GAMASUTRA DECIDES ON BEST GAME PUBLISHERS OF 2006

Gamasutra has decided on the best game publishers for 2006 and doesn't surprise anyone with the winners.

Number one being, of course, EA- Electronic Arts. Even if they weren't number one they'd be number two. EA is huge and has so many different departments that it's not surprising at all that they are number one. EA also has some of the best sports games around and that guarantees a high number on the best publisher ranking.

Number two is an old friend. Nintendo. Being around since 1933 they've been around the block a few times and seem to have learned the way to stay in the game. The GameCube, widely known as a flop to most due to the lack of games coasted along just fine because of the sales of a few games. One of them Super Smash Bros Melee. The Nintendo DS and DS lite have boosted sales for Nintendo since they are extremely successful and might I say as well, FUN! Games for the DS are the most interactive out there and continue to intrigue people now. Of course the Wii is the major console of the year and re-invents gaming all together. Time will tell us if Nintendo can keep this up.

Vivendi Games clocks in at number twelve encompasses the most popular MMO ever, World of Warcraft. This game was responsable for most people decline in work done in the workplace (hehe). It is known for it's great lore and great gameplay only rivaled by few games.

Skipping down the list a bit is Square-Enix, one of my personal favourites, is number thirteen. Final Fantasy XII is the most driving for this but Kingdom Hearts II and Dragon Quest VIII were extremely popular as well. Square-Enix missed the mark by a little when they said they were determined to bring out a game every month but they've done a great job.

NCSoft is fifteen with its Guild Wars MMO and expansion called Factions. The MMO market is dominated by a few namely Everquest, Word of Warcraft, and Guild Wars. The games is extremely well designed and is easy to play. The challenging enemies and special quests you need to do in the game are great and need to be as you can only reach a level of 20.

Here's the complete list for your reading pleasure:

1) EA- Electronic Arts
2) Nintendo
3) Activision
4) SCE- Sony Computer Entertainment
5) T2- Take Two Interactive
6) Microsoft Game Studios
7) THQ
8) Ubisoft
9) Konami
10) Sega
11) Bandai Namco
12) Vivendi Games
13) Square-Enix
14) Capcom
15) NCSoft
16) Eidos
17) Lucasarts
18) BVG- Buena Vista Games
19) Atari
20) Midway