What is the *Best* Game Company? Poll UPDATED

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

TecHNooB

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
7,458
1
76
Blizzard does such a great job polishing their games. Their cinematics are always fun to watch and the dialogue is snappy and to the point.
 

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
HA! Whoever voted for THQ is agreeing to buy a whole lot of day-1 crap. ;) They are a publisher and every now and then they publish a good game (Company of Heroes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc). The good game's developer should be listed, not THQ.

I voted Valve. Runner up: Monolith. If you asked me before Doom3 launched, I would have answered "id Software! No contest." I see that you guys feel the same way as I do (0 votes). Now id Software is just about impressing gamers and it's up to Raven and Splash Damage.

BTW, why isn't Raven on the list?
 

I4AT

Platinum Member
Oct 28, 2006
2,631
3
81
For PC games definitely Blizzard.

Overall though, it's a tie between Blizzard and Square Enix, with Capcom and Nintendo/Rare as honorable mention. Oh and Treasure, they make some damn good shooters.
 

Zenoth

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2005
5,202
216
106
Rare, in all its glory days, was the best video game developer to have ever existed, in my opinion.
 

OVerLoRDI

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2006
5,490
4
81
For me, Obsidian. They made two of my favorite games Kotor2 and NWN2. Granted Bioware made the original games but Obsidian is a new company that is growing to become an excellent company.
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: Soviet
I trust blizzard and valve. Thats all.

EDIT: How could i forget ROCKSTAR!! Damn... they've never let me down.

Except when they promised us multiplayer in GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas.

And failed to deliver 3 times.

Heres hoping for GTA4, just the modes that were in GTA2 would be fantastic!

Im doubting it though, if the engine is even similar to GTA3s. Because its a console game first, and the 360 and PS3 wont like loading multiple areas at once. Unless of course its an online only multiplayer which would eliminate that issue.
 

CZroe

Lifer
Jun 24, 2001
24,195
857
126
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: Soviet
I trust blizzard and valve. Thats all.

EDIT: How could i forget ROCKSTAR!! Damn... they've never let me down.

Except when they promised us multiplayer in GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas.

And failed to deliver 3 times.

Heres hoping for GTA4, just the modes that were in GTA2 would be fantastic!

Im doubting it though, if the engine is even similar to GTA3s. Because its a console game first, and the 360 and PS3 wont like loading multiple areas at once. Unless of course its an online only multiplayer which would eliminate that issue.

What about State of Emergency? Let down in every way.
 

Skacer

Banned
Jun 4, 2007
727
0
0
I wish every company acted like Id Software, but I think Blizzard is the best company. Why act like Id? because they keep their studio small and lean, they innovate and build their own engines, they appear at lan tournaments and hold public conferences, they ran plan updates before blogs existed, they have always 100% supported modders and the modding community, all in all they are entrenched in the community they build their work around.
 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
Originally posted by: CZroe
HA! Whoever voted for THQ is agreeing to buy a whole lot of day-1 crap. ;) They are a publisher and every now and then they publish a good game (Company of Heroes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc). The good game's developer should be listed, not THQ.

I voted Valve. Runner up: Monolith. If you asked me before Doom3 launched, I would have answered "id Software! No contest." I see that you guys feel the same way as I do (0 votes). Now id Software is just about impressing gamers and it's up to Raven and Splash Damage.

BTW, why isn't Raven on the list?

Uh, id has 0 votes because it was added to the poll after everyone had voted. :roll:
 

Smilin

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2002
7,357
0
0
Originally posted by: Skacer
I wish every company acted like Id Software, but I think Blizzard is the best company. Why act like Id? because they keep their studio small and lean, they innovate and build their own engines, they appear at lan tournaments and hold public conferences, they ran plan updates before blogs existed, they have always 100% supported modders and the modding community, all in all they are entrenched in the community they build their work around.

I think this sums it up well.

Blizzard puts a lot of polish on their games and always releases things in great shape on day 1 so if the contest is for that I'd say Blizzard. If the criteria extends beyond that to "greatest game company ever" then Id has it. hands down.
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
34,890
1
0
alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: Smilin
Originally posted by: CZroe
HA! Whoever voted for THQ is agreeing to buy a whole lot of day-1 crap. ;) They are a publisher and every now and then they publish a good game (Company of Heroes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc). The good game's developer should be listed, not THQ.

I voted Valve. Runner up: Monolith. If you asked me before Doom3 launched, I would have answered "id Software! No contest." I see that you guys feel the same way as I do (0 votes). Now id Software is just about impressing gamers and it's up to Raven and Splash Damage.

BTW, why isn't Raven on the list?

Uh, id has 0 votes because it was added to the poll after everyone had voted. :roll:
id was added the second day ... within 24 hours of the poll's late creation

now Remedy on the other hand was suggested right away and still has no votes

 

Trevelyan

Diamond Member
Dec 10, 2000
4,077
0
71
Valve and id... those are my two, but I can only vote once.

But Valve is by far my favorite.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Originally posted by: pontifex
i don't trust any game company to have a 100% working product any more.

If you're familiar with programming at all, you wouldn't care.
 

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
32,336
33,230
146
I was sitting the fence, then decided I would ask for Lucas Arts to be added so I could vote. But, Smilin's comments resonated with me, so I voted id.

It is really a shame that id and valve came to be associated with a particular IHV. :( '04 was the worst I recall seeing the battle lines drawn, but HL2 easily won that engagement IMHO.
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
8,964
0
0
In order of preference: Bethesda, Rockstar, and Valve are the 3 i buy usually from day one.
 

mrblotto

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2007
1,639
117
106
I wish Looking Glass and Interplay were still around. Loved playin' Thief and Descent..........
 

TreyRandom

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
3,346
0
76
You had me up until you said "for full MSRP". I don't buy *any* games for full MSRP, regardless of how much I trust them to put out a good product... simply because I know that it'll go on sale at some point (sometimes even on Day 1). So, while I certainly buy some games on the release date, I never pay full retail price.

Secondly, you may see PC gaming as a "gloomy industry", but I don't. I've been playing computer games since 1980, so I've seen just about every cycle there's been... and I think PC gaming's doing just fine. I've enjoyed what's been released the past few years, and I *rarely* experience a problem that isn't already addressed by a patch. But then again, I'm a computer tech who can address his own IT problems.