Any of you gamers out there ready for a summer vacation, but you don’t know just what to do or where to go? Well, we here at TGR, with thanks to the good people at GamePro, are bringing you GamePro’s list of the Eight Most Powerful Video Game Studios. Time to take a trip down memory lane:

1.Epic Games-Appropriately at the top of the list we have Epic Games, located in Cary, North Carolina. The company became a sensation not only from their smash Gears of War, but also due to the widespread popularity of their middleware engine that has been picked up for use in more games then it is possible to list here. They�re, well, epic.
2.Bungie-We all know this one. Not only have they created one of the most popular FPS series around, but they have also assisted in popularizing the genre as a whole.
3.Rockstar North-Beginning with Lemmings, which Rockstar North created back in the day as DMA Design, the studio has created some of gaming�s most memorable properties. Rockstar North is known most of all for it�s creation of the Grand Theft Auto series, which has changed much of how we view games and how they impact society. Like them or loathe them, Rockstar North has participated in creating one of the most crucial games even created.
4.Maxis Software-Originally best known for the multiple variations of it�s SimCity franchise, the California-based Maxis has really given itself a leg up with the creation of the Sims series - which has resulted in sales of over 100 million copies all over the world. It�s the 3rd best selling game series of all time.
5.EA Tiburon-Tiburon: in another language it means shark, and EA Tiburon has certainly lived up to it�s name with the creation of Madden NFL Football, which has become one of the highest grossing game series ever created.
6.Sony Computer Entertainment-Sony, the studio behind the Playstation console, started it all by severing relations with Nintendo. Since that day, the company has carried some of the biggest games ever, and will no doubt go on to make many more.
7.Blizzard Entertainmen The studio that needs no introduction. The Irvine,California company is a keyword amongst gamers for it�s creation of the Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft series, in addition to the gaming superbeing known as World of Warcraft.
8.Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development-Despite the uninspiring name, this studio is actually one of most potent powerhouses behind Nintendo. Shigeru Miyamoto worked here for many years, allowing us many fond memories of games such as the Legend of Zelda series, the Super Mario Brothers, and the by now world famous hardware pair of the Nintendo Wii and WiiFit.

So there you have it, the biggest, the best, and the brightest. These studios have not only created excellent games, they�ve also helped to bring gaming into the forefront of the world�s attention, albeit not always with positive results (sorry Rockstar). Despite some bad press, these companies have rendered gamers services that we should all be grateful for, because without their hard work and dedication, the gaming world today would be a very different and - more to the point - much less fun place to be in.