Jasons List 2: Most Influential Developers
Most would agree that were now far enough into the current generation of consoles to get a substantial backlog of material to mull over. While many developers continue to work steadfastly on upcoming material, I would still like to take this time to point out who I feel has made an outstanding achievement thus far.
As you all know, N-Sider devotes the better part of its coverage to Nintendo material. While this will always be true (until we unleash our profit-turning version of N-Sider in the form of a hardcore porn ring), we also try to cover the industry as a whole - particularly in times that deal with the artistic side of games. Having said that, Nintendo really does have more than a few incredibly talented employees.
The following is not necessarily a comprehensive list, but rather they are picks for people or groups that need a pat on the back for their outstanding vision or achievement this generation. Keep in mind that the picks are my own personal choices, and not the choices of N-Sider as a whole. Also, no single employee is responsible for a games success. With that in mind, Ill dictate my picks in no particular order.
Keita Takahashi and the Katamari Damacy team
There is a fine line that separates madness from genius. Sometimes that line looks so fine that it in fact disappears altogether and one cannot discern between the totally insane and completely brilliant notions. Keita Takahashis Katamari Damacy felt like this very often, and in doing so, it makes for an exciting experience. Especially when one considers the amount of risk-taking involved with such an experimental idea.
In Katamari Damacy, which translates to soul of a clump, one must roll a ball in order to collect random objects and ultimately re-create the cosmos. Sounds wacky? It is. However, the title didnt get such hefty praise from me simply because of its crazy off-the-wall themes. Keita Takahashi and his team created a game with more heart than almost any other release this generation. And by heart I mean an infectious creative vision that most would find difficult to ignore.
Nintendo R&D1
In years to come, we might look back at Nintendo R&D1 as the first group to really start the return towards simple gameplay. Sure they arent the first to try, but they definitely sparked a lot of interest both internally with all of EADs teams and externally with budding developers around the world
Make no mistake: Wario Ware Inc. was the beginning of something very special. It is one of those concepts that effectively make you promise to never underestimate an absolutely crazy idea like this in the future. For what its worth, I sometimes think what the team did is a near miracle for this industry. They made an entire game that had microgames which played in a matter of seconds, visual design that sometimes consisted of a quickie MSPaint job, and somehow ended up making it all work. The fact that Wario Ware was financially successful was a life sign that this industry might still have hope of survival. As it stands, this zany game concept that I barely even looked at pre-release now sits as my most played game this generation.
Also, its definitely saying something if you can turn Shigeru Miyamotos head this much. For months after its release Miyamoto was heaping the praise for the title in an effort to get people to try it out. Wario Ware will probably be remembered as the title that started the landslide. Looking at the games that followed it, you can see more simple concepts unleashed in Jungle Beat, Yoshis Universal Gravitation, Donkey Konga, Wario Ware: Twist, and a wealth of upcoming DS titles. Way to go, guys.
Fumito Ueda
I ran out of nice words for this man and his band of artists long ago. Part of the reason is that even after 3 years, ICO is still the most artistically amazing achievements that I can name. And while there were a great many people involved in the development of ICO, the man at the helm was the one who steered the project in all the right directions.
An interesting remark to make is that Ueda-san had not a single videogames to his name before ICO. Furthermore, not only did he fill the role as director, he was actually involved with character design, game design, and even lead animator for character animations.
Fumito helped to create a title that breaks many rules that the game industry has imposed upon itself. And if this werent enough, he worked to deliver one of the most emotive and artistic experiences ever seen by the game-playing public. The end result is so moving that you could say that such an experience only comes about maybe once per generation. My hat goes off to you Mr. Ueda.