Wow. It's been nearly two years since I've posted anything here. But, don't be discouraged, reader! I still have many thoughts a-brewing in my big, juicy, delicious brain.
My very first post on this page was about the top and bottom five companies in video gaming and I thought for my first post back, why not post an updated list. As before, this list is completely subjective. If you personally disagree, that's fine, but remember these are opinions! Unlike before, however, I am rescinding my rule about third-party companies only. It didn't seem right to disclude them just because they were working with Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo.
So, without further adieu...
Top:
1. Rockstar Games
Notable Games: Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead series, Max Payne series
Since the writing of the original list, Rockstar released probably the most hyped game of the last half-century, and the latest installment of their critically acclaimed series, Grand Theft Auto V. Regardless of how you feel about the GTA games, there's no denying that they are a cultural phenomenon, as evidenced by sales of GTA V. It broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product ever.
Many of my points from my original list still stand, particularly the ones pertaining to their quality releases, as well as the fact that they remain unafraid of controversy; they like to push the boundaries and see just how far they can go, which I find an admirable trait in the industry these days, especially with so many companies nowadays too willing to rest on their laurels and just go with the same thing over and over.
Rockstar remains one of the heavy-hitters in the industry and their games are lauded both critically and commercially. I don't think there's a Rockstar game that I've played that I didn't enjoy or spend many many hours immersed in the open world.
2. From Software
Notable Games: Dark Souls series, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne
A brand new addition to this list, and they jumped right near the top. The original list I wrote didn't include them because I hadn't played any of their games. I'd heard about how difficult their games were, but I'd never actually tried any of them. At the time, I believe I was of the mindset "Why would you make your games so hard? It just feels cheap." I didn't understand the appeal to their games.
And then I decided to say "screw it" and I went and bought Demon's Souls (which was an adventure in and of itself), and after playing some of it, I knew why people loved these games so much. There are times where you're angry, yelling at the game, and you want to throw your controller through the TV, but when you finally succeed at what you were trying to accomplish, it feels good. It feels really good. Like it was you that did it.
There are a lot of games these days that do a lot of hand-holding. From Software's games are not games that could be accused of this, not even with their story-telling. You are thrown into a world with barely anything and told "Here's your world. Survive it if you can." and there's something truly wonderful and gratifying about that kind of experience. It really feels like you're going on an adventure. And what puts them so high is that they're just so consistent.
3. Valve Corporation
Notable Games: Portal series, Half Life series, Left 4 Dead series, Counter-Strike series
Valve still deserves a spot on this list. Their achievements as far as games go are nothing to scoff at. The Portal games are fantastic, as are the Half Life games, and the Left 4 Dead games are great as well. They also do a lot for the gaming community with Steam, and the advances they've made in that department, in regards to the SteamOS, the Steam Machine, and Steam Greenlight, which gives opportunities to indie developers that they might not otherwise get.
However, the reason for their drop (albeit slight) is simple: they haven't released a game that I was interested in more than four years. Four years! I won't argue that Dota 2 or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are good, fun, enjoyable games, I'm just not really interested in either of them. The last thing they released that I wanted to play was Portal 2, in 2011.
Also, I think it's fitting that I put Valve in the number 3 spot because they seem to be deathly afraid of that number. Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Half Life all suffer from this. There's hardly a Valve fan out there that isn't still patiently anticipating the next Half Life installment, whether it be Half Life 2, Episode 3 or Half Life 3.
4. Naughty Dog
Notable Games: The Last of Us, Uncharted series
I would be remiss to not include the company that was responsible for probably one of the single greatest gaming experiences of my entire life. In 2013, Naughty Dog put out The Last of Us which, to this day, I still go back to, whether it be playing it myself or going to YouTube to watch others play it. This game was the sole reason I decided to change my previous rule about no first-party companies on the lists (not including honorable/dishonorable mentions).
To put it simply, the kind of experience I got in The Last of Us was not one that is easily replicated. Just as in their Uncharted games, they are known for creating very cinematic experiences, and The Last of Us was no exception. However, the emotions that I felt during that game are ones that very few games have been able to create. By the end, I was deeply invested and had come to care very deeply about the characters in the game. I felt real emotional attachment to the characters and the outcome of the game. This is one of those games that I wish I could forget, just so I could experience it for the first time all over again.
Naughty Dog deserves a spot not only because of their technological prowess, but because they have managed to take cinematic experiences (often derided as making the player too much of a viewer) and turned them into pieces of art. If the upcoming Uncharted 4 is only half as compelling and emotionally engaging as The Last of Us was, then we're in for a real treat.
5. Bethesda Softworks
Notable Games: Fallout series, The Elder Scrolls series
Again, this was a difficult choice. I was considering putting BioWare here as well as Telltale, but recent events made certain that Bethesda is once again included on the top five list. As with Rockstar, many of my points from before still stand. Their games still have notable bugs at release. However, their face models seemed to have improved over time. They still present immersive experiences, and Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas are still fantastic games.
Shortly before E3 this year, they announced that Fallout 4 would be coming out this year. Not only that, but at E3, they included in-game footage of the game, which increased my hype meter by about 1000%. Fallout 4 is probably the most anticipated game release since Grand Theft Auto V in 2013.
However, Bethesda keeps itself from moving any further up the list because of The Elder Scrolls Online, which was an unfortunate disappointment and a lot of wasted potential. However, they can be forgiven since they were not in charge of development, only the publishing aspect of it.
Honorable Mentions:
Telltale Games
Notable Games: The Walking Dead series, The Wolf Among Us, Game of Thrones
This company has been around for a little while now, but they really only started to get noticed after they released The Walking Dead season one. Telltale is known for their episodic games, and for bringing about a revival of sorts of the point-and-click adventure genre. While The Walking Dead season one was a strong (and emotional) outing, and their Game of Thrones release has been very good so far, some of the writing on their other games leaves a little to be desired, and keeps them out of the top five.
NetherRealm Studios
Notable Games: Mortal Kombat series, Injustice: Gods Among Us
Out of the ashes of Midway Games came NetherRealm Studios, started by Ed Boon - one of the minds behind the Mortal Kombat games. Since its inception in 2010, it has released three games. The first was Mortal Kombat in 2011, a reboot of a series in desperate need of such a reboot. Next came Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013, a DC fighting game which proved that DC characters could have their own fighting game and they didn't have to worry about being attached to Mortal Kombat either, as in MK vs DC. I'm a DC fan, so this was good. Finally, they released Mortal Kombat X in 2015, a highly anticipated sequel to their reboot of the series in 2011, which became an improvement upon the previous game in virtually every way. However, the company is still new, and still has some things to prove, but things are looking good for them.
BioWare
Notable Games: Mass Effect series, Dragon Age series
Once again, the dark cloud of EA hangs over the head of this company. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a very good release, and they earned a lot of points by teasing Mass Effect: Andromeda at E3 2015, but the relatively little we saw of the latter, as well as the prevalence of micro-transactions in their games (no doubt due to EA's influence) keep it from pushing into the top five. Bethesda's announcement of Fallout 4 and subsequent demonstration of the game was just too good.
Rocksteady Studios
Notable Games: Batman Arkham series
Another dropper. This is not because the quality of their games have gone down by any significant margin. No, by all accounts, their most recent release, Batman: Arkham Knight, which I have not played yet, but I intend to, is an excellent game. However, their reason for the drop outside the top five altogether is because they have not released anything else. The only other game they've released not under the Arkham series is Urban Chaos: Riot Response in 2006. If Rocksteady could (or were allowed to, as the case may be) branch out a little, we could see what they were truly capable of outside a Batman game.
Bottom:
1. EA
Notable Games: Madden series, FIFA series
Once again, EA finds itself king of the mountain. Except this mountain is made out of every horrid thing you could imagine. Very little has changed since the last list, and I feel like I would just be repeating myself to include everything. However, they've become one of the companies that indulges in micro-transactions, and that's bad. It's especially bad because all of their bad business practices (micro-transactions included) are getting noticed and validated by other companies, just because it seems to have worked for EA.
Also worth noting is that some of their notable series' (their sports games, primarily) suffer from the fate of new games feeling basically the same as their old games. EA has been named (more than once) as the worst company in the country and, whether or not you agree with it, it's very telling. They have said that they don't want to be that anymore and they want to be for gamers, but everything they've done suggests that they really don't care. They just want their money.
The unfortunate reality is that they've got their fingers in so many pies these days that it's hard not to buy a game that contributes to EA's machine. BioWare, for example. If you want to buy and play a Mass Effect or Dragon Age game, you'll probably be giving your money to EA.
2. Activision
Notable Games: Call of Duty series, Destiny
Activision retains its spot on the worst list. They are the epitome of "Let's put out the same schlock as last year! People bought it before, they'll buy it again!" And I can't say what's worse - that they do it or that it works. Frankly, it's insulting that Activision can continue to make games and people will still continue to buy them and praise them as great. EA, Activision, and the next company on my list are probably have the worst business practices in the industry.
Just as with EA, I feel like I could write almost exactly what I wrote last time and it would still be accurate. Also, Destiny. It should probably be a red flag when a game gets so much hype and so much advertisement time. Destiny was supposed to be the next Jesus, but all it did was fall flat. I'm just glad that I didn't buy into the hype.
3. Ubisoft
Notable Games: Assassin's Creed series, Far Cry series, Splinter Cell series
Now I know what you may be saying to yourself. "But you put Ubisoft on your best list last time!" Yes, I did, and I realize now that it was probably a mistake for me to do so. Many of its games suffer from repetition as well; it feels like nearly identical games to predecessors are being released. Assassin's Creed (and to a lesser extent, Far Cry) suffer from this. I could go on a rant about Assassin's Creed, but suffice it to say, I was once a really big fan, but recent releases in the series have made me hesitant about the future. The next installment looks like it could be interesting, but for now, it's guilty until proven innocent.
However, what makes Ubisoft so bad is Uplay. Explaining it would take up a lot of writing space that I would rather use on the list, and even then, some of it may not be clear as to what it is. To put it simply, Uplay is completely unnecessary and just adds another layer of hoops that people have to jump through, especially when they want to do anything online in Ubisoft games.
4. Konami
Notable Games: Metal Gear series, Silent Hill series, Castlevania series
Konami was once a gaming giant. Silent Hill, Metal Gear, and Castlevania were all once gaming staples. However, with the possible exception of Metal Gear, that is no longer the case. Castlevania is a shadow (or Lords of Shadow, durr hurr) of what it once was. Silent Hill has become a joke, and has not released a good title in the series since Silent Hill 4. Metal Gear remains fairly strong and continues to look that way as Metal Gear Solid V approaches.
However what really earns Konami on this list is the fact that they have made Hideo Kojima unhappy enough that, after Metal Gear Solid V, he will be leaving the company. Kojima was the one lone bright spot remaining in the company and the planned collaboration between himself, Guillermo del Toro, and Norman Reedus (titled Silent Hills) looked to be a new beginning for the Silent Hill franchise. But, now with Kojima leaving and Silent Hills officially cancelled, Konami looks to be in dire straits. This also leaves the future of the Metal Gear franchise up in the air, as Kojima is the primary driving force behind the series, but it's ultimately owned by Konami.
The reality is that without Kojima, Konami looks like they are bound for mediocrity (at best) for the foreseeable future. At least until something changes drastically.
5. Quantic Dream
Notable Games: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls (also known as The Sadness Trilogy)
My biggest problem with these games is that they just don't make any damn sense. That, and the arrogance of the head of the company and main writer of these games to think that he's just so good at writing is what baffles me. I could get into each of the three games and how they don't make any sense, and that they really are bad games. Simply put, when you play these games, it really feels like each scene was written separately from the others without much thought on how it connects to other scenes, or even the overarching plot. It's really the only explanation that I can come up with.
I could forgive these errors if it weren't for the fact that these games are built upon their story. That is their one and only selling point "Play this game because it has a deep story, but not a lot of game mechanics." Again, this kind of thing is not a bad thing. Telltale does it in their games and they do a relatively good job. But, Quantic Dream... Quantic Dream does not. I've heard people say "Oh, you don't like it because it's different." But that's not the problem. Different does not equate to good. Just because you're doing something that not a lot of other developers do, doesn't mean that you're doing it well. Quantic Dream's games suffer from this.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Capcom
Notable Games: Resident Evil series, Street Fighter series, Dead Rising series
Capcom still makes decent games. However, the quality of most of their games has dipped. Resident Evil has strayed from its roots, and the last good game in the main series was Resident Evil 4, which is somewhere near ten years old by now. Dead Rising also doesn't quite have the same feel that it did. Also, Capcom's bizarre treatment of their beloved Mega Man, by not making games for him, drag it down. However, there is hope. Street Fighter V is coming out, and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 felt more like a return to classic RE form. We'll see how things play out.
Eutechnyx
Notable Games: Ride to Hell: Retribution
Ride to Hell: Retribution is one of the worst games ever made. It was originally supposed to be an open world biker game, and was supposed to be part of a multi-game set. The others were supposed to be available. for other platforms. However, the end product was a disaster, and Eutechnyx was largely to blame. It probably belongs on the bottom five, but I really think they all deserve to be there more than Eutechnyx does.
Sega
Notable Games: Sonic series, Yakuza series, Total War series
Sonic games have not been good in years, let's face it. Some of them have been okay, most of them have not, and a couple have been outright failures. When your company is responsible for two of the worst games in the 21st century, then you're doing something wrong. However, they do put out other non-Sonic games, and many of them are actually quite good. This is the company's only saving grace.
