Developer of the year

Retr0gamer

Here's one we forgot in the game awards

1. Nintendo

After what was a somewhat dissappointing year in 2003, 2004 nintendo were back pumping out excellent games. Intelligent systems had some of the best with Metroid Zero Mission, Paper Mario 2 and the excellent Fire Emblem. Other highlights were Pikmin 2 and my game of the year Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

2. Treasure

I'll ignore the average Guardian Heroes Advance since Astro Boy and Gradius V were so great. Gradius V was truely excellent and the best shmup I've had the pleasure of playing other than Treasures own Radiant Silvergun.

3. Valve

Well I didn't have trouble with steam but some people did. However I'm focusing on games and Valve did the impossible. There was no way HL2 could have lived up to the hype but some how Valve made a game that that did and a whole lot more. HL2 didn't add anything new to the genre but it didn't matter. It is one of the finest examples of the FPS genre. Graphically and artistically it was on a whole new level compared to other cut and paste FPS games. And the DM game is loads of fun.

Worst developer:

Square Enix

How the mighty have fallen. They used to be my favourite software house apart from Nintendo. However since Hironobu Sakaguchi has left and the merger they have produced games that range from disappointing and outclassed (Front Mission 4) to down right crap (Final Fantasy X-2). Admittedly I haven't played Star Ocean 3 (no time and want to beat 1 and 2 first) but I have played everything else.

tman

has to be ninty/retro

in a year full of smelly #2s, they provided the goods with mp2 and pikmin 2.
hl2 is a damn fine game. but i'm just going off fps at the moment

rainbow kirby

You guys think like me. Nintendo/Retro it is.

TheAlmightyArse

Boo whack the boosh you go Nintendo two thousand fow, yo. You get the idea.

Steven

Boo whack the boosh you go Nintendo two thousand fow, yo. You get the idea.

I'm not sure I do

Nintendo all the way. Their cutesy Mario image is really hurting their sales. Let's hope people can see past that (and on to the ridiculously low GC price tag) so we'll see more quality titles in the future.

ObeyGiant

Retr0gamer wrote:

After what was a somewhat dissappointing year in 2003, 2004 nintendo were back pumping out excellent games. Intelligent systems had some of the best with...

Retr0gamer wrote:

Paper Mario 2

Developed by Intelligent Systems

Retr0gamer wrote:

Fire Emblem

Again, developed by Intelligent Systems

Retr0gamer wrote:

and my game of the year Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Developed by Retro Studios.

Perhaps you meant to nominate Nintendo as "Publisher of the year" instead?

projectmayhem

Valve deserve some credit, though the amount of time they spent making hl2, and subsequent leaking and general fux0ring up makes me not want them to win.

i'd hand the award to dutch company guerilla games (shellshock: 'nam 67 & killzone). they did a decent job with shellshock, but spent 4 years of development with killzone,creating absolutely everything in-house. which is admirable...

the_syco

projectmayhem wrote:

creating absolutely everything in-house. which is admirable...

Like Valve...

monument

projectmayhem wrote:

but spent 4 years of development with killzone,creating absolutely everything in-house. which is admirable...

...and absolutely crazy. Paying for products like Havok and demonWare saves time and money, and allows developers to actually try to make good games.

If a company can do it, like Valve or Torc, making a game engine (with the help of other middleware) and acting as both a middleware company and a developer is one thing, but doing 'absolutely everything in-house' in a modern game is just ignorant.

ObeyGiant

the_syco wrote:

Like Valve...

Valve used middleware for the physics, facial animation and the sound in Half Life 2.

Retr0gamer

i'd hand the award to dutch company guerilla games (shellshock: 'nam 67 & killzone)

For what 2, painfully average games?

Developed by Intelligent Systems

Intelligent systems are an in-house team of Nintendo just like Segas team andromeda, amusement vision and AM2, Capcoms Clover studios and Research and Developement teams and Square-Enixs Research and Developement teams

-oRnein9-

I smell a few nintendo fanboys!

ObeyGiant

Retr0gamer wrote:

Intelligent systems are an in-house team of Nintendo just like Segas team andromeda, amusement vision and AM2, Capcoms Clover studios and Research and Developement teams and Square-Enixs Research and Developement teams

Well, that's me told.

Retr0gamer

Well your right about retro studios. Metroid Prime 1 had quite a bit of influence from nintendo but Metroid Prime 2 was almost totally Retro Studios.