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%
Above: Activison's brilliantly intense war ride, Call of Duty 4, was the publisher's highlight in 2007 and definitely one of the best games of the year
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%
Above: Activison's brilliantly intense war ride, Call of Duty 4, was the publisher's highlight in 2007 and definitely one of the best games of the year
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%
