31-Day Mage Challenge: Day Nineteen – “Favorite Developer”

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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