5 Great Companies who sank
I was perusing my standard boards today and found a great article over at Next Generation about 5 video game companies that did so much for the industry that ended up raising the white flag prior to sinking in the black abyss that is business.
The article references the trying times the industry had back in the mid 90's thanks to the conversion from 2d to 3d and the utter failings of the American arcades and how we are seeing another slump right now.
The companies they bring up were pioneers in their days and some of them still leave behind their legacy.
Company 1. Atari Games - Yeah, they are gone, but I still hug my MAME machine every night before bed, thanking it for getting me through my adolescence.
Company 2. Origin - This company was really important to me, having revolutionized RP gaming with their classic Ultima series and then finally making one of my favorite games of all time, reminding me why I should really not be a gamer, Ultima Online. Yes, I lost my life in those fuzzy years between '97 and '00 wherein I had (argueably) the most powerful tamer on the Atlantic Shard. My Nightmare (a demon horse that can also be a mount) was trained for 2 years, this all happening before the pet taming caps were put in place by Origin to stop such exploits. He single handedly wiped out an entire enemy guild at my request, damn those were the good ole days, though I don't remember seeing much of the sky during them.
Company 3. Sierra Online - King's Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry, need I say more? And if you don't recognize the first two you should be shot in the head. (see: thanks for reading)
Company 4. Black Isle - This is quite possibly the most influential developer in my mind on the list, having made some of my favorite games ever. The Fallout series showed what a simple (yet impressive) iso-engine could do if given over to a great design staff with years of writing experience. This is the game you get when you have hardcore pen and paper RP'ers making games, and for that they will always have my proverbial sword. Likewise Black Isle was also responsible for releasing the Baldur's Gate series, the first series of games in my mind to really demonstrate the D&D feel electronically. I cry a little bit every time I remember how all of the malarchy went down with them, but then I always remember, "Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!" and things seem a little better.
Company 5. Looking Glass - While I was never a fan of most of their works, one cannot dispute the great leaps ahead LG made with the Thief series, having really broken the idea that fps's needed to be frenetic shooters geared only towards slightly manic teens with an itchy trigger finger. So for that, I salute you Looking Glass, thanks for striving ahead.
So in closing I'd like to give my thanks to these fine companies for their efforts at revolutionizing the gaming world, and how development is done. Our industry is what it is today because of battles fought by you. Hopefully our children will be able to put in one of their games, marvel at the archaic graphics, and enjoy the game for what it is, hopefully they can see them the way we did when we first cracked open the huge 13x9 box with one CD and a 200 pages manual. I know my children will, with Fallout 1 sitting on the top of the stack. How much can a child know about themself without knowing how best to medicate oneself after being exposed to large amounts of radiation? RadX obviously, but without Fallout I would never have known.
Full Article Here - definitely worth a read
\\drew
The article references the trying times the industry had back in the mid 90's thanks to the conversion from 2d to 3d and the utter failings of the American arcades and how we are seeing another slump right now.
The companies they bring up were pioneers in their days and some of them still leave behind their legacy.
Company 1. Atari Games - Yeah, they are gone, but I still hug my MAME machine every night before bed, thanking it for getting me through my adolescence.
Company 2. Origin - This company was really important to me, having revolutionized RP gaming with their classic Ultima series and then finally making one of my favorite games of all time, reminding me why I should really not be a gamer, Ultima Online. Yes, I lost my life in those fuzzy years between '97 and '00 wherein I had (argueably) the most powerful tamer on the Atlantic Shard. My Nightmare (a demon horse that can also be a mount) was trained for 2 years, this all happening before the pet taming caps were put in place by Origin to stop such exploits. He single handedly wiped out an entire enemy guild at my request, damn those were the good ole days, though I don't remember seeing much of the sky during them.
Company 3. Sierra Online - King's Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry, need I say more? And if you don't recognize the first two you should be shot in the head. (see: thanks for reading)
Company 4. Black Isle - This is quite possibly the most influential developer in my mind on the list, having made some of my favorite games ever. The Fallout series showed what a simple (yet impressive) iso-engine could do if given over to a great design staff with years of writing experience. This is the game you get when you have hardcore pen and paper RP'ers making games, and for that they will always have my proverbial sword. Likewise Black Isle was also responsible for releasing the Baldur's Gate series, the first series of games in my mind to really demonstrate the D&D feel electronically. I cry a little bit every time I remember how all of the malarchy went down with them, but then I always remember, "Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!" and things seem a little better.
Company 5. Looking Glass - While I was never a fan of most of their works, one cannot dispute the great leaps ahead LG made with the Thief series, having really broken the idea that fps's needed to be frenetic shooters geared only towards slightly manic teens with an itchy trigger finger. So for that, I salute you Looking Glass, thanks for striving ahead.
So in closing I'd like to give my thanks to these fine companies for their efforts at revolutionizing the gaming world, and how development is done. Our industry is what it is today because of battles fought by you. Hopefully our children will be able to put in one of their games, marvel at the archaic graphics, and enjoy the game for what it is, hopefully they can see them the way we did when we first cracked open the huge 13x9 box with one CD and a 200 pages manual. I know my children will, with Fallout 1 sitting on the top of the stack. How much can a child know about themself without knowing how best to medicate oneself after being exposed to large amounts of radiation? RadX obviously, but without Fallout I would never have known.
Full Article Here - definitely worth a read
\\drew
posted by Drew at 11:56 AM
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