilty of doing the same things over and over too, there are faults on all fronts and absolutely no need to take a "holier than thou" stance like they have done. As good as Dragon Age Origins is, it's nothing we haven't seen before when you really get down to it, the same d&d/LOTR inspired stuff we seem to get in most all WRPGs so they are guilty of putting out the same ideas over and over too, it's not just Japan that's gone alittle stale. At least japanese devs are working to do something new with games like Demon's Souls, White Knight Chronicles, and End of Eternity.

I'm sorry if anybody disagrees with me but Valve and Bioware need to shut the hell up and focus on making games instead of talking trash.

[Odreus]

I am thankful that we get really awesome games from japanese developers, be it JRPGs or something else. Ive lost respect for Bioware, for talking such "trash". Thanks god, that there are japanese game developers, who gives us really strange/innovative/new games. What would be the game industry without them? So Bioware needs to worry/focus on their own games, instead of talking their selfishness.

[farsided]

they kinda deserve it as of late. But Bioware? Just stfu. They have a history of some of the best games ever, and JRPG's are virtually all extremely similar, no matter the setting, typically turn based, with a squad of 3, and a preset choice of "attack" "summon" "use item" and "flee" or whatev(I dunno, I usually make it a point to avoid JRPGs).

Come on! Comparing Dragon Age and D&D because they both have a fantasy setting? That's like saying Star Trek and Star Wars are exactly the same because they both largely involve "spaceships" and "aliens". And demon's souls is a WRPG! Get your facts straight!
(edit: while DS is from japan, it is built in the style of a wrpg)

Do you even know how many improvements Bioware is making in Mass Effect 2? Virtually every issue ever addressed in the first is being resolved. Just try going into the suggestions area of the forums and you'll see how many they took into account! somebody asked for models of different spaceships that you could buy and boom! a display case in in shepherds loft!

Let's be honest, jrpg's are pretty stagnant. That's pretty obvious when we're on Final Fantasy number 13 and it's virtually the same combat system and dialogue options as number 7. Sure it's prettier, sure it's fully voiced, but when I finally got to see the gameplay vid for it earlier this month, all I could think was "same old, same old", and that was one title I was really excited for next year.

[lolcatz]

Bioware made Baldur's Gate 2.

And for that they have my unconditional love forever.

[farsided]

you know, if you people are going to disagree with me, the least you can do is give me a reason why I'm wrong other than "but i like jrpgs!" I'm not going to say they're bad, but let's face it, they haven't changed in years, and while subtle changes are fine for the fps genre (really, how much can you possibly change?) the eastern rpgs do need a drastic overhaul of they hope to become truly competitive/popular in the states.

Hating bioware because they're trying to see a positive change in the industry is just stupid.

[Odreus]

After I found the PSN cards in my local Gamestop. I thought that we (the european gamers) would not get the PSN cards, but I was wrong. Seems like that Sony has not forgotten us. I bought three PSN titles: Noby Noby Boy, Flower and Linger in Shadows, of which Noby Noby Boy is my favorite. So I will continue to give Sony my money as long as they deliver ...

[prejur]

List sucks. Needs Naughty Dog

[lolcatz]

It does have Naughty Dog...

[Odreus]

For one thing I agree with you. Bioware is doing a much better job for Mass Effect 2 than Square Enix did for FF 13, while I must say/write that some JRPGs are teenager angst fests ...

[Elven6]

BioWare? You mean the same company that added NPC's in Dragon Age that ask you to buy DLC if you want to continue the discussion?

Yes, you can never feel shortchanged with them!...

[lolcatz]

Didn't the DLC also add a crap load of items, quests and areas to explore?

[Elven6]

The fact that a NPC from the original game (aka not from a patch) was asking you that is ridiculous! They are basically asking you to bend over, what about the people who play the game without access to the XBLM, PSN, etc?

[Picnic]

I'd have liked to have seen Rare on that list. They've been on the go since the early 1980s (although under a different name name, still the same company and still with many long serving staff). I know that they can divide opinion now but that's as much to so with the tastes of Xbox360 players and the changing tastes of gamers in general as it is to do with Rare. Rare are still keeping their games relatively light hearted rather than full of pretentiousness and you always know that their games are always made to be quite intuitive and make you smile. Somehow they got a reputation for not producing many games but when you look back at their history they created loads of them and kept the N64 afloat.

[lolcatz]

I think I'd settle with ANY Rare game that didn't completely suck at this point.

Their latest several games have been massively underwhelming and hardly reassembled their glory days on the N64 and Super Nes.

[Silber]

Bioware is the best:)

[smilydude13]

If I would put Bioware on that list. After TOR I'm still quite sore. I realize it's Bioware Austin and all but still. Whatever, I suppose I'll trade in my Bioware fanboy card for an Obsidian one.

[Kazu0 Hirai]

Blizzard should be # 1 and they are not even on the list

[lizard81288]

they need to bring the "One Piece: Unlimited Cruise" series over to America, along with Namco Bandai

ಞ_ಞ

[Bush]

Naughty dog Valve and all others put out great games they all have problems. Valve games are glitch on the consoles and when there is a glitch patched another glitch appears. The company that does put out shotty games right now is Activision they overmilk their franchises like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero they did do Prototype wich was differant but even game play was sub par when compared to Suckerpunch and infamous. Besides why defend Valve real companies don't bash a system like they do they make PS3 owners sound like idiots in wich I am not even thoe I use Bush lol. If it came down to it I choose Insomniac over Valve and Gabe Eatswell if anything Ubisoft, Capcom, Insomniac, Gurellia, Bungie, Epic all have my seal of approval because they are trying. Other companies have lost the orginality wich made them unique EA is a great company by why make a clone of God of War, Sega is great but why over milk a blue Hedgehog and other companies have sold out to the mighty dollar like SquareEnix and Rockstar to M$ this gen the developers and publishers their quality has gone downhill for gameplay wise my last gen systems like my Saturn,Snes,PS1,PS2 I play because thats when publishers actually cared about gameplay and orginality.

[ThaNewDealer]

Valve will never get a dime from me

[Avenger]

Nintendo and Capcom should be on that list. I think those two companies are way better than any of the mentioned ones.