It gives us room to touch, inhabit, and play with everything we can see, and in so doing reminds us - in a way that only a game could - that everything is made up of the same stuff. It's made by a small team, yet seeks to encompass all of existence. David OReillyĭavid OReilly's Everything is a game that plays itself. The sheer quality of their mobile remake did indeed catch Sega's eye and the duo went on to use Whitehead's custom-made 'Retro Engine' to bring both Sonic The Hedgehog and Sonic The Hedgehog 2 to mobile platforms on behalf of Sega. This development trio came together to release the '90s inspired Sonic Mania, but the story behind how the team came together to create the refreshing homage is something worth recognizing.īefore getting the green light to create a modern take on a 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game, Whitehead and Simon Thomley of Headcannon connected in 2009 to create a fanmade mobile version of Sonic CD and, hopefully, catch the attention of Sonic owner Sega in the process. Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games
So for that, Arkane makes the list, not “just” because Prey and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider were among the best games of 2017, but also for the commitment to excellence and incredible execution in a genre that is challenging in more ways than one. It takes an incredible amount of commitment to bring these games to market, especially at this level of quality. The amount of production value that goes into these games is staggering, and, due to the non-linear nature of these games, a lot of that production value isn’t even seen, let alone appreciated, by most players. Part of that is because key people working at Arkane also worked on the games that gave initial rise to this category of games. But it’s also because Arkane is flat-out committed to improving and perfecting this important genre.Īnd it’s a difficult genre to be in.
The DNA of games like System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex arguably run deeper in Arkane’s games than even the recent games that bear the names of those classic immersive sims. But if Arkane’s games of 2017 are any indication of what this studio is capable of, we need them to keep making immersive sims. There’s a shadow of doubt that hangs over the commercial viability of big-budget, single-player immersive sims – rumor has it, Arkane’s most recent releases weren’t exactly blockbusters. Recognizing Arkane this year is important. Arkane StudiosĪrkane Studios, with locations in Lyon, France and Austin, Texas, makes the list for keeping alive top-tier, single-player “immersive sims.” Prey and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider are exemplary games released this year, in a genre that probably requires three tons of Post-It notes during the prototyping phase. Here then, in alphabetical order, are 10 notable developers and studios (selected by Gamasutra staff) that surpassed our expectations and created something which got us talking. Their work inspired us to look at the art and business of making games in a new light, and gave us fresh perspective on what video games can be. So instead of trying to focus on who made the "best" games, or the most successful, or the most interesting, here we try to celebrate a group of creators who left an indelible impression on us and the game industry as a whole.Įach of these developers and studios accomplished something special this year. Every year we see a fantastic array of new voices join the game industry chorus, and every year some entrenched talents achieve a new register or hit the perfect pitch. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.It's never an easy process, or a definitive one. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.
0 kommentar(er)
