So hopping on the community bandwagon, mikeerik created one as well and honored me with a tag :p I take notice in developers and publishers, but not too much. I know all developers and publishers work equally hard on their games, so respect to all. I don't like calling favorites, but I'm going to call favorites because there is only one company I really enjoy, even though controversy has arisen for them. That company is Ubisoft.
"Since there are so many community blogs going around, I've decided to start one too. For this blog in particular the rules are very simple! Talk about your favourite developers and/or publishers and in some cases, the publishers are developers as well so feel free to list any you want. You don't have to write up to 5 but the number 5 will become the top limit. I'm not trying to sound harsh or anything and it's only to try and test your own decision making and your choices which belong at the top 5... although honourable mentions are allowed."
Now by no mean am I saying Ubisoft is the best company in the world, they just are my favorite publisher/developer. They have a variety of different games under there belt. Different genres, different characters, many IPs. Currently in 2014, Ubisoft has been rolling out different games. While they continue their franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Trials, Far Cry, Just Dance they also introduced new ones such as Watch_Dogs, along with the 2015 announcements for The Division and The Crew.
Ubisoft has a bunch of developers, thus allowing them to have such a cast pool of games. While their headlong series is by far Assassin's Creed, their other entries hold their own. However, since they use the same engine for a lot of their games they all may feel similar to one another which is a turn off for some. For me, the similarity between games (such as the mechanics for Watch_Dogs and Assassin's Creed) I actually like. It makes the game easier to control and understand.
Besides their regular engines, Ubisoft also has the UBIart Framework engine which brought to the community Child of Light and Valiant Hearts. Both games are graphically stunning. Not only that, but are well written. I haven't played Valiant Hearts, but Child of Light is definitely an artistic master piece. While people deem the all rhyming talk to be annoying, it is just a different artistic impression. It works well with the theme. Not only that, but game mechanics were nailed. The game had all parts 100% developed, not one section was better than the other.
Now the real masterminds behind the game are the individuals who developed it. I respect them dearly. I'll be honest I don't sit through credits to read individuals names, but the team is vastly talented. Much credit goes to the illustrators of the game for the concept and appeal of the game centers around the artwork. Ubisoft went out of the box with creating these games. They are different than the typical games on the market. Granted they are both arcade-like titles, they hold their own. Priced around $15 is not bad for two great games.
Ubisoft has studios around the world each contributing an aspect to their games. Then they also have stand alone studios like RedLynx, the developers of the Trials series. Each studio Ubisoft has makes it the fourth largest video game company, but that doesn't get to their head too much. They still develop and produced quality games. With each one being different from the other.
Now obviously game within a series such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six; we'll see a more gradual change rather than immediate. Ubisoft has always for a few games went outside the comfort zone instead of having a stereotypical white male lead. While controversy surrounds them for not including a female lead assassin in the upcoming co-op Assassin's Creed: Unity, I wouldn't knock at them too hard. They are the company that has featured a Native American, two African-Americans (even if not in core series) and a female lead. While still a lot of diversity can occur in the company, the lack of representation has to do with society and culture itself, although that is slowly changing.
Regardless, Ubisoft is innovative. While they have a lot of core games they have a whole other side focused for personal benefit, such as fitness and inspiration. For instance, for the younger crowd they have handheld game series Imagine, to encourage young minds to follow their dreams. For the everyone crowd, they have the sensation Just Dance series. Which is pure fun and silliness, while at the same time grants a nice workout if done in succession. I have Just Dance 2014, which works extraordinary well with the Xbox One's kinect. It is a great party game which brings friends together, unless I play solo and attempt to dominate other world players on the world dance floor. Ubisoft tries to appeal to everyone, put out a game for everyone on the market. Thus, they bring a variety to the table to choose from.
That's really it, I feel this blog was basically a free promotion for Ubisoft. Regardless, I do really like the company and a lot of the games they produce. The company isn't perfect, as no company is, but it is still good enough to take my top spot! In all honesty, if Ubisoft wasn't the publisher or developer for most of these game I'd probably like whoever did more. :p
I'm suppose to tag people, but I don't want to add pressure to anyone, so feel free to join in on the community blog rolls!
Read mikeerik's original community blog theme here:
Community blog: Top 5 video game developers/publisher