View Full Version : The most important franchises
G-Boobie
10-03-2007, 03:20 AM
I've been playing Halo 3 with a couple of my friends. These friends, you must understand, are not just Halo fans...They are Halo fanatics.
Which is fine. I've always enjoyed Halo since Combat Evolved; I've just never understood the level of regard it's held in. I mentioned this to my friend Adam which sparked off a pretty good discussion about what certain franchises mean to gamers, both as a group and as individuals, and what those same franchises mean to individual platforms. Adam is a Halo nut; he has the cat helmet on his mantelpiece. He has a cardboard stand up of Master Chief in his gaming room. He has all the soundtracks, and the Halo edition Xbox AND 360.
I'm pretty much a Castlevania and Elder Scrolls nut; I have four copies of SotN; one on PSX, one on Saturn, one on Xbox 360, and one on PSP; I have a pretty ridiculous amount of Castlevania chotchkies as well, much to the chagrin of the girlfriend.
So my question is this: What franchise means the most to you personally, if any? Will you cop to having a case of blind fanboy-ism for certain games (or genres)? And what franchise do you think is the most important right now?
Oh yeah... Most important franchise right now? God help us all, Pokemon.
2Dskillz
10-03-2007, 06:32 AM
Castlevania, I always seem to turn a blind eye to any flaws in this series.
I always start out cautious with each Silent Hill fear they are going to do something wrong, but I always end up pleased.
Important Franchise, that is a tough one, I will have to revisit.
Cloud121
10-03-2007, 08:39 AM
I've been playing Halo 3 with a couple of my friends. These friends, you must understand, are not just Halo fans...They are Halo fanatics.
Which is fine. I've always enjoyed Halo since Combat Evolved; I've just never understood the level of regard it's held in. I mentioned this to my friend Adam which sparked off a pretty good discussion about what certain franchises mean to gamers, both as a group and as individuals, and what those same franchises mean to individual platforms. Adam is a Halo nut; he has the cat helmet on his mantelpiece. He has a cardboard stand up of Master Chief in his gaming room. He has all the soundtracks, and the Halo edition Xbox AND 360.
I'm pretty much a Castlevania and Elder Scrolls nut; I have four copies of SotN; one on PSX, one on Saturn, one on Xbox 360, and one on PSP; I have a pretty ridiculous amount of Castlevania chotchkies as well, much to the chagrin of the girlfriend.
So my question is this: What franchise means the most to you personally, if any? Will you cop to having a case of blind fanboy-ism for certain games (or genres)? And what franchise do you think is the most important right now?
Oh yeah... Most important franchise right now? God help us all, Pokemon.
Resident Evil by far. I've lost track of everything I have RE related.
Darren870
10-03-2007, 10:42 AM
For me I love Super Mario (standard from SMB-Galaxies) and Halo. I bought 4 xboxs back in the day just so we could do 16 person lan on halo 1.
Most important? Not pokemon...thats just insanely popular.
Id say Mario, kind of paved the road for franchises. However its also the most milked.
G-Boobie
10-04-2007, 03:32 AM
Most important? Not pokemon...thats just insanely popular.
Yeah, in retrospect, you're probably right. I retract my earlier statement.
108Stars
10-04-2007, 05:04 AM
I donīt get the Halo-hype at all...I mean, itīs a nice series of FPS, but not that spectacular either. There are many games on the same level I think, but Iīm not that much of an FPS-expert.
Castlevania definitely and Zelda. Oh wait, and Metroid.
I used to be a Sonic fanatic before that but the series has really died since Sonic heroes. That game sucked so much balls it made me lose any faith I had in Sega. I still bought Shadow the Hedgehog (possibly worst decision since buying Mickey Mouse adventures when I was a kid). I'm so glad my boyfriend bought Sonic 360 intstead of me wasting money (he's obsessed with sonic). The stages keep on getting longer and longer. God I mean, can't I have loads of amazing stages and missions like in SA2 instead of a couple 15 minute stages with multiple stupid deathtraps.
Oh and I like my pokeymans, basic game and stadium/colosseum etc. style.
108Stars
10-04-2007, 08:43 AM
Well, the most important for me is Final Fantasy. But sadly now that itīs being butchered by SE that love is getting smaller and smaller.
kaedesdisciple
10-04-2007, 09:13 AM
Another RE nut here. I'll buy pretty much any game with the RE tag on it. Let me tell you, that's gotten me some really crappy games too (Survivor, I'm looking in your direction). But I still love the franchise nonetheless.
EDIT: Even though there are only two games so far, I'll also buy any Killzone game. I absolutely love the Helghast.
diskoboy
10-04-2007, 12:59 PM
The franchise than means the most to me = The Jet Set/Grind Radio series.
And I'm stilll crossing my fingers that Sega will make another sequel. Or at least put the original DC version on XBLA.
Another one would be anything to do with Pac-Man or the Pac family. I've stated numerous times, I don't really consider myslef a collector, I just love video games. But anything Pac-Man related is my exception. When Pac-Man CE came out a few months back, it renewed my faith and love of the franchise. Pac Man should've stuck to it's original formula over the years. Pac Man CE injected new life into Namco's dying mascot. I even collect the better Pac clones (Example - Munchman on the TI, KC Munchkin on the O2 which was far superior than Atari's Pac Man. Ladybug on the Colecovision, etc..)
Nebagram
10-04-2007, 02:28 PM
Probably Final Fantasy in first place for me right now.
Second is likely Mario, I don't buy all the vast amounts of cruft he puts out (Mario Pinball, Mario Basketball etc) but everything from Paper Mario upwards, I'm there.
Possibly Sonic still in third. He hasn't done anything decent since 2001, though. :-/
Fourth, anything by Tetsuya Miziguchi. After that, it all kinda blends into a blur.
The franchise than means the most to me = The Jet Set/Grind Radio series.
That series is nothing less than brilliant. I've been hoping for a sequel also for years. I wanted to buy the pachinko machine but alas had no money (and seller had no outside of uk ship). I forgot to include it in my list because morning thinking seems to be impossible for me.
G-Boobie
10-05-2007, 03:36 AM
Jet Grind Radio is great, but I didn't care much for the sequel.
I wouldn't mind another iteration of Chu Chu Rocket, while we're waxing nostalgic about Sega.
Buyatari
10-05-2007, 05:29 AM
Madden
Sailorneorune
10-05-2007, 09:59 AM
Phoenix Wright and Zelda.
I love a Zelda game no matter how close it pushes me to the edge of insanity, and I love a Phoenix Wright game even when it pushes me off the edge.
Phantom Hourglass and Trials & Tribulations are threatening my wallet as we speak.
cyberfluxor
10-05-2007, 10:02 AM
Madden
As much as I dislike the Madded football games it is quite possibly the most important game franchise. If it needs to be explained why then I'd just suggest using the search feature.
With that aside, some of the important franchises as a gamer to look forward to (and haven't been listed) are:
Worms, Unreal, Panzer Dragoon, Quake, Half-Life, Diablo, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Fallout
monkeysuit
10-06-2007, 02:42 AM
The Metal Gear series will always hold a special place in my heart.
diskoboy
10-06-2007, 02:21 PM
I wouldn't mind another iteration of Chu Chu Rocket, while we're waxing nostalgic about Sega.
I'm willing to bet that MS will probably want Sega to make Chu Chu Rocket for XBLA - it would be perfect fit for the XBLA lineup.
And now that broadband is the norm for todays consoles, the lag from the DC version will probably be a thing of the past.
Hwj_Chim
10-06-2007, 04:43 PM
My Favorite is Castlevania. I am buying a PSP just for The Dracula X chronicles.
The king of fighters, except for castlevania I have more games from this series than anything else
j_factor
10-07-2007, 03:34 AM
Right now, for me, NiGHTS. I'm a huge fan of the original, and I'm very stoked for the new one. I'd like to say that I have a large collection of NiGHTS-related stuff, but unfortunately, I lack anything interesting like the comic series or the R-Zone port. I've never even played it on GBA.
BydoEmpire
10-07-2007, 07:22 AM
Mario of course. Sunshine was a pretty big disappointment, but other than that I haven't played a Mario platformer that wasn't stellar.
Resident Evil - this series really clicks with me. I love the slower, methodical pace, the setting and the puzzle-based gameplay. There hasn't been a single traditional RE game I haven't loved.
As far as important franchises to the industry: Madden, GTA, Halo, Final Fantasy, Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid. These are games people buy systems to play.
FantasiaWHT
10-07-2007, 07:28 AM
For me? Phantasy Star. I am completely unable to resist anything that comes out in that series (as lack-luster as PSU was, sadly), and I will continue to do so.
Somebody poo-poo'd the importance of Pokemon up above, and I beg to differ. Nintendo would no longer be making consoles if it wasn't for Pokemon saving their ass- their handheld success is the only thing that pulled them through two generations of last-place finishes, and their handheld success was because of pokemon.
FlufflePuff
10-07-2007, 11:02 AM
I would say the Zelda series is the most important to me. Definately the only series of length in which I've beaten every entry. Even greats like Metal Gear and Castlevania have games I won't touch. Not so with Zelda.
j_factor
10-07-2007, 11:27 PM
Somebody poo-poo'd the importance of Pokemon up above, and I beg to differ. Nintendo would no longer be making consoles if it wasn't for Pokemon saving their ass- their handheld success is the only thing that pulled them through two generations of last-place finishes, and their handheld success was because of pokemon.
I strongly disagree with your characterization of N64 and Gamecube as "last place finishes". N64 was the #2 selling system of its generation, outselling Saturn, 3DO, etc. Gamecube outsold Dreamcast and wasn't that far off from Xbox. More importantly, both N64 and Gamecube were profitable in and of themselves. Nintendo didn't need anything to "pull them through" since they were consistently in the black.
BHvrd
10-08-2007, 01:10 AM
Not one mention of Grand Theft Auto.....amazing how far that game has ....fallen in terms of importance over so few years.
Now that I got that off my chest I will have to say Ninja Gaiden. It has shown how a franchise can evolve from Arcade/2-d/3-d very nicely. And now we are even getting a ds version!
Imo it has redefined what an action game should be "fast and challenging" and has set the bar so high that only better sequels can be made. The next one looks a bit like more of the same, but i'm holding out for some fresh innovations and a broader scope.
It has shown how a game can have such a seemless flow, that it doesn't even seem like a game, but is truly an experience. It doesn't feel like a chore to play, but is very challenging.
FantasiaWHT
10-08-2007, 07:34 AM
I strongly disagree with your characterization of N64 and Gamecube as "last place finishes". N64 was the #2 selling system of its generation, outselling Saturn, 3DO, etc. Gamecube outsold Dreamcast and wasn't that far off from Xbox. More importantly, both N64 and Gamecube were profitable in and of themselves. Nintendo didn't need anything to "pull them through" since they were consistently in the black.
I'll grant you the Saturn, but the DC gave up early, and I still stand by my statement regarding pokemon being the savior of Nintendo during that era.
Rob2600
10-08-2007, 11:18 AM
Nintendo would no longer be making consoles if it wasn't for Pokemon saving their ass- their handheld success is the only thing that pulled them through two generations of last-place finishes, and their handheld success was because of pokemon.
That's not true. Nintendo has always had plenty of top-selling home console games year after year. Also, as j_factor pointed out, Nintendo made profit on the GameCube console itself, whereas Sony and Microsoft lost money on hardware.
Anyway, without Pokemon, the Nintendo 64 would have done just as well as it did. Look at the list of top-selling Nintendo 64 games:
Super Mario 64 (over 11 million)
Mario Kart 64 (over 9 million)
GoldenEye 007 (over 8 million)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (over 7 million)
Pokemon Stadium (over 5 million)
Super Smash Bros. (over 5 million)
Donkey Kong 64 (over 4 million)
Diddy Kong Racing (over 4 million)
Star Fox 64 (over 3 million)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (over 3 million)
Pokemon Snap (over 2 million)
Banjo-Kazooie (over 2 million)
Yoshi's Story (over 2 million)
Mario Party (over 2 million)
Pokemon Stadium 2 (over 2 million)
Perfect Dark (over 2 million)
Wave Race 64 (over 2 million)
Mario Party 2 (over 2 million)
Star Wars: Episode I Racer (over 2 million)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (over 2 million)
Yes, Pokemon N64 games have sold very well, but so have many, many other N64 games.
UniHamachi
10-08-2007, 01:21 PM
Nintendo makes so much money on their first party games that they really aren't good dealing with 3rd party developers. After they lost their status as the only game in town after the NES, Nintendo had a hard time keeping good 3rd party developers on their side because a lot of them felt, rightly, that Nintendo would screw them over to maximize sales of their titles. If they went software only, they would not get the same elbow room to distribute their titles, which is why they decided to go for a niche product for this generation since they obviously made money on the 3rd place GCN.
The Great Dane
10-08-2007, 02:42 PM
Suikoden for me.
I have all of the North American releases (not counting Tactics, not yet at least) and have played through 1 and 2 many many times. I actually lost, or had it stolen, my copy of Suikoden 2 several years ago. Well, I slapped down $100 to buy another copy of it.
If Suikoden 6 is made it will be put on the PS3, most likely. I will buy a PS3 just for it.
Barbarianoutkast85
10-08-2007, 11:32 PM
My favorite franchises are; Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong Country, Ratchet and Clank, Crash Bandicoot, and Jax.
G-Boobie
10-10-2007, 01:58 AM
Metal Gear Solid is another one for me... I just realized that MGS has sold me no less than four consoles... A PSOne, a PS2, a Gamecube, and a PSP.
That crafty Kojima.