My Favourite 10 Game Developers Ever

Whether you love or hate video games, the gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to grow. I grew up with video games since I picked up my first NES controller to play Super Mario Bros. when I was three. Proud to call myself a gamer, i've been saving the Princess (Peach and Zelda) and riding chocobos for many years. The video game industry continues to innovate from its 8-bit graphics origins to motion-controlled and social gaming. With the continuing evolution of gaming, the Game Developers Confrence (GDC) has always been a key stepping stone for the gaming industry. They go as follows:- 

#1

Rockstar North

Founded: 2002

The term "Rockstar" is thrown out for all games developed and published under that banner. But the sole developer responsible for a vast majority of Rockstar’s hits is, in fact, Rockstar North. The Scotland-based developer is best-known for its epic contributions to the gaming industry in the form of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV. And it’s currently working on the most anticipated game of 2013, Grand Theft Auto V, a game almost guaranteed to sell millions of copies from the get-go. But Rockstar North is known for even more – it created Manhunt and helped out Rockstar San Diego on development of Red Dead Redemption, too – and has a considerable history under another name, DMA Design. But for its GTA games alone, Rockstar North holds a special place in the history of the gaming industry.

#2

Konami

Founded: 1969

Founded in the late ‘60s as a jukebox company, Konami emerged as a powerhouse of the gaming industry in the 1980s. Like Capcom, Konami has always been part developer and part publisher, but the contributions of its internal development teams to the realm of gaming is what it’s most fondly known for. Its Pro Evolution Soccer 2013,  Metal Gear and Silent Hill series are perhaps its three most well-known franchises, and they cover very different genres and subject matter. Konami may have fallen from grace in recent years, but it’s impossible to ignore the powerhouse it once was, such a powerhouse, in fact, that Konami created a spinoff corporation – Ultra Games – just so it could publish everything it was developing back in the NES days. Talk about output.

#3

Naughty Dogs

Founded: 1984

If you consider today’s gaming landscape, Naughty Dog is perhaps the single most prolific gaming developer currently on the scene. But it wasn’t always so. Before the developer put out the likes of the Uncharted trilogy on PlayStation 3, it was releasing more obscure titles, such as Apple II’s Keef the Thief and the SEGA Genesis title Rings of Power. But by the mid-1990s, Naughty Dog catapulted to popularity with its Crash Bandicoot series, success it found again on PlayStation 2 in the form of Jak & Daxter. By 2001, Sony purchased Naughty Dog outright, and it’s widely considered the crown jewel of its development team. And its upcoming PS3-exclusive, The Last of Us, is perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated game of 2013.

#4

Ubisoft Montreal

Founded: 1997

Few modern studios have established as many significant franchises as Ubisoft’s Montreal division. Often serving as a hub that not only creates games, but pulls in the collective might of Ubisoft’s global resources, the Montreal studio has watched over franchises like Far Cry, Prince of Persia and Naruto, as well as helped create series like Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed and with Ubisoft just announcing the most anticipated game of 2013, Watch Dogs. Make no mistake about it – with its juggernaut franchises and strong track record, Ubisoft will likely play a considerable role in the future of the games industry, and its Montreal studio will be a major reason why.

#5

Infinity Ward

Founded: 2002

Complain all you like about Call of Duty’s unchanging ways: Its impact, and the people responsible for creating it, cannot be understated. Infinity Ward created a fresh, story-driven take on World War II before it burned out, stayed strong after the fact to help launch the Xbox 360, and reinvented online multiplayer with its Modern Warfare series. Developers the world over ape Infinity Ward’s cinematic style, spectacular set-pieces, and competitive design. What truer sign of accomplished creators could there be?

#6

Cyberconnect2

Founded: 2002

CyberConnect2 might be my favorite Japanese game developer. Not only is it the studio responsible for the Naruto: Ninja Storm fighting game franchise, but other key titles such as Asura's Wrath.

#7

IO Interactive

Founded: 2002

Danish game developer, IO Interactive has handled all five titles in the Hitman series, including the latest game, Hitman: Absolution, but now the franchise is moving to another studio for the first time. The next game in the series is being developed by the newly-formed studio Square Enix Montreal. No details on the game have been revealed, and there’s also no word on a release window. The move from IO to Square Enix Montreal appears to be amicable. IO Interactive has already started working on another new project, but there’s no word yet if it will be a Hitman game or something completely different. Hitman: Absolution is out now.

#8

Eidos Montreal

Founded: 2007

Canadian game developer, Eidos Montreal owned by Square Enix Europe are on the verge of becoming one of gaming's biggest powerhouse in the next coming years with title's such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution which I have to say i one of my favourite games of 2011/12 as well as this years Tomb Raider which has had it shares of Highs and Low. Eidos Montreal has nothing to fear as their current project Thief set to debut in 2014 will be one gamers eagerly await for.

#9

SCE Santa Monica Studio

Founded: 1999

SCE Santa Monica Studio is one of six North American studios affiliated with SCEW, the others likewise having been responsible for well-known PlayStation franchises. The breakthrough of SCE Santa Monica, however, came with their second title, the action/adventure platformer, featuring the iconic raging spartan Kratos in the God Of War series, that spawned a multi-million dollar franchise and gain a large fan base around the globe. The newest release of God Of War: Ascension,  certainly has its remarks as while some see Ascension as fun, it is nowhere near to Gow3. A weaker story and less satisfying combat. 

#10

EA Sports

Founded: 2002

EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" (EASN) with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John Madden, it soon grew up to become a sub-label on its own, releasing game series such as NBA Live, FIFA, NHL, Madden NFL, and NASCAR. The best selling EA Sports series is the FIFA series with over 100 million units sold.

             Samyueru Yagami

Kanye West's 'Yeezus' lands at No. 1 on Billboard chart

Hey guys,

So today i decided to do a review on Kanye's new album Yeezus. Now there’s already been a lot written about Kanye West’s new album, Yeezus. The album tends to tackle many punk-friendly themes, including racism, anti-media, anti-corporation, and being an underdog. Plus, it’s Kanye’s most aggressive album as well as his angriest one. Some have even compared tracks off of Yeezus to bands like Death Grips. Everyone professionally involved with the creation of Kanye West's sixth solo effort was sworn to secrecy, and with no preorders allowed, plus the news that producer Rick Rubin was still tinkering with tracks seven days prior to the drop, this instant, no-singles, anti-hype album got pre-release hyped on an Olympic scale. Think of the roll-up as a revolutionary blow against the empire or the supernova ego of West in full effect, and while it's probably a little of both,Yeezus the album is a lot of both, with good taste and bad taste both turned up to 11.

"New Slaves" is a bizarre, layered concept clash where high fashion, slavery, and "I'd rather be a dick than a swallower" all collide) with punkish, irresponsible blast-femy (during the draggy, trap track "I'm in It," West's melodious and melancholy voice shouts its dreams to the multitude, pleading "Your titties, let 'em out, free at last/Thank God almighty, they free at last" as if civil rights and booty calls were equally noble quests), and it all works in an astonishing, compelling manner. It's as if West spent the last year listening exclusively to Death Grips and Chief Keef and all the political, social, and musical contradictions became his muse, inspiring moments like the Keef and Bon Iver meet-up that fuels the mile-high hangover number "Hold My Liquor." "Blood on the Leaves" is recklessly bold as it uses Nina Simone's performance of "Strange Fruit" under its snide tale of ex-girlfriends, groupies, and date rape drugs; then there's the obviously volatile "I Am a God" ("Hurry up with my damn massage!/Hurry up with my damn ménage!"), which still outdoes its provocative title with a swelled-head manifesto plus an unexpected, Magic-Mike-meets-Aphex-Twin boom production courtesy of Daft Punk.















 At least he has decided to indulge his giant hunger with the help of art, and if anything, this is the moment he becomes a swashbuckling Salvador Dali figure, chopping down all that's conventional with highly imaginative work and crass, attention-grabbing attitude.

                            Samyueru Yagami