Favorite and least favorite games from each franchise

• MGS
  • Favorite: Metal Gear Solid
    • Kojima's master piece, had excellent pacing, fun gameplay, and great writing.
  • Least Favorite: Metal Gear Solid V
    • Didn't really care about Big Boss, lack of great boss fights the series is known for. Lack of story.
• Final Fantasy
  • Favorite: FF7 Remake Part 1
    • They did a great job of modernizing the combat and the story is as exciting as ever.
  • Least Favorite: Final Fantasy 15
    • It's weird to have this one listed, because I did enjoy it, but I thought the story was weak (I was one of the launch players).
• Legend of Zelda
  • Favorite: Ocarina of Time
    • To me, it's the most complete Zelda as far as story, gameplay, music etc. Complete package.
  • Least Favorite: Skyward Sword
    • Played about 7 hours of the Remaster I think, and I didn't like it! The motion controls were lame.
• Resident Evil
  • Favorite: Resident Evil Remake
    • The Remake that started it all! Such a classic game. Had great pacing.
  • Least Favorite: Resident Evil Village
    • Didn't think I'd go as far as saying it's my least favorite because RE3 Remake exists, but I really dislike how they made it a COD simulator in the second half.
• Bayonetta
  • Favorite: Bayonetta 2
    • Oddly enough Bayonetta 2 wasn't up there for me for a while, but I loved how streamlined and action packed it was. And the music was awesome.
  • Least Favorite: Bayonetta 3
    • Actually a good game, but I think they overemphasized the summons and should've made improvements to the core melee combat.

How about you, SW? Favorite and last favorite games from each franchise?

A few for me are:

Devil May Cry:

Favourite - Devil May Cry 5

Least Favourite - Devil May Cry 2

Final Fantasy:

Favourite - Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Least Favourite - Final Fantasy 2

Ninja Gaiden:

Favourite - Ninja Gaiden Black

Least Favourite - Ninja Gaiden 3

Street Fighter:

Favourite - Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold

Least Favourite - Street Fighter

The Legend of Zelda:

Favourite - Breath of the Wild

Least Favourite - The Legend of Zelda II

• Super Mario
  • Favorite: 64. Controlling Mario is not as fun as it is in Odyssey, and the content is not as good as it is in Galaxy. But the balance is superb.
  • Least Favorite: Lost Levels, felt too similar to the original game.
• Zelda
  • Favorite: Majora's Mask, Exploring Termina was just really interesting, due to its atmosphere. Being able to play as the other races of Hyrule, with their own weaknesses and strengths, also made RPG racial differntiation look bland in comparison.
  • Least Favorite: Zelda 2, on thetopic of RPGs, Zelda 2 should never go the RPG path again.
• Intelligent Systems Strategy Games
  • Favorite: Advance Wars 2, I would say reboot camp, but that would be cheating. But the pacing is spot on, and people are still coming up with new strategies 2 decades later.
  • Least Favorite: Fire Emblem: Awakening, Complete opposite of the one I previously just mentioned. Pretty much the entire game felt like a filler arc, balance has never been this bad before or after this either.
• Final Fantasy
  • Favorite: Tactics, probably my go to FF game. 14 may be the best numbered entry, but this spin-off put the main line games to shame.
  • Least Favorite: 13, I might have said FF2, but FF2 lead to the Saga series, and was a commendable effort in spite of its flaws. FF13, on the other hand dragged on for far too long, with 3 games and felt like a regression of the series.
• WarCraft
  • Favorite: 3, the custom maps gave that game such a huge lifespan. While the modding scene was basically an iteration over what SC did, WC3, went further and showed just how great modding could be even for RTS games.
  • Least Favorite: Shadowlands, after Battle For Azeroth, I wish Blizzard would make things better. But this expansion just lacked any soul.
• StarCraft
  • Favorite: Brood War, made the original, which while good was not great, into a game that was truly legendary.
  • Least Favorite: Heart of the Swarm, why are we putting RPG elements in this?
• Souls
  • Favorite: Demons' Souls, I probably have the most nostalgia for this because it was the first entry in the series. But I also really enjoyed the pacing.
  • Least Favorite: %¤"/% #?¤!, is exactly what happens if you take the pacing and claustrophobic design of the souls games, and ruin them both unnecessary open world. Did I mention, the random crafting system added? Now put in a bunch of copy paste asset flip dungeons all over the world. Fill the open world itself with the same few structures over and over, combine this with a buggy, and horribly imbalanced combat system, weak encounter design, mostly forgettable boss fights (so many jsut felt like souped up trash mobs), and enemies that feel like they were just copy pasted from previous souls games. FromSoft showed me with this game that they are running out of ideas, and I am not interested in buying anything from them again. This is the first game I ever deleted from my steam account. Didn't ask for a Refund. I just wanted this piece of trash away from my steam library.

Well, he's only in the game for like 20 seconds lol.

um, spoiler alert!

Aeris dies is Lukes father.

@ConanTheStoner: 😄 side note: I bought the MGS V Boss figure before the game came out. You can imagine my disappoint when I found out it's not really Big Boss lol.

@SolidGame_basic:

Should've spotted it a mile away bro.

The real BB looked.. different back then.

@ConanTheStoner said:

@SolidGame_basic:

Should've spotted it a mile away bro.

The real BB looked.. different back then.

yea, he didn't dye his hair back then

Favorite/least favorite

Resident Evil 4 (either version)/Resident Evil Revelations 2

Metroid Prime/Metroid NES

Super Mario Galaxy 2/New Super Mario Bros. 2

The Legend of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild/ Zelda II

Halo: Combat Evolved/Halo 5

All of my least favorite games in the above franchises are still good games. The New Super Mario Bros. series captures the spirit of the classic NES and SNES platformers. New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS was a wacky good time.

F1 series:

• Fav: 2017. 2020 is also very good but i have put the most hours into 2017.
• Least favourite: 2011 on the 3DS. There was an attempt.... :S.

Xenoblade:

• Fav: Xenoblade 1....though XCX is a better game in pretty much every way and 3 is too. But impact has an effect and Xenoblade definitely got my attention. The world, the music, fun combat, mostly great story (goes a bit off the deep end in the finale). An absolute cracker. Loads of issues with it too but none of them are game breaking.
• Least Fav: 2. Don't get me started. I can't think of a game that has disappointed me as much as XC2. I have played worse game of course but nothing as disappointing.

Total War series:

• Fav: Rome total war. Sunk stupid hours into this one. Warhammer Total war is also very good.
• Least fav: Shogun (original). It was a great start and a good game but very much a v1.0 of a new idea. I definitely wouldn't recommend playing it now.

Ys:

• Fav: Hard one. 9 and 8 are very close. I think 9 just edges it out though.
• Least Fav: Origin. Still good but feels like a cut back, more basic Ys game. I could see this putting newcomers off the series if they are not a fan of a big dungeon crawler.

For anyone interested: Ys is like Final Fantasy. They are all pretty much self contained games. There are very loose references to events in older titles and some shared characters but you don't lose anything by not knowing about them. It's more just mild fan service. Everything you need to know, you will be told quickly.

Zelda:

• Fav: Another hard one between the trifecta of ALTTP, Windwaker and BOTW. I think the nod goes to BOTW though. A very interesting start to a new structure for the game (it was getting pretty tired after TP).
• Least Fav: The DS Zeldas. Both of them equally bad. Poor games.

Zelda
Fav: A Link to the Past
Least fav: Minish Cap

Mario
Fav: 64
Least fav: 3D World

Paper Mario
Fav: The Thousand Year Door
Least fav: Sticker Star

Metroid
Fav: Super Metroid
Least fav: Metroid

Resident Evil
Fav: Resident Evil 4 (original)
Least fav: Village

Quake
Fav: Quake
Least fav: Quake 4

DOOM
Fav: DOOM
Least fav: 2016

Unreal Tournament
Fav: UT99
Least fav: 2003 or 2004, don't remember.

FromSoftware's Souls
Fav: Dark Souls 3
Least fav: Elden Ring

Battlefield
Fav: 2142
Least fav: 3. Haven't played the even worse ones..

Halo
Fav: Combat Evolved
Least fav: Infinite

Age of Empires

• Least favourite: Age of Empires online, soley because I can no longer play the game. It was an always online game and Microsoft pulled the plug. Also they went with a really cartoony artstyle which everyone hated, except for me as I love the game and every aspect of it.
• Favourite: Age of Mythology: the spin off is brilliant like a cut diamond. Every civilisation feels different and yet just right. The new resource is awesome and the new rock paper scissors mechanic deepens the genre.

Warcraft

• Least favourite: World of Warcraft: this MMO got players by the millions but I was never taken aback by it. I just wish the series could've continued as the RTS series it was. Got us a cool South Park episode at least.
• Favourite: Warcraft 3. I never played Warcraft 3. I had Warcraft 3 installed on my PC for five years and not a single day went by that I didn't launch that game and yet... I never played warcraft 3. Not a single match online, not a single campaign mission, nada. All my time was spent playing community modes like Footman Frenzy, Sheep Tag or even Pokemon TD. All of these custom modes, along with the countless tower defense modes are the best experience I've ever had online, or any single video game.

Half Life

• Least favourite: Episode 2. I know everyone likes ragging on Half Life 2 Episode 1 how lacklustre it is and how much better Episode 2 is but I disagree. Zombines are cool, the elevator part is awesome, the final fight is a work of art like a Michelangelo statue. On the other hand Episode 2 is the only Half Life game I can think of that ended on a cliffhanger that was never resolved.
• Favourite: Half Life. I'm gonna have a hard time picking between Half Life 2 and Half Life, but in the end it will forever be the first for me. Not only does it put every other FPS that existed in the 90s firmly in the stone age, it's a game that is still fun to play to this game, and that can't be said about a lot of other games. Heck, it can't be said about a lot of 2023 games even :/

Mario:

Favorite: SMB3

Least fav: SMG2. The 3D Mario equivalent of Lost Levels (which Maroxad mentioned) and mission pack sequels of other games.

Sonic

Favorite: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Least: Sonic 06. That one crappy Gamestop demo says it all really...

SoulCalibur

Favorite: SoulCalibur II. Link in the GCN version, plus a high amount of replay value for single player.

Least: SoulCalibur VI. Good game, but the stages are mostly dull, being that they could fit ANYWHERE in the world.

Elder Scrolls:

Favorite: Oblivion (by slight margins compared to Skyrim)

Least: Morrowind (not winning friends in the ES or RPG community on this one). Chalk it up to starting ES with Oblivion and moving on to Skyrim, I don't think I've ever played a game THIS poorly aged. Combat is way more of a pain in the ass than it should be for what's an ACTION RPG. And the visuals don't really match a gen six game. I really wanted to like this one more being in the homeland of my favorite ES race too...

Super Smash Bros.

Favorite: Ultimate. Brawl close second

Least: Wii U. What the f*** happened here? The game's content just lacks.

Streets of Rage

• Fav: Streets of Rage 2
• Least: Streets of Rage 1

Sonic

• Fav: Sonic 3 & Knuckles
• Least: Sonic Boom

Mega Man

• Fav: Mega Man X
• Least: Mega Man 1

Yakuza

• Fav: Yakuza 0
• Least: Yakuza 7/Like a Dragon

Halo

• Fav: Combat Evolved
• Least: 5

Metroid

• Fav: Echoes
• Least: Other M

Mario

• Fav: Galaxy 2
• Least: Odyssey

Zelda

• Fav: Ocarina of Time
• Least: BotW

Age of Empires

• Fav: Mythology
• Least: 3

Ace Attorney

• Fav: 1
• Least: GAA1

@Renegade_Fury: dang, I figured you wouldn’t be a fan of Like a Dragon 7, but your least favorite? Surprised! Btw, I’m playing GAA1, the chapter with the ridiculous Japanese guy lol

Pokemon - Least Fav: Pokemon Scarlet/Violet - Most Fav - Pokemon X/Y

Halo - Least Fav: Halo Infinite - Most Fav: Halo: Reach

Fire Emblem - Least Fav: Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest - Most Fav: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Animal Crossing - Least Fav: the original Animal Crossing on Gamecube - Most Fav: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Super Smash Bros - Least Fav: Super Smash Bros Brawl - Most Fav: Super Smash Bros Melee

@SolidGame_basic: Yeah, Y7 is the only one that I dislike. I'm just neither a fan of Ichiban nor the gameplay.

That guy in GAA ended my run, because I didn't have it in me to finish the last case after him lol.

Super Mario:

Favorite:

Super Mario Galaxy 2:

An improvement over the well-received Super Mario Galaxy. Too bad it was not packaged with the Super Mario 3D All-Stars. collection with the original Super Mario Galaxy.

Least Favorite:

New Super Mario Bros. 2:

Other than getting a liberal amount of coins, the game is quite forgettable even though I 100% completed it on the 3DS several years ago.

Fire Emblem:

Favorite:

Fire Emblem: Three Houses:

I liked its story paths and the characters, even though I did not like the protagonist Byleth being a mostly silent character.

Least Favorite:

Fire Emblem: Engage:

The overall story is inferior to Three Houses and I find many of the characters common JRPG tropes. While the Emblems are useful in battle, they are in the most part (the exception being Marth) unimpressive characters that lack depth (support conversations were shallow and disappointing). Emblems like Sigurd and Leif (characters from games that were never released outside of Japan) were not introduced properly to Western gamers, while major characters like Alm (Echos: Shadows of Valentia) and Seliph (Sigurd's son from Genealogy of the Holy War) do not appear as Emblems.

Gameplay is good with the return of the weapon triangle that was absent in Three Houses. Weapons do not break, but staves do after several uses. I like the character designs from famed artist Mika Pikazo.

Yea I like GAA but it’s a drag.

Yea Y7 had potential but it felt rushed.

Suikoden

• Best entry: Suikoden V. Its the better Suikoden II.
• Worst entry: Suikoden IV. Its far better than Suikoden I but the encounter rate is just horrible. Too much! I love IV more than I and even sometimes III but holy the encounter rate is horrible. The story carried the game.

Persona

• Best entry: Persona 3
• Worst entry: Persona 5. The writing of this game sucked ass.

Final Fantasy

• Best entry: FFVII Remake
• Worst entry: FF VII Dirge of Cerberus and Lightning Returns FFXIII.

MGS

• Best entry: MGSV. Had to think about which I like more 3 or V but ended up with V as the gameplay is one of the best in any action/stealth game.
• Worst entry: MGS2. I hate playing as Raiden.

Soulsborne

• Best entry: Bloodborne. This game is GOATED
• Worst entry: Dark Souls 3. Nostalgia bait galore and linear structure makes it a boring playthrough. Never went back after I platinumed the game.