Who is the most overrated game company?

[Charlie]

OK, we've had bad company. We've had good company.

But who's the most overrated?

My top three picks, in no paticular order.

Rare: Had a couple good SNES games, a couple good N64 games, and a whole lot of bombs. On top of this, Rare's games rarely have a good shelf-life... only two I can think of that I still find enjoyable from time to time are Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Again, Nintendo didn't put up a fight for a reason.

Treasure: They're still living on a the reputation of Gunstar Heroes almost 10 years after the fact. Sure, they've had a couple games I would say are 'good' (Mischief Makers and Ikargu), but for the most part Treasure's games are weak, overly difficult, too short, and have no self-life. From what I've seen of Wario World so far and from all the reviews I've read, it's pretty much the same thing: repeditive and incredibly short. Treasure doesn't know how to make a game good or difficult... all they do is throw more badguys at you and unblockable weapon fire. There's a reason why people always bring up Gunstar Heroes when they talk about Treasure: Because they haven't done anything else worth mentioning. And yet they still get verbal blowjob everytime they produce a new game.

Capcom: Sure, they were great 10 years ago, but what have you done for me lately? By all accounts the new Gamecube Mega-Man is as bland as bland can be. For Resident Evil they keep recyclying the same crap over and over again... this is a company that has never heard the term "innovation." And if they heard it, they would likely wet thier pants and run screaming for the hills. And Viewtiful Joe... I've played the demo and while the idea seems nice, the demo itself already had me bored by the end of it. Come on Capcom, you're better then this.

[Daltone]

Square - I just...think a large number of the FF games aren't any good (10,9,8..5 I think it was and "The Secret Of Mana on the Gameboy..if that counts.). They're not exactly bad, just not as good as people make out. The Parasite Eves and Erghez (however you spell it) were ok. They have had some really good games, so I suppose it's just the disgusting amount of FF love that pisses me off. So, erm, I suppose they don't really deserve this. Bah....

[chadtower]

Acclaim: I hate their games. All of them. They wasted a couple years of WWE license producing horrible wrestling games that could have been made by THQ. That alone is unforgivable.

[zmeston]

By "company," do you mean developers, publishers, or both?

-- Z.

[buttasuperb]

I'm gonna have to disagree on Capcom being overrated.

SF2 series is responsible for the arcade explosion in the early 90's. Everyone and their grandma's were at the arcade playing that game. It was also the first game of it's kind to be GOOD, and the start of a great genre.

Also.

Vampire series
Vs. Series
Rival Schools series
Final Fight series
Saturday Night Slammasters

and more, but I'm done thinking right now.

[Charlie]

@buttasuperb: My point about Capcom is while they did a lot of good stuff historically, they haven't done anything worth wild in the last five years.

And I disagree about Acclaim being overrated: Because I don't know one person who says Acclaim doesn't suck. To be overrated, someone somewhere has to say they're good.

BTW, this is for people who develop the games, not for those who just publish.

[jaydubnb]

Treasure: They're still living on a the reputation of Gunstar Heroes almost 10 years after the fact. Sure, they've had a couple games I would say are 'good' (Mischief Makers and Ikargu), but for the most part Treasure's games are weak, overly difficult, too short, and have no self-life. From what I've seen of Wario World so far and from all the reviews I've read, it's pretty much the same thing: repeditive and incredibly short. Treasure doesn't know how to make a game good or difficult... all they do is throw more badguys at you and unblockable weapon fire. There's a reason why people always bring up Gunstar Heroes when they talk about Treasure: Because they haven't done anything else worth mentioning. And yet they still get verbal blowjob everytime they produce a new game.

IMO, Treasure deserves their accolades. The few Treasure games that I've played (Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, Gunstar Heroes) were GREAT titles. Not to mention the other titles that Treasure is supposed to have worked on while under Konami's umbrella: Contra, Super C, Super Castlevania IV, Axelay...great games. I cant wait until Treasure's Gradius V is released!

But I agree 100% about Capcom: they have been dipping into the recycle bin way to long with only one or two notable bright spots.

I'm gonna have to go with Rockstar Games, too. Their games bore the crap outta me. Causing mayhem seems to be the company gimmick.

[l_lamb]

Two come to mind right now:

Shiny - Still riding on the coattails of Earthworm Jim, which I thought was mediocre. I remember two years worth of magazine covers for Messiah and all the talk about the "revolutionary game engine" that would scale to work on every system. After numerous delays, the game came out only for the PC with rather large system requirements at the time. The Matrix game is okay, but not the super unique experience it was supposed to be.

LucasArts - puts out two pieces of crap for every good game. Don't get me wrong, they've done some really great stuff. But they have milked the Star Wars license to death and haven't done enough with more original product.

I also agree that while Acclaim does suck hard, no one really rates them highly. I'd probably put THQ and their studios in the same boat. THQ's best games were ones published for other developers like Sega and Electronic Arts.

[Atari7800]

I'd have to agree that Treasure is indeed overrated, but it's still one of your better game developers with a few possible missteps including...

Stretch Panic
Wario World
Light Crusader (maybe)
McDonald's Treasure Island


But Gunstar Heros isn't Treasure's only great game... the majority of their games are very good, and they certainly can't be faulted for a lack of originality for...


Bangai-O (both DC and N64)
Sin & Punishment
Radiant Silvergun
Alien Soldier
Dynamite Headdy (way underrated)
Guardian Heroes
Silhouette Mirage
Rakugaki Showtime
Ikaruga


I'm not some big Treasure fanatic or collector, but judging by some of their games, I'd have to say they're one of the top developers.

[hydr0x]

have to really disagree with Lucas Arts, this may perhaps be true for console games (though i don't think so either) but it's definitely wrong for pc games, just a few examples

Rebel Assault
Dark Forces/Jedi Knight
Monkey Island Series
Indiana Jones Series

and a lot more, the point is, i think you can find a lot more great or good Lucas Arts games than crap ones, so ur argument is not true


but i have to totally agree with shiny they haven't done a single good game since earthworm jim, and i am a pc and console gamer (btw Dave Perry is the most overrated game designer of all times, perhaps challenged by Peter Molyneux)

ok, i know this isn't the right topic, but i just wanted to add that the most underrated company is(eh was) Looking Glass (Ultima Underworld, Dark project/Thief, System Shock, Flight Unlimited, Terra Nova<<one of the best pc-games ever imho)

[Mayhem]

@Atari7800... how can you say Wario World is bad when you haven't even played the finished game yet?

[hezeuschrist]

The first thing that came to mind was Square. Don't get me wrong, they are the reason I play games, and the reason I collect today. My first goal as a new collector is a complete Squaresoft collection for PSOne... but they get a disgusting amount of pure fanboi-ism. It's really pretty annoying... "FF11 will be teh best evar MMORPG because Square is doin it!"

I guess the main reason why I said Square was because way back in the day I had a HUGE FF8 tribute site. I got a whole ton of traffic, tons of news about the game, hundreds of screenshots. I started the page just as soon as tiny bits of info started trickling out after FF7 was released. I guess you could say it was the biggest disappointment ever for me in a game. I had built it up so huge that it really couldn't meet my expectations. Really, it wasn't a bad game but it sure as hell wasn't a good game. Very high budget mediocre game.

[Ed Oscuro]

We'll have to see if Maximo + Ghosts'n Goblins online make it for the oldskool gaming goodness as far as Capcom's concerned. I know a number of people who say they wouldn't mind if Capcom folded tomorrow, but that's not how I feel at all. If you don't like a series from them, your failure to purchase them sends a message. They realie people aren't wild about certain series as much as they used to be. After all, they're only making Mega Man for the people who actually play them.

Now people usually mention iD and Valve as "companies that can ignore current trends" -- I think that they've just been successful enough that everybody already knows they make a quality product, so they can continue to make the sort of games people want to play. It would be nice if somebody would take this sort of approach in the 2D scene, but nobody feels strong enough. That's a shame.

[jaybird]

Rockstar all the way.

Despite a couple of other decent releases, they're still a one-hit wonder to me.

I want to say EA, since they milk their sports franchises year in & year out with mostly roster updates, but I can't argue with their sales numbers.

[Griking]

Electronic Arts

At one time EA used to stand for Electronic Artists and encouraged originality and creativity. Now all they seem to be about is releasing the same sports title year after year after year with only graphical and roster changes.

Oh and speaking of sequels they're the company behind the 1001 Sims games as well.

[buttasuperb]

they did a lot of good stuff historically

That's exactly why they can't be considered overrated.

Nothing worth while in the last 5 years? I guess you're forgetting about the SF3 series. Fantastic games, I hope to see a 4th.

You're also forgetting about the Marvel vs Capcom series, and the Capcom vs SNK series. Although some people will disagree with me, I think both series of games are great.

And what about Mars Matrix? Gigawing 1 & 2? JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?

All worthwhile, at the very least.

[RetroYoungen]

Square. I'm sorry, but I never got heavily into the Final Fantasy series, and Parasite Eve was only mediocre to me. Besides, all their really known for are a handful of their RPGs. They don't even seem to do other genres!

[Achika]

Who can forget things like Onimusha, Devil May Cry, PN03, Viewtiful Joe, Puzzlefighter, One Piece, etc. etc. How are all those games following the same mold? I pretty much see them on far ends of the spectrum in terms of genres.


innovation....the idea seems nice

Yep, it's an idea...an innovation....it's not their problem if the singular you doesn't like it, it's the masses that speak. So far, I think the masses make up for more than one person. You cry for innovation, you get it but don't like it....so they aren't being innovative? That doesn't compute....@_@

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I have to second Electronic Arts. Once upon a time, they had some awesome (and awesomely unique) products out there. You could see where obscure but inventive developers like Westwood Studios, Origin and Maxis would want to be associated with them. Now they've turned into a behemoth, eating those studios whole (and, conveniently, gaining ownership of their properties in the process), and then cutting out a lot of the people who made those developers' previous games so good.

Of course, a little disclaimer - I know someone who lost his job thanks to this recent spate of EA conglomerate-izing, so I took it kinda personal-like.

[Dire 51]

I have to say Square as well. What was the last game they did besides FF? Einhander? Brave Fencer Musashi? I can't remember. And I have to admit to not being overly thrilled with any FF game since VI. Oh well.

If they want to do a sequel to something, I'd love to see Einhander 2 on the PS2, instead of yet another FF game...

[Dahne]

What has Rockstar done besides GTA and State of Emergency? I honestly can't remember hearing about them at all before GTAIII got huge.

I wish Squaresoft would start doing non-FF games once in a while again. Most of them don't sell as well, so I can understand why they've more or less given up on it, but I tend to love 'em. Brave Fencer Musashi was hella fun.

[hezeuschrist]

I have to say Square as well. What was the last game they did besides FF? Einhander? Brave Fencer Musashi? I can't remember. And I have to admit to not being overly thrilled with any FF game since VI. Oh well.

If they want to do a sequel to something, I'd love to see Einhander 2 on the PS2, instead of yet another FF game...

Kingdom Hearts came out after Final Fantasy X did. The majority of Squares lineup is not final fantasy, it's just the biggest name.

[Dire 51]

Oh yeah, Kingdom Hearts. Forgot about that one. Other than that, what else have they done lately?

[petewhitley]

I'm surprised to hear so many votes for Rockstar. I've found their approach to games to be one of the most refreshing bits of the current generation of gaming. They get alot of hype to be sure, but GTA/Smuggler's Run/Midnight Club/and even *gasp* State of Emergency have featured a type of freeform gaming that is still relatively rare, particularly on consoles. At least they aren't dumping out 3D platformers *cough* Nintendo/Rare *cough*.

[Kid Fenris]

Oh yeah, Kingdom Hearts. Forgot about that one. Other than that, what else have they done lately?

Unlimited Saga, Chocobo World, and Sword of Mana (even if that's a remake) spring to mind. It's also fair to point out that despite the shared titles, Final Fantasy games cover quite lot of ground. In the FF stockpile ahead, we're looking at an online RPG, a multiplayer Gamecube action/RPG, a tactical strategy/RPG, and a straight RPG. These games share little in the way of characters, focus, or even aesthetics, so it seems as though Square is doing what its American branch did in the early '90s: put "Final Fantasy" in the titles of as many games as possible, even though they may be as different as, say, Front Mission 3 and Threads of Fate.

And I wouldn't call Treasure overrated by any stretch of the imagination, since they're got a great track record (see above) and they aren't well known outside of import-savvy fanboy circles. In fact, reviews of Treasure games usually have to introduce the developer, since many readers might otherwise respond with "Treasure? Eh?"

Capcom, meanwhile, is guilty of franchise milking, but the company pretty much absolves itself with its support of 2D titles and old-school shooters (even if Takumi's stuff is mediocre) as well as quirky stuff like Tech Romancer, One Piece Mansion, and Chaos Legion.

I do, however, think that Electronic Arts is kind of overrated, especially when Visual Concepts and Sega make sports games that are just as enjoyable as EA's.

[Dire 51]

Unlimited Saga, Chocobo World, and Sword of Mana (even if that's a remake) spring to mind.

Hmm... didn't know about those. All RPGs, eh? No shooters in the offering, which I guess is to be expected. It'd be nice if they would consider it - just don't bring back King's Knight, please!

At any rate - where's my Einhander 2, dammit?!?

[ArnoldRimmer83]

Nice to see someone else who wants a sequel to Einhander.I wish Square would consider making one. A sequel including 2 player cooperative play would be sweet. Einhander was one of the very very few recent Square games I enjoyed.

As for overrated, I dunno. I guess my pick would be Rare.

[IntvGene]

Treasure isn't well enough known to be overrated. And, there's way worse offenders than them. Sure Treasure has made some bad games, but that's what happens when you try for originality. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Square... definitely. Capcom, possibly (although I liked OnePiece Mansion too!). Some of these companies are too big to be overrated. And, some of the stuff they make is, but some of it isn't. If you're bringing EA into the list, Nintendo can't be too far behind. Pikmin was their only game in recent memory that wasn't overrated.

But, when you talk about historically, Nintendo and Capcom are quite safe. Rockstar hasn't even been around long enough to really qualify. But, some of these companies have changed drastically. Rockstar has exploded from a small bunch of guys (they were one-hit wonders). EA is basically the same... they're nothing like they were in the 80's. So, it's pretty tough to measure.

Someone earlier mentioned Acclaim. They've never been rated, so how can they be OVERrated?

[Atari7800]

@Atari7800... how can you say Wario World is bad when you haven't even played the finished game yet?

You'll notice in my post that I said "possible missteps", not "bad games".

Truth is, i've never played Wario World or Stretch Panic. As far as Stretch Panic is concerned, I've heard and read numerous reviews that say it's crap. But I haven't played it, so I don't want to label it crap... just a possible misstep.

The completed version Wario World has been reviewed in several reputable gaming publications that are out now, and the general feeling is that the game is much too short and that the gameplay is uninspired, derivative, and just not that great. But I haven't played it... hence the "possible misstep".

[ghsqb]

My vote is for Capcom.

Lets just keep pumpin out the 89th rendition of Street Fighter, the 67th Megaman and the 53rd Resident Evil.

Yeah!

[swlovinist]

I think it is very sad when Lucasarts put out Jedi Starfighter......it probably would be a decent title if it wasnt going to be compared with Rogue Leader...done by Factor 5!. Honestly, they pump out so much schlock compared to the one game a year that is ok...........Lucasarts has sold out and the creative juices that one filled its veins are now gone.........how many more creative ideas are left for them????? Being a HUGE star wars fan, it saddens me on how far they have fallen.............They better make sure that Knights of the OLd Republic is not a huge letdown(I heard that there are some serious issues with the game) :(

[The Scribe]

Treasure doesn't belong in the over-rated category...

[Captain Wrong]

Y'know, I'm actually going to agree with Treasure being over-rated. Yeah, they're games are innovative and yeah they got style to spare, etc., etc. But that doesn't always translate into a fun game. Though the games of theirs I like (Gunstar and Dynamite Headdy mainly) are really top of the class, I feel the rest of their output is kind of so-so. (and that includes Radiant Silvergun, the most overhyped game of all time, IMHO.)

Certaintly not a terrible company, but I think their obscurity adds to the attraction, like so much of the hype is based on being one of the hardcore who is hip to them. That doesn't appeal to me, and when I objectivly look at the Treasure games I own (and I have a lot of them) I find they just don't get played much after the honeymoon period of "wow, I got a new game" wears off.

I'd also agree with Square being overrated, but considering I don't liike RPGs anyway, that'd be too easy. :P (Yeah, I could go for Einhander II as well.)

Rockstar really seems like a one trick pony to me as well. I'll be interested to see what they do once GTA mania wears off. Maybe they can pull something off, but I think it's too early to tell.

[calthaer]

Those who said Square and EA have hit the jackpot, IMO. Moreso Square than EA, but not by much.

Square's RPGs are horribly linear, often have poor gameplay aspects(including but not limited to the practice of having a seemingly-obscure dialogue choice in the first quarter of the game make available the greatest weapons in the last quarter with no indication that the dialogue choice would do so), and quite frankly have stories that are oftentimes trite and hackneyed (which culminated in my mind in that abysmal movie they foisted off on the American audience). Not to mention that the game drags on for 25 hours by taking so many mandatory detours that it's almost like a rambling old coot who won't shut up.

The positive aspect is that they have huge production values and so their stuff looks nice, and as bad as I've made it sound, it's still better than most of the stuff out there (sadly). As far as I'm concerned, though, their medoicre stories can't stand up to a Deus Ex or a Planescape: Torment.

Griking and Phosphor Dot Fossils said the word on EA - they were innovative, now they are a corporate Godzilla known as the ones who killed the Ultima series. EA was only good when they were known as ECA.

[Nature Boy]

My vote goes to Sega. And no, I'm not trolling.

Oh, I like a lot of their games. Believe me, I do. But I read a lot of great things about the Saturn and the Dreamcast all over this site and I just don't see it in either system. Maybe it's due to me acquiring these systems after they were already dead but I don't see the greatness personally.

[Dahne]

(including but not limited to the practice of having a seemingly-obscure dialogue choice in the first quarter of the game make available the greatest weapons in the last quarter with no indication that the dialogue choice would do so)

Huh? I've played lots of Squaresoft games, and I don't remember anything like that. Of course, my memory isn't much good in my old age, so it may have just slipped my mind.

[dreamcaster]

As for overrated companies, Acclaim easily gets my pick.

Almost none of their games are good by any standards. And yet, they're so successful! Why?

[bargora]

As for overrated companies, Acclaim easily gets my pick.

Almost none of their games are good by any standards. And yet, they're so successful! Why?
Last I heard, they were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. And I agree with others who have pointed out that it is difficult to be "overrated" when everybody thinks you stink.

And off the topic--Hey Cap'n Wrong, were you able to get your Radiant Silvergun to play on your Supergun with three buttons the way it was intended, or were you limited to two-button play?

Radiant Supergun. Hmm.

[calthaer]

Huh? I've played lots of Squaresoft games, and I don't remember anything like that. Of course, my memory isn't much good in my old age, so it may have just slipped my mind.

In Chrono Cross in the very beginning of the game, Leena asks you a question that is seemingly innocuous: will we or will we not remember this day when we get older? If you say "We'll always remember it!" then you can get Leena's ultimate special attack or whatever it's called. If you say "We'll probably forget it." then you can't.

That is asinine. If you are playing the game and are making a dialogue choice that is somewhat cynical and / or realistic about teenage love (and not super-positive: "this day will be burned in our memories for the rest of our lives!!!!!!") then the game essentially punishes you.

There are other similar things like that as well, like leaving good or one-of-a-kind weapons or items around areas that your party can't return to and other stuff, but I wasn't looking to make a comprehensive list. I was just pulling that out as an example.