Monday, April 28, 2014

Article: My Top 10 Game Franchises

I'm a gamer, no doubt about that. I've been playing video games for most of my life and there a many that hold a special place in my heart. In this article, I'll list my top 10 game franchises, and will include specific examples of games I've played and why they're on the list.

10. Paper Mario

The Paper Mario games have just about everything I could ask for in a game. They're funny, charming, they have excellent music, brilliant stories, entertaining characters, and are fun to play. I was first introduced to Paper Mario through the Gamecube game "Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door," which I thoroughly enjoyed. I later bought the N64 game, known simply as "Paper Mario," and enjoyed it about as much as Thousand Year Door. The third game, which was for the Wii, had very different gameplay, but I enjoyed its story and characters almost as much as the previous two. I have not yet played the most recent game, but look forward to it.

9. Civilization

The Civilization games are what introduced me to strategy games (and to a lot of world history). They're complex, fun, and educational to boot. Having played 3, 4, 5, and a number of spin-offs like Revolution and Colonization, I would have to say that 4 is still my favorite. The Civilization games also feature an active modding community, which makes any game exponentially more enjoyable in my opinion. I should also mention that I have a signed card and a picture from Sid Meier (who in response to my letter informed me that he is indeed a Christian), both of which are treasured possessions.

8. Star Wars: Battlefront

Another game with an excellent modding community, Star Wars Battlefront was the method by which I grew to love shooters, and also the reason I grew to love PC gaming. And speaking of the modding community, Battlefront 2 is hands down better than 1 for me. Why? Because of a little mod called the "Total Conversion Pack 2". This mod pack not only restores all of the classic maps, units, and game mods from Battlefront 1, it adds in an entire new set of maps and units from Knights of the Old Republic, as well as some miscellaneous mods that fill out the movie factions. It's essentially 3 games in 1.

7. Dynasty Warriors

I was first introduced to Dynasty Warriors relatively recently in comparison to the other games on this list; when I first played Dynasty Warriors 4 I was awed by the idea that I could play a game where I send hundreds of opponents flying through the air as a single warrior. The games receive a lot of critique in the West, but I personally love button mashers and everything that goes with them. However, my favorite game in the series has to be Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. The game not only has the epic action that is common in the franchise, but also includes a well sculpted character creation system, and some excellent diplomatic and empire based gameplay.

6. The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was one of very few games that immediately wowed me when I had never seen or played any other games in the series. Swords, magic, dragons, all in a massive and immersive open world! It was the game that I never knew I wanted, and still play it regularly today, in part due to the fact that Skyrim, as well as Oblivion and Morrowind have huge modding communities, which keeps even the older games relevant and fun.

5. Dota 

Dota 2 is quickly becoming not only one of my favorite games, but one of the most popular games worldwide. You may have read my article on it a while back, about the championship that was held at Gamescom. Since 2011, there have been many more tournaments, and the number of people that play Dota 2 have increased exponentially. Dota 1 had been around long before Dota 2 was ever dreamed of, and had a large fanbase of its own. I'm excited to see where Dota 2 will go, and how it will further affect the worldwide gaming community.

4. Super Smash Bros. 

Also known as the only fighting game I'm really good at. But I am pretty good, probably because I've been playing Super Smash Bros. since I was 6. Super Smash Bros. was Nintendo's dream game: throw the best Nintendo characters together in an arena and have them duke it out. What more could you ask for? Even now, the world eagerly awaits the release of Super Smash Bros. 4, and they certainly won't be disappointed. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was a game that I watched with anticipation for years, and was easily one of the most appreciated gifts I have ever received in my life.

3. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team was one of the first games I played for Nintendo DS, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team was one of the last games I played for the gameboy advance. Both were amazing, and I don't think there's anything I didn't like about them. The soundtrack in particular has remained comfortably nestled in my memory. Explorers of Time and Darkness, the second generation of Mystery Dungeon games only improved on the design of the first games. My appreciation for the story in both generations of games is rivaled only by the story in Knights of the Old Republic. However, to my regret, the most recent entry was very disappointing for me, and was nowhere near as good as the previous ones, although it did have some interesting ideas. I still have hope for the series, and regardless of whether any future games live up to the legacy presented to them, I will be playing and replaying Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games for a long time. My favorite game has to be Explorers of Sky because of the great selection of starter pokemon and updated gameplay elements.

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Story, music, gameplay, characters, mods, these games have it all. KotOR 1 not only gave me a love for role playing games, it was also what catapulted me into the Star Wars extended universe. While the story for KotOR 1 is far superior, I personally like KotOR: The Sith Lords better because of the gameplay elements introduced and the better selection of mods.

1. Pokemon

I love Pokemon. There's not much more to say than that, Pokemon has been around about as long as I have, and I've been playing the games for almost my entire life. I have bought or played almost every single game in the franchise, with the exception of a couple Pokemon Ranger games, Pokemon Trozei, and a couple of the older GBC games like the Trading Card game and Pinball. I could make an entirely new list for my top 10 favorite pokemon games, but I'll say with some uncertainty that my favorite is Pokemon Ruby. I still believe that Gen 3 probably feature the best games in the series, including Pokemon Coliseum  and its sequel, Pokemon XD.

Well, that's my list. Honorable mentions include Kingdom Hearts, Harvest Moon, Terraria, Super Mario Sunshine, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, and Rune Factory, all of which are significant to me in one way or another.

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