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When I think back to some of the games I’ve played this year, it’s an impressive list: God of War 3. Red Dead Redemption. Super Mario Galaxy 2.
The quality of these games is staggering (minus the occasional donkey woman, which, I would argue, adds character), and perhaps rightfully so. They all come from big-ticket developers who, at least from our vantage point, seem to have the necessary time and resources to fully realize their vision.
As such, we have developers we expect great things from. If someone ever has an argument about the best developer out there, it would be easy to make a case for, say, Nintendo. Fans of Infinity Ward. Rockstar San Diego, Blizzard, and Sony Santa Monica likely wouldn't break a sweat either.
But more recently a few less hyped, yet tons-o'-fun games have occupied my time, and that got me thinking (with apologies to old friend Shane Bettenhausen): What is the secret best developer going right now? Which developer could you throw into the above argument and make a legitimate case for that isn't already a household name?
Last generation, I’d argue the title would have gone to either Criterion (Burnout series, Black) or Pandemic (Mercenaries, Star Wars: Battlefront, Destroy All Humans!).
This generation? Well, let’s look at some contenders.
Initially, Realtime Worlds seemed like a surefire hit after their splash with Crackdown. But given what’s happened since (not developing Crackdown 2, releasing the poorly received APB), I’d dismiss them. A company like DICE is on the brink. Everyone know the developer of Mirror’s Edge and the Battlefield games, yes?
How about Bizarre Creations? This developer’s highlights include Blur, The Club, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, and the Project Gotham Racing games. I haven’t played PGR4 or The Club, but by most accounts, they are well loved (although more divided on The Club). And the time I’ve put into Blur -- one of my current games -- has impressed me.
My vote, however, would go to Volition. These guys have given us Red Faction: Guerrilla, Saints Row, and Saints Row 2. Having just now crossed Guerrilla off my pile of shame, I’ve collectively put plenty of hours into this trio of games. I’d also argue that the open-world genre has defined this generation. That in mind, Volition has given us games in which messing around in the world itself is as satisfying as the game proper. Guerrilla’s sledgehammer, for one, is a joy to play with. And those who knock the Saints Row games as mere GTA clones are missing a world that rewards players for getting off track -- which some argue is when GTA is at its finest.
I feel this is just the beginning of the list, though -- Monolith, Sucker Punch, and plenty more not-quite-mainstream developers come to mind, each with legitimate beefs. We all have companies and games we admire, plus, who doesn’t like being able to say they were steering the ship before everyone else jumped onboard? It’s like being the first one to tell his friends that The Wire is great (which I was not), or that they absolutely need to watch Mad Men (which I did).
As we all know, secrets are meant to be shared. So now it's your turn. What are your choices for secret best developer?
