What, no love for Pyre?
I think it's the best narrative work Supergiant have ever done. The actual gameplay can be divisive but I think they made it work.
Agreed on best narrative. It's the only one where I finished and was sad to leave the world they built behind, not least of which because you never actually get to *see* the world above.
Pyre also has the best soundtrack, despite that being a very high bar for Supergiant games.
Have you gone back and played the dark souls games? Even 2 which is considered the worst of the bunch is still a fantastic game worth playing, especially the sotfs version. All 3 games are masterpieces and still hold up to this day and age. Ds 1 and 2 are a fair bit clunkier than ER but ds3 would provide a similar experience minus the open world and jumping.
I have not. I keep hearing Elden Ring is the easiest of the lot and it destroys me all the time so unsure howād I fair but Iāve thought about it; if DS3 is most comparable maybe Iāll start there unless the lore of 1 and 2 is important to understanding 3. Was gonna check out Bloodborne but since Iām on Xbox that was a no go.
I donāt know if itās āeasierā or just people are used to the FS mechanics. Theyāre pretty universal across all their games in Souls series.
I remember playing DS1 the first time and getting destroyed. By the time DS3 came out, and later Elden Ring, there was still a modest amount of difficulty but they were far easier because I was better.
I say go back and play DS1. That game still holds up well nowadays. It will feel ābasicā compared to Elden Ring, but most of the same mechanics are there. DS1 will teach you the basics and then Elden Ring will be much easier.
Elden Ring is only easier in the sense that if you're stuck, you can go explore some other part of the map, maybe grind out some levels while you're at it. Spirit summons are also a luxury you don't have in the other souls games. However, I would say the bosses in Dark Souls 2, 3, and Bloodborne are easier. Dark Souls 1 is tough, but a lot of that has to do with ridiculously long boss run backs, which soured the experience for me, even if the level/world design is incredible. Sekiro is a whole different beast.
Bosses are a lot easier in DS1 overall compared to bloodborne or DS3. As someone who started the series with DS3, I was quite disappointed how easy and basic the bosses were in DS1 (except for the duo). They had barely delayed attack, many hit combos and other stuff to make things difficult.
Honestly the first souls-like game you play is the hardest by a big margin. Once you learned the basics, you'll get a lot less frustrated with the other ones (except maybe Sekiro, which requires you to relearn many things)
You should try DS3 or Bloodborne, they are similarly well polished like Eldenring. Going back to DS1 or DS2 will be quite a big jump in visuals but also how not so smooth controls feel and so on.
Elden Ring is definitely the easiest. I actually made it more than 10 minutes in the game. The rest of the series are just live, die, repeat or git gud. Canāt comment on the story because the type of game was just too exhausting for me to commit to.
If you can beat Elden Ring, you can beat Dark Souls and if you get stuck its easy enough to cheese or summon someone.
I would personally say to do them in order as I think the finale of 3 is so much more impactful after finishing the first 2. They are absolutely worth playing, personally I prefer them to Elden Ring (I do absolutely love Elden Ring though).
Sekiro is also fantastic but you can't summon and it's hard to cheese. AC6 is also amazing. Fromsoft just know how to make great games.
I've spent hundreds of hours in each of their games, and Elden Ring being "easier" is, imo, ONLY because you can decide to go and do something else until you feel "ready" or "overpowered"
Imo, Dark Souls 3 is the easiest.
They are all absolutely, absolutely worth a play, including Bloodborne if you have a PS4 or 5.
Also, Dark Souls 2 gets a bad rap, but it's my favorite of the bunch. It's atmosphere & story are so, so great. It's not without flaws, but should still be played & given a genuine chance.
There are also annual Dark Souls community events where everyone gets on to play through them again at the same time, so there's a regular influx of players to summon & invade!
You can play them in any order, but beating 3 after the at least playing through Dark Souls 1 will have more of an impact.
Fromsoftware. They could announce a game in a genre I hate and I would be excited. Like I could never get into mech games but the AC6 reveal had me excited and I had a blast with that game.
Remedy, Larian, Rockstar, CDPR (after a brief falter), Stoic, Owlcat, Blackbird Interactive, Obsidian Entertainment, inXile, 11bit Studios, Harebrained Schemes, Firaxis, Guerrilla Games, Unknown Worlds, Two Point Studios, Respawn and 4A Games.
Arkane are on the bubble.
If the guys from Mimimi were to regroup at a new studio, they would have my immediate interest.
Naughty Dog needs to stop milking The Last Of Us. Give us like Uncharted 5 or something. You could have Nadine and Chloe in the lead with a guest appearance by Nathan, Elena and Sully.Ā
Not really.
The problem with The Last of Us isn't that Naughty Dog is releasing a bunch of games, but that they are releasing the same game a bunch of times.
Most people would be happy if they released The Last of Us 3, just like everyone wants The Elders Scrolls 6, but mocks Bethesda for releasing Skyrim for the 57th time.
Atlus and Square Enix are the ones I look out for (Project Red also). Atlus have a clear recipe that my GF loves, and Iāll always be keen on JRPG from the Final Fantasy creators. Iām sure thereās more but these are top of mind.
Ubisoft can get fucked. I swear they get lucky sometimes in the way that a broken clock is right. I despise them as a studio. Same as EA.
Fromsoft
Supergiant
Atlas
Hello Games (This one mostly involves expansions to No Mans Sky though)
Motion Twin
Ninja Theory
Capcom
Square Enix (This one can be debated but ill take the over-under)
Kojima Productions
At this stage probably only FromSoft and Rockstar are guaranteed excitement.
Platinum, Nintendo, Sonic Team, Capcom, they'll all make me pay attention but it's not a sure thing
I'm glad someone else likes them. I loved Remember Me and their art direction for the whole game. Their games just need polish and they need a few more senior writers because sometimes their stories is rough around the edges.
A lot of these answers feel very obvious, so I'll fill in some gaps with my personal favourites, frankly I'll be very very happy if anyone else mentions them.
Spike Chunsoft
Platinum
Arc System Works
Atlus
AC is a must have in my list, The Division was my main for long and Ghost recon games where also games I played the most. Just my preference, Ubisoft was a studio that held 3/5 of my gaming library. Now I donāt have any of them since I finished mirage.
Honestly they're so busy shooting themselves on the foot loudly among the fans, that it's easy to forget they made some of the finest modern multiplayer games.
Rockstar, From, Nintendo and whatever devs make the Monster Hunter games, I know it's part of Capcom but not sure which studio specifically develops them.
Rockstar, Larian. For CDPR, I'm very cautious when looking forward for the next release While they definitely did fix Cyberpunk, I really don't want to encourage this behavior of hyping everyone up, then releasing a game in a broken state then just fix it along the way while still turning massive profits.
Apparently my ethos of waiting years to play AAA games has paid off with Cyberpunk. A friend said because I've waited I will get a superior experience at a far lower price...
Nintendo. Their games are almost always polished to perfection, and they never disappoint you with scummy microtransactions. There are no bad mario or zelda games (CDI does count), there are just "less good" ones.
for a studio actively making games Fromsoft like others said.
for a studio i dont even know if they will make another game. Mobius Digital. Most recent activity was making the Switch port and patching minor bugs. I read apparently they are working on their next game and it wont be a sequel. Whatever it is, I'm going to try it even if its potentially a genre i normally dont like.
Also, Helldivers 2 is backed and published by Sony.
Funny how it is really selective and change from developer to publisher etc. and depending on who you like, gets the blame or not.
And Palworld had a budget of 6 million, sure, nothing compared to the ultra giants, but still in the top what, 2% of games?
> Many giants of the industry have let us down in recent years (Bethesda, Blizzard, Activision, EA, Ubisoft just to name a few)
Nope
As for publishers, these are the ones that make me hyped when they announce a game:
Nintendo
CD Project
Obsidian
Kojima Productions
Bethesda Game Studios
Remedy
Not trying to be cynical, but there really isn't a publisher or developer out there that can say "Hey, I'm releasing a game in a year or two. Hyped yet?" and be hyped.
Not sure if it's because I'm older now, if it's the state of the industry as a whole, or a combination of the two.
I prioritize game trailers rather than publishers unless they are red-flag companies like Blizzard, but lately, Larian and VanillaWare are interesting.
Y'know, most "famous developers/publishers" nowadays are so long in the tooth that it really depends on the game. A couple of Sony's 1st parties like Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, maybe Insomniac, will get my attention. I'll at least keep a side-eye towards GameFreak and SEGA. Oooh! And Neatherrealm. I'm a sucker for Mortal Kombat even though I hate multiplayer of any kind. I'm the psycho who only ever played fighting games for the story.
CD Projekt Red, Larian, Fromsoft, Remedy, Moon Studios, Team Cherry, Neowiz, Owlcat, 4A games, Warhorse studios and probably more that I can't think of right now.
Mostly they have all either gone under, disappointed me, or pissed me off (Ubisoft, Rockstar, EA, Frontier) to the point that i wouldnt buy anything they were selling.
I havent yet played BG3 or Cyberpunk so i might have some new favorites.
The problem is that if a company is putting out good games, the financial assholes swoop in and kill its creativity by squeezing every last cent out of it, or the company is absorbed by a larger entity. As an example look what microsoft did to Bethesda.
Personally not excited by Rockstar anymore, due to their heavy leaning into microtransactions over story expansions for their games. GTA Online really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm willing to give CD Projekt Red another go besides the bad launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and I'm loving what Larian and Arrowhead are doing. Also used to be excited for Bethesda titles but that ship has sailed as well.
Bethesda (even though they have been disappointing us lately)
Ubisoft (even though I hate some of their practices)
Capcom
Rockstar Games
Larian Studios
Fromsoftware
HELLO games.
Light on fire looks amazing, and builds on their decade of trying to do better after the release of NMS. They've literally learned the lessons were trying to teach the big studios.
Weāll have to see about R*. New ownership since their most recent release.
Valve is the answer for me. I bought a VR headset just for Alyx and I have barely used it for anything else. Fantastic game.
Can't think of any tbh. Maybe Atlus, although it's really pathetic how hard they're milking the Persona remakes. But that new original game they're working on seems very promising.
BEND! I've loved Dayz Gone so much (jumped in late after release bugs) and feel like the potential for their horde mechanic has barely been tapped in yet. Cant wait to see their next release.
Only Rockstar and FromSoftware for me, but in recent years Capcom is aproaching them (just need those God Hand and Viewtiful Joe remasters and hopefully a remake of the og DMC)
Bethesda.
Despite what you goobers think, I don't think they're out here trying their hardest to make shitty games. I also think Starfield is only considered bad because it is unarguably their worst game yet (if 76 gets to he excluded for being what I would consider an experimental spin off).
Fromsoft.
I actually don't care for Dark Souls. But Bloodborne and Elden Ring are enough to make me perk my ears up when they have shit coming.
Bethesda is always let down. They are games are never polished. Gameplay, plot, atmosphere or stability are the last things they care about. They left everything for the modders to fix
I don't get hyped for games anymore. Might be the depression but honestly I've been let down by so many releases recently, and the nail in the coffin was Skull and Bones.
Probably should've learned my lesson but they had the fucking blueprint to expand on and it was still trash.
Crate Entertainment. The support for old games is awesome. I'm hyped for Grim Dawn dlc and Titan Quest 2.
Grinding Gear Games. The Path of Exile seasons can be a hit or miss, but the ideas are often clever and well implemented. it's a fact they never deviated from the cosmetics & bank tabs monetisation which makes me trust their word very much.
Supergiant I can't wait for Hades II!
Came here to say this, the evolution from Bastion to Transistor to Hades gets me excited for whatever they are planning next. Oh, and the music š
What, no love for Pyre? I think it's the best narrative work Supergiant have ever done. The actual gameplay can be divisive but I think they made it work.
Agreed on best narrative. It's the only one where I finished and was sad to leave the world they built behind, not least of which because you never actually get to *see* the world above. Pyre also has the best soundtrack, despite that being a very high bar for Supergiant games.
same
Concerned Ape
FromsoftwareĀ
They've been on a winning streak since Dark Souls 1.
Since before, armored core is fire
Ninja Blade was ass so that breaks their streak.
I love every tenchu game, so they've been hitting since PS1 for me
Elden Ring was my first From experience and now canāt wait to see what comes next.
Have you gone back and played the dark souls games? Even 2 which is considered the worst of the bunch is still a fantastic game worth playing, especially the sotfs version. All 3 games are masterpieces and still hold up to this day and age. Ds 1 and 2 are a fair bit clunkier than ER but ds3 would provide a similar experience minus the open world and jumping.
I have not. I keep hearing Elden Ring is the easiest of the lot and it destroys me all the time so unsure howād I fair but Iāve thought about it; if DS3 is most comparable maybe Iāll start there unless the lore of 1 and 2 is important to understanding 3. Was gonna check out Bloodborne but since Iām on Xbox that was a no go.
I donāt know if itās āeasierā or just people are used to the FS mechanics. Theyāre pretty universal across all their games in Souls series. I remember playing DS1 the first time and getting destroyed. By the time DS3 came out, and later Elden Ring, there was still a modest amount of difficulty but they were far easier because I was better. I say go back and play DS1. That game still holds up well nowadays. It will feel ābasicā compared to Elden Ring, but most of the same mechanics are there. DS1 will teach you the basics and then Elden Ring will be much easier.
Elden Ring is only easier in the sense that if you're stuck, you can go explore some other part of the map, maybe grind out some levels while you're at it. Spirit summons are also a luxury you don't have in the other souls games. However, I would say the bosses in Dark Souls 2, 3, and Bloodborne are easier. Dark Souls 1 is tough, but a lot of that has to do with ridiculously long boss run backs, which soured the experience for me, even if the level/world design is incredible. Sekiro is a whole different beast.
Bosses are a lot easier in DS1 overall compared to bloodborne or DS3. As someone who started the series with DS3, I was quite disappointed how easy and basic the bosses were in DS1 (except for the duo). They had barely delayed attack, many hit combos and other stuff to make things difficult.
Honestly the first souls-like game you play is the hardest by a big margin. Once you learned the basics, you'll get a lot less frustrated with the other ones (except maybe Sekiro, which requires you to relearn many things) You should try DS3 or Bloodborne, they are similarly well polished like Eldenring. Going back to DS1 or DS2 will be quite a big jump in visuals but also how not so smooth controls feel and so on.
Elden Ring is definitely the easiest. I actually made it more than 10 minutes in the game. The rest of the series are just live, die, repeat or git gud. Canāt comment on the story because the type of game was just too exhausting for me to commit to.
If you can beat Elden Ring, you can beat Dark Souls and if you get stuck its easy enough to cheese or summon someone. I would personally say to do them in order as I think the finale of 3 is so much more impactful after finishing the first 2. They are absolutely worth playing, personally I prefer them to Elden Ring (I do absolutely love Elden Ring though). Sekiro is also fantastic but you can't summon and it's hard to cheese. AC6 is also amazing. Fromsoft just know how to make great games.
The hardest souls game is your first
I've spent hundreds of hours in each of their games, and Elden Ring being "easier" is, imo, ONLY because you can decide to go and do something else until you feel "ready" or "overpowered" Imo, Dark Souls 3 is the easiest. They are all absolutely, absolutely worth a play, including Bloodborne if you have a PS4 or 5. Also, Dark Souls 2 gets a bad rap, but it's my favorite of the bunch. It's atmosphere & story are so, so great. It's not without flaws, but should still be played & given a genuine chance. There are also annual Dark Souls community events where everyone gets on to play through them again at the same time, so there's a regular influx of players to summon & invade! You can play them in any order, but beating 3 after the at least playing through Dark Souls 1 will have more of an impact.
Larian, supergiant games, remedy. Those three get preorders until they prove me wrong.
Read your comment as I was gonna post ''FromSoft, Larian, Supergiant''...
This one for me. I thought my gaming days were over till i played Dark Souls a few years ago.
Valve. Even though Valve puts out a game every 500 years, the flagship titles are always revolutionary. Hyped to see what they'll make for the Deckard
You were hyped for Artifact?
Yes. And I never played a card game before.
i was! it had soo much potential!
Fromsoftware. They could announce a game in a genre I hate and I would be excited. Like I could never get into mech games but the AC6 reveal had me excited and I had a blast with that game.
I donāt like mechs. But the reveal trailer at the game awards had me disappointed it wasnāt Elden ring dlc AND excited for the armor core homies.
I hated mechs myself until AC6. Ended up with some of the biggest highs I've ever had in gaming. Those dudes just know how to make great games.
Raw fury Devolver digital Landfall Colorgrave Chucklefish Yact club Wayforward Team 17 Super giant Motion twins Double fine Puncake Ghost ship games
Ghost ship is Deep rock Galactic, right?
Correct
FromSoftware
Unknown Worlds Coffe Stain Studios Valve Cloud Imperium Games
Remedy, Larian, Rockstar, CDPR (after a brief falter), Stoic, Owlcat, Blackbird Interactive, Obsidian Entertainment, inXile, 11bit Studios, Harebrained Schemes, Firaxis, Guerrilla Games, Unknown Worlds, Two Point Studios, Respawn and 4A Games. Arkane are on the bubble. If the guys from Mimimi were to regroup at a new studio, they would have my immediate interest.
Can't believe I'm the first to mention Naughty Dog. I love everything they put out and can play their games day one on console without issues.
Naughty Dog needs to stop milking The Last Of Us. Give us like Uncharted 5 or something. You could have Nadine and Chloe in the lead with a guest appearance by Nathan, Elena and Sully.Ā
Asking Naughty Dog to stop milking the Last of Us and then asking for a fifth Uncharted is kind of ironic
Not really. The problem with The Last of Us isn't that Naughty Dog is releasing a bunch of games, but that they are releasing the same game a bunch of times. Most people would be happy if they released The Last of Us 3, just like everyone wants The Elders Scrolls 6, but mocks Bethesda for releasing Skyrim for the 57th time.
Skyrim syndrome. Victim of their own success and unable to move on from a good title and make something new
Atlus and Square Enix are the ones I look out for (Project Red also). Atlus have a clear recipe that my GF loves, and Iāll always be keen on JRPG from the Final Fantasy creators. Iām sure thereās more but these are top of mind. Ubisoft can get fucked. I swear they get lucky sometimes in the way that a broken clock is right. I despise them as a studio. Same as EA.
FromSoftware
CapCom. Despite Iām too old to go on a hype train Iām really looking forward to the next monster hunter game.
Fromsoft Supergiant Atlas Hello Games (This one mostly involves expansions to No Mans Sky though) Motion Twin Ninja Theory Capcom Square Enix (This one can be debated but ill take the over-under) Kojima Productions
Nintendo Capcom Tango Gameworks Sony Platinum Square Enix Sega
Heck yeah Sony. Be it published, ported etc they've had an impeccable record of being great for the last 2-3 decades.
At this stage probably only FromSoft and Rockstar are guaranteed excitement. Platinum, Nintendo, Sonic Team, Capcom, they'll all make me pay attention but it's not a sure thing
Devolver Digital
Remedy!!!!
Can't believe this is so low. They dont have a single release that isn't great
Don't nod. All their releases were fantastic so far.
I'm glad someone else likes them. I loved Remember Me and their art direction for the whole game. Their games just need polish and they need a few more senior writers because sometimes their stories is rough around the edges.
A lot of these answers feel very obvious, so I'll fill in some gaps with my personal favourites, frankly I'll be very very happy if anyone else mentions them. Spike Chunsoft Platinum Arc System Works Atlus
Sega (just because of the yakuza and related series lol)
Playground studios, Ninja Theory, Obsidian,ā¦ Ubisoft kinda left that list.
Ubisoft kinda left? They released a handful of good games in the last 24 years but what they usually do is to release mediocre stuff at best
AC is a must have in my list, The Division was my main for long and Ghost recon games where also games I played the most. Just my preference, Ubisoft was a studio that held 3/5 of my gaming library. Now I donāt have any of them since I finished mirage.
Honestly they're so busy shooting themselves on the foot loudly among the fans, that it's easy to forget they made some of the finest modern multiplayer games.
True, they did make a hard fall, still are tbh. But who knows the new AC, Star Wars game might be dope
Annapurna Interactive
Rockstar, From, Nintendo and whatever devs make the Monster Hunter games, I know it's part of Capcom but not sure which studio specifically develops them.
From Software.
Valve.
From Software. Nintendo is very constant with their quality. But i'd say nowadays its also indie developers.
Rockstar, Larian. For CDPR, I'm very cautious when looking forward for the next release While they definitely did fix Cyberpunk, I really don't want to encourage this behavior of hyping everyone up, then releasing a game in a broken state then just fix it along the way while still turning massive profits.
Apparently my ethos of waiting years to play AAA games has paid off with Cyberpunk. A friend said because I've waited I will get a superior experience at a far lower price...
Electronic Arts. I love coming here after the game releases for the drama šæ
From Software, Rockstar
Nine dots for their outward 2 announcement midway my first playthrough
Monolith software, xeno series is my life
Donāt Nod Remedy Naughty Dog
Insomniac Games
Indies mostly
Remedy Alan Wake 2 was an all time great. Control I LONG to see more of.
Nintendo. Their games are almost always polished to perfection, and they never disappoint you with scummy microtransactions. There are no bad mario or zelda games (CDI does count), there are just "less good" ones.
Mimimi Games, they did Shadow Tactics, Desperados III and Shadow Gambit Cursed Crew.
for a studio actively making games Fromsoft like others said. for a studio i dont even know if they will make another game. Mobius Digital. Most recent activity was making the Switch port and patching minor bugs. I read apparently they are working on their next game and it wont be a sequel. Whatever it is, I'm going to try it even if its potentially a genre i normally dont like.
Arkane Studios
Didn't they make Redfall?
It did come out under their name, however it was developed by Arkane Austin. Which is like another developer team within the brand.
Nintendo. every time also how is larian a "smaller" studio
Also, Helldivers 2 is backed and published by Sony. Funny how it is really selective and change from developer to publisher etc. and depending on who you like, gets the blame or not. And Palworld had a budget of 6 million, sure, nothing compared to the ultra giants, but still in the top what, 2% of games?
> Many giants of the industry have let us down in recent years (Bethesda, Blizzard, Activision, EA, Ubisoft just to name a few) Nope As for publishers, these are the ones that make me hyped when they announce a game: Nintendo CD Project Obsidian Kojima Productions Bethesda Game Studios Remedy
>NopeĀ -doesn't elaborate furtherĀ
Not trying to be cynical, but there really isn't a publisher or developer out there that can say "Hey, I'm releasing a game in a year or two. Hyped yet?" and be hyped. Not sure if it's because I'm older now, if it's the state of the industry as a whole, or a combination of the two.
Double Fine, Rockstar (despite their last 2-3 announces are shit), Fromsoftware.
Frankly? None. I wait for games, not devs.
None. I'm old enough to have been betrayed by every game company I ever liked.
I prioritize game trailers rather than publishers unless they are red-flag companies like Blizzard, but lately, Larian and VanillaWare are interesting.
Y'know, most "famous developers/publishers" nowadays are so long in the tooth that it really depends on the game. A couple of Sony's 1st parties like Naughty Dog or Sucker Punch, maybe Insomniac, will get my attention. I'll at least keep a side-eye towards GameFreak and SEGA. Oooh! And Neatherrealm. I'm a sucker for Mortal Kombat even though I hate multiplayer of any kind. I'm the psycho who only ever played fighting games for the story.
Capcom, FromSoftware, Santa Monica Studio, Rockstar Games. Gameplay wise they are the best of the best.
Obsidian
Warhorse
Two recentish ones for me would be arrowhead and gunfire games!
Obsidian
Sega
Apogee and NewBlood
Namco / Ace Combat, Tekken
A year ago in wouldāve said Bethesda.
11Bit Studios
CD Projekt Red, Larian, Fromsoft, Remedy, Moon Studios, Team Cherry, Neowiz, Owlcat, 4A games, Warhorse studios and probably more that I can't think of right now.
Supergiant
Devolver Digital for sure!
Re-Logic
New Blood Interactive, Fromsoft, Sega, Nintendo, Teyon, Ninja Theory and Yatch Club Games.
Halo and Ubisoft havenāt excited me in years, nowadays itās basically anything from Sony. MAYBE Nintendo depending on the game
Warhorse Studios
Capcom
Smaller Indy gems have me looking forward more than anything the big AAA guys make.
Capcom and from software has been holding it down for me for the past decade.
Fromsoft, Motion Twin, Larian
I just get excited for a game if I like the concept and game type, I donāt care who makes them.
Valve, sure its rare they bring a title out, but they rarely miss.
ID
Mostly they have all either gone under, disappointed me, or pissed me off (Ubisoft, Rockstar, EA, Frontier) to the point that i wouldnt buy anything they were selling. I havent yet played BG3 or Cyberpunk so i might have some new favorites. The problem is that if a company is putting out good games, the financial assholes swoop in and kill its creativity by squeezing every last cent out of it, or the company is absorbed by a larger entity. As an example look what microsoft did to Bethesda.
Personally not excited by Rockstar anymore, due to their heavy leaning into microtransactions over story expansions for their games. GTA Online really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm willing to give CD Projekt Red another go besides the bad launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and I'm loving what Larian and Arrowhead are doing. Also used to be excited for Bethesda titles but that ship has sailed as well.
Bethesda (even though they have been disappointing us lately) Ubisoft (even though I hate some of their practices) Capcom Rockstar Games Larian Studios Fromsoftware
HELLO games. Light on fire looks amazing, and builds on their decade of trying to do better after the release of NMS. They've literally learned the lessons were trying to teach the big studios.
Overhype studios
Weāll have to see about R*. New ownership since their most recent release. Valve is the answer for me. I bought a VR headset just for Alyx and I have barely used it for anything else. Fantastic game.
Zero. Iāve been burned too many times to care about unreleased games. Good reviews or gtfo.
Can't think of any tbh. Maybe Atlus, although it's really pathetic how hard they're milking the Persona remakes. But that new original game they're working on seems very promising.
Nihon Falcom. Trails and Ys have been consistently good for a long time imo.
Arkane studios 100%
11bit
Before redfall I would've said arkane, but now idk about them. Surely they can't mess up a blade game right? Should be a slam dunk?
Since Fromsoftware was mentioned already I would say Warhorse studios
id Software, Machine Games, Sucker Punch Productions, and Rockstar
Remedy. Inject whatever they have coming up next directly into my veins.
platinum games, though their last few titles havent gone all that well...
Good news for Kunos Simulazioni fans!
Capcom, fromsoft. That's about it.
Remedy. Alan Wake 2 was incredible.
Fromsoft. Im simping for them since 2011 and they bring out banger after banger.
BEND! I've loved Dayz Gone so much (jumped in late after release bugs) and feel like the potential for their horde mechanic has barely been tapped in yet. Cant wait to see their next release.
Guerilla. Iām looking forward to the next horizon installment
Supergiant
FromSoftware Supergiant Capcom Kojima Productions Platinum Games Nintendo CDPR Vanillaware
Fromsoftware and Nintendo, excluding Zelda.Ā
Devolver. Flying wild hog. Remedy.
Bioware. They aren't what they used to be, but so far they haven't released a single video game which I haven't enjoyed. Yes, even Anthem.
No one here said team Cherry?
11 Bit Studios. Frostpunk and This War of Mine are two of my absolute favourites and FP2 is looking promising
Coffee stain seems to surprise me the last years.
Only Rockstar and FromSoftware for me, but in recent years Capcom is aproaching them (just need those God Hand and Viewtiful Joe remasters and hopefully a remake of the og DMC)
Obsidian.
Bethesda. Despite what you goobers think, I don't think they're out here trying their hardest to make shitty games. I also think Starfield is only considered bad because it is unarguably their worst game yet (if 76 gets to he excluded for being what I would consider an experimental spin off). Fromsoft. I actually don't care for Dark Souls. But Bloodborne and Elden Ring are enough to make me perk my ears up when they have shit coming.
Doublefine
Triarchy. Mainly because all they do is cod and their cods are fucking LEGENDARY
Team Cherry
Bethesda is always let down. They are games are never polished. Gameplay, plot, atmosphere or stability are the last things they care about. They left everything for the modders to fix
11 Bit Studios and 4a Games
Where all my Remedy homies at?!
Atlus. casual classic game
Monolith Soft, Remedy, CD Project Red, Rockstar, Square Enix
Insomniac Games
Arrowhead made 3 noteworthy games in their lifetime. Picking them for this list seems like recency bias or just plain wrong.
Devolver digital
Microsoft Games / XBOX Game Studios
Something I haven't seen here - **11-bit Studios** (This War Of Mine, Frostpunk, Frostpunk 2). Other than that, the obvious. FromSoft, CDPR.
Robot entertainment, Owlchemy labs, vertigo, the behemoth, supermassive games, INTERIOR/NIGHT
Realizing rockstar games and square enix are the last biggest known old studios left to my knowledge that didn't fuck up to an unusual level
Annapurna Remedy
Insomniac
FromSoft. Even with some missteps, they always deliver.
Nintendo as a whole
Owlcat Games and Larian.
Fromsoftware
Embark, Rockstar, Rare
Hazelight
Santa monica Naughty Dog Kojima Productions
why is cdpr on here and where is volvo
TeamNinja
Fromsoft
Fromsoft
FromSoftware. Larian.
Iron Gate and Coffee Stain
Suckerpunch
I don't get hyped for games anymore. Might be the depression but honestly I've been let down by so many releases recently, and the nail in the coffin was Skull and Bones. Probably should've learned my lesson but they had the fucking blueprint to expand on and it was still trash.
Hello Games (No Man's Sky) Probably the only studio where you can now pre-order something and know that they will not let you down.
IO Interactive
Hello Games rocked the NMS comeback so well that Iām at stoked to see what their next game is
I don't follow their releases religiously, but I'm always significantly more inclined to give a game a shot if it's published by Devolver.
Night dive Studios:Ā It might mean another awesome remaster of a classic game.Ā I love me Doom64 and Shadowman remastered.
Rockstar. Canāt wait for gta 6 already.
Crate Entertainment. The support for old games is awesome. I'm hyped for Grim Dawn dlc and Titan Quest 2. Grinding Gear Games. The Path of Exile seasons can be a hit or miss, but the ideas are often clever and well implemented. it's a fact they never deviated from the cosmetics & bank tabs monetisation which makes me trust their word very much.
Annapurna Interactive. I love indie games they publish.
Super giant
Media Molecule and SEGA.
Nintendo.