(1) Blizzard vs. (5) Firaxis:

Blizzard: Blizzard must have been sweating hard with a two-vote difference and a near loss to Irrational. With a developer like Firaxis knocking on its door, does Blizzard have what it takes to make it to Round Four and the Great 8?
Firaxis: A very close battle finds Firaxis on the greater side of victory. Can Sid Meier and crew tear gamers away from hitting the "next turn" button long enough to cast their vote and upset Blizzard?

Having a perfect track record for the last 15 years is good enought for me, go go Blizzard!

I really don't understand why Irrational wasn't completely blown away by Blizzard. As far as I'm concerned, there really is no competition at all for Blizzard as the best PC developer, except for maybe Valve, but their track record is much shorter than Blizzard's. There are some viable competitors on the console front, though.

Blizzard has offered more to PC gaming than just about anyone. Their quality of production and presentation is among the best in PC Game development. Come on starcraft II!

I really think it's a tough call. Blizzard start in 94 and has released a bunch of blockbusters, but they are more widely known now because of WoW. Prior to that, they were seen as a "good" developer.

Firaxis started in 96 and has also had a bunch of blockbusters, but if you say Sid Meier, everyone already knows who you are talking about. Sid Meier being a stronger brand name than Fraxis bothers me though.

Just my 2cp

Blizzard hasn't made a good game since the original StarCraft. Go Firaxis!

Joe:
Blizzard hasn't made a good game since the original StarCraft. Go Firaxis!

Warcraft 3 owns! I'll fight you to the end of the earth! : P

I almost didn't vote for this one as I felt it was too close to call... now that I did (for Blizzard) I see it really is too close to call.

-- Steve

Spinwhiz:
I really think it's a tough call. Blizzard start in 94 and has released a bunch of blockbusters, but they are more widely known now because of WoW. Prior to that, they were seen as a "good" developer.

What the ***? They were considered a top 5 dev since the Warcraft 2 and Diablo 1 days, and have only risen in rank since. Today they're arguably the most powerful developer in the world (thanks to World of Warcraft and Starcraft, mainly).

Joe:
Blizzard hasn't made a good game since the original StarCraft. Go Firaxis!

what.

My vote's on Firaxis. No love from me for either but I really want to see Blizzard taken out.

I hate Blizzard for making a bajillion off 'World of Warcaft'. Its not so much the game itself, it's that I have to endure a sea of rip-offs and stupid clones that are hoping for some of the action. So screw them for taking single-player games behind a chemical shed and shooting it.

i'll vote blizzard for the epic feeling of its games... warcraft starcraft and diablo....

L.B. Jeffries:
I hate Blizzard for making a bajillion off 'World of Warcaft'. Its not so much the game itself, it's that I have to endure a sea of rip-offs and stupid clones that are hoping for some of the action. So screw them for taking single-player games behind a chemical shed and shooting it.

this just testifies to the success of blizzard. When people hate you for doing too good, then youre doing the right thing. I dont play or even like WoW either, but Blizzard is a beast of a developer, and has done a tremendous amount of good for Gaming on the PC platform.

Krazymagic:

L.B. Jeffries:
I hate Blizzard for making a bajillion off 'World of Warcaft'. Its not so much the game itself, it's that I have to endure a sea of rip-offs and stupid clones that are hoping for some of the action. So screw them for taking single-player games behind a chemical shed and shooting it.

this just testifies to the success of blizzard. When people hate you for doing too good, then youre doing the right thing. I dont play or even like WoW either, but Blizzard is a beast of a developer, and has done a tremendous amount of good for Gaming on the PC platform.

You think causing society to endure dozens of idioitic MMORPG clones for the next few years is a good thing? That's like saying because 'Armageddon' did well we should all be watching MORE asteroid movies.

The worst thing is that if any of those AAA companies bothered to ask the average gamer they'd find out they aren't going to make a penny. By the time people stop playing WoW they're going to be sick of the genre entirely.

CivIV: Possibly the best balanced turn based strategy game ever created. Keeps me entertained far longer than WoW, WC, or SC ever could. Getting zerged over and over gets really old really fast.

coolbone:
Getting zerged over and over gets really old really fast.

indeed, i've never forgiven Blizzard for creating a character rush in warcraft 3

nightfish:

coolbone:
Getting zerged over and over gets really old really fast.

indeed, i've never forgiven Blizzard for creating a character rush in warcraft 3

A... what?

Blizzard ate two casual years of my life, causing me to go back to WoW numerous times, but only making me stay a short while. Still, I have some great memories from there.

Firaxis swallowed two weeks of my lifetime whole. I was literally (temporarily) addicted to Civ 4 before starting Max Payne. Not-so-fun, actually.

Blizzard.

My vote is for Firaxis because Civ and Alpha Centuria are some of the best games i ever played
tho saying this I do have very fond memories of both the Crafts and Diablo, also Blizzard created Battlenet which was a big leap forward for easy online play.

But you can't mind staple your populace into not rioting when you save up nukes to remove a whole continent in one turn in Warcaft.

I love Sid and Brian.

L.B. Jeffries:

Krazymagic:

L.B. Jeffries:
I hate Blizzard for making a bajillion off 'World of Warcaft'. Its not so much the game itself, it's that I have to endure a sea of rip-offs and stupid clones that are hoping for some of the action. So screw them for taking single-player games behind a chemical shed and shooting it.

this just testifies to the success of blizzard. When people hate you for doing too good, then youre doing the right thing. I dont play or even like WoW either, but Blizzard is a beast of a developer, and has done a tremendous amount of good for Gaming on the PC platform.

You think causing society to endure dozens of idioitic MMORPG clones for the next few years is a good thing? That's like saying because 'Armageddon' did well we should all be watching MORE asteroid movies.

The worst thing is that if any of those AAA companies bothered to ask the average gamer they'd find out they aren't going to make a penny. By the time people stop playing WoW they're going to be sick of the genre entirely.

Ummm, what are you talking about? You are here to vote for Blizzard or another company, and you are some how saying that you are voting against blizzard for the following reason: "They cause society to endure dozens of idiotic mmorpg clones" And just how is blizzard responsible for that? Do they pay off all other mmo development companies to follow their lead? No they dont, but what it does show, is that When blizzard developed WoW, that it sent ripples through the online gaming industry like nothing ever has before it- And that my friend is success. It is the single biggest success of any online game, and that is reason enough to vote blizzard over firaxis.

Your argument that I quoted above is really poor, and makes you seem young and ignorant. Re-read carefullyand listen to what you actually said. Look beyond your own silly bias mindset.

to be honest i really think that people need to see past the whole WoW part of Blizzard. They have made a range of good games before that.

If your reason for voting against them is they're 'too good' then this tournament may very well come too a disappointing conclusion.

too be honest 'WoW' shows the same characteristics as drugs.
1. It's expensive
2. the 'dealers' make a ton of money
3. It's addictive
4. people who quit normally return
5. it's frowned upon by non-users
6. 'Users' gather in groups
7. it ruins your social life (and don't give me that 'but it's massively multi-player' ballony. You rarely actually meet the people, yet alone know there names.

Anyway if Blizzard get kicked out of this race because of huge success, all the other developers want to be like them and the voters find this annoying and want to make the CEO cry you'll probably find them to be the only one in the defeated section with such a big grin on their face.

Raveler:

Spinwhiz:
I really think it's a tough call. Blizzard start in 94 and has released a bunch of blockbusters, but they are more widely known now because of WoW. Prior to that, they were seen as a "good" developer.

What the ***? They were considered a top 5 dev since the Warcraft 2 and Diablo 1 days, and have only risen in rank since. Today they're arguably the most powerful developer in the world (thanks to World of Warcraft and Starcraft, mainly).

As strong as a company Blizzard has been, they have never been as strong as they are now, I agree. On the other hand, people knew the games Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, but did they really know Blizzard? I would have to say no unless you were really part of the industry or a hardcore gamer (which still puts them up there). My point was, they are now a household name when it comes to gaming. They didn't have that pre-WoW.

On another note, as I look at the score (60/40 Firaxis atm) Blizzard better rally their 10 million WoW users if they want to make it to the next round.

sammyfreak:
Having a perfect track record for the last 15 years is good enought for me, go go Blizzard!

Having a perfect track record for the last 20+ years is good enough for me, go go Sid!

Spinwhiz:

Raveler:

Spinwhiz:
I really think it's a tough call. Blizzard start in 94 and has released a bunch of blockbusters, but they are more widely known now because of WoW. Prior to that, they were seen as a "good" developer.

What the ***? They were considered a top 5 dev since the Warcraft 2 and Diablo 1 days, and have only risen in rank since. Today they're arguably the most powerful developer in the world (thanks to World of Warcraft and Starcraft, mainly).

As strong as a company Blizzard has been, they have never been as strong as they are now, I agree. On the other hand, people knew the games Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, but did they really know Blizzard? I would have to say no unless you were really part of the industry or a hardcore gamer (which still puts them up there). My point was, they are now a household name when it comes to gaming. They didn't have that pre-WoW.

On another note, as I look at the score (60/40 Firaxis atm) Blizzard better rally their 10 million WoW users if they want to make it to the next round.

To the WoW forums! Rally the horde and aliance to fight their new enemy, civilisation himself!

Caolinn:

what.

Let's break it down.

StarCraft: Brood War. Dicked up the balance completely.
Diablo 2. Completely missed Diablo's point. What was once about atmosphere and characters turned into a character-builder with cut-scenes.
Warcraft 3: Don't get me started. It used to be real-time strategy. WC3's genre was more about real-time build order.
WoW: I played WoW back when it was called EverQuest. It's good, if you can call derivative good.

That said, nothing but love for the folks at Blizzard. All their games are supremely well-crafted, and they've got a fan base I'd kill to have. I just don't agree with many of their design decisions of the past decade or so.

And when it comes to this vote, I've played all the Civ games from I to IV: Beyond the Sword, and while my heart pines for the first Diablo, I gotta go with the consistent A- over Blizzard's peaks and valleys.

sammyfreak:
To the WoW forums! Rally the horde and aliance to fight their new enemy, civilisation himself!

ok. that's funny. on so many levels.

Blizzard is getting owned.

Krazymagic:
[
Ummm, what are you talking about? You are here to vote for Blizzard or another company, and you are some how saying that you are voting against blizzard for the following reason: "They cause society to endure dozens of idiotic mmorpg clones" And just how is blizzard responsible for that? Do they pay off all other mmo development companies to follow their lead? No they dont, but what it does show, is that When blizzard developed WoW, that it sent ripples through the online gaming industry like nothing ever has before it- And that my friend is success. It is the single biggest success of any online game, and that is reason enough to vote blizzard over firaxis.

Your argument that I quoted above is really poor, and makes you seem young and ignorant. Re-read carefullyand listen to what you actually said. Look beyond your own silly bias mindset.

C'mon man, this isn't IGN. Don't resort to insulting my maturity or intelligence just because you don't agree with me. Sorry if my response offended you, I just don't get your argument.

ME: I'm voting against Blizzard because WoW has made so much cash that everyone is copying them now.

YOU: That's precisely why you should vote for them. No one is making other companies follow Blizzard. The fact that they are being copied is a testament to their greatness. Oh and, "you seem young and ignorant."

The thing you don't seem to understand is that there IS someone making game companies create MMORPGs. They're called investors. Stock owners. And they want a return on all that cash. And right now, Blizzard is making the most. So they're going to tell all those creative folks who want to make some cool game to put it on the backburner and make an MMORPG out of the fantasy that they can replicate WoW. They already are.

"it sent ripples through the online gaming industry like nothing ever has before it"

Yeah, it has. And I voted against Blizzard because they're all bad ones.

Firaxis. Never really enjoyed Civ IV, but I still play Civ III and love it.

I used to have a lot of respect for Blizzard studios, but their first and last game that really impressed me was Starcraft, though I did log my fair share of hours into Warcraft III.

After playing World of Warcraft for about two years, however, I can't say I like what they've done with that game up to this point. The code is a bloat of patchwork, some of it older than the game itself (the loot code, for example, was taken directly from Diablo before it saw a minor patch more than a year after WoW's release). Most characters within the game exist only to give out quests or to be killed by players with the exception of the game's single most popular character who was player-created (Leeroy Jenkins). The lore is now a joke; entire sections of which have been rewritten to accommodate a lack of creativity on the part of the developers...I could go on for quite a bit longer, but I'm just trying to express my dislike for Blizzard's World of Warcraft team, not rant (bloops -_-).

I realize Blizzard have more teams at work than just those working on WoW, which is why I haven't forsaken them. In fact, I really do hope Starcraft 2 turns out to be a great game, but hope for future titles doesn't earn votes.

<3 Pirates and Civ.

Even though I'm voting for Blizzard, I still love Firaxis for their Civilization series and really wish Blizzard would work on an other games besides another World of Warcraft expansion.

Also, wow at Firaxis currently beating Blizzard. Didn't think it could happen.

I think its funny that we have two companies that have probably destroyed more lives then any other (the other competitor being SOE).

Alpha Centauri is one of the greatest games ever made, and the rest of Firaxis's games are basically across the board great.

I don't really like Blizzard's games, although they are fun, they have done serious things to one's lives, even causing death. Their popularity is gained by their somewhat "simple yet addictive" gameplay which has bound lots of fanboys to their side. Their graphics have never improved, just look at Starcraft II, its just a bit better than Warcraft III, releasing at THIS point of time, where the market is ridden with next-gen games. Their games have destroyed many lives, especially with WoW, and people have died playing some of their games, not sleeping and eating just to play it continuously. (Seriously)People's addiction to WoW can destroy their lives, even if they refuse to admit it. I don't find the story of Warcraft III that great, i think its just because Arthas became and undead, and alot of people seem to be crazy over undead.

Firaxis has made some great strategic and tactical games, which, fortunately, have progressing graphics and gameplay over the generations.

Indalus:
I don't really like Blizzard's games, although they are fun, they have done serious things to one's lives, even causing death. Their popularity is gained by their somewhat "simple yet addictive" gameplay which has bound lots of fanboys to their side. Their graphics have never improved, just look at Starcraft II, its just a bit better than Warcraft III, releasing at THIS point of time, where the market is ridden with next-gen games. Their games have destroyed many lives, especially with WoW, and people have died playing some of their games, not sleeping and eating just to play it continuously. (Seriously)People's addiction to WoW can destroy their lives, even if they refuse to admit it. I don't find the story of Warcraft III that great, i think its just because Arthas became and undead, and alot of people seem to be crazy over undead.

So your blaming Blizzard because some people refuse to use common sense?

Man, you aren't exactly a bright one are ya?