Monolith Soft Has Proven It’s The New Squaresoft

GR writes: "We've grown accustomed to seeing RPGs announced with awesome trailers that are composed completely of cutscenes, but here was something that was practically tangible. The visuals were excellent, the landscapes were expansive, and the combat appeared exciting. It was almost as if it was too good to be true—a quick pinch of the forearm revealed that I wasn’t dreaming after all."

[KingKelloggTheWH]

"Monolith Soft Has Proven It’s The New Squaresoft"Monolith is great and all but no..just no

[StraightPath]

xenoblade chronicles best jprg this whole generation. destroys anything square enix has made this entire gen, heck nothing even stands against it

92% metacritic.

[Kur0]

Persona 4 is the best JRPG this generation.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Persona 4 is not of this generation....

One of my favorite games ever, but still not of this generation.

[MaxXAttaxX]

The original Persona 4 came out in 2008. 2 to 3 years after the new generation started. And it's technically around the same level of the Wii, which people consider current gen.
Or even better, how about Persona 4 Golden.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Generally when people refer to "generations" they are referring to console generations, not years.

And though Golden is an excellent re-release, it's still a re-release, in my opinion. Though I'll admit that I see where people are coming from on that front. They did add a LOT of content.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Yeah and they did revamp the graphics too.
But I was just counting it since it was released into the new generation time frame, regardless of the console it was on.

[OmegaSlayer]

LOLOL, with a trailer?
I heard great things about Xenoblade and this X trailer looks VERY good and Square-Enix is not what it used to be but...seriously...with just a trailer?
Nintendo fanboys are getting desperate these days.
They're the worse fanboys I have seen, seriously.

[deafdani]

I'm a Nintendo fanboy, and I think this article is ridiculous, just like you. Don't throw all of us in the same sack.

There's nothing wrong with being a fanboy, unless you're just a closed-minded fanboy... and those are ALL awful, no matter if they're on Microsoft, NIntendo or Sony's camp.

[blackbeld]

@deafdani,

Agreed not all fanboys are the same.

Kingofwiiu get way out of control he is loosing himself.

@OmegaSlayer,

One X trailer tels already 80% it will be better then any Square-Enix FF13 or what ever with Lightning game.

[CatXFlash]

Why defend such a crappy dev? until the day they give us what we want they will forever be considered a hollow shell of its past.

Have you heard of All The Bravest? ... yeah try defending them now.

[neogeo]

Xenoblade is the best RPG made EVER. All other RPGs get smashed under it going all the way back to FF7. So go play it then come back here and so No. I DARE YOU.

[MaxXAttaxX]

I played it. It's good.
But I disagree with the rest.

[Godmars290]

Monolith use the *BE* Squaresoft!

Xenogears!

As excited - Yes, that's right, *I'M* for a game - this X project is likely only part of the 12 game arc they had originally intended. An old idea put on new hadware.

[Hicken]

Now THERE'S a thought.

I'd buy system and game DAY 1- ANY CONSOLE- if it was for the continuation of Xenosaga. That's perhaps the ONE franchise that would make me break all my rules about gaming: I'd buy all the DLC, on-disc or not; I'd pay for Xbox Live to play online; I'd use every form of motion controls available.

Man, I feel like playing right now... but I need to sleep instead.

(Project X will probably be the reason I get a Wii U.)

[kesvalk]

i don't think this is just a thought, it's probably just like that, it's the same director, same series and revolves around robots and gods and robot-gods.

they just can't say it is because i think they don't own the rights for the xenosaga/xenogears games.

[MaideninBlack]

Graphics and gameplay aside, to be the new Squaresoft, Monolith will have to craft a pretty remarkable story if it wants to compete with the older FF games.

[Deku-Johnny]

If Xenoblade Chronicles is anything to go by it will do.

[Qrphe]

If we only talk about remarkable stories, Xenoblade did not have one.

[salamanderp]

It's being directed by Tetsuya Takahashi; he's a fucking genius.

[rainslacker]

Xenosaga was pretty remarkable

[MaideninBlack]

So it seems from all the replies I got, lol. Well, more power to ya Monolith. SE could use the competition.

[chadboban]

I hope the world in "X" will be as interesting as the world of Xenoblade. Having an entire game take place on the bodies of two giant titans is pretty hard to top. I cant freaking wait for it though.

Square definitely needs to work on their console JRPGs though, their best game this gen for me was The World Ends With You on the DS. I hope they bring over Bravely Default, that game looks incredible.

[zerocrossing]

As much as I love Monolith Soft they arent quite there yet, but the way they are going it's certainly possible.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I agree. We need to at least wait until X is released, and probably a couple more games after that.

[N4GDgAPc]

Do you know if sony owns the rights to xenosaga or does Monolith 100% own it? I would love to have Xenosaga 4. Was supposed to be 6 games like Xenogears. But the 3 xenosaga games made was only supposed to be 2 games to.

[rainslacker]

Publishing rights are owned by Namco. We're unlikely to see it completed as they didn't sell great. The third game actually crammed a lot of stuff that was meant for the entire series into it, and while they left it open, MS said they were done with the series. If they do continue it I'm not sure if it'd continue on Playstation, which wouldn't bother me because I'd love to see how the rest of Shion's story plays out.

[N4GDgAPc]

Well if it followed along close to xenogears the next game would be thousands of years later. So that part of the story was over. Shion wouldn't be in it no more. The ones that probly would be reacuring characters is Kos-mos and Chaos<-- which he is still a mystrey on who the hell he is.

When Xenosaga was first annonced there would be 6 games. The first 2 games would finish of the current story which lasted 3 games. game 5 would be Fei and Elly which u could tell the same characters as kids where in xenosaga. Don't remember if they changed there names or not in Xenosaga or not.

[rainslacker]

Xenosaga is not actually directly related to Xenogears. The similarities are glaringly obvious, but they did not have rights to go with the same universe that XG took place in.

Xenosaga 3 directly said at the end that Shion was going to continue her adventure looking for lost Jerusalem, however I think it was left open like that in case they ended up making another game. Momo, Ziggy, and Chaos wouldn't have continued on with this story, although Chaos was said to play an integral role in the entire series, along with Kos-Mos. Those events may have lead up to the beginning movie of Xenogears if they were directly related, although it was theorized that those events would happen by the 2nd game by people who tried too hard to make the connection.

Game 5 never would have reached the Xenogears universe, however the Xenogears book did chronicle many of the times with XG being the 5th. Xenosaga, if taken as part of the XG universe would have been the 3rd part of that book I believe. Somewhat more recent trailers from monolith soft could possibly be that it will be showing the 4th part of that book, but that would be wishful thinking, but it plays into the whole xenosaga/xenogears timeline given the technology and stuff...however I'm thinking it's going to be more closely related to Xenoblade.

Fei and Elly were represented by Shion and her brother. They were not younger versions of them. It's been a while but I believe the original premise of Xenogears universe was that they were recurring parts of the universe, kind of like a reborn entity, something which plays into the Gnosism theory.

There were obvious similarities to XG's in XS, however it was not a direct prequel, but heavily influenced by Xenogears. If it had remained at Square then it could have been less confusing.

[LightofDarkness]

They've only had one great success so far as monolith soft. Xenosaga wasn't exactly the follow up to xenogears that people were expecting (that goes for the trilogy), but if they stick with the Xenoblade formula, they'll be on the right track to replace FF and SE, I suppose.

Don't discount Atlus or Tales Studio, either, no less Level 5. Between all of them, you will certainly fill that square shaped hole...

[Snookies12]

Yeah, my FF needs have certainly been filled by the likes of Persona, Tales, Ys, and (hopefully) Ni No Kuni (since I have yet to play it.)

Regardless, none of those games singularly make up an old school FF game (FF6-10). However, with all together, they do a dang good job of providing that JRPG need I have.

[Zechs34]

Oh man, dont worry, Ni no Kuni will do that all by itself for you.

Fantastic fantastic game!

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I love Level 5. I can't wait to give Ni No Kuni a shot.

[OmniSlashPT]

Square and Square Soft changed not only the JRPG genre but the industry as well, they ruled the times of the PS1 and PS2 and were extremely important with the first FF's during NES and SNES.

Monolith? Ok, Xenoblade is a magnificient game, but this generation is full of talented devs and amazing games.

If you said Level-5 or Atlus, it would be odd enough, but Monolith? no way

[KingKelloggTheWH]

This,I think people are just letting their current distaste for square blind them of what Square had done.
While MonoSoft is great they haven't had 1/100th the impact that Square has had nor the same reception or Fandom.

Saying that MonoSoft has replaced Square is just plain wrong or blatant fanboyism.Sure in the future they may surpass Square,but how likely is it that they can top Final Fantasy 6,or the biggest Jrpg ever Final Fantasy 7.

[RTheRebel]

xenogears beats ff7 sorry

[salamanderp]

Just to let you know, the team at Monolith Soft were the ones that made FF6 so good in the first place. The guys that worked on your beloved FF games aren't even there anymore; they all packed their bags and left Square to rot :) You will never EVER get a good FF game ever again.

[phantomexe]

I agree you cant call them SE but remember these guys were apart of that back then. Still tho this game there makeing is going be great. I want a Wii U just to play it. A good looking rpg is great no matter what consul its on and xenoblade was a gem.

[InsaneChronos]

There is no "the new Squaresoft". It was and wiil be unique studio.

[-Gespenst-]

Hmmmm Soma Bringer is a great game but it doesn't approximate a Final Fantasy game. As for Xenoblade, I haven't played it, but I'm sure it's fantastic.

Either way, I'm not sure they have enough of an ouevre yet to be considered as superior to Square Enix.

Plus, SE still make great games, just more on the portable side of things. Type-0 is supposed to be absolutely incredible, it sure looks it, and of course Versus is on the way, and Lightning Returns, and then XV in the distant future. I don't think it's fair to rule out SE yet

Plus Xenoblade owes it's existence to Xenogears when it boils down to it.

And what about Atlus and Level-5?

[RogueStatus28]

Xenoblade was not only the best JRPG last generation but the best RPG period. From what I see in the trailer they improved a lot from Xenoblade Chronicles.

Update:
Tell me what was the best RPG last generation if you disagree.

[Kamikaze135]

Ni No Kuni. And yes, I've played Xenoblade to death. Xenoblade is still an amazing game though.

[RogueStatus28]

Ni No Kuni is better than XenoBlade Chronicles, LMAO.

[kesvalk]

kept hearing about ni no kuni, awesome game, best game ever, most beautiful game...

finally decides to give the game a look and the graphics are dated and the battle system is still like dragon quest/final fantasy that goes to a battlefield when monsters touch you.

then see that it's a PS3 exclusive.

"ahhh, now i get it."

i don't know what is worse, ppl heralding X as the second coming of jesus, or ppl that really think ni no kuni is the best rpg ever...

[Kamikaze135]

@kesvalk

It seems rather foolish that you completely dismiss a game without giving it a chance and simply because it's an exclusive.

Also, that comment proves that you've barely played any Dragon Quests and Final Fantasy games. Also, FYI, the people that made Dragon Quest VIII and IX made Ni No Kuni :)

[Clarence]

The best jrpg last gen was Dragon Quest 8 Journey of the Cursed King. Developed by level 5, produced by Square, Art work by Akira Toriyama who is well known for dragon ball series.

2nd best FF10 developed by square
3rd best jrpg Rouge Galaxy developed by level 5

Best Action rpg Kingdom Hearts 1&2 hands down. Developed by Square.

Xenoblade could not even compete with these game.

You betta ask somebody!

[LordHiggens]

Best RPG???? Mass Effect,

Best JRPG???

hmmm Lost Odyssey

[BlaqMagiq24]

Persona 3 & 4
Kingdom Hearts
Final Fantasy X

Nuff said.

[InsaneChronos]

And why so much attention to Monolith Soft now? The studio is very famous since 2001. There is Xenosaga, Baten Kaitos and other Monolith Soft projects. So there is no point in mentioning Xenoblade alone when you praising the team.

[SKUD]

More Condemned games plz.

[Realplaya]

I say give credit where credit is due. I never played FF games not really into the turn based games.It just feltlike I was never completely in control. But I won't lie I loved XC thought for a system well passed it's years MS did a great job. Onething Nintendo as been doing is learning the hard way. Had they brought the game to America and europe right away and pushed it that game would have sold alot better than it did. We see th sell numbers but we don't see the hacked wii sales numbers.

[Kamikaze135]

I dislike when people call a company "the new Squaresoft" or anything similar. Let Monolith be Monolith. Square-Enix made some great games, but they've been messing up by trying to appeal to too wide of an audience, hence isolating their fans. They seem to be getting that they screwed up with XIII and XIV.

[Lionalliance]

I though it was Level-5

[animegamingnerd]

i thought it was atlus

[YoungPlex]

Monolith Soft and Platinum Games, are going to pioneer a new era in Japanese games. They are the only developers that stick to their Japanese roots that always dig deep and deliver.

[DivineAssault]

Really? Pioneer a new era in japanese games? Xenogears? Xenosaga? Theyeve been in the game a long time guy.. Bayonetta came out a while ago too.. BTW, have u beat those? Or u just like em now that nintendo is publishing for them?

[Jadedz]

Loved the Baten Kaitos series.
Xenoblade is great.
Disaster: Day of Crisis is pretty decent.

Square gave us; Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, the final fantasy series - and recently, Bravery Default.

It would be foolish to think that, though Monolith Soft is starting to become a well recognized gaming development group.

[animegamingnerd]

but square enix gives us crap like the lighting saga and not release both versus 13 and kingdom hearts 3

[Jadedz]

You have to give credit to Squaresoft for all the games they've made prior to the merger.

[Ck1x]

I actually hope that they make another Baiten Kaitos for the WiiU or I actually hope that they make another Baiten Kaitos for the WiiU or 3ds.

[leahcim]

I agree seriously their games are so full of perfection and beautiness just like old squaresoft

[profgerbik]

Ok this a bit ridiculous, I am in now way saying this game won't be awesome for Wii U owners or it doesn't look good because it does.

Is it the most graphically advanced game I have ever seen on console? No. Has it proven to be better than Square Enix who has made some pretty memorable games. Not yet.

I don't think one release video really warrants that. I mean if you like Xenoblade more than Final Fantasy by all means like it but you can't compare the two really.

What is odd to me is the only Monolith Soft game you Nintendo die hard fans mention is Xenoblade and this new game. Well you know Monolith Soft makes more than just those games, you think if they were that amazing people would be talking about more than just one game they have made.

The thing is I think more people can list off more Square Enix games that were far more successful than most of Monolith Soft's games beside Xenoblade.

I mean you are welcome to prefer what you want but I just think it's a little absurd discrediting everything Square Enix has done for one damn video of one game.

[younghavok]

Haha you miss the point completely. Its not just one video, hell the video is so popular because of what its based off of. And Xenoblade isnt even my favorite Monolith game, that title goes to Baten Kaitos which was also great. Its the fact that this one developer has created what it has. The Xeno series is respected just as much as final fantasy in the rpg world and for good reason. And typically when big new rpgs are announced, its done via CG. This js all in game and it looks incredible, and just knowing what world its based in you know its everybit as huge as it looks and then some. On that level its the most advanced title on consoles shown to date. Its no good to compare it to closed quarter games with vastly smaller environments. And its detailed draw distances are second to none. Its the best looking rpg shown on consoles.

[Inception]

Well, Monolith Soft have Tetsuya Takahashi, the creator behind Xenogears + Xenogasa and graphic director for FF VI-Chrono Trigger-Front Mission. With his experience, maybe someday Monolith Soft will gain the title as a "New Squaresoft". But right now, i think Level 5 or Atlus already fill that title.

Anyway, Nintendo are lucky to have Monolith Soft. Hope they produced more awesome RPG in the future.

[George Sears]

Ever since Xenosaga these devs have my vote of confidence.

[Joegrine20]

Looks like Xenoblade has a high score on metacritic than Ni No Kuni but nevertheless two excellent rpgs

[Inception]

Metacritic is a joke. Metacritic include a lot of perfect scores for Xenoblade, but not perfect scores for Ni no Kuni from good / legit gaming sites? And from users score, Ni no Kuni has more high score than Xenoblade. But i agree with you that the two are excelent RPG's. Gamers must play it and ignore the score.

[izumo_lee]

Monolift Soft are very solid developers who ironically are made up of former Squarenix members like Tetsuya Takahashi who is one of my personal fave game designers.

Yes Xenoblade is a fantastic game, but to have the legacy that was once Squaresoft a company has to do it at a consistent basis. Can they reach that pinnacle that Square once had, sure but with only a handful of games under their belt that is not enough to garner such recognition...yet.

Also Monolift Soft has yet to make a HD game until they announced this new 'X' game, Xenoblade was great but was not a true HD game. We see Squarenix has had trouble with the transition to HD with long development cycles so hopefully Monolift will not have the same issues.

[stragomccloud]

I want to point out that you are comparing the output of one DEVELOPER to the output of an entire COMPANY. As a developer they have put out many stellar games, and the team used to actually be part of Squarespft, under squaresoft, the developers worked on the snes Final Fantasy games, and during the PS1 era,games like Chrono Cross and Xenogears. On that merit alone, I think it meets that criteria. Lotta' talent there.

[ATi_Elite]

WoW X looks like something I wanna play and those graphics really show you just how much more powerful the WiiU is over the 360/ps3.

Gonna keep an eye on X. Looks like the WiiU is coming alive now!

[metroid32]

X makes WiiU a graphic powerhouse the water falls in the distance and birds and the detail in the mountain terrain not to mention the amazing sky all with zero jaggies wow this is Nextgen.

[Ck1x]

Just look at the improvement in games like Wonderful101 & Pikmin from when they were announced at e3 up till now and we can gauge that Xenoblade2 will only look much better by the time e3 2013 rolls around. So yes this is definitely one of the must have WiiU titles on the horizon and I hope there are many more announcements like this to come from Nintendo...

[salamanderp]

Simple.

Square Enix = Quantity
Monolith Soft = Quality

To discredit Monolith Soft based on their output is pure naivety; they're RPG veterans for crying out loud. These guy's were involved in some of the most cutting-edge RPG's back in the day during their time at Squaresoft; Front Mission, Romancing Saga, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Seiken Densetsu, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Xenogears. Not to mention their own titles; Xenosaga I, II & III, Xenoblade, Soma Bringer, Baten Kaitos I & II, Disaster: Day of Crisis, and now the recently announced, X.

Okay, so Square may of been the first company to have hoisted JRPG's to becoming wildly accepted within the video game industry, that's all well and good, but what you have to realise is that SE is a totally different company than it was back in 1996; to think that they're suddenly going to spring back to basics, re-organise their philosophy and pull their fingers out of their asses to develop another "classic" JRPG is ridiculous. I'm sorry to say, but the entire company is a mismanaged mess; there's no creative leadership, no artistic vision, no ambition, they rely heavily on past successes and nostalgia, the company don't even have a clue (or can't remember) who their target audience is.

Take a look at this: http://blogs-images.forbes....

Now tell me, how can you look at that and still manage to hold the same respect for this company? It's unbelievable. All the spark that made that company what it was back in the day is gone, there's no magic left. Square Enix are nothing more but a mere shadow of their former selves simply adhering to past successes, sacrificing their JRPG roots and endlessly spewing out shitty FF XIII sequels and nostalgia driven iOS ports. And they'll carry on doing it again, and again, and again until gamers start looking elsewhere for their JRPG fix (it's happening already), because believe you me, you won't be getting it from SE. (cont)

[stragomccloud]

I agree. Especially, because they have a lot of the talent that made Squaresoft great to begin with with. Members of the team worked on games since the snes era. They worked on Xenogears(duh) and Chrono Cross, and more.

Amazing developer.

[Psychonaut]

I have not touched a JRPG this generation im not going to lie. I "tried" the first Final Fantasy in which lighting was the lead, and while to me it didn't have that magic that I was expecting it by no means was horrible.

The only JRPG i've played this gen isn't even this gen. Been replaying Chrono Trigger on my PSVita. What can I say other then im just a fan for the classics. But by no means will I go out of my way to knock another JRPG.

Like some gamers say I'd buy a new system just for a certina game I think i'd follow suit if they would release Chrono Trigger II. I played Chrono Cross, but.. I dunno just didn't hit me like Trigger did.

[younghavok]

Monolith has indeed proven its RPG chops. For me it started with Baten Kaitos as I never got into the Xeno titles until Xenoblade. But the fact that they did indeed start a respected series like Xeno and kept it exciting over 4 generations deserves praise. Hell I hope they do another Baten Kaitos title as that game was incredible as well. Hell it was so good it made Nintendo buy them if I recall.

But lets not take anything away from Squaresoft. Final Fantasy is great and all, but they also gave us Chrono Trigger, Secret Of Mana, Super Mario RPG, and published the first Breath Of Fire in America. Their legacy will never be outdone. Maybe equaled but not topped

[twilight_link]

biggest problem with monolith soft was i think their visions far exceeded their budget and patience of their investor (Namco) under Nintendo with Xenoblade they were forced to calm down their ambitions and visions to far more sustainable level and that in the end works very well.

Xenoblade is fantastic game and i thing Takahashi is genius but they need some direction.

Of course Square has great legacy and Monolithsoft is far from this but they may become powerhouse and if their projects sells very well (X in particular) more souls disgusted from SQUARE direction can find new home here.

Xenoblade is fantastic game with some minor flaws, if X at least is on par with Xenoblade i can't wait to buy this and Wiiu

[AdvanceWarsSgt]

Actually under Nintendo I think Monolith can now afford to reach their ambitions moreso than they did under Namco. For one, they don't have to worry about meeting an arbitrary due date, since Nintendo is notorious for delaying games that they feel aren't ready. Then, of course, being backed by one of the most financially secure developers in the industry certainly aids Monolith in devoting more time and resources in game production.

[metroid32]

Let me say every aspect of the graphics and resolution on X look Nextgen and totally demolish ps3/360 hell even pc,X graphics are the graphics to beat,i think we have a new king of graphics..

[CatXFlash]

Oh and BTW don't forget about Atlus and Nintendo with games like Fire Emblem. We still have Japan RPGs its just that we should learn to look for them... Mistwalker ..but I heard they are sticking to App games...

[arbitor365]

having one great game and one on the way doesnt make you the next RPG conglomerate. Dont get me wrong. xenoblade kicks the s*** out of anything that square has put out this gen, but square has done quite alot for in past 25 years.

[1upgamer99]

Just like Rare when Microsoft bought them, Square has changed, over and over. So I am not saying Monlolith is the same as Square USED TO BE, but they are great none the less. Now for all of you saying you don't like the term "the new square" well, it is not the same as square used to be. So many new faces and developers= New square.

[TrendyGamers]

I can't wait to play all of their future games.

[mt]

if you want to talk about JRPG noting comes close to squaresoft.. at their golden era.

[Campy da Camper]

I don't care about who destroys whom, I just want to fight that dinosaur!

[Ddouble]

People see one trailer and they go crazy, comparing Monolith not even to Square Enix but to Squaresoft. What is Squaresoft's track record and what is Monolith's.

"In other words, Monolith Soft is completely capable of making games that Square Enix has been fighting to produce for years now"

It's fine to compare Xenoblade to FFXIII but people act like it's the only game SE made this gen.Let's wait for what SE brings next gen and Versus will be the beginning.

Don't get me wrong i felt good inside seeing the mech flying over the map but people need to calm down.

[Munnkyman]

I love xenoblade and baten kaitos but monosolft has not left a legacy as of yet. Squares has put out great games from ealier generations, and has a great and huge history.

[kupomogli]

MonolithSoft is great but it's not the new Squaresoft.

Squaresoft was amazing back in the day. Final Fantasy series, SaGa series, Mana series, Front Mission series, Parasite Eve series Chrono Series, Secret of Evermore, Brave Fencer Musashi, Threads of Fate, and Vagrant Story. That's just the games that have been released in the US.

Squaresoft released a lot of SNES RPGs, but more PSX RPGs that were considered some of the best RPGs ever released, then all their SNES games.

MonolithSoft only has Xenogears, Xenosaga series, DBZ Attack of the Saiyans, Xenoblade, Namco x Capcom, and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier.

Xenogears was amazing. Xenosaga 1 had terrible gameplay but everything else was great, Xenosaga 2 sucked, Xenosaga 3 was good, Namco x Capcom I've heard sucks, DBZ Attack of the Saiyans was good, and I've heard Super Robot Taisen OG was good.

They don't have nearly the amount of games under their belt and not all of their games were good. I mean what do you expect when it's just a developer compared to a big company with multiple developers, one of which was MonolithSoft with Xenogears.

If any developer was the new Squaresoft this gen and last, it would be Atlus. How many SMT and spinoffs were released on just the PS2? A lot, and most of them were good(Devil Summoner sucks.) They own a lot of smaller developers so series like Etrian Odyssey, etc. Then you have to think how many games that Atlus USA published in the US that we would have never seen otherwise. Sure it's not their games, but most of us wouldn't have played them if they weren't released over here. I know that I would have played Demon's Souls, but other text heavy games I wouldn't have.

If it's based on publisher only? Then XSeed is up there too.

[solboogie]

Looks like the winds of change they are a blowing! Seams like the 3rd parties that left for greener pastures are coming back home to blossom. Only greatness will be the result! "Do U"!