Favorite Video Games (Series)

[Griffith]

The spirit of this question is a little more abstract than the practical phrasing, almost like which idea of an individual game, as represented by multiple iterations, are your favorites? Or, to put it another way, which of these are you always going to buy the latest edition of? It doesn't have to be on this poll, Metroid and/or Castlevania would be excellent selections for example (and I considered dumping some of the ones I consider shit games for them, but I figured there should be some objective criteria and representation in the poll =), and whether or however you vote I encourage you to list and discuss your personal choices in a reply. Here are mine:

Zelda - #1 in my heart and mind.
Dark Souls - It's basically 3D Zelda but hard. =)
Mario - Arguably everyone's collective #1. I went away from them for a while but came back strong, so even if I don't play them all and the flame wanes it will burn eternal.
Diablo - This selection is more an admission: My name is Griffith and I'm a Diabloholic.
Mega Man - The Blue Bomber is back, baby! We'll see if the new style of 11 captures the magic better than MM7 and MM8.

Close:

Resident Evil - This one sort of surprised me but I'm pretty up on the main series save for like Revelations 2. I'm not that passionate about it though (or so I think =), but as far as playing them all as they come this could easily be up there.
Metal Gear - Definitely fits the bill, but more or less defunct now, right?
Fallout - My interest waned a bit with Fallout 4, it's now more "would play" than "must play."
Mario Kart - I played them all, loved 7, but again, interest waning a bit after 8.

Honorable mentions:

Doom - The only FPS brand I care about, but very few and far between.
Final Fantasy - Love the classics (IV-VII, Tactics), might give XV a try under the right circumstances, but my interest certainly hasn't held up to the test of time as I haven't played one since IX.
Grand Theft Auto - Revived by my recent love of Red Dead, since, besides a quickly aborted attempt at V, I hadn't played one since San Andreas.
Donkey Kong Country - Played and love 1 & 2 like few others, but everything since has disappointed.
Mass Effect - If Andromeda hadn't been a bomb this could have jumped to the main list.
Sonic Again, love the early entries, not so much what came or is coming next.

 

[Aazealh]

I've played a lot of games from most of these series, but I somehow have a hard time naming 5 "favorites" among your list. First choice is easy enough: Zelda. Second would be Mario. But after that? Ehhhh hard to say. The Castlevania and Metroid series could have been in third place but they're not listed, and Castlevania is objectively a dead series now while Metroid hasn't been on a hot streak recently.

As for the rest, there's many I have enjoyed, like Assassin's Creed or the Souls series, but I guess not enough or not long enough to earn a spot on such a list. It would be different if we were talking individual games, but we're not and that's the point, right?

 

[Cyrus Jong]

Uh, doesn't look like I can answer this poll because I've already demonstrated that I wouldn't buy the latest iteration of any of these series, even if I do (or did) like them. I already skipped out on Dark Souls 3. I didn't get Metal Gear Solid V because MGS should have ended with IV (better yet, II should have been excised from the canon so IV wouldn't need to clean up its mess). I'm officially done with Bethesda, so Fallout and Elder Scrolls are out. Rockstar has been pissing me off with their obsession with GTA Online and all its microtransactions, so I have no hope for GTA VI if and when it comes out. Final Fantasy just stopped exciting me around the time of XII's release, so I haven't bothered with them for over a decade. And with Mania being the exception and not the rule to Sonic's quality, that's a franchise that's mostly buried for me.

 

[Griffith]

I've played a lot of games from most of these series, but I somehow have a hard time naming 5 "favorites" among your list. First choice is easy enough: Zelda. Second would be Mario. But after that? Ehhhh hard to say. The Castlevania and Metroid series could have been in third place but they're not listed, and Castlevania is objectively a dead series now while Metroid hasn't been on a hot streak recently.

As for the rest, there's many I have enjoyed, like Assassin's Creed or the Souls series

So...

Zelda
Mario
Castlevania
Metroid

Assassin's Creed
Dark Souls

See, you had the answers all along! Also, the 5 votes was just an arbitrary number to give you some choices but not too much that you didn't need to make any or would dilute the poll. I just happened to include five at the top myself but like I said Resident Evil could rightfully be there for me since I just don't seem to skip them. =)

Also, I added Castlevania and Metroid to the poll and will do the same for other worthy suggestions (you can also change your votes any time). Conversely, I may dump some of the loser franchises along the way if they never get votes (but I'm curious to see if there's any surprise fans of some of these =).

but I guess not enough or not long enough to earn a spot on such a list. It would be different if we were talking individual games, but we're not and that's the point, right?

Yeah, but YMMV, it's up to you basically, I just went with how I "felt" more than anything and didn't include series where one or two games were among my favorites, but I don't necessarily expect that level again or even want more (if they did Mass Effect 4 with Shepard though it'd be there =). But hell, I could see a scenario where even a single title's sequel would do that for somebody. It's mostly about what theoretically would be a "must play" for you, and that's different for everybody, even among their "favorites." So, it can admittedly be kind of a vague and awkward question, or as simple as just naming your favorite franchises.

Uh, doesn't look like I can answer this poll because I've already demonstrated that I wouldn't buy the latest iteration of any of these series, even if I do (or did) like them.

Just what ARE you going to play then!? I'm assuming titles NOT listed here unless you're retiring?

I already skipped out on Dark Souls 3. I didn't get Metal Gear Solid V because MGS should have ended with IV (better yet, II should have been excised from the canon so IV wouldn't need to clean up its mess). I'm officially done with Bethesda, so Fallout and Elder Scrolls are out. Rockstar has been pissing me off with their obsession with GTA Online and all its microtransactions, so I have no hope for GTA VI if and when it comes out. Final Fantasy just stopped exciting me around the time of XII's release, so I haven't bothered with them for over a decade. And with Mania being the exception and not the rule to Sonic's quality, that's a franchise that's mostly buried for me.

Dark Souls
Metal Gear
Fallout
Elder Scrolls
GTA
Final Fantasy
Sonic

Got it!

 

[Aazealh]

See, you had the answers all along! Also, the 5 votes was just an arbitrary number to give you some choices but not too much that you didn't need to make any or would dilute the poll. I just happened to include five at the top myself but like I said Resident Evil could rightfully be there for me since I just don't seem to skip them. =)

Haha, I don't know if I'd really rate them like that though, would have to think about it. I mean I gave examples, but I've also played practically all Resident Evil games too, all GTA games and so on. And I think I'd very deliberately not include the Souls series in my list, as I feel it doesn't/didn't renew itself enough for that.

Also, I added Castlevania and Metroid to the poll and will do the same for other worthy suggestions (you can also change your votes any time).

Ah well, what the hell, I've added some votes for these and thrown one in for RE to round it up. (BTW Revelations 2 is pretty good aside from the ending)
Still, Zelda and Mario are the only two series that are truly must-buys for me I think. I'd never really thought about it before I guess, but nothing really compares.

Yeah, but YMMV, it's up to you basically, I just went with how I "felt" more than anything and didn't include series where one or two games were among my favorites, but I don't necessarily expect that level again or even want more (if they did Mass Effect 4 with Shepard though it'd be there =). But hell, I could see a scenario where even a single title's sequel would do that for somebody. It's mostly about what theoretically would be a "must play" for you, and that's different for everybody, even among their "favorites." So, it can admittedly be kind of a vague and awkward question, or as simple as just naming your favorite franchises.

Haha, I would say I'm a pretty big Mass Effect fan but somehow it's also not really a series I'd list here. Geez, I never should have gotten involved in this hellish thread.

 

[Griffith]

Haha, I don't know if I'd really rate them like that though, would have to think about it. I mean I gave examples, but I've also played practically all Resident Evil games too, all GTA games and so on. And I think I'd very deliberately not include the Souls series in my list, as I feel it doesn't/didn't renew itself enough for that.

Well, that kind of highlights these little wrinkles everyone has. I'd agree that Souls has done almost as little as possible to innovate (perhaps intentionally), with maybe the exception of Bloodborne, but I've enjoyed and put so many hours into the games (including dozens more into Nioh) it just doesn't matter to me. On the other hand, if another comes out and I'm totally bored with it that could be that.

Ah well, what the hell, I've added some votes for these and thrown one in for RE to round it up. (BTW Revelations 2 is pretty good aside from the ending)

Now that's the spirit, and I'll have to to give RER2 another shot (I started it but just didn't have the time then and later moved on), though that ending dig wasn't enticing.

Still, Zelda and Mario are the only two series that are truly must-buys for me I think. I'd never really thought about it before I guess, but nothing really compares.

See, my hellish threads make you discover parts of you that you didn't even realize were there! Or, they're just confounding. But there has to be something or someone else you'd follow that way. Perhaps doing it by series is what's making it strange to you, as opposed to a creator or developer. I know you've praised Rockstar highly in the past when they were nailing every project, and Capcom usually does good work. Come to think of it, Mario and Zelda are basically synonymous with "Nintendo" for that matter. Maybe if you came at it from the developer on down your preferences would be more apparent.

Haha, I would say I'm a pretty big Mass Effect fan but somehow it's also not really a series I'd list here.

There's nothing to look forward to anymore, sadly. Same with MGS; who would have thought Kojima wouldn't be the one to finally run it into the ground after promising for years.

Geez, I never should have gotten involved in this hellish thread.

Whenever I make a topic, 2nd most on SK.net BTW (though maybe not if we counted some specialized admin accounts =), this is my inspiration:

https://youtu.be/gEyFH-a-XoQ

Welcome to my nightmare!

 

[Aazealh]

See, my hellish threads make you discover parts of you that you didn't even realize were there! Or, they're just confounding. But there has to be something or someone else you'd follow that way. Perhaps doing it by series is what's making it strange to you, as opposed to a creator or developer. I know you've praised Rockstar highly in the past when they were nailing every project, and Capcom usually does good work. Come to think of it, Mario and Zelda are basically synonymous with "Nintendo" for that matter. Maybe if you came at it from the developer on down your preferences would be more apparent.

Yeah, maybe... Although I think I'm just more focused on individual titles in general.

Whenever I make a topic, 2nd most on SK.net BTW (though maybe not if we counted some specialized admin accounts =), this is my inspiration:

https://youtu.be/gEyFH-a-XoQ

Man these were good.

 

[m]

I voted for Mario and Super Mario Kart, though I’m not sure I should have even voted, as I don’t really play anymore. The last Mario game I bought was Super Mario 3D Land, and the last Mario kart game I bought was Mario Kart 7 (though I’ve played quite a bit of 8 with friends). There’s other series that I hold dear, but only for the entries that I did play, such as Zelda, Mega Man and Street Fighter, but it’s been a while since I played a “new” game in those series.

In terms of other series that I like, I’m not sure if two-game series count, but one of my favorite series is Chrono Trigger. Even though it’s unlikely that a new game will ever come out, such a game would be an instant buy for me. I think I own at least three different copies of Chrono Trigger, one of which is my original copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles, which I bought even though I’ve never owned a PS.

 

[Oburi]

In terms of other series that I like, I’m not sure if two-game series count, but one of my favorite series is Chrono Trigger. Even though it’s unlikely that a new game will ever come out, such a game would be an instant buy for me. I think I own at least three different copies of Chrono Trigger, one of which is my original copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles, which I bought even though I’ve never owned a PS.

Another favorite of mine, in my personal top 5, would be the Suikoden series. Especially the first two. Those games had such a great continuity between them and was even doing the whole load your save file from the previous game into the new one for special cutscenes, extra dialog, returning characters and entire quests. Way ahead of it's time.

Another honorable mention goes to the Legacy of Kain series. Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and the final mash up of both series Defiance. Shouldn't be forgotten. The writer for that series, Amy Henning, went to work on another great series, the Uncharted games.

 

[underpileofdeadbodies]

Legacy of Kain series. Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and the final mash up of both series Defiance. Shouldn't be forgotten. The writer for that series, Amy Henning, went to work on another great series, the Uncharted games.

Never been a Zelda fan and would take Metroid (especially prime) over any Mario, but LoK is definitely top five for me. The series is dead but what a series it was. I am definitely in the minority in this group as Nintendo (as far back as 64) exclusives rarely hold my attention. Most times I give them a try and just don’t get the fuss.

 

[Aazealh]

Another honorable mention goes to the Legacy of Kain series. Blood Omen, Soul Reaver and the final mash up of both series Defiance. Shouldn't be forgotten. The writer for that series, Amy Henning, went to work on another great series, the Uncharted games.

Hennig's work is commendable but she didn't write the story of the original Legacy of Kain game (the most memorable one by far IMO). She started as a writer and director on Soul Reaver, which was only retroactively made into a Legacy of Kain sequel (it had started as an unrelated project).

 

[RaffoBaffo]

- Fallout
- Castlevania
- The Infinity Engine Games
- KotOR
- Devil May Cry
- Soul Reaver
- Thief
- System Shock
- Gothic
- Half Life
- Doom
- Max Payne

So, yeah, all my favorite series are dead.
Except Doom and DMC, because DMCV will be announced at E3 [BELIEVE!]
...and System Shock, if they don't run with the money.

 

[Aazealh]

So, yeah, all my favorite series are dead.
Except Doom and DMC, because DMCV will be announced at E3 [BELIEVE!]
...and System Shock, if they don't run with the money.

It's not really a series, but the spirit of the Infinity Engine lives on! Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Torment: Tides of Numenera...

 

[NightCrawler]

Only flawless series for me are Streets of Rage and Shenmue.

 

[RaffoBaffo]

It's not really a series, but the spirit of the Infinity Engine lives on! Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Torment: Tides of Numenera...

Yeah, I know, I have all of them.
[And I really should really replay PoE with the DLC, before the launch of PoE2]

 

[Aazealh]

[And I really should really replay PoE with the DLC, before the launch of PoE2]

Same... Started the DLC a while back but didn't get very far before losing interest.

 

[Griffith]

Yeah, maybe... Although I think I'm just more focused on individual titles in general.

It's not really a series, but the spirit of the Infinity Engine lives on! Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Torment: Tides of Numenera...

I think this raises a good point that I sort of alluded to with my reference to Nioh but I'm totally considering clones and games "in-the-style-of" as well. I know that could make things murkier, but of course I'm considering Shovel Knight as part of my love for Mega-Man, naturally.

In terms of other series that I like, I’m not sure if two-game series count, but one of my favorite series is Chrono Trigger. Even though it’s unlikely that a new game will ever come out, such a game would be an instant buy for me. I think I own at least three different copies of Chrono Trigger, one of which is my original copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles, which I bought even though I’ve never owned a PS.

Yeah, from one of SNES' rare treasures to a game that if you don't own multiple bad ports of... congrats! Chrono Trigger is kind of a sneaky series given it technically has 3 games to its name counting Radical Dreamers (and the original has been ported so much it just FEELS like it's bigger =). Speaking of which, I also think it's unlikely we WON'T ever get another one given how much the game's reputation and name has endured. They'll go back to that well sooner or later, for better or worse. I don't know if it'll be a AAA modern treatment like FFXV, or my preference... get the old band back together and make a smaller direct sequel, Chrono Trigger 2, in the style of the original, as if it came out in 1999 or something.

Only flawless series for me are Streets of Rage and Shenmue.

Shenmue gave me my first job. I still remember communicating to and from work to drive my forklift every day. *nostalgia*

Now that's my real life (minus the forklift)! Though, I can't reconcile the memories of reading phone numbers and manually dialing them in first person with sequences that are just straight beat 'em up in a bar and the surrounding streets. Man that game was awkwardly ahead of it's time in so many ways. Speaking of which, you haven't found any games since to have borrowed or revamped some of its innovations effectively, if not moreso?


Anyway, some interesting trends: Souls is well in the lead, even a few votes over Zelda and freakin' Mario, which just goes to show it's better to be good (and hot) than innovative. =) On the other hand, it's interesting that until today GTA had no votes and currently sits at only 1. This for the franchise that's latest release was reputedly the most profitable single piece of media ever sold! So everyone still likes GTA, but maybe not everybody loves it anymore.

Anyway, the current top 4:

1. Souls (!)
2. Zelda
3. Mario
4. Metal Gear

I'm a bit surprised by Souls and Metal Gear being a high as they are given all the competition, though there's a glut for 5th right below MGS.

 

[Aazealh]

I think this raises a good point that I sort of alluded to with my reference to Nioh but I'm totally considering clones and games "in-the-style-of" as well. I know that could make things murkier, but of course I'm considering Shovel Knight as part of my love for Mega-Man, naturally.

Haha, then it's more like genres, which makes it much murkier indeed.

 

[Cyrus Jong]

Dark Souls
Metal Gear
Fallout
Elder Scrolls
GTA
Final Fantasy
Sonic

Got it!

Oh, a wise guy, eh?

Though I guess if you were going to put a gun to my head, then I would indeed say Souls is my favorite, if only because From Software is the only company that I still respect and hasn't done anything to sour my opinion of them. I may have skipped Dark Souls 3, but that was more out of principle than anything. At the time, I was fearing the series would become a yearly thing, and didn't care for where the story was going with DkS2, but by all accounts, it still looks like a solid game, and the fact that From has slowed down now has put my concerns at ease. Whatever mystery product they're currently working on, whether it plays like a Soulsborne game or not, at least has a good chance of being a quality product.

Grand Theft Auto would probably be a distant second, if only because there's a tiny chance Rockstar will see the light, throw everything related to GTA Online in the trash (or at least distance it from the main product), and make something awesome out of Grand Theft Auto VI. I doubt it, of course, but that's a hell of a lot more than Bethesda, Sonic Team, Square-Enix, and especially Konami have going for them.

 

[Sareth]

Love me some Zelda, Metroid, and Donkey Kong Country.

 

[Walter]

Yeah this is tough for me to do. Because my favorite games of all time either aren't in series (Infinite Space, Shadow of the Colossus), or are parts of series that are so mired in other shit that it's hard for me to vote for the whole group of them (Final Fantasy, Front Mission).

Constrained like that, I guess I'd go with Zelda and Mario mostly due to their overall quality over time.

 

[Griffith]

Haha, then it's more like genres, which makes it much murkier indeed.

Yes and no, more than series but less than genres, and yes ever murkier.

BUT, if you properly follow proper protocols everything will be fine!

Oh, a wise guy, eh?

That's me, a wise guy, not a wise man.

Though I guess if you were going to put a gun to my head, then I would indeed say Souls is my favorite, if only because From Software is the only company that I still respect and hasn't done anything to sour my opinion of them.

They'd best just quit now while they're ahead then.

I may have skipped Dark Souls 3, but that was more out of principle than anything. At the time, I was fearing the series would become a yearly thing, and didn't care for where the story was going with DkS2, but by all accounts, it still looks like a solid game

It's actually way better than that and arguably the best of the subgenre, and I think you took it wrong with the incomplete information you had (with it looking like a yearly Souls assembly line). So far it's actually lived up to and plays like what it was billed as, a swan song for the series and Miyazaki (who wasn't really part of the admittedly subpar DSII, but there's the distinction that make's DSIII special; the auteur has crafted one last one). When you consider it like his final love letter to the whole thing going back to Demon's Souls it's much more appealing than when it was just the latest hyped up Souls game. It's crazy to me how many I know here, who purportedly love Souls so much, missed this because Dark Souls II sucked or something. It's like all the people that punished, and deprived themselves, MGS3 for MGS2's crimes! Tragic.

Grand Theft Auto would probably be a distant second, if only because there's a tiny chance Rockstar will see the light, throw everything related to GTA Online in the trash (or at least distance it from the main product), and make something awesome out of Grand Theft Auto VI. I doubt it, of course, but that's a hell of a lot more than Bethesda, Sonic Team, Square-Enix, and especially Konami have going for them.

You remind me of a line Chuck Klosterman had about Metallica fans simply enjoying feeling betrayed. =) Anyway, yeah, I think there's zero chance that Rockstar will change their model given all the money it makes off it. I feel like Rockstar has crossed over like Madden or Call of Duty territory where casual and even non-gamers will play their games and spend cash doing it. I mean, if you were trying to make money, would you rather court all those people, or us?

Love me some Zelda, Metroid, and Donkey Kong Country.

What do you think of the DKC Returns games? I could never totally get with them because of how they flow differently, and counter-intuitively, than the originals.

Yeah this is tough for me to do. Because my favorite games of all time either aren't in series (Infinite Space, Shadow of the Colossus), or are parts of series that are so mired in other shit that it's hard for me to vote for the whole group of them (Final Fantasy, Front Mission).

Constrained like that, I guess I'd go with Zelda and Mario mostly due to their overall quality over time.

Well, if my back forth with Aaz reveals anything, it's that you're only as constrained as you feel here (maaaaan =), and you just described some of you're preferred titles and the series they inhabit, even if it's not so cleanly divided. Which Final Fantasy's are your favorite? Which turn you off so much you feel you have to exclude it (I'm in the same boat)? You could also say you like the Team Ico, or Fumito Ueda's, games, even if Colossus towers above the rest, or a disclaimer why you don't actually feel that way about the rest, etc.

Actually, my biggest question is has Souls fallen off so much for you it's not even among your favorite individual titles anymore (play DS3 ), or does it simply go without saying? I actually feel that way with SotC these days. I loved it like everyone else, played it on (your) PS2 and more on my PC in HD, but without compelling reason or opportunity to go back to it my feelings for it haven't endured and yet it's still so popularly revered, "games as art!" that it's almost like I look at it with suspicion now, if that makes sense? Like my response to your listing it was like, "really?," except I shouldn't be surprised as it's been one of my favorite games too (I also expect you to have played way more than me). I guess I just need to replay it in order to know again for myself.

On this note, I think that's what hurts Final Fantasy: Everyone has at least one that meant A LOT to them at one time, but probably not anymore, and if one listed it as one of their favorite games it's probably more because of how much they know it meant to them than it does now. BTW, where would Zelda be in this thread without BotW? Probably closer to that Final Fantasy zone.

 

[Lawliet]

Souls series for me. The amount of hours I have spent on each of those games since Demon's Souls came out is, to put it simple, insane. I just adore these games.

It used to be Final Fantasy years ago, before FF XIII was released. Now though, after the huge let down that was XV, I just can't place it top position anymore.

 

[Eluvei]

Voted for Metal Gear because I like all of them except for 4, but I sort of like that 4 exists because it's insane. MGS 1-3 are my favorite games I think. Also voted for Mega Man, played most of them and they range from alright to great, the only one that was total shit was X7. I loved the Zero series when I was in high school.

I enjoy Mario but only played up to the 16 bit ones. Almost voted for Souls but the truth is, even though Demon's and Dark 1 are two of my favorite games, I felt the others were just okayish.

 

[tom]

Votes for Souls, though I did not find 3 enjoyable at all - 1 and 2 were just that good, though.

I like that you put Sims in there, I might have voted for that one if not Souls.