With the final month of the year now upon us, it’s time for the inevitable lists and breakdowns of the year’s best in gaming and game culture. While it seems that the general consensus at this time of the year is that “This was truly the best 12 months for gamers ever” we at UGTV understand that it is Just Another Year (JAY) of gaming goodness and we should treat it as such. So here we have the JAYs, our breakdown of the year’s best for another chord progression in the melody that is the video game industry. Okay, that was a bit lame, but it’s not like these lists aren’t cheesy in their own right.

Instead of taking time to rehash our reviews and go over articles we’ve already done we thought we’d dole out the first round of JAYs to the unsung heroes of the gaming world: the developers. It’s been a busy year, and beyond just releasing high quality titles and we tried to look at the entire year’s worth of work and just how big an impact the developers have had on the industry. Good decisions, great games and innovative concepts. We’ll still break down our favourite games of this year, once the great UGTV committee meets up for our year-end wrap-up, but for now let’s focus on the people out there making those games.

1. Q-Games
Starting off the list is someone that has not brought any games into stores at all this year, Japan’s Q-Games. All the titles they have dolled out so far this year have been exclusively available via the PlayStation Store, and one that was released in January is still seeing a lot of play time. The PixelJunk series additions of Monsters and Eden have certainly gotten a bit of fanfare over the last few months, and the latter is still a game I continue to play when I get a free moment. Monsters specifically continues to be updated, and although it is just a tower defense game it continues to be an addictive and fun title that has been a great reason to start looking at digital downloads as a serious concept. Eden may be a bit repetitive, but it is such a beautiful and well designed game (and recently on sale for only 5 dollars) that it needs to be experienced. Platforming mixed with Eletroplankton, an art collaboration that Dylan Cuthbert and the guys at Q-Games should be proud of. With their work on making digital games a great reason to have a console they are one of the best developers of the year.

2. Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment
It seems that the EA Partners program has started to bear fruit. DICE, the group responsible for the Battlefield series, has been rather busy this year. While taking a diversion from their normal formula to create an interesting group of characters to play with in Battlefield: Bad Company they managed to garner some critical success and some turned heads. Certainly the game is not perfect, but it’s a great diversion from the bog standard war shooter, giving a thicker plotline and more engaging characters. Then, of course, there is Mirror’s Edge, a game that presents something totally unique for a first person action game, creating a dystopian universe for you to interact with in a way most people have never experienced before. On top of that, they’ve almost finished work on a free to play, micro-transaction supported game Battlefield: Heroes which is a pretty bold move for a major developer in the North American market. They’ve taken risks, gotten people talking about brand new mechanics and interesting ways to look at old franchises, and have certainly earned a spot at the top for the year.

3. Rare
Although Peter Moore certainly wouldn’t agree, Rare have made a significant impact on the year 2008 through some pretty interesting moves. Although all late in the year, they’ve released a couple very solid games with Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. One a follow-up to a franchise that was born on the 360, and the other one born in a totally different generation and they certainly do a lot of things right between them. Viva was a very solid reconstruction of their original concept that made a very complex, but easily accessible game. Banjo took the old collect-fest and turned it into an open world collect-fest with the cool twist of being able to design your own vehicles to traverse the world. Both games were offered at a 40 dollar price tag, as well, and didn’t feel like anything less than what you’d grab from any other big developer. On top of all of this, Rare was instrumental in the look-and-feel of the New Xbox Experience with their work on the Avatars. They’ve been a very strong developer for Microsoft, making their products more accessible to a broad audience with solid first-party games and making the dashboard more user friendly and customizable. They’ve made their impact on the year 2008.

4. Criterion
It’s hard to think of a game that has received as much support as Burnout Paradise in this generation at all, let alone in 2008. Criterion has done just about everything right in making sure that the game continues to be fresh and new with constant updates that go beyond just more cars or decals. New multiplayer modes, new worlds, new cars, the addition of bikes, environmental changes and more to come, and most of this stuff is coming for the low, low price of absolutely free. Burnout is a good game on its own, but with the added content it is hard to not recommend this game, especially considering it is now available for 30 dollars and even as a digital download on the PlayStation Store. Criterion have done everything right and set a standard that I don’t expect any other developer to live up to in terms of supporting their products and rewarding their fans.

5. CD Projekt
Although they are not nearly as close to being a household name as any of the other teams mentioned so far, their impact on the year shouldn’t be underestimated. After releasing their much-anticipated PC RPG The Witcher late last year, they were taken aback by some serious criticism about various bugs and issues with the product. They responded this year with a huge patch, for free, and a brand new version of the game that includes a significant amount of fixes. And considering the PC-centric audience, they’ve also announced they are bringing the game to consoles late next year. From a company in Poland that was generally used as a translation group for Eastern European countries, to a group that has their owners named as the entrepreneurs of the year, they’ve also made strides in the online distribution world. With the launch of a new service called Good Old Games, CD Projekt’s bosses have brought out old PC classics back into the modern landscape for people to enjoy. It’s relatively sparse at the moment, but such a critical and brilliant move that should definitely get more support as the new year approaches. While not necessarily making the biggest splash in the industry, their growth and variety in their portfolio is a true example of what indie developers should be working towards. Taking risks and getting yourself noticed through the products you make, not the hype you deliver about the products you plan on making.

Honourable Mentions:
Hey, there’s a lot of great developers out there who have delivered a lot of great products. The games often speak for themselves, and show off years of work. Some have stood out in their impact on the market, as well, but maybe not as much as they could have. Either way, here are some worth mentioning!

Ready At Dawn
Releasing the only worthwhile title for the hardcore Sony fan who owns a PSP in God of War: Chains of Olympus, and delivering what everyone wanted in Okami for the Wii, Ready at Dawn have established themselves this year as a competent multiplatform developer and one to keep an eye on in the future.

Nintendo EAD
It’s hardly fair not to mention Nintendo. Wii Fit has taken the world by storm, and Mario Kart Wii continues to be one of the biggest sellers of the year. It doesn’t feel like all the passion is there with the latter, but the former is truly an extension of how gaming is treated in the mainstream culture and deserves a good nod to Nintendo.

Media Molecule
They thought it, built it and delivered exactly what they promised with LittleBigPlanet. Media Molecule have been a solid contender for one of the most talked about developers this year, with their game continuing to do well in the market and gaining significant critical praise. Showing off new content on their website, and establishing a workshop for idea sharing even outside the collaboration available in the game, they’ve certainly made a good effort to keep people living in their LittleBigWorld.

Valve
UGTV’s Jon Fisher certainly would agree, Valve has done quite a few great things this year. Only delivering one real product in Left 4 Dead may be a shallow splash compared to last year’s Orange Box, but the fact that they have continued to support games like Team Fortress 2 makes the game continue to life a year later. Although their support for consoles has been sparse, to say the least, the fact that they are giving TF2 continued support and still giving solid, new IPs gives them a good spot at the top.

Insomniac Games
Releasing two major sequels to your most cherished franchises in the same year is risky venture. Insomniac did it, throwing out Resistance 2 and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty in the same year. Although Resistance is a huge, full blown sequel to the original launch title, Ratchet was a downloadable episode meant to expand the series while a full sequel is being worked on. Both were pretty good, although they had their flaws. Still, this alongside the work they’ve done within their online community and consistent podcasting have shown that they are embracing their fans, listening to the gaming community and continuing to better themselves and be a high class, top tier developer.