The only people who say Valve are innovators are people who aren't looking around enough.

Who innovates? Clover Studios did. That's probably why they got shut down.

Treasure... well, they didn't exactly innovate... they just did everything so damn WELL. They took every IP they were handed and made the best game in that series.

Inti makes good games. The Zero series was superb and they took every game in the series to the next level.

And like it or not, Rockstar innovates. Just think about it. Where Rockstar leads (pun... haw), EVERYONE follows. You've heard the phrase, "It's like GTA, but...", right? Nuff said.

Phoenix Arrow:

Codgo:
Audiosurf kicks ass.

Aye, but you wouldn't know what it was if Valve didn't support it, am I right?
Ticks for Valve.

Well of course, i mentioned Valve in my previous comments. The support they show for new talent and small developers is something to be admired.

Stubee:

harhol:

PersianLlama:
Valve.

Yup. What they've done for content distribution is nothing short of incredible. Would there even be an XBLA or a PS Network today if it wasn't for Steam?

And then there are the games they've made as well.

Let's hear it for Valve!

What have they actually done? Other than stick to making mediocre overrated fps's and then making a gimmick which got old in two hours (which was lucky because the game was over by then anyway)

Now IMO the ONLY game coming out soon that is pretty unique is Dead Space. Strategic dismemberment, no hud or out of game menus, zero gravity fighting and puzzles...All this looks brilliant and refreshing! Only weird thing is the developer is EA!

Nod goes to whoever is making Mirrors Edge but i personally believe a FPS game based on Parkour just isnt going to work but i would like o be surprised.

dude dead space is just RE4 in space, there is very little revolutionary about it, i would like to play it though, mirror's edge isn't very special either but i think it looks fun.

Hunde Des Krieg:

Stubee:

harhol:

PersianLlama:
Valve.

Yup. What they've done for content distribution is nothing short of incredible. Would there even be an XBLA or a PS Network today if it wasn't for Steam?

And then there are the games they've made as well.

Let's hear it for Valve!

What have they actually done? Other than stick to making mediocre overrated fps's and then making a gimmick which got old in two hours (which was lucky because the game was over by then anyway)

Now IMO the ONLY game coming out soon that is pretty unique is Dead Space. Strategic dismemberment, no hud or out of game menus, zero gravity fighting and puzzles...All this looks brilliant and refreshing! Only weird thing is the developer is EA!

Nod goes to whoever is making Mirrors Edge but i personally believe a FPS game based on Parkour just isnt going to work but i would like o be surprised.

dude dead space is just RE4 in space, there is very little revolutionary about it, i would like to play it though, mirror's edge isn't very special either but i think it looks fun.

I recently got to play Dead Space, it was entertaining but it did feel alot like RE4 in space admittedly. Mirror's Edge failed to impress me, Valve's Left 4 Dead was a really refleshing and purely amazing experience.

I did i brief preview of them here about 2 weeks ago:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.72732

Refleshing... I see what you did there...

Fasa Studios gets my vote. They are involved in a lot of different projects with different companies. They made the original ShadowRun on Sega Genesis, and then did it again on 360. Now, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but it certainly is forward-thinking to do an all online game like that. They also had a hand in Fable, if I'm remembering that correctly. And Mass Effect too. Although those last two might be my mind playing tricks.

Counterstrike with magic and cybernetics was maybe not as original but they had source material to work within.

OuroborosChoked:
Refleshing... I see what you did there...

Just trying to be fair and informative rather than a cunt.

Crunchy English:
Fasa Studios gets my vote. They are involved in a lot of different projects with different companies. They made the original ShadowRun on Sega Genesis, and then did it again on 360. Now, I know I'm in the minority on this one, but it certainly is forward-thinking to do an all online game like that. They also had a hand in Fable, if I'm remembering that correctly. And Mass Effect too. Although those last two might be my mind playing tricks.

Counterstrike with magic and cybernetics was maybe not as original but they had source material to work within.

It was a shame that studio closed down. Game didn't sell so well, making it DX10 only like Halo 2 for Vista was a complete failure tho. Gotta give them credit for trying something different.

I vote Insomniac.

ubisoft, far cry 2 ftw

Sir_Substance:
blizzard, valve and even EA have all done their part to push it forward, but in recent years, they have produced only decent, mediocre and piss poor games respectively. Bethesda is putting its heart into it, and whilst they are stumbling a bit, i still hold none but the highest respect for them.

I know what you're talkin' about dude, but I have to say that blizzard for one has only -ever- made kickass, extremely polished games. I'm sitting here trying to think of a bad installment of diablo, starcraft or warcraft (including WoW) and, apart from, i guess, the burning crusade, which killed WoW for me, they have made insane games, all of them groundbreaking, every time.

I don't think EA should count as they are pretty much the quintessential new-age pre-depression company: combining money making mass-production tactics with gaming.

Bethesda have always made the highest standard of games, but they have not made -many- games, compared to other companies. And I don't mean that literally, I mean that they have had a lower profile. Which i don't neccisarily hold against them.

Bethesda. God i love them guys, im not even gay but i totaly would anyway.

OuroborosChoked:
The only people who say Valve are innovators are people who aren't looking around enough.

Who innovates? Clover Studios did. That's probably why they got shut down.

Treasure... well, they didn't exactly innovate... they just did everything so damn WELL. They took every IP they were handed and made the best game in that series.

Inti makes good games. The Zero series was superb and they took every game in the series to the next level.

And like it or not, Rockstar innovates. Just think about it. Where Rockstar leads (pun... haw), EVERYONE follows. You've heard the phrase, "It's like GTA, but...", right? Nuff said.

Well, your argument would have merit, if it weren't for the fact that the FPS genre, as a whole, owes it's current state and ideals to what Valve has done, past and present. Likewise, digital distribution and services like Live wouldn't even be on the map were it not for Steam. I say you're guilty of NOT looking for true innovators based on your personal game preferences rather than us not looking hard enough.

Bioware, Bethesda, Free Radical, Ubisoft and Gearbox have made some of my favorite titles and still continue to, all argument aside, these guys are good

Having played the Valkyria Chronicles demo I am compelled to say Wow Entertainment.

Interestingly, they're the same company that made the House of the Dead series.

harhol:
Having played the Valkyria Chronicles demo I am compelled to say Wow Entertainment.

Interestingly, they're the same company that made the House of the Dead series.

Is that the ps3 exsclusive tactical warshooter i've been hearing about? Almost makes me wanna get a ps3...

Yeah. The trailers don't do it justice. I actually thought the gameplay looked pretty ordinary until I tried it. Shame it only lasts about ten minutes!

The industry stopped advancing for me a long time ago. It's those amazing revolutionary games that are deceptively simple but are so deep in the end. Starcraft, is the peak of gaming, unless something comes that can truly allow interaction with others, creativity, style, and even intelligence show through in the way you play, then you know you have a good game. Starcraft is art.

I'm echoing the Valve praise and and giving a big ol' WORD to Insomniac and their ilk. Their platformers were nothing short of phenomenal and Insomniac's PS3 R&C games look jaw-dropping and still retain their humor and fun. UbiSoft is another I think does some amazing stuff (BG&E jumps to mind).

I'm going to also toss in Clover Studios. Okami was an astounding game, perhaps the best I've played since old Super Metroid. Capcom should be shot for closing Clover down.

You can't really name any single video game developer and be like "Myaaah! These guys drive the industry forward!" So, I'm going to list a few.

id Software. The fathers of the FPS. Nearly all their games are top notch quality, the only exceptions are games that are actually developed by Raven, not id themselves. Most known for their game engines, the id Tech 3 engine (Quake III) is one of the best game engines ever created. Always on the edge of technology, they drive the industry forward by giving us some old school frags in next generation engines.

Valve Software. Although I hate DoD: Source and DoD Retail, I don't really enjoy Counter-Strike I still love Valve because they do develop quality games at great value. They are the people behind Steam. Steam brings user friendliness to the world of PC gaming. They also provide some fantastic support for 3rd party mod developers and other companies who wish to distribute their games over Steam.

Relic Entertainment. Relic brought us Homeworld. Homeworld is probably the most unique strategy games to ever come to the PC. They brought us incredible strategic control while giving us an easy to use interface. Everything about the game was all well thought out to give us an fantastic masterpiece that has yet to be duplicated.

Maddox Games.

shatnershaman:

harhol:

Would there even be an XBLA or a PS Network today if it wasn't for Steam?

XBL came out a year earlier so yes.

True, but Steam was in Beta for literally a year.

XBL originally was a shell compared to what it is today, and that is thanks to Steam.

Hmm, has anyone looked at the CitiesXL game which is being developed by MonteCristo? They are really doing some crazy stuff with that game, and I hope it will succeed. Obviously Will Wright and Sid are doing some pretty forward stuff. But I think that the larger part of the gaming industry is desperatly trying to copy games that are succeeding.

Meh..

I know I am going to regret saying this but Bungie. Not for their game but for . . . well I guess you could call it how they treat their comunnity. Forge, saved films (there going to soon release an update that will allow you to show your films online through Bungie), easy stat tracking, Bungie.net , their continued online support. You can say what you want about their games and their community (a bunch of dicks, I know) but they do try.

ok, moving on.

Valve. I could spend forever stating why but everyone already did.

Actually I can't think of another one that hasn't been stated.

OuroborosChoked:
The only people who say Valve are innovators are people who aren't looking around enough.

I don't think anyone said that Valve were the only innovators but they are one of the predominant forces which are pushing games forward. Treasure and Clover were both great studios but the sad fact is their games didn't really have any effect on the industry and therefore you can't really say that they're pushing games forward since their ideas have been left behind.

Sad but true I'm afraid.

Inti I've never heard of so I'm just going to smile and nod. Right with you for Rockstar though. Still, don't knock Valve; theres a reason why so many people are mentioning them here in this thread.

Strafe Mcgee:

Inti I've never heard of so I'm just going to smile and nod. Right with you for Rockstar though. Still, don't knock Valve; theres a reason why so many people are mentioning them here in this thread.

Mega Man 9, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX.

Though they're all nice (albeit old-school) games, Inti Creates has done really nothing to move the industry forward. It'd be a better argument to say that they're stuck in the past.

But yes, Valve really has tried to move game storytelling forward. While I admit that the stories Valve are telling aren't terribly original, the fact that they tell the story through the darn game instead of some 10 minute CGI cutscene is to be lauded. Steam? A big step for digital distribution. Steamworks? Another big step.

Media Molecule and Epic have pushing towards moddability in the console landscape and though I can already think of things you can't do in LBP, it's a really nice step in the right direction for the game industry in general. Epic basically dropped the ball with their audio hurdles, but the mod feature being there at all is something consoles haven't seen (officially anyway).

Then there's Microsoft with XNA and its vision of the "Youtube of gaming" but they really aren't there yet. It might get on the list if they make progress there.

Valve, Blizzard if it doesn't F**K up this trilogy mess.

Insomniac. They took a regular shooter and gave it some fucking depth. R&C great, Resistance? Another great soon to be series by them.

Blizzard - They atleast do a lot of testing to make sure the games functional.

Fireaxis or whatever - They gave us civilization IV. That game might as well be perfect as they come.

Bethesda - They gave us morrowind. They got drunk/high as a kite off the profits. They tryed to make oblivion while under that effect. -Crosses fingers and hopes they put the pipe down and actually put some work into fallout 3-

People who should switch to movies - Kojima - Move your ass! (He kinda fits both, all the current 4 MGS's revolutionize some concept.(MGS4 kinda waivers around.)

Ensemble Studios - Oh how I will miss AoE. :( Please say you arn't going!

Woe Is You:

Strafe Mcgee:

Inti I've never heard of so I'm just going to smile and nod. Right with you for Rockstar though. Still, don't knock Valve; theres a reason why so many people are mentioning them here in this thread.

Mega Man 9, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX.

Ah. Yeah, continuing to make retro Megaman games isn't exactly pushing things forward... Still good games though, I must admit.