Right now, my arsenal is split between Motiv, Roto Grip, and Track.  Honestly, all of the brands make good equipment these days.  It all comes down to the bowler, layout and surface prep.  If that is not matched up with your game, the ball will suck for your game. 

Is there such thing as a bad ball or bad ball company nowadays?

I don't think there are bad companies and I think it's possible to have a bad ball, but not very likely.

Personally I think the cover on the Storm Phaze was not very good, but some people loved it. The Phaze II looks a lot better and it seems to be because of the cover

Storm is the best company IMO.  Not by a wide margin, but from experience and what I prefer.  I know people whine about longevity, but get this.  I'm still using my Storm Vertigo of 10+ years as my main strike ball.  I have other Storm balls I use also.  No major damage or dents in the ball.  Actually coverstock is like 95% intact.  Now for my experiences:

-Ebonite One - split open on the lane
-Columbia 300 Messenger TI - cracked around finger holes
-Hammer Black Widow - has several dents in coverstock that don't affect performance but c'mon man!
-Lane 1 - a POS company and overpriced crap
-Viz-A-Ball - using their spare ball and after less than a year, scratched to hell; used a Brunswick spare ball for years until I was dumb and trashed it for no real reason other than to buy a new spare ball