favorite video game developer

this but replace Armored Core with King's Field and Demon's Souls

Don't forget Metal Wolf Chaos, Chromehounds and 3D Dot Game Heroes! Hell, I like just about everything they put out.

I'm going to have to say Bungie. Not just because their games are great, But because the studio throws itself into the community. Bungie has one of the best community teams I have ever seen in my entire life; While many devs are content with sitting back, releasing patches and occasionally updating their twitter feed, Bungie takes the effort to release a podcast every month to few months, Release weekly Updates that are not only informational, but also funny and They also take the time and creativity to create ARGs and answer community questions. They also have one of the best community sites ever with up to date stats, individual profiles, video rendering, in-game bonuses to players, an individual File-share for every user and they also show off the best work from the fans on their main page and used to give them bonuses such as 'Recon Armor'. Not to mention their close relationships with community machinima makers such as Rooster Teeth or the creators of 'This Spartan Life.'
Bungie also made huge strides in online gaming with innovations such as a party based matchmaking system and host-migration in peer-to-peer games on consoles.

To summarize: Bungie is closer to their community than any other developer I've ever experienced on top of their great innovations and superb software.

Also, Valve and Blizzard rock too. Bioware is great but right now they're running off a "Trial and Error" system with their game development in which the first game of a series is flawed and the sequel is usually a huge leap forward in the gameplay dept. (e.g. Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 1)

Bethesda makes great software but like many studios their testing and debugging departments are lacking often leading to a broken and buggy product.

EDIT: I dont know how I missed Nintendo but they're incredible. Also Ubisoft has good initial games but their software are buggy as hell and post-launch support is often non-existant. Also, I want a new Rainbow Six.

EDIT 2:I also support Stardock for the awesomeness that is 'Sins of a Solar Empire' as well as their open rejection of DRM on PC games.

chromehounds did kick ass, never played metal wolf chaos (did it ever even come out in the US?) and 3d dot game heroes looked like total shit.

still i do like fromsoftware, theyre one of the few devs willing to take risks and give the hardcore audience what they want.

Metal Wolf Chaos never did come out in the US, but I've played it. Just...go watch some. It's my kind'a humor. : P

3d Dot Game Heroes was parody, and if you hadn't played the original you probably wouldn't like it.

I disagree that FROM takes risks; only title they ever made that was really risky was Demon Souls, and while it was good, I don't see them making a sequel.

making an overhead zelda ripoff with a weirdass art style is a pretty big risk, tho i guess less so when zelda fanboys are guaranteed to love it regardless of quality (which is what happened).

its also funny how some games are declared ripoffs of others (dantes inferno is a ripoff of god of war!!! they both use buttons to attack!), but that one is literally a zelda game and nobody seems to care.

really everything i've seen of it looks bad, and i actually like the 2d zeldas. the 3d ones are all garbage. i might rent it sometime if i remember it and theres nothing else i want to play, but that will probably take a while, if it ever happens.

e: also im pretty sure demon's souls 2 has been confirmed

I didn't know that parody was rip-off. And given the funds spent developing it, I seriously doubt it was any major sort of risk. It was pretty cheap to make, and if you actually play it it's a lot of fun. By the way, play Fallout. Judging from what you've said of Deus-Ex, I think you'd like it. I'll make a response in that topic tomorrow, am tired. G'night.

wow i am seriously insulted you think i haven't played fallout.

i played that shit before you were even born! probably. i mean you must be 12 or something, and they came out in like 97, so its possible.

unless you mean fallout 3 in which case fuck you

(3d dot game heroes isnt a parody of zelda, it's an "homage", aka "thinly-veiled ripoff that fans will buy and defend out of blind nostalgia")

Judging from my age, I don't think it'd be possible for you to have played fallout before I was born. Unless you played it in '91. I doubt that.

As for the parody thing, let me start source bombing here...

From http://www.zeldauniverse.net/gamingnintendo-news/3d-dot-game-heroes-parody-of-zelda/
"3D Dot Game Heroes was a game that previously seemed to be copying Zelda’s winning formula, but now judging from its trailer it looks like it will be a flat-out parody of the Zelda series. Hit the jump to see the trailer."


From http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=123348
"Latest 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer parodies 'Zelda rap' commercial" (Just look at it)

From http://www.siliconera.com/2010/05/07/3d-dot-game-heroes-8-bit-things-about-it/
"Atlus is releasing the game on Tuesday and here are eight points to consider about Silicon Studio’s Zelda parody/tech demo."

http://thephoenix.com/boston/recroom/102618-3d-dot-game-heroes/
"3DDGH bills itself as a loving parody of Zelda, with a few references to Final Fantasy, Castlevania, and other classics thrown in."

http://www.incgamers.com/News/22242/3d-dot-game-heroes-character-creation-tool-goes-online
"3D Dot Game Heroes is a parody of traditional Japanese RPG action-adventures like Zelda."


Looks like a parody to me.