SW VOTE: What is the greatest game franchise of all time?

Yes got to love that "balanced perspective" you got there champ.

"Also, 3d Mario platformers (arguably the main Mario games) aren't lost for direction in the slightest. EAD is one of the last devs in this industry that would need advice from armchair developers. I WISH other devs knew how to keep things as fresh as they do while maintaining the highest quality standards."

Ironically though you think the 2D Mario games need a rework, if anything the 3D ones are the ones that need a revamp, like the examples I gave. I mean come on Mario with elements from Mirrors Edge would be freaking amazing.

Also I may bash Mario but that's cause I'm tired of the same old shyt with different paint, I mean hell Luigi and Rosalina are actually in my top 10 fav video game characters. I want a Mario game that actually brings a whole new lvl to the game, and not just some "oh look we have kitty powers in this entry of Mario", I don't freaking care.

@Ballroompirate

Well thats nice but surely you don't intend to just remake Mario with the same mechanics and only aesthetic changes ? It is a game after all.

TRUTH

It's gotta be Mario. Across the arcades, 6 consoles and multiple handhelds he has provided top quality games. Often GOTY (Galaxy), system seller (Mario World), hugely innovative (SM64), industry saving (SMB), and still awesome today (3D World).

Don't think any other series can come close to that, both in terms of historical impact and modern day quality.

This won't qualify unless you have two more names :p

1. Zelda

2. Super Mario

3. Pokemon

Nintendo ftw on this one.

@charizard1605:

I'm dumb :D

1. Mario

2. Zelda

3. Baldur's Gate (I've been replaying this and reminded myself how amazing it is :D)

I should play through those sometime, they are Bioware's magnum opuses after all >.>

@charizard1605: Do. They're wonderful. In terms of gameplay the modern Bioware games still lag behind them. Even though I <3 Dragon Age and Mass Effect Trilogy, BG is where it's at.

@locopatho: I guess my only fear- and this might be unfounded, but I'd rather be assured :p- is that they might be a little aged for a first time player to jump in.

@charizard1605:

Honestly? They are. Lot's of complex dungeons and dragons rules (like armour class, thaco, multi vs dual classing, saving throws, etc), lot's of stuff you wouldn't really know without trial and error, and some really awful pathfinding in the first one.

They are well worth persevering through and learning though. I'd compare it to Dark Souls, not in difficulty but in the awesome rewards for learning and trying things out.

Just don't be a bard. Bards fucking suck :D

Lol alright, thanks. I think I'll pick up at least 2 from GoG some time. :)

1. Pokémon ~14.5 million a year since 1996 - 2013 (17 Years)
2. Sims ~12.5 million a year since 2000 to 2014 (14 Years)
3. Call of Duty ~11 million a year since 2003 - ? assume 2014 (11 Years)
4. Grand Theft Auto ~11 million a year since 1997 to 2014 (17 Years)
5. Mario ~9 million games a year since 1981 to 2011 (30 Years)

@edwardecl: Is this supposed to be your vote, or is it a ranked listing of average annual sales stats (in which case this won't count towards the final tally; also, you are missing The Sims, I believe?)

Zelda

Metroid

Mario

Just though it was interesting to mention what people think are good series of games compared to what actually sells (what most people think is good).

If I had to pick 3 it would be...
1. GTA
2. 'Souls
3. Gran Turismo

But then again there are so many others that are just as good, but those are my must haves. Shame I can't mention Dragon's Dogma until it it gets a sequel :(.

Lol, someone is on the defensive now. I could probably continue the arguement, but I fear we would be going in circles, seems like we already are actually. If me being a Mario fanboy helps you sleep at night, then I am a Mario Fanboy, call me whatever you want (already been called a Kinect fanboy, Zelda fanboy, Obsidian Fanboy, Blizzard Fanboy, Nintendo Fanboy, Microsoft Fanboy, GOG fanboy, Larian Fanboy, might as well add mario to that list). Anyways...

@charizard1605 Dont worry, they are nowhere near as complex as you might imagine.

Thac0 means To Hit Armor Class 0, basically. Just make this as low as possible. (Note: Items that add a bonus to THAC0 actually lower it, so that is a good thing).
Saving Throws are basically resistances: Shouldnt take a genious to figure out what htis means.
Armor Class: Basically lower it as much as possible. The higher your AC, the harder you are to hit.
Multiclassing vs Dual Classing: Just know that Dual classing is exclusive to humans, when you dual class you can no longer use your original class until your other class reaches the same level, and your original class no longer gains exp. Also know that Kensai dual classing into thief or mage is practically an I.W.I.N. character more than capable of soloing the entire game. Multiclassing allows your character to level up two classes but the HP gain is lower when each individual class levels up and each class gets 50% of the exp rather than 100%.

You take that back...

...oh you meant 2nd Edition bards. Carry on then.

@Maroxad

You just explained everything I hate about RPGs. :(

1. Tomb Raider
2. Grand Theft Auto
3. Gears of War.

This is tough... Yeah, that.

Tallies updated. We now have 69 franchises nominated, although basically, it's now a case of the top five franchises just solidifying their hold on the leaderboard.

Interestingly enough, Half Life was knocked out of the top ten, with Dark Souls taking its spot.

@edwardecl: that is in fact rather interesting, but I think what's heartening to see is the correlation between your list and the list we have here. For instance, two out of the five franchises you list appear in our top five, three appear in the top ten.

@Maroxad: thanks for the breakdown! I'll keep it all in mind for whenever I get around to playing the games.

Nice. Half Life should be banned from such lists until they resolve that 7 year old cliffhanger from Episode 2 ;)

Yeah, I'm assuming that's what's killed interest in the franchise lol.

That honestly surprises me considering how many Half Life/Valve fanboys that are on this site.

I find threads like this really amusing. I can almost tell how old someone is from their list. For instance, the people talking about old school super mario probably aren't 14 year old kids or something. I'd also imagine the people listing newer mediocre games to be young.

It surprised me too, but again, Half Life has been an inactive franchise for seven years now.

I mean, wow 0_0

1. Metal Gear

2. Command and Conquer

3 .Battlefield

People on here don't remember or just didn't know that Mario and Nintendo pretty much single handily saved gaming from the atari/et disaster.

@edwardecl said:

@Ballroompirate said:

@charizard1605 said:

Interestingly enough, Half Life was knocked out of the top ten, with Dark Souls taking its spot.

That honestly surprises me considering how many Half Life/Valve fanboys that are on this site.

I need to get a picture of my neighbor, he looks like Gabe >.>

1. Super Mario
2. The Legend of Zelda
3. Ummm... Elder Scrolls I guess

Half-Life

Max Payne

Witcher

I'll go with Metal Gear Solid...

1- Zelda without any shadow of doubt

2- Mario

3- Metroid

4- MGS

@CyberLips:
Could be they are everybody's number 4 and 5 series so they never get picked.

1.) The Legend of Zelda
2.) Assassin's Creed
3.) Kingdom Hearts

I can't agree that Zelda is the best.

The NES and SNES version(s) were great....but after that....they became childish, easy, boring, and void of any combat or challenge.

I literally fell asleep while playing Wind Waker back on the Gamecube. The 3D Zeldas are just....not good.

1. Zelda

2. Age Of Empires

3. Fallout

Zelda leading is some class A shenanigans.

I call PUSH X Moderator conspiricy. Someone lock this shit and do a 9 month investigation on it.

Don't be telling that to PC gamers (seriously, expect a reaction every time that is said).

That was just the US it saved was it not? Gaming was fine elsewhere.

1. Mario. Always great no matter which system, setup, world. Spot on physics make it completely playable even to this day.

2. Zelda. I just beat ALBW and it truly is a GOTY game. Made me remember why I love the franchise.

3. Final Fantasy. I know that it has fell to ruin and squalor lately, but its a franchise that has influenced my gaming life from 1-12. Not to mention the FF Adventure game which later became Secret of Mana. Its still a franchise I can play everyday without going insane, as long as you don't show me the FF13 atrocities.

1. Zelda
2. Mario
3. Pokemon

Just going off the top of my head.

Goddammit, they're on to me again.

Please vote for three franchises so your vote can qualify!

Excuse me? Hell no. Metroid has been going downhill since Prime 2.

And Zelda has been a chore post Majora's Mask.

Yo, Wind Waker had one padded part that's less than like, 5% of the overall game, and okay, Twilight Princess was a chore, but the dungeons were amazing, so it balanced out.

And then there was A Link Between Worlds, which was just top notch all around.

Okay, and Wind Waker had lame dungeons, unfinished dungeons, and a ridiculous padded part of the game, with the same weak Zelda combat I've had for ages, with the same lame boss fights it's had since OoT. Ditto Twilight Princess (though yes the dungeons past Arbiter Grounds were great, albeit the stuff before Arbiter Grounds FUCKING SUCKS). Skyward Sword is a disaster, Phantom Hourglass SUCKS, Spirit Tracks is boredom fuel, Minish Cap is meh, and it took them all the way until they made Link Between Worlds a game that largely owes majority of its design make up to a SNES game to be not stupid again.

So hooray Zelda kept finding new and exciting ways to be boring until Link Between Worlds. Yipee.

@jg4xchamp: Well, I agree on all of those except for Wind Waker (that one's great, you just can't see it yet... or ever), and Phantom Hourglass (which was objectively shit, but I enjoyed it, so eh). Also, Minish Cap was 2D gloriousness, what the hell.

But sure, Twilight Princess was a mixed bag, Skyward Sword is a disaster, Spirit Tracks is a crime against humanity, while Link Between Worlds is amazing.

It's still a better showing than Metroid, which has had ONE good game since Echoes, and that one was a remake of an NES game. So... hurray?

Both Other M and Prime 3 are fine. If anything Prime 3 is more offensive. That game is straight neutering of Metroid Prime's formula. Other M is an action game with a dumb controller decision and an unskippable video game story. Otherwise combat was dope, environments were varied, and the boss fights were on point (unlike 3D zelda games) and more up to snuff with Metroid's standards for boss fights unlike the game inferior to Pootie Tang(metroid prime 3)

Besides I'll take Metroid's high points: Super Metroid and the 2 Prime games over anything Zelda, even Majora's Mask.