We find out who has delivered the best games in the last year
This year has left us absolutely knackered. We're exhausted. We feel like we've been in a marathon. A marathon that involves mostly sitting on our arses and playing one incredible game after another. We could indulge you with a long list of stellar examples, but you're a gamer - you know that it's been a properly arousing 12 months. If you're anything like us, your wow glands will be swollen and you'll have blisters on your eyeballs. It's been that good.
So as gamers we're all winners (yay!), but what about the publishers - which software peddler walks away from 2007 with the fancy ribbon pinned proudly to their sparkly spandex lapel? Well, we thought it'd be fun to find out. By laboriously slogging our way through Metacritic, we've taken review scores for all the games released by the big players in 2007, added them together and - by using the magic of mathematics - worked out the average score for each publisher. A simple concept, but an absolute *****-field of numerical hardship to collate.
Before skipping off to see which publisher delivered the best games and, indeed, which one shovelled the most shitware, a bit of necessary blah about how we cobbled this all together:
- We've only used review scores for games on PC, PS3, Wii, 360, DS and PSP.
- If a game has had a different publisher in different territories, we've credited the game with the company that published the game in the States.
- We've only focused on the major publishers - if a company has released less than 10 games in 2007, you won't find them on the list.
That is all. You may continue onwards...
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Activision
It may have brought us such quality games as Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars this year, but Activision has also dumped a load of licensed mediocrity on us in 2007. Spider-Man, Transformers, Shrek and Bee Movie titles occupy a considerable portion of Activision's released list for the year, and - while these titles may have done the business in the shops - they failed to excite critics, consequentially dragging down the publisher's overall average for the year.
Highest ranked game of the year: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, 360) 94%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Hot Wheels: Beat That! (360) 37%
Average review score for 2007: 66.5%
Atari
The once-mighty Atari barely managed a fizzle in 2007, with the vast majority of its games wringing only a tepid reaction out of reviewers. A lack of any triple-A titles is highlighted by the fact that its highest ranked game of the year is a Neverwinter Nights expansion pack. Test Drive Unlimited notched respectable scores on PC and PSP, while releases like Bullet Witch scored much lower than the publisher surely would have liked. Coin-op classics Centipede, Missile Command and Asteroids all received muted critical fanfare for their XBLA releases. We imagine that Alone in the Dark really can't come soon enough for Atari.
Highest ranked game of the year: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC) 82%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Godzilla: Unleashed Double Smash (DS) 30%
Average review score for 2007: 62.3%
Capcom
With a comparatively waif-like release schedule in 2007, Capcom is the smallest of the major publishers on our list. However, it ranks third overall, proving that quality - and not quantity - really can be the winning team from time-to-time. Lost Planet, Resi 4 Wii Edition, Zack & Wiki, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Phoenix Wright's two DS outings all delivered favourable scores for the publisher over the year. Capcom's trio of Mega Man Star Force card-battling RPGs for DS were its worst performers.
Highest ranked game of the year: Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (Wii) 91%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Mega Man Star Force: Leo (DS) 57%
Average review score for 2007: 74.1%
Codemasters
A real mixed bag from Codies this year. Reviewers certainly warmed to DiRT and Overlord, while Clive Barker's Jericho and Brian Lara International Cricket failed to muster much adoration at all. Other releases like Heatseeker, Maelstrom and Hospital Tycoon were tepid at best and certainly not enough to really fill the big TOCA-shaped hole in the 2007 release schedule.
Highest ranked game of the year: DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road (PC) 84%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Heatseeker (PSP) 49%
Average review score for 2007: 68.7%
Eidos
A spectacularly unremarkable year for Eidos, with little more than a long list of lightweight releases to show for itself. It's highest scoring title, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, is a remake of a decade old classic, while the just above average review scores for Battlestations: Midway and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men would have been a disappointment for the publisher. Other Eidos titles in 2007 - such as Pocket Pool, Infernal, Geon: Emotions, Nervous Brickdown and Ancient Wars: Sparta - are really only notable for being so easily forgotten.
Highest ranked game of the year: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PC) 83%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Escape from Bug Island (Wii) 36%
Average review score for 2007: 65.5%
Electronic Arts
Truly a publishing colossus, EA is certainly the most prolific publisher in the business, with nearly 100 games ranked for the year on Metacritic. And contrary to what many gamers might believe, EA doesn't just churn out a load of old dump - looking back at the publisher's year in review scores shows that it has offered consistently decent titles throughout 2007. Highlights include The Orange Box, Crysis, Skate and Rock Band, while sports titles like NBA Street Homecourt, NCAA Football 08 and FIFA Soccer 08 also rake in respectable scores. Standing out like sore thumbs of mediocrity are, not surprisingly, two licensed titles - The Simpsons Game and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - and any one of the eight Sims titles EA cooked up in 2007.
Highest ranked game of the year: The Orange Box (PC, 360) 96%
Lowest ranked game of the year: The Sims 2: H&M fashion Stuff (PC) 48%
Average review score for 2007: 72%
Konami
A year of handheld, Wii and 360 XBLA offerings made up the bulk of Konami's list for 2007. Unfortunately, most if it is painfully average. So with no-shows for 'big' versions of Metal Gear or Silent Hill, it was really up to Pro Evolution Soccer to do the business for the publisher/developer on new-gen consoles. However, new PES still falls way short of its own high standards - something Konami will be aware of after seeing it marked lower than previous old-gen versions.
Highest ranked game of the year: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (360 XBLA) 89%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Winx Club: Join the Club (PC) 30%
Average review score for 2007: 65.3%
Microsoft
The hard work of high scoring games like Halo 3, Project Gotham Racing 4, Crackdown and Mass Effect is offset by the below average efforts of Fusion Frenzy 2, Vampire Rain, Yaris and Word Puzzle. In fact, thanks to freebie Xbox Live Arcade racer and Toyota marketing tool, Yaris, Microsoft gets a dishonourable mention for publishing 2007's lowest scoring game according to Metacritic. Good work.
Highest ranked game of the year: Halo 3 (360) 94%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Yaris (360 XBLA) 17%
Average review score for 2007: 69.5%
Midway
2007 has been a decidedly flaccid - and quiet - year for Midway. Hour of Victory was a flop and the publisher would have been hoping that Stranglehold and BlackSite: Area 51 would have conjured more enthusiasm from reviewers than they did. Xbox Live Arcade offerings Root Beer Tapper, Paperboy and Cyberball 2072 also failed to spark anything that could be mistaken for more than just a modicum of passing interest. Indeed, out of the 16 Midway games ranked on Metacritic, only Lord of the Rings Online and Unreal Tournament 3 pushed the 80%+ mark.
Highest ranked game of the year: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar/Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) 86%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Hour of Victory (360) 38%
Average review score for 2007: 67.7%
Namco Bandai
The big surprise with Namco Bandai's year is that two of its best loved franchises have really let the side down, with both Soulcalibur Legends and Time Crisis 4 leaving critics disappointingly cold. Thankfully, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Ace Combat 6 and a new - and long overdue - maze runabout for arcade veteran Pac-Man received much warmer vibes from critics.
Highest ranked game of the year: Pac-Man Championship Edition (360 XLA) 83%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Tamagotchi Party On! (DS) 37%
Average review score for 2007: 63.9%
Nintendo
There are only a few smears on an otherwise splendid year of review scores for Nintendo. Wii Play, Mario Party 8, Flash Focus, Pokemon Battle Revolution and Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast all lower the tone. However, there's also been a wealth of quality titles to choose from - Super Paper Mario, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Oh, and Super Mario Galaxy, which is 2007's highest ranked game according to Metacritic.
Highest ranked game of the year: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 97%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (DS) 44%
Average review score for 2007: 75.1%
Sega
The only real stinker that crept out of Sega's doors in 2007 was - unforgivably - Sonic the Hedgehog for PS3. In fact, 2007 has been a less-than-exhilarating year all round for Sega's mascot, despite showing up in seven different games. The highest scoring of all Sonic's efforts with 81% was old-school classic, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was given a run-out on Xbox Live Arcade. As for the rest of Sega's portfolio, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Crush, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms and Football Manager 2008 all broke through the 80%+ review barrier.
Highest ranked game of the year: Virtua Fighter 5 (360) 88%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3) 43%
Average review score for 2007: 71.1%
Sony
Definitely the busiest of the three platform holders, Sony has published a lot of rather good titles in 2007 for both PSP and PS3. Handheld treasures have included Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and Jeanne d'Arc. It's also answered the call of "No good games for PS3!" with Warhawk, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. And it's delivered the goods for PlayStation Network with Super Stardust HD, Calling all Cars! and Everyday Shooter. Overall, in terms of review scores its been a very good year for Sony.
Highest ranked game of the year: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune/Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) 89%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Super Rub-A-Dub (PS3 PSN) 49%
Average review score for 2007: 74.6%
Take-Two
Despite the disappointment of the GTA IV delay, Take-Two has still had a rosy year of review scores. Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, The Darkness, Elder Scrolls IV expansion pack Shivering Isles and, of course, BioShock all put a big smile on reviewers' faces. In fact, the only really notable low points in Take-Two's year came in the form of rubbish movie tie-ins, Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Highest ranked game of the year: BioShock (PC, 360) 96%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (DS) 35%
Average review score for 2007: 73.2%
THQ
THQ has certainly been knocking out plenty of half-decent games in 2007. Stuntman: Ignition, WWE Smackdown! Vs RAW 2008, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, Drawn to Life, Conan and many more are all extremely half-decent, but nothing that caused critics to go absolutely bonkers. STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl and Supreme Commander were certainly closer to genuine greatness, but still not enough to give THQ a solid gold hit with reviewers in 2007.
Highest ranked game of the year: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (PC) 87%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Screwjumper! (360 XBLA) 39%
Average review score for 2007: 68.4%
Ubisoft
It may have brought us some great games in 2007 with GRAW2, Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six Vegas (PS3), but Ubisoft really has filled the gaps with plenty of distressingly mediocre fluff - such as Surf's Up, CSI: Hard Evidence, Blazing Angels and Rayman Raving Rabbids. A worrying amount of garbage has also been hoisted upon us by the publisher/developer, with TMNT, Beowulf, The Settlers, America's Army: True Soldiers and Asphalt: Urban GT 2 all making critics cry small numerical tears.
Highest ranked game of the year: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (PS3)/Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (360) 86%
Lowest ranked game of the year: TMNT (PSP) 37%
Average review score for 2007: 63.6%
Vivendi
Yet another master of mediocrity, Vivendi hasn't soured us with anything dreadful in 2007, but with games like TimeShift, Crash of the Titans, Battlestar Galactica and The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night it's certainly drip-fed us a whole lot of average. WOW expansion pack The Burning Crusade and World in Conflict were the definite highlights in an otherwise comprehensively 'couldn't-care-less' kind of line-up.
Highest ranked game of the year: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC) 91%
Lowest ranked game of the year: Empire Earth III (PC) 48%
Average review score for 2007: 68.8%
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Publisher chart
So here it is, the overall publisher ranking for 2007. As you can see, Nintendo is king, spoiling punters with games that - on average - are the best around according to critics. Nintendo's positioning at the top of the pile may be a tad predictable, but in a year when Sony has been under continued fire about the quality of games on both PSP and PS3, it's a pleasant surprise to see them ranked second, indicating that both systems are being well-serviced by Sony.
Three cheers for Capcom who published the least games, but score a victory for quality over quantity. And, indeed, Electronic Arts who published the most games and deserve credit for delivering both quality and quantity.
We were genuinely shocked to see Ubisoft place so low, but it paid the price for a release schedule clogged with mediocrity. In fact, we were genuinely expecting more publishers to accrue a review score average greater than 70% and certainly anticipating that there would be a greater divide between the first and last place publishers. As it is, only 13% separates Nintendo and Atari.
The most surprising thing about these results, however, is the fact that despite 2007 being a splendid year for games - one of the finest ever, in fact - it's been burdened with a frightening amount of very, very average releases and the triple-A titles are massively outweighed by C-list chaff.
here is the final ranking:
1. Nintendo - 75.1%
2. Sony - 74.6%
3. Capcom - 74.1%
4. Take Two - 73.2%
5. Electronic Arts - 72%
6. Sega - 71.1%
7. Microsoft - 69.5%
8. Vivendi - 68.8%
9. Codemasters - 68.7%
10. THQ - 68.4%
11. Midway - 67.7%
12. Activision - 66.5%
13. Eidos - 65.5%
14. Konami - 65.2%
15. Namco Bandai - 63.9%
16. Ubisoft - 63.6%
17. Atari - 62.3%
so in conclusion, nintendo won this year followed by sony and capcon.
i hope you guys liked this find
feel free to discuss, let me know, who were you cheering for
source
http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/ga...58§ionId=1003&pageId=20071210194042328035
