30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[Rusty Spy]

Day 4: Favorite Series

 

 

 

Yeah no surprise here, it's the only series apart from Sonic that I've played since the beginning and stuck with till today. Not only do I  love how simple, yet incredibly deep the mechanics and battle system are, but I also like how much world building there is. NPCs across every game give you bits and pieces of lore surrounding their region and it's culture, and help give each part of the world it's own personality. Not to mention, like Sonic, the music throughout the series is godlike.

[Xtremer Sadiqachu]

I'm starting to get sick of the favorites, I can't pick favorites. But if i must.



Pokemon is my 2nd favorite franchise, next to Sonic of course. It's the reason why I'm $adiqachu, how I got introduced to the RPG genre,  and partially the reason why I still play videogames. It's always fun to come back to, and I highly doubt I'll get tired of playing any of the games, at any age.

Honorable Runner Ups

 

Kirby is amazing and I love the series (even though I was introduced to it by Right Back Atcha )




Oh come on, how could I NOT mention the most influential and revolutionary video game series of all time?

[DocAzure]

 

Hell yeah I'm going with this franchise! This series has been with me for many, many years, and our relationship started off as one of fear. I was terrified of the first game when I was younger, I mean, that stuff was tense and spooky. Zombies? Blood? DEAD PEOPLE?! When I finally broke down this barrier, I discovered a franchise that I could love. From the survival-horror aspects of the first three games (and Code:Veronica, if you wish to count it.), to the more action based later games (I do get SOME enjoyment out of 6.), I eat that stuff up. From the good, which is of course the gameplay, which is flawless in the second and fourth games, to the bad, being the voice acting in the earlier titles, which just add charm for me.

 

Great series, worthy of recognition. Don't be put off by how the sixth game was received, those previous are fantastic!

 

(Also we don't talk about the movies, OK?)

[Captain Fun]

Day 4: Favorite Series

 

This is a hard one, as I'm not 100% sure what it is, and it changes all the time anyway, but just for consistency...

You know, it's hard to say why it is I like it. There's the sense of adventure, the storytelling and the puzzles. And the music. The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite series because of the legendary soundtracks. The main theme, Gerudo valley, Ghirahim's theme are all some of my favorite tracks from the series. The games themselves are all good, bar the CD-I installments (which don't count, you know they don't). I don't think I've ever played a bad Zelda game, ever. Hell I even enjoyed Zelda II: Adventure of Link. Very few series are so consistent in their quality.

 

Runner Ups: The Super Mario and Super Smash Bros. franchises are really fantastic too. I bet I sound like a Nintendo fanboy, but screw it. I don't think mainline Mario or Smash have had a bad game either. Mega Man and RE, and Sonic and...fuck, I knew it was hard to pick a favorite. 

[-blank-]

I want to be 'that person' and say Sonic. But I'm not going to. Because while it is is my favorite series, being on a Sonic forum already gives me plenty of chances to elaborate on as to why (though I haven't exactly done that with the series as a whole, but still...).

 

 

So instead, I'm going to talk about another gaming series that I hold pretty much almost as dear to as Sonic;

 

 

The Pokemon franchise.

 

What can I say about this series? It's by far one of Nintendo's greatest. I've been with the franchise since almost the beginning, introduced to it through the anime and with Red being my first game of the series. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of RPGs, but Pokemon took it to a level that was easy to understand, but with surprising depth to it that I just can't help but love. With so many Pokemon and moves they can learn, there's a style that suits everyone out there. Not too mention the designs of the majority of Pokemon are ripe with creativity (a fox that can evolve into one of several other foxes, each with it's own elemental prowess? A dragon-like beast with a flame blazing from the end of it's tail? A ninja frog? I could go on and on about the designs and how awesome most of them are).

 

And the lore of the series? Damn, just when you think the world of Pokemon couldn't possibly get any bigger in terms of that, every new installment just adds more and more. It almost makes it feel like a living, breathing world at times.

 

Plus, it's addicting as all hell. ;P

 

I'll keep catching them all for years to come. =)

[Solly]

Day 4: Favorite Franchise, also god damn you Discoid for making me pick.

This is pretty much tied with Super Mario for me. I say Zelda because no other franchise out there piques my interest so much. While not every game lives up to its outrageous expectations, a new main Zelda game is always a megaton announcement. When I see something from another game that works really well, I sometimes find myself thinking of how cool it would be to see it in a Zelda game. A lot of people do this. Why? Because the series is so widely loved and yet everyone wants something different out of it or likes something different about it. When I say "Link" or "Zelda" most people reading this probably have different games or iterations of the characters show up in their mind first. There's a lot to like.

 

On top of that, I don't think I've ever played a bad Zelda game. No game by itself is really sub-standard unless compared to other titles in the series. Some of them have questionable design decisions but it's never game-ruining for me.

I also really love the mix of action and puzzles. As much as people talk about the series getting stale (and in some cases it has) it's a unique series in how it plays and feels. The reason people always make a fuss about the next Zelda game is because there isn't really anything else like it out there. 

[KHCast]

BIG SHOCKER!!!

 

Anyway yeah lol, barely above Super Smash and Zelda we have the Kingdom Hearts series. I've found this series magical since I first played it. It has a charm to it despite its problems. I basically gushed about 2 a few pages back, but those reasons can easily be applied to the entire series(minus a game of two).

 

The music has always been fantastic, visually, most of the games are just fantastic and capture the look and feel of the movies they are based on, and the gameplay is just so fun.(3D's flowmotion...SO GOOOD!) 

 

I'm a Disney guy, so the idea of going through these worlds a a spiky haired anime hero with Donald and Goofy and occasionally running into Final Fantasy characters caught my eye. It was so out there and wacky. I had to find out what this was. And I wasn't disappointed.

 

There's a great selection of unique worlds throughout the series, and a load of charming characters.  Even the Original non-disney based worlds are a treat to the eyes. The series just offers potential for tons of well known movies and games to make appearances in. 

 

I can come back to these games at any time, and just do stuff. Whether it's 100%, or just exploring the worlds, I'm always doing something. Never do I get bored. 

 

Gameplay is pretty simple for the most part. It's a action based RPG, and for the first few games, you could literally, for the most part, just use the attack command. It wasn't until Birth By Sleep that they upped the challenge. But still it's very fun despite its simplicity at times. Magic, Summons, Items, and other traditional RPG elements return as well giving the player much freedom to experiment, which is always a good thing so things don't get too stale. Especially when leveling up is a large focus. Aside from all that stuff, just seeing disney characters as your party members is always awesome. Whether it be Mulan, Tron, Jack Sparrow, etc. it is always just so cool!

 

Oh and back to the music, Dearly Beloved. EVERY version of Dearly Beloved. That is all. if you haven't, I advise you check that song out. Any version.

 

So yeah, that is why this is my favorite game franchise. It's a fun series. Unique fun characters, Eargasmic music, gorgeous to look at, unique atmospheres, believable character interaction, and crazy fun gameplay. Even though the story is a mess, and I joke about it a lot, I still love this series for just about everything else. Can't wait for KH2.5 and KHIII!

[Boomer]

Day 4 - Favourite Series



I've been a fan of the series for as long as I can remember. My first game was Yellow (I got it in 1999, I was in Year 1 at the time) and I was hooked.

I used to get as much merchandise as I could find. I got the sticker album (which I have completed), the trading cards even though I never knew how to play, the games, the anime. It was everywhere.

My interest in Pokemon waned during the mid 2000s, I stopped watching the anime after the voice actor switch and Gen IV didn't interest me as much. Luckily Gen VI has got me interested in the games again (I tried Gen V too but I find it far too forgetful.)

I also have a bunch of the spin-off titles such as Stadium, Stadium 2, Colosseum, XD and Channel. My favourite out of them is XD, Greevil used to give me the creeps.

Even though I may not be as into the series as I was during it's heyday it's still my favourite series of all time as it was a huge part of my childhood.

[Blue Wisp]

Day 4: Favourite Series.

 

Absolutely a hard choice. Uh... 

 

 

It's wicked, it's weird, it's fun, it's a great combination of two genres, it's Borderlands. From the get go the graphics are quite appealing, reminds you of Viewtiful Joe or Jet Set Radio. Got some black comedy moments, and by some I mean it's a lot, hoo boy. Just in the sequel Handsome Jack is a walking black comedy guy, and boy he has some great moments. BUTT STALLION you bitch The downsides, personally I find it extremely lengthy to level up, but it got plenty of content to suffice. Great game.

 

plus spinoff by telltales what's not to like 

 

[Komodin]

Day 4 - Favorite Series

 

My all time favorite series, huh… well, that’s a difficult question to answer there. Over the years, I’ve been exposed to quite a substantial amount of video game series. Some are, indeed, quite great as a whole; others… well, they could be doing a lot better. However, there are only a couple franchises that I would personally deem to be my all time favorites. Since one of those all time favorite series already has a still ongoing thread to itself--hint, hint--I’ll just gush a bit about…

 

 

… Yes, to the surprise on ABSOLUTELY everyone EVER, my all-time favorite series is Super Mario Bros. Now, you’re probably wondering, “Why, Komodin, why do you like that “safe” and “kiddy” series so much? There are better ones out there, mang...” Perhaps there are “better” ones, but that’s getting into subjective stuff that nobody ain’t got time for, so hush up and listen/read to my subjective thing.

 

Ever since I was a young child, I was a big Mario fan. My first games were Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart, even. From there, as the number of games released grew, so did my love for them. While I was and still is a stickler for the main platformers, 2D and 3D alike, I also quite adore the myriad of the other spinoffs the franchise has had over the years. Whether it’s the various RPG’s, the sports games, or even some of the more unique series like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Luigi’s Mansion, Yoshi’s Island or the Wario Land titles, I can safely say that, with only one exception (*cough*Paper Mario: Sticker Star*cough*) I honestly like them all in equal measure. Heck, most of the games I get nowadays all have something to do with Mario--that’s how assured I am that I’ll have a great time with them.

 

I’m not one to gush all that much about “favorite series” or anything like that, but if pushed, I’d safely say that it’s the Super Mario Bros. series that deserves such a title from me. While, again, there are many others that I like almost as much, what Mario has over them, in addition to consistently superb quality, is sheer longevity of personal interest, really. 

 

So, yeah, Mario is my fave, yes. Predictable? Perhaps, but it’s no less a truth.

[Dejimon11]

My favorite game series? C'mon you guys should know me by now its super mario ofcourse. I just have tons of fun with this series weather it's exploring peaches castle in super mario 64, crossing the finish line in Mario Kart and yelling at my family everytime we mario party(its known as the game that ruins friendships and families for a reason). I love the colorful cheery world and its characters. The music is top notch at times and I find myself listening to music(love me world bowsers theme yo). The power ups are so fun to use that I have a hard time choosing which one I want to use when I enter a level. I just find this series to be games that I can pick up and play without worrying about anything and like I said yesterday my favorite game in the series is the first galaxy game

[Lucky]

Day 4: Favourite Series (besides those Needlemouse games)

 

 

No One Lives Forever

 

I feel like I'm cheating a little with this one as there's (sadly) only two games in the series we don't talk about Contract J.A.C.K., but those two games happen to be two of the best titles I've ever played.

 

Unlike a lot of other games in the genre, NOLF made you feel like you actually were a spy and not just someone who was running around shooting things. It leaned more towards the stealth FPS side and you had to sneak around, liaise with other codenamed agents, and make full use of your arsenal of gadgets... and it's quite an arsenal.

 

 

One of my favourite things about the series was playing around with the ridiculous gadgets that Cate Archer is provided with during her adventures. You start off with mundane stuff like a hair barrett for picking locks and a coin for distracting enemies. Afterwards you find yourself getting a hold of toxic powder to get rid of enemy corpses, infrared sunglasses with zoom vision, a lighter that’s a torch/glasscutter, perfumes that contain sleeping gas and acid, exploding lipstick, belt-buckle zip cords… and one of my favourites… a robotic poodle equipped with pheromone dispensers to distract any guard dogs you come across.

 

The first thing I was reminded of when I played The Operative for the first time was Austin Powers which I'm quite sure was intentional, although I think NOLF might have done a better job at parodying the source material. The game is genuinely hilarious and a lot of the dialogue still makes me laugh.

 

I can't pick a single moment as there was a lot of humour scattered all through the game, but some of my favourites were the dirty codephrases and the random conversations you can eavesdrop on. You could miss out on them if you left the area or just took out the enemies as soon as you came across them, but I always liked to hang around and listen to them before I did that and thought it was a nice touch. Made everyone seem like an actual character instead of just a piece of AI running around, even if it wasn't someone integral to the plot and you just heard them talking about the most mundane stuff.

 

Oh yeah, I also liked the fruit vendors and the merchant who really wants to sell his monkey.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq5tLqTyuO0

 

I’ve managed to get this far without going into detail about the gameplay, which is the most important part of any game and where NOLF shines the most.

 

You could go down the more trigger-happy FPS route and the game would still be a lot of fun, but it’s most enjoyable when you take full advantage of everything you’re given. It’d be a shame not to explore everything and make use of all the gadgets you have access to. There’s also enough missions to stop the games from getting boring too fast, and a number also have some really cool vehicle segments thrown in that I adored.

 

The AI is also some of the best I’ve come across in an FPS and it’s challenging without ever being cheap.

 

 

Basically, NOLF is one of those rare series' that I would be tempted to call perfect again, we don't talk about Contract J.A.C.K. The first game looks a little dated now, but everything else still holds up just as well as it did when it was released in 2000 –  the awesome gameplay, diverse range of missions and scenarios, killer soundtrack, hilarious script that knows when to take itself seriously, and well-acted characters that come across as being quite genuine.

 

Alright, Contract J.A.C.K wasn't the worst game I've ever played, but it was quite mediocre and didn't feel like a NOLF game at all. I appreciate developers trying something different, but not when they take away so much of what made a series work in the first place. Also, despite it taking place in between the other two games, it is more of a spin-off and I just don't tend to count it when I'm talking about the series.

 

Honourable mentions include Metal Slug, Monkey Island, and Telltale's Walking Dead.

[Red Cap]

Day 4: Favorite Series

 

 

Surprise surprise, it's Mario. But man, I don't even know what to say. There's just too much about this series that I love. Whether it's the fantastic, consistently well-thought-out levels,the new overall gameplay gimmick,  the inventive, fun-to-use new power-ups, the memorable soundtracks, etc. there's always something about each new installment that manages to blow me away all over again, or get me thinking about how other platformers could benefit from borrowing from some part of the game. It's almost ridiculous just how great some of these games are, and I can't get enough of 'em.

[Kiah]

Day 4: Favorite Video Game Series:

 

I currently have no strong interest in any other video games series that any of them could even qualify for me to use to answer this question, so Sonic it is! 

 

Even amid disappointment at times it is several things that still causes me to really admire the Sonic series and really establishes it to be my favorite...

 

Gameplay: Issues aside, speeding from Point A to Point B, I also enjoy the homing attacks, grinding, exploring and platforming. Simply put, playing the games is fun for the most part. Although Sega and Sonic Team don't always implement the gameplay ideas and executions correctly, I commend them for trying something new, at least.

 

Level design: Majority of the levels are bright, colorful, well-detailed and downright beautiful. More times than none I am amazed and impressed with what I see among the various levels in Sonic games.

 

Music: Overall the music in Sonic games are fantastic. Not too many tunes I hear in the games that aren't simply catchy and memorable. Really makes the game more enjoyable to play while listening to some great music.

 

Cutscenes: Whether they have Sonic cracking a joke or displaying fine characterization of him, as well as featuring other characters, I find the cutscenes highly entertaining and worth watching again and again. I find the cutscenes as a nice bonus in the games to help develop the story, which is something I always look forward to in the games.

 

 

Sonic's friends: I really like them and they all have charm to them. While they don't do much of anything nowadays, I am happy to see them make at least a cameo appearance, as minor as it may be.

 

Sonic himself: This is the main draw for me to this series with his personality as it was what had drawn me to Sonic in the first place some nearly 23 years ago and Sonic's personality was the same exact thing that got me back in the series after leaving it for 15 years (which had nothing to do with being fed up with or disappointed in anything Sonic but was because of ). Not only is he my favorite video game character, Sonic is my favorite character of anything period. He is a hero with a big heart, willing to help any and all in need and having no tolerance for evil among other aspects to his interesting personality. This is shown time and time again as Sonic aims to stop Dr. Eggman or whoever the villain may be in the games. So it truly delights me to see this awesome character doing his thing and be able to see Sonic's character being developed while playing his games.

 

My interests in the video game field are currently very few. One day in the future, I do plan to check out the wonderful world involving this little guy:

 

I have definitely heard enough positive things about about Kirby to where I am at the point that I want to check out his series in the near future. That, and the fact that he is an absolute cutie! 

[Jeffhog]

SO ON, SO FOURTH

~ Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, And Many More Favourites Collide ~

 

 

Day 4/30: Favourite Series

 

Games Selected: The Super Smash Bros. series

Instalments:

-Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64, 1999)

-Super Smash Bros. Melee (Nintendo Gamecube, 2001)

-Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo Wii, 2008)

-Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014), a.k.a. Super Smash Bros. 4

 

"Something's gone wrong in the happy-go-lucky world of Nintendo!"

~Don LaFontaine

 

Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Pokémon, WarioWare, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Metroid, F-Zero, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Pikmin, Earthbound, Ice Climbers, Punch-Out!!, Wii Fit, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, Metal Gear...

 

What should you do when you can't pick just the one favourite series out of a whole bunch? Why, the answer's obvious!

 

PIT THEM ALL AGAINST ONE ANOTHER AND HAVE THEM KILL EACH OTHER, THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO.

 

That's right, I'm copping out and picking Smash Bros. as today's entry simply because I couldn't pick a single separate franchise out as a favourite (and this seemed like the perfect excuse to say Sonic but not outright choose Sonic), so I went for the next best thing -- all of them at once! Sue me.

 

Super Smash Bros. is basically every gaming diehard's wet dream: it's the ultimate crossover which brings together Nintendo's biggest names for a no-holds-barred battle royale, giving players the opportunity to experience what it would be like if X character from one franchise fought Y character from another. You can easily see that a great level of love, care, and attention to detail went into the making of each Smash, in order to do justice to the fighters chosen as well as their respective series. The cast, the stages, the arranged music, the gameplay, and the sheer amount of replayability through the numerous game modes any one entry provides, leave very little to be desired. It's fun, it's hectic, it's varied, it's perfect.

 

Besides, while the first Smash set things in motion and Melee was hella rad, Brawl basically brought everyone to shit bricks with the announcement of Solid Snake of Metal Gear fame right after the E3 reveal. Okay, Mario vs. Snake. That right there is fucking hella. Final Smashes? Oh my god. Assist Trophies representing even more of Nintendo's history? Holy crap, yes! A FULL BLOWN STORY MODE!? YES YES YES!!!

 

Months later, this happened.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PgxEQuFp2c

 

And then the collective gaming fandom cried tears of joy. Mario. And Sonic. Together at last.

 

FINALLY!!! ;;A;;

 

No wonder Brawl was on the wishlists of many. Two of the industry's greatest icons, after a decade of bitter rivalry between Nintendo and SEGA, are finally starring in a game together. It was beautiful, and it was glorious. The game was plenty amazing on its own, and even though there are already so many reasons to get this title, Sonic's inclusion basically drove my wanting this into a downright need. what's an olympics

 

And now, here we are on the hype train to entry number four, with Mega Man returning to the gaming spotlight and joining Sonic as a fellow third party Smasher. Little Mac from Punch-Out!! is upgraded from Assist Trophy to a full blown fighter. With Pit soaring back into popularity thanks to Brawl, leading to his first standalone title in over two decades with Kid Icarus: Uprising, the Skyworld native warrior feels like a brand new character on his own with a moveset all inspired by his returning game. Rosalina, Wii Fit Trainers, and the Animal Crossing Villager -- all three of them headscratchers as I couldn't even picture them as fighters, but once seen in action, oh my god, MORE. I WANT MORE OF THAT.

 

I know there is still so much to gush over, but I'll leave my words at that... at least, before I start short-circuiting.

 

Super Smash Bros. Hella series that combines all of my favourites into a heaping mass of amazing. An obvious choice for Day 4!

 

 

wake me up when the smash wait ends

[Mania Pipe]

Day 4: Favorite Series

 

 

The Ratchet & Clank series is definitely my favorite series. The tongue & cheek enjoyment factor, the humorous writing, the hi-tech gadgets to wield, the many worlds to explore, the characters to meet, and the crazy explosive actions to partake in. This fun little action platformer series is something that I enjoy playing whenever I'm feeling a bit bored and just want to go for some sci-fi action. Ever since I first played the first Ratchet & Clank game, I just couldn't put the controller down and just kept on playing the game. Seriously, this is pretty awesome series to play if you're into action platformers.

[Kaabiitorori]

Day 4: Favourite Series

 

Any intellectual property can expand into a diverse range of instalments once these become popular. Gamers will feel interested in delving into game franchises when these contains more than just one game; the more games you play, the more fondly you are attached towards a particular franchise, and much like with individual games people may like these franchises to the point of raising them to the status of personal favourites

 

Most of you will probably already guess which series is my all-time favourite, but before getting into that I would like to mention other franchises being my favourite ones as well. With Super Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog being close seconds, other honourable mentions include The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Star Fox, Streets of Rage, Mega Man, Assassin's Creed, BioShock, and Gears of War just to name a good chunk. And now, here goes my all-time favourite, which is...

 

 

 

I have been an extremely enthusiastic Kirby fan for more than 15 years and I can't express enough on how much I adore the series. There are many reasons why I feel the entire franchise deserves the place of all-time favourite, starting first with its concept. The land of Dream Land and most of the characters featured in the series are full of charm, they all make you feel cheered up and you can't help but just smile most of the time. Let alone the star of the series, Kirby himself, being one of the most adorable things you've ever seen in the video game panorama. Just a very cute and little round shaped pink puff ball with a very big appetite: a simple design yet it shows so much love among everyone who has had the opportunity to experience its also simplistic gameplay elements. Jumping and inhaling enemies to later on copy their abilities for awesome powered up attacks never have been so much fun to play, a core mechanic that has remained very strong since its inception in 1992 by Masahiro Sakurai.

 

I love most if not every single game of the series, from the main titles such as Adventure, Super Star, The Amazing Mirror or Return To Dream Land to the spin-offs such as Block Ball, Tilt 'n Tumble or Air Ride. The simplistic design of Kirby can open many creative possibilities while retaining its core and characteristic elements; I am always looking forward to hear how HAL Laboratory is going to surprise us in future instalments since the possibilities to expand it are endless. While some may complain about how easy these games may be in most occasions (without counting the Extra Mode featured in many entries) that's actually what's known for: a franchise that everyone from any gaming demographic can pick up, play and enjoy. To me it's a series that I can certainly rely on when I want to play a simple, relaxing and most of all fun game, and that's all what matters to me from the perspective of a really avid gamer. =3

[turbojet]

This is hard because all of my previous favorite series let me down or went to an unavailable platform. I never really liked a series in its entirety.

 

Favorite Series

 

The ICO series.

 

This is tough due to it not really being a well defined series and it only has two games, but those two games fucking slayed! They were simple premises, but contrived puzzles and that is how you fucking play the game. It makes you think and feel great about figuring it out. I love this series. Too bad the Last Guardian is pretty much vapor ware.

[Conando]

AM I LATE? IT'S STILL BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON THE WEST COAST.

 

Day 4-Favorite Game Series

 

Call of Du-Yeah right, you guys know what I'm going to actually say.

 

 

Super Mario

 

As said in the previous 30 Days of games event, Super Mario Bros. was my first game, and though I only had a Genesis when I was a kid I frequented family and friends who had a SNES. I might get flak for this, but even back then I thought Mario was cooler than Sonic. Not in the attitude way, but in the game series itself. If you ask me what my favorite titles are, almost every single main series Mario game will make it in there (except Lost Levels, that game is just mean). Even at the age of 24, Mario game announcements still manage to excite me, and with Super Mario 3D World keeping the series strong I feel entirely justified in that. I'm a platform man, and Mario is the king of that.

[Strickerx5]

Yikes, another extremely difficult one. This might be on par with favorite game... *thinking intesifying* EHHH OK! Here we go...

 

 

Day 4: Favorite (only need to hear one part of the game title to know I'm getting it day 1) Series:

 

Halo

 

Never have I been just blown away by a series like with the universe of Halo. Not only do I find enjoyment out of every game released with the name but the amount of lore behind it is so astounding that I'm still learning new things about it today! Hell, I even read a full book series based off this franchise. The amount of time I've invested into it (both in and out of game) just made this a clear choice for me. Don't get me wrong, there are other series that I love to death for multiple reasons but again Halo triumphs over them for me in many different ways:

 

Sonic: Trying to steer clear of this franchise for this event. XD

 

Mario: Not going to lie here, Mario and I have a pretty on and off relationship. I love to death a lot of the games that come out of the franchise (Galaxy) but I could also do with out a fair amount of them (the "New" games).

 

Portal: There are only two games in the franchise and one of them barely has anything going on behind it.

 

Pokemon: Ask me a year or two ago and this probably would of been my answer but as of late I've been growing distant of it. I mean, I'll still pick up any new game in the main series but I'll be damned if I could try to remember most of the Pokemon introduced past Sinnoh.

 

Batman: Again, there are only a couple of titles out for this one. Plus, I really only started to get involved a year or two back.

 

Uncharted: While I love the franchise and am happily waiting for the 4th installment, I just can't say I'm invested into it like I am with Halo.

 

Super Smash Bros: Though this is probably the series I've spent the most time purely playing, it's really a mixture of multiple other series. Plus, it just doesn't have the lore behind it like Halo does.

 

Not to mention others that I'm just not naming at the moment. Halo just has the full package for me and is a series that I can always look to for a good time.

 

 

So yeah, Halo wins again for me. Wow, this is like the third time in a row. I hope there isn't some sort of rule against this or something...

[Nintendoga]

Day 4 Favorite Series

Pretty hard for me to think of a series I hold favorably above all the others, but if I had to choose one for this topic, I guess Donkey Kong Country.



Not too much to say about this that hasn't been said before. The series has incredible charm and heart. All of the games have amazing music, incredible platforming and challenge, and is just top notch to play. Yes, even DK64.  Hell I'd even go as far as to consider DKC2 as the height of 2D platforming. Tropical Freeze comes extremely close next to DKC2 as my favorite entry into the series so far. 

These games have alot of love and heart put into them, both Rare and Retro has done a perfect job not only in revitalizing Donkey Kong, but also keeping the him at top.

[Phantomime]

I don't know if I can say I have an absolute favorite series, but this is at least in the top 3. For day 4, my pick is...

 

Favorite Series: Paper Mario

Pictured: The best Mario game

 

This entire series is fantastic. The artstyle is great. The music is great. The writing is great. The gameplay is great. Er, actually the gameplay is only great in the first two, but even Super Paper Mario's gameplay was solid, if not anything special at all.

 

Paper Mario for the N64 was great, it took the world of Mario and turned it into something cohesive, while offering a simple but fun turn-based battle system. I don't think the battles in this game are quite up to par with, say, Super Mario RPG, but the badge system and unique partner abilities and moves felt fresh and kept it interesting. The characters were fun, and the story freshened up the boring "Bowser kidnaps Peach" plot by giving their perspectives between chapters. It's also the first (and maybe only) time I've felt like the Mushroom Kingdom was actually a location, with civilizations and landmarks and shit, rather than just a series of standard level tropes. 

 

That said...

 

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was a complete improvement in just about every way. The battle system felt smoother, with an increased focus on partners, with more variety in how they worked and what each one offered, the addition of the Superguard, a much more diverse set of badges, the crowd and style system, and a bunch of other great little tweaks. The locations were more diverse, ranging from the scum-filled and worn down Rogueport, to the fancy, lit up floating arena of Glitzville, to the dark and twisted Twilight Town. The story was well written, with fantastic characters and a much higher-stakes plot than what the first game had. 

 

TTYD took what was great about the original and improved upon in extensively. It's a fantastic game, and a great sequel, as well as being the best game in the series. But moving on...

 

Super Paper Mario was... uh... well, it felt more like a platformer spin-off of the RPGs... which were spin-offs of a platformer game. Does this mean we've gone full circle or something like that? Anyway, gameplay wise it was pretty dull. The 2D-3D flipping didn't add much, the platforming itself was pretty dull and lifeless, and it had some obvious and fucking annoying padding and pacing issues. That said, I still LIKE SPM. The writing was great, the characters were awesome, and I actually really like the weird blocky artstyle.  The soundtrack is pretty fantastic too. 

 

It's still a really charming game, despite it's flaws, and while the gameplay is really uninspired, it's not enough to stop me from recommending it.

 

 

So yeah, that's the entire Paper Mario series. It's too bad we haven't seen an entry in the series since 2007, but at least I've got a great trilogy to go back to whenever I feel like. 

 

There we go, the whole series.

 

 

There was not a fourth game.

 

There was not a fourth game. 

 

There was not a fourth game.

 

There was not a fourth game.

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

favorite series

 

 

Sonic is my favorite series. its the one the first series i play other then Pokemon. i love the games and how fun and colorful and fast pace they all are. i start out with play Sonic 2006 and ever sense then I get into the series really good. the thing it really got me to the series was Sonic. Hes so amazing and strong and selfess and I wanna be like him. Because of him I really do love this series more then the other series i play with. It also has amazing musics and stages as well. I love the dark themes and happy go lucky as well. so to me its a good mix to play.

[Gregzilla]

Day 4 - Favorite Series

 

It's late over here and I can't think of much to say, nor can I really pick one series, so I'll just keep it brief.

 

Metroid

This series has such a great sense of exploration and being lost on unfamiliar worlds.  The games typically have a wonderful feeling of progression as Samus picks up new moves and upgrades, and they do a great job of fusing sci-fi elements in with more mystical and spiritual occurrences.  It's this mix that I think really makes the games captivating, particularly the Prime trilogy.

 

The "Souls" Games

I've played through both Dark Souls games, and I just today started Demon's Souls.  All have their own unique qualities, but the Souls games all engage me much more than most other games I've played recently combined.  Everything you accomplish feels like a huge victory, and the settings and inhabitants of the worlds you visit are all expertly crafted and incredibly intriguing.  I'm most certainly prepared to die.

 

Sonic the Hedgehog

I'm planning on this being my only mention of Sonic in this topic, but I figured if I'm mentioning more than one series I might as well mention good ol' bluey.  Sonic 2 was my first game, Sonic Adventure was the first game I finished, and I still play the games to this day.  This series has always been a part of my life, and it most likely will continue to be in the future.

[T-Min]

Day 4 - Favorite Video Game Series

 

You know what?

 

I think I'm going to go with Persona.
 

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA

 

I knew I didn't want to go for a generic choice for this. Instead I chose something more...special.

 

First, a bit of my background with this series. I've only played Persona 3 FES and Persona 4. I've yet to get my hands on the Persona 2 duology, Persona 1 is horribly dated, and I'm not really a big fan of fighters so my interest in Persona 4 Arena is limited. I came to this series through Discoid, who, after playing Persona 3 Portable, would not shut up about it. Ever.

 

Ever.

 

<3

 

And I refused to play it because I was a whiny little butt who preferred to stick to his precious and oh so beloved Final Fantasy XIII.

 

yes

 

that

 

final

 

fantasy

 

thirt-ah whatever

 

it was okay

 

But either way, I made only the most half-hearted attempts to get my hands on Persona 3 until the goldenest of all opportunities arose.

 

 

P3F showed up on the PSN store for ten bucks

 

and I was like

 

 

and then I played it and I was like

 

 

Seriously, these games they just

 

they're incredible

 

They're like the most perfectly crafted experiences. Social life simulator aspects woven in so perfectly with dungeon crawler turn-based RPG elements, both very well-thought-out and working in tandem to create...Persona. These games suck you in and before you know it you've invested 90 hours into a game you've been playing non-stop for almost a month.

 

Also, did I mention the writing?

 

Because it's really, really good.

 

The Persona games have easily some of the best writing in any series I've played, period. All of the characters just feel so...real and believable in a way that I've never seen before. Playing the games feel like you're living an actual life in a world full of real people whose lives you get invested in, and the social links are all downright fascinating. And it's all worked perfectly into surprisingly intricate plots that use the lengthy playtime to their advantage, allowing everything to play out with the most development and elaboration and involvement necessary. You really feel like you're a part of every little event that goes on, and that has a lot to do with the amount of choice you're given in your interactions with the cast. Persona 4 has easily one of the best stories I've seen in gaming period, though P3 is no slouch either. In fact, I'd say P3 has the advantage of better atmosphere and a more interesting hook, though it's not quite as engrossing overall.

 

Also, the battle system is one of the best turn-based systems ever - period, and Persona Fusion is hopelessly addictive. And I must again emphasize just how well this works with all the other mechanics, since you use the Social Links to increase the power of your fusions and everything is so brilliant omg. The one thing I could ask to be a bit better is that I think the dungeon design could use some more variety, though that's really just a nitpick when compared to everything these games get so, so right.

 

Bottom line, Persona 3 and Persona 4 are some of the most intoxicating experiences gaming has to offer. I don't expect the Persona 2 games to be quite the same way, but I'm interested in playing them all the same, and I'm hyped as frick for the upcoming Persona 5.

 

So yeah.

 

Thanks, Discoid!

;D