31-Day Mage Challenge: Day Nineteen – “Favorite Developer”
4 min read
There would be no such thing as video games without video game developers. Where would we be without them? Playing kick the can, that’s where. We certainly wouldn’t be level-grinding, shooting zombies, smashing robots, flying dragons, defeating villains, eating mushrooms, getting headshots, or unlocking trophies and achievements. You can thank the publisher and developers everywhere. Give one a hug.
Today’s question-challenge is…
“Who is your Favorite Video Game Developer?“
The Timely Mage
Before the last generation I definitely would have said SquareSoft but now I’d say I can rely on Naughty Dog providing a consistently awesome experience. A couple runner-ups would be Sucker Punch and Guerilla Games. I have also become fond of some indie developers like Double Fine, Hello Games, Stoic, thatgamecompany, Housemarque, and Vlambeer.
The Black Humor Mage
Nintendo is my favorite developer because I haven’t played as many games from any other developer as them. Many of their games are timeless, and they have so many hits. Sure, I love games from Bethesda, old Konami, Naughty Dog, and the numerous incarnations Square. But I have played and enjoyed way more games by Nintendo than all of these developers combined. Nintendo has Kirby, Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Smash Bros, the list goes on. There so much there, and I hope Nintendo can continue to stay relevant and not go extinct. I wish they would try newer AND smarter things, and continue to improve.
The Rage Mage
Though companies like Konami and EA have earned their fair share of hate, there’s nobody more hateful than LJN Toys Ltd. Responsible for provoking more rage than any other developer in existence by ruining as many franchises, movies and characters as possible. Not even Wisdom Tree can out-awful them! Some of the worst games ever happened because of LJN. They also made toys that could double as murder weapons. They’re a credit to humanity. They went out of business in ’95 but the anger lives on. Taste the rainbow. Feel the hate.
The Green Screen Mage
I don’t really play games based off of developers, so I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. That being said, Nintendo would probably be my favorite based off of how many games from them that I have enjoyed. Mario, Kirby, Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing. The list just goes on.
The White Out Mage
I think thatgamecompany is pretty cool. They are the kind of artsy-fartsy that I just adore. Thatothergamecompany can’t hold a candle to them. Three words: Journey, flOw, Flower.
The Well-Red Mage
This is a very hard question to answer. If you had asked me in the early 90’s, I would have said Nintendo. They’ve already appeared as top choice twice on this challenge with two other Mages, and for good reason. They have released an unprecedented amount of games and wield all the power of some of the most recognizable characters and franchises in the world. They pretty much single-handedly revived the gaming industry after the crash and produced the two greatest consoles ever made, in my opinion: the NES and SNES. They have made a series of business and design mistakes of late, though…
Now if you were to ask me in the mid-90’s and into the 00’s, I would have said SquareSoft (I prefer them not as “Square Enix”). Responsible for the Final Fantasy, Mana, Chrono, and Kingdom Hearts franchises and some of the greatest RPGs ever, they are the backbone of the finest examples of the genre. But like Nintendo, they’ve fallen from glory (and grace), in my opinion.
Both thatgamecompany and Team Ico get honorable mentions for the few but incredibly high quality games they produced. Capcom is another choice I might have made decades ago for their work with Mega Man and others.
I guess my answer is equally SquareSoft and Nintendo. Both pioneers. Both created timeless landmarks. Both master flagship titles and franchises that have defined the gaming universe. Gamers wouldn’t be here without them. Both have an upcoming chance to redeem themselves with Final Fantasy XV and the Nintendo NX, respectively. Fingers crossed.
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I must wholeheartedly agree with you (once again) cannot choose between
Square & Nintendo. Too close to call, too much love to pick a favorite.
They’ve both been around for so long making so many beloved games, how could I chose between the two?
Reflections Interactive. Over the years, they’ve been owned by GT Interactive Software, Infogrames, Atari and Ubisoft. Some of these publishers don’t always give them the best artistic conditions, but they always manage to make their best of being misunderstood by the mainstream corporations.
After the incredible tribute to the entire franchise that is FFXIV I am compelled to stick with SquareEnix (or, Squaresoft, as another poster has pointed out). Playing the game reminds me of so many great concepts, designs and moments of previous games, and I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I don’t think of something FF related. I have FF soundtracks playing on my laptop, I have FF related collectables on my shelf and I have awesome memories of good times with nearly every FF game.
Yet I feel the same sentiment as the previous poster, and hope the SE doesn’t wipe the franchise out with bad decisions to go big and deliver bloated but empty products.
Long live Squaresoft, and long live the Fantasy! Rally-ho!
Acclaim…
Nah, it’s Nintendo, hands down. It’s really not even close for me. I love pretty much every major and minor Nintendo franchise. I also appreciate that they stick to their guns, making beloved, magical experiences that can be enjoyed by all as opposed to the shooter heavy developers of the past generations. I may not always agree or like each individual game, but Nintendo’s history of games is so huge that it has to be number 1 for me.
SquareSoft is hands down my favorite developer because they gave the world Final Fantasy, but I want to rage quit all over Squeenix (apparently they hate that name like Chevrolet hates Chevy hahaha) for the crap they’ve pulled. So I love Square, hate Squeenix, but since they used to be Square it’s like I’m trying to salvage some semblance of hope from the mishmash of (mostly) awful and suck. Pretty visuals do not make great stories! I know you want to make money and have to appeal to the newer generation, but, but *shakes fist in rage. Tells kids to get off imaginary lawn*
I didn’t even think of Nintendo as a developer! Thanks for the reminder. I put them near the top of my list, too.
Modernly, BioWare, the makers of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Even though I’ve never played them myself, I’ve watched them and become quite immersed in their worlds. The ME wiki is days of awesome reading.