Favourite gaming series

[Doclector]

I don't remember this being bought up recently, so here goes. Overall, what is your favourite game series? Not necessarily the one with your favourite game in it, but overall, as a complete (or currently incomplete) series?

Personally, it's a toss up between The elder scrolls, or bioshock. I'm inclined to say bioshock, though. Truth be told, I only got into the elder scrolls at oblivion. Never got the opportunity to play morrowind or any of the even earlier versions. Whereas with bioshock, I've played all three of the currently existing bioshock games, unless you count system shock, which I'd certainly play if I got the chance. There was the GOG release, but honestly, I'm not sure how well my PC would work with it, let alone that near the release, I heard of numerous compatibility issues.

It's hard to pin down what makes bioshock so great as a whole. I even like Bioshock 2. The story's definately a factor, presenting some of the best videogame writing in recent times. I think some of it has to do with the fact that I always liked stories that were contained in a certain locale, usually with the protagonist being trapped there. Plasmids/vigors play a big part as well, providing more and more cool things to look forward to as you progress.

I think overall, it boils down to bioshock being a videogame equivalent to inception or district 9, simulataneously an action blockbuster and a thought provoking, intelligent experience, shattering the delusion that you can either have mass appeal without being dumb, and you can have artistic concepts without disappearing up your own arsehole...too much.

 

[shrekfan246]

It's a toss-up between Bioshock, Mass Effect, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Kingdom Hearts.

Bioshock I love for the stories and environments, the overarching plot and philosophical questions that get tested under the guise of relatively simplistic first-person shooters. Rapture and Columbia both are very captivating cities for me.

Mass Effect I love for the characters, and the space opera premise surrounding them. Also the different classes you can play Shepard as, though it's always annoyed me that biotics/mechanics never could feature in cutscenes so Shepard always used a pistol or assault rifle even when it didn't fit the class you picked.

Sonic I love for the gameplay and all of the different locations that you traverse. And a similar reason for Kingdom Hearts, though slightly different because I love the combination of JRPG with Disney elements and how they blended it all together in an Action-RPG format.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Difficult to say but I would probably say Soul Calibur inc SoulBlade/Edge. For me the SC game on the dreamcast is the best in the series but I have loved every SC game as well as the original Soul Edge in the arcades. I dont like some of the series decisions i.e guest characters and the higher ups treating the series like shit because its not that popular in Japan.

I am also hyped for the SC2 HD release even though 2 is one of my least favourite in the series (still awesome) and am hoping Lost swords will be a more fleshed out version of V or even SC6.

Yeah anyway no series gets me as hyped as SC for some reason.

 

[Andy Shandy]

I have a few.

Sonic The Hedgehog - It's what I started with and I've loved it for most of its' 22 year history. Yeah, we've had some low points (Sonic '06) but for the most part, it's been an exceedingly enjoyable time

Pokemon - Yet another franchise that made up a huge part of my childhood. I can't point to one singular thing that makes me love the series, but I love the adventure each and every time

Metal Gear Solid - DAT Kojima craziness/genius.

Viva Pinata - Yeah, we've only had two proper games, but those two games were a couple of the most colourful and deep games this generation. I have no idea how many hours I've sunk into both of them. Time flies when you're getting to worms to commit incestuous acts so you can have more. Just for them to be brutally murdered so you can have another animal in your garden XD

Crackdown - There is a bit of home city pride, since both games were made in Dundee (despite being made by two different studios). But even then, they are both incredibly fun games to just run, jump and drive around the sandbox that you've been given. Personally, I'm half-hoping half-expecting a Crackdown 3 announcement at Gamescom which would make me as excited as I was at the Mirror's Edge announcement.

There are plenty of other series that I enjoy but I thought I should probably limit myself to 5 otherwise I'd just keep on going.

 

[scorptatious]

Well if it counts, the Team ICO games. As SotC is technically a prequel to ICO.

If it doesn't then probably the Disgaea games. I've only just gotten into this series not too long ago and I'm having a blast with them. It's probably one of the most deep and intricate games with the most amount of side content I've seen. I've put over 110 hours into 1 and I haven't even scratched the surface of the post game. It also helps that the games provide some hilarious and charming characters and stories that don't take themselves too seriously. Can't wait for D2!

Next up would probably be the FF series. Mainly VII and IX. Especially IX. Great characters and story, beautiful music, and just plain fun. Plus it has Vivi. You can't go wrong with him.

Then there's the MGS series. Lots 'o' stealth, lots 'o' story, lots 'o' awesome bosses.

 

[scorptatious]

Viva Pinata - Yeah, we've only had two proper games, but those two games were a couple of the most colourful and deep games this generation. I have no idea how many hours I've sunk into both of them. Time flies when you're getting to worms to commit incestuous acts so you can have more. Just for them to be brutally murdered so you can have another animal in your garden XD

Yeah, Viva Pinata was awesome. I'm surprised to see so many people overlook those games. (To be honest though, I felt 2 was a bit too samey for me to consider as a full fledged sequel. If it was an expansion pack then I'd be fine with it)

When my 360 broke down again, I swore off getting another one as I didn't think I would ever play any of the games for it again. Then I later realized, "Wait a minute! I wouldn't be able to play Viva Pinata again! Crap!"

Leafos can go jump off a cliff though. That lying *****. You do NOT get Pigxie's by feeding a Rashberry a Taffly!

 

[Charlie_Ruskiy]

I realize this is probably an incredibly generic choice but I have to go with Final Fantasy. I am not even sure if thats the kind series you meant since they are pretty much all stand alone titles but I think they, generally, consistently provide incredibly deep, thoughtful, well developed games. Of the main series what stands out most is FF VI and XIII. VI is probably among my favorite games because of its simple yet fulfilling gameplay, rewarding story and tremendously complex characters. I dont know, I dont think any other game ever touched me emotionally as much as this one has. Also, come on, is there any villain more fun than Kefka?

 

[The Wykydtron]

Surprising absolutely nobody I have to say Persona 4. I mean Persona 3 was good, barring the travesty of a main character but 4 and Arena are fucking GREAT.

Mystery story with great characters, awesome themes, plot twists, amazing music and Naoto Shirogane? Yes please!

Good thing I was getting into BlazBlue when Atlus decided to make the next Persona game a fighting game... It's a good game and has possibly the best fight mechanics I have ever seen but that leap of logic is still astonishing. I really would like to see Labrys in a turn based fighting system just to see what the hell moves she would have?

Everyone has elements? Lightning, Fire, Ice etc etc? WEAVES BITCHES!

Also BlazBlue. Because Hazama is the most awesome villain ever made and there are two girl wearing hats and I can't resist any woman who pulls off wearing a hat... Mostly Hazama though because he wears the best hat of all he just insults people, makes fun of people, beats people up without messing his suit, mindscrews people, throws people into Cauldrons, has a brilliant voice actor and so on.

Oh and BB has good fight mechanics and the best music in video game history. Sorry. Hazama overshadows everything else.

I think CP is getting passive comeback mechanics as well, like Overdrive or something. Looks like ArcSys has learned from X-Factor without copy pasting the absolute salt mechanic into their games.

 

[IllumInaTIma]

Does Persona 3 and 4 counts? I mean, I never played Persona 1 and 2 and as far as I know they are completely different. No? Yes? Ok, whatever.

Mass Effect! Amazing characters who show growth across the games and incredible setting!

King's Bounty reboot! Legends was an amazing surprise with great and funny story and solid gameplay. Armored Princess improves on every aspect and continues story. Warriors of the North was... not so bad, but just wasn't such an improvement as Princess was.

Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War! Very solid RTS that transformed into... another solid RTS but different.

 

[Fetus]

Hm, I couldn't pick my favorite series but I could give you my top 3. It tend to rotate between these three depending on how recently a game has been played.

1.)Mass Effect
2.)Fallout
3.)KOTOR

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Series that is still going on: Metal Gear Solid

Series that isn't going on and I still revisit probably way too often: Turok

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I'm going to have to go with the Gothic/Risen (it pretty much is the same) franchise. I consider myself a pretty dedicated Piranha Bytes fan, having played every game at least twice through, and I would say I have bettered myself and learned some things in the process (and gods know, their games have made me understand the virtue of patience!!). As far as their games go, well, here I suppose are my thoughts on each:

Gothic 1: A neat little game that is, unfortunately, seriously hampered by some very weird mechanics as well as glitches and bugs. Overall, it feels very unpolished, even for a PB game, and it has a lot of outstanding issues. I've played through it twice, but I doubt I'll play it again because of the above. If I was to rate it, I guess I'd give it a 6.5/10.

Gothic 2: Well, if you're an RPG fan worth his/her salt, you should at least know about this. It's pretty damn classic, and for good reason. It took all the things from the first game, improved them greatly (including the much-needed controls and mechanics) and added lots of other things. In particular, it probably has the most enjoyable melee combat I've ever played, beating out even Mount & Blade for me. The expansion is pretty good too, but I confess, I'm no where near as knowledgeable about it compared to vanilla, which I've played through like 7 or 8 times now. I'd give it a 9.5/10, probably my favourite game of all-time.

Gothic 3: It's pretty well known and accepted that Gothic 3 was a horrendous mess on its release. Unfortunately, PB was subject to the publisher-bullyingthedeveloper-issue, and forced them to release the game before it was finished. I guess to try and tap it on the popularity of Oblivion at the time. So the game was plagued with terrible bugs, frame rates and was overall a horrible experience on launch. Now, many years later, with patches it is a fantastic experience. I have enjoyed three playthroughs since it was all patched up and its definitely a joy to play. It still has some issues that sadly can't be fixed with patches and mods, but these are largely tolerable. It also has one of the finest game worlds I've ever seen. PB are exceptional world builders. Seriously, the world in Gothic 3 is HUGE, yet around every corner its infinitely detailed. They deserve mad props for that. In its release form, I'd give it a 3/10. When all patched up, easily an 8/10.

Risen: I've only played Risen twice, but it is a magnificent game that is like Gothic 2 in more ways than one. You can tell PB backtracked from their overly ambitious attempts at a massive open-world in Gothic 3, and decided to return to a smaller but ultimately more focused game. This is to its advantage, I think. It's a lot more polished out the box, and has very few issues to speak of. The melee combat is also very, very good, though not quite on the level of Gothic 2. It has a cool setting too. It does away with the standard medieval-fantasy setting of the previous three games, and goes ahead with a somewhat tropical setting with the city having a Conquistador-vibe. Pretty cool. I'd give it an 8.5/10.

Risen 2: Ahh, this is similar to Gothic 1. It's a good game at heart that is unfortunately brought down quite a lot because of its mechanics. Namely the combat system. In short: its pretty fucking terrible. While it can be enjoyable to fight NPCs provided you have some skills (parry, riposte, kick, power attack), it's an unfortunate reality that for every enjoyable fight you will have one or two horrible ones. There are also some pretty bad glitches in the game, both visually and otherwise. The world design and setting are top notch though, as PB were always fantastic world builders, and the pirate theme is a very refreshing change. One thing I will say for Risen 2, however, is it boasts the best English voice acting in the history of PB games. But yeah, the mechanics really fuck it up, which is sad. I'd give it a 6/10 or even a 5/10. Damn shame, I say.

But yeah, it's at least a toss-up between Gothic/Risen and Witcher. But the Witcher only has two games, great quality aside, that isn't much of a franchise/series is it? Depending on how Witcher 3 is like, well, we'll see.

Sorry for this compilation of semi-reviews by the way.

 

[Scarim Coral]

To me that is pretty much the Legend of Zelda series for the most part (didn't like the latest game) and aswell the Metroid series too. I guess I like starting out with the basic and work my way up getting better upgrade and equipment. I also like the story in them too and they both got great bosses to fight aswell.

 

[Silverbeard]

For an old-school pick, I take the Ground Control series. A series of very good games that blasted the RTS scene with innovations that were far ahead of their time. Great games overall!

 

[putowtin]

Mass Effect: I love the story, the characters, it beautiful to look at and makes me laugh and cry.
Assassin's Creed: until Assassin's Creed 3 (can't get on with Connor)
Saints Row: Just great fun that doesn't take itself too serious, a nice break from the doom and gloom of gaming.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Eh. I'll toss my hat in for The Elder Scrolls. Though they've gradually dried up as an RPG as the series progressed, it was still great fun.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Silent Hill up until recently, that is. It was scary, the music was awesome, and had great stories to tell, even though the first one was convoluted as hell and I didn't get it until about the third play through. I could ***** about the series now, but this is a fun thread dammit! Ain't no body got time for that!

Borderlands. I haven't finished the second one yet, but of what I've played so far I've enjoyed it and I freaking love Tiny Tina. It also has some fun classes that I'm sure to play around with in later play throughs. At the moment I'm a little biased. Sirens for life, yo!

Diablo. I've played those games for years and years growing up and I keep coming back to them because they are fun as hell, and addicting as hell (ho ho ho) too. The third one has yet to capture my life like the other ones have, but I'm sure with time it will. I've done a lot of running around and looking for the best loot and stuff for the best armor. Also, Secret Cow Level.

Pokemon. I grew up with that series and I should feel ashamed that as a grown woman of 27 years I get excited for seeing a Growlithe in Pokemon Black 2, but, dammit, if it's so wrong then I don't want to be right. Ever. Also, I feel there's a lot of nostalgia talking, but I have no idea what it is about that series but it just hits all the right buttons when playing the games. It might be the cute looking Pokemon, but I dunno.

God of War. That series is perfect for letting off some steam since the combat is just great. Everything past the first game is just perfect for turning off your brain and just go on a demon and god and goddess murdering spree.

Mortal Kombat. Another series I grew up with, and while it has had it's moments of suck, the fighting never really got old. Scorpion is my main character to use since he's just so much fun. I mean, how can him yelling, 'GET OVER HERE!', get old?

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Dead Rising. Admittedly the first one is still the standout title, but I really enjoyed every entry so far.

Frank West. He covered wars. You know.

 

[volcanblade]

I would say for me its a toss up between the Mana Khemia series, Ar Tonelico series, Disgaea series, or Tales series.

Mana Khemia was a huge amount of fun for me with a very unique "leveling" system, quirky but fun combat, and a nice story. It is one of the few games based on alchemy that actually has you going out to collect materials to make things for requests while playing through a compelling story. Then the items you've made unlock upgrades to your character through a growth system where you spend points on increasing health and learning techniques.

Ar Tonelico is an incredible series in general. It got a pushed things a bit in the later games, but each one has a very different fighting system and no game is the same. Casters charge magic while players attack and are used to deal massive damage. In turn they need to be protected from enemy attacks with a focus on strategy. The art is beautiful, but the music is the high point. They created a new language for the games, and all the major songs and spells are sung in that language. Powering up the mages provides background and an understanding of their minds, and all the characters are fleshed out by the end.

Disgaea is just plain goofy fun. There is a huge amount of content and it can always make you laugh. It is one of the few games that keeps the player having fun even after the story is over.

The Tales games, (Tales of Graces, etc) are massive games with a very in depth world and characters with plenty of life to them. All the characters tend to be linked in some small way with their backgrounds and the stories are always amazing. Battles are in depth with huge amounts of spells and techniques. There is always something to do in those games.

Its a bit of a wall of text, but I really can't do these series justice with or without it. They are by far the best I've played.

 

[Shinsei-J]

I'm a bit conflicted, on one hand I've got Klonoa whom I love to the end of the universe but hasn't seen a main series game since 2001,
on the other I've got Kingdom Hearts who I also love beyond comprehension AND is still being released.
On a third hand off mutation from radiation I've got Fallout who's solid track record beats out any other current series.
All this and while I would have straight up said Final Fantasy a few years ago my image of it has been stain brown by the most recent games. It's just so confusing for me, I have to much love to give!

Know what?
Fuck it, have an answer right out from the left field it's Pokemon.
I asked myself "if I could only get sequels for one game, ever, which?" and I thought of Pokemon.
Done.